Page 143 of Over Her Dead Body

“Yes.”

“And you left the property.”

“The first time, voluntarily.” I step past Margot’s chair. “The second time took more effort.”

“The family is alleging that you facilitated the theft,” Celeste says.

“The family put bamboo under my fingernails.”

“Emma—”

“And you’re firing me.”

I look at the termination letter again.

She has prepared this carefully.

Dates.

Policy language.

Client confidentiality.

Professional misconduct.

Nothing in it says bamboo.

Nothing says gun.

Nothing says a man died on the floor while I tried to explain that records existed.

Those things are apparently outside the scope of employment.

“You lied about the first Lisbon trip,” Celeste says. “You missed Vienna. You vouched for a man under a false professional identity.”

She lets out a sigh. “I don’t know if you had anything to do with the theft. But either way, you exercised extraordinarily poor judgment.”

I watch her reach for the letter.

“You can have counsel review the separation agreement.”

I take the letter and put it in my bag.

I look at Margot.

She is standing beside the files.

My files.

“Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

“What do you expect me to do, Emma?”

“I don’t expect anything.” I open the door, then look back at Margot. “Your eleven o’clock is going to ask about the Dubuffet before they sit down.”

She stares at me.

“They always do.”