Page 111 of Strings
Standing at my desk, I fumble for words. I never expected to see him again, and the vision of him does something to my heart. I know immediately why Amy left the office. She called him.
“Who are you and why does this concern you?”
“Why are you here?” Sebastian asks. “Who called you?”
The shorter officer adjusts his duty belt. “That’s none of your concern, buddy. Now, Ms. Pearson, if you could step away from your desk, we’d like to search it.”
“You can’t search her desk without a warrant!”
“They have one,” I respond as I walk toward him. “They said someone reported I stole something worth five grand.”
“Wait… they aren’t here for the other thing?” he whispers.
“Apparently not yet.”
Sebastian’s lip curls slightly and he almost seems as relieved as I am. Why would he feel that way? You’d think he’d be glad to have me out of his life.
They start searching my desk. After a minute, one of the officers reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of tweezers and a baggie. He bends down and places something inside of it and closes the bag. “Would you care to explain where this came from?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I take a step forward to see what he’s holding. It’s the diamond earring I found a few months back. I’d all but forgotten about it. But how did it get here?
“What is that?” Sebastian asks, walking forward to look at it.
“I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” I begin. “I found that earring outside the doors to the practice hall a few months ago. I put it in my pocket and forgot all about it.”
The officer picks up my phone and dials a number. “She had it. You were right.”
“Who was right?” Sebastian asks, lightly touching my elbow to turn me toward him. “Talia, tell me where exactly you found it.”
“Do you remember the night when I went to the orchestra dinner with Lorenzo?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I texted you because I didn’t want to go and while I was waiting for you, I saw that diamond on the floor. I bent to pick it up and then you came out…”
“And you put it in your pocket. I saw you.” His eyes grow wide. “I saw her,” he tells the officers.
“You saw her take it?”
“No, I saw her find it. I was supposed to meet her for dinner. I was upset with her for making me wait, so I went out to get her and I saw her picking it up off the floor. She didn’t steal it. She found it.”
“You found my earring?”
We all turn as Bella rushes into the room.
“Yes, Miss. It was exactly where you thought it might be.”
“Arrest her. She’s a thief.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I ask, walking toward her. “You said I stole your earring?”
She motions toward me with an open hand. “What are you waiting for?”
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. Ms. Pearson found your earring. She didn’t steal it.”
“And you believe her? She’s lying. She’s a professional. I think you take her down to the station and fingerprint her.”
I grit my teeth. Bella the bitch is at it again. How would she know I even had it? The last place I saw it was in my skirt pocket. That skirt was in my closet. The closet someone ransacked. My skin flushes as I put the pieces together. “It was you! You broke into my apartment last night. You tore the place apart! You broke Stella!”
