Page 18 of No Mistakes
“Well, I’ll be damned. Look who finally decided to show up.” Rob’s voice cuts through the room like a shot of whiskey. Gruff, unimpressed but also laced with a dry humour.
He stands frozen to his spot in the doorway, one eyebrow raised like we’ve walked in late from lunch instead of returning from the wreckage of hell.
“You girls get lost, or just decided to ghost me for the fun of it?” He asks, walking over to a desk to place the files down. There’s a flicker of something beneath the sarcasm, relief maybe? But Rob’s too old school to show it.
“Hi Rob,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady.
Mandy grins, “Miss us?”
He snorts in response, “Only when the phone wouldn’t stop ringing and I had to lie through my damn teeth about where you two vanished to. The executives were riding my ass about the whole thing, demanding answers, wondering why the operation got pulled by the clients.”
I open my mouth, unsure of how to respond, but he stops me with a raised hand.
“Save it. You’re here now, and thank god you’re in one piece because I don’t have time for that paperwork.”
He stands straighter and looks at me, really looks at me, and something flickers in his eyes. I can’t help but wonder if he sees the cracks. If he notices that whatever version of Eva left Boston… didn’t come back.
We start walking to Mandy’s office, but as we get closer, Mandy stops completely.
“Wait… Where’s Adam’s desk?”
I follow her gaze, and my stomach drops. The corner where Adam used to sit is cleared out completely. No clutter, no crumpled candy wrapper, no stupid little figurines he insistedbrought good luck, and the photo of us three, which proudly sat on his desk, was gone. Instead of everything that reminded us of Adam, there was someone new. A woman we’ve never seen before. Her dark hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, glasses perched on the edge of her nose. She looks up at us with a practised smile. Polite, professional, utterly unaware of who she has replaced.
Mandy blinks, stunned into silence as we just stare. “Wow. That was fast.”
Rob sighs behind us. “You were gone for a month, girls. Adam quit not long after you left for the case. Said the job wasn’t what he signed up for.”
I nod slowly, keeping my face neutral while my mind runs wild.
“He didn’t leave a note,” Rob adds. “Just his badge and a flash drive. I haven’t opened it yet. I haven’t had the time.”
My heart beats a little harder at the news of a flash drive. I wonder if I can find it to see what’s on it?
“Don’t go thinking you’re off the hook,” Rob continues as he backs away. “You two have a lot of explaining to do. But first… The coffee is still crap, the printer still jams, and the new girl’s name is Riley. Play nice.”
It doesn’t take long for Rob’s office door to shut before Mandy nudges me with her elbow. “Did you know he quit?” She whispers, glancing towards Adam’s old desk again.
“No,” I say, barely above a breath. “We left in such a rush that day. He was rattled, yeah, but… I didn’t think he’d walk.”
“He didn’t just walk,” Mandy says, leaning closer. “He vanished. Desk cleared, no message, and Rob hasn’t even opened whatever he left behind. That’s not like Adam.”
I glance back at Riley, who sits there prim and proper, her eyes glued to the monitor like she’s pretending not to hear us. Like she belongs here. Like, none of this feels wrong.“It’s weird,” I murmur. “He wasn’t cut out for field work, but he cared. He wanted to make a difference and help someone find the answers they needed, even if he bitched about every stakeout.”
“Exactly,” Mandy says. “Something’s off”
I don’t respond, but I can feel it too. It’s like there’s a thread dangling from above, and if we lit it. The whole place will burn.
Before I have the chance to say more on the matter, Rob’s door creaks open again, and he sticks his head out, summoning us. “Alright, heart breakers. In my office now. It’s debrief time.”
Mandy shoots me a look before taking the lead towards his office. “Can’t wait!” She says sarcastically, throwing her hands in the air, faking excitement.
I follow her footsteps, bracing myself for whatever consequences we may receive when we walk behind the doors of hell.
Rob shuts the office door behind us, locking it to keep this conversation private. He leans against the wood as if he is preparing himself for what we are about to say before turning to look towards us. He gestures towards the two worn-out chairs across from his desk, waiting for us to sit down and take our place. The blinds are drawn but with enough cap to let a slither of light seep in through the cracks, giving the room an eerie feeling like we’re about to be interrogated instead of debriefed.
Mandy flops into her chair like she owns the place, flicking her hair over her shoulder before crossing her legs. I, on the other hand, sit more carefully, my back stiff and heart still raw from everything we just left behind. I know we can’t tell him everything that happened, but Mandy reassured me on the drive home that she will handle Rob.
I take a moment to look at him while he sits down behind his desk, grabbing folders from his drawers before laying them out in front of him. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. His shirt iswrinkled with a coffee stain on the collar. His tie is loosened, and there’s a tension behind his eyes that wasn’t there before.
