Page 73 of Over Her Dead Body

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just asking who you told.”

“And I told you. No one.”

“Because it’s⁠—”

Margot leans forward and folds her hands on the desk.

“The deal is on the table, Emma, and it’s yours. If anything, this proves you were telling the truth. I don’t see the problem.”

Her desk phone rings before I can respond.

Margot glances at the display and picks up. “Yes?”

She listens, her eyes still on me.

“I’ll send her in.”

Margot replaces the receiver.

“Celeste wants to see you.”

CHAPTER 28

EMMA

Celeste’s door is open.

“Come in,” she says. “Close it.”

She does not ask me to sit.

“Hang tight. I don’t want to get it wrong… I’m told these were your exact words.” Celeste checks her screen and then looks back at me, deadpan. “The champagne wasn’t going to drink itself.”

Of all the things I have said today, that is not the one I expected to hear repeated this quickly.

Celeste sucks her bottom lip through her teeth in the way my mother used to before I knew big trouble was on its way. “An intern heard you discussing what happened at Philip Dane’s house.”

“I know I shouldn’t have said it.”

“Wonderful. Then we can skip the explanation.”

Celeste’s expression does not change. “The girl died earlier this morning. That makes your timing particularly unfortunate.”

I should not have been gossiping with interns. That was true while the girl was alive. Her dying does not make it more inappropriate.

Celeste knows that.

There is no response that improves the situation, so I do not offer one.

“Weird,” she says. “That you insist on keeping your mouth shut now. Seems a little late. But either way, our clients expect discretion. What happens in their homes does not become gossip here.”

“Understood.”

“Good.” Celeste turns toward her computer. “Now. Lisbon.”

The private collection inquiry fills Celeste’s screen.

“Yeah—about that,” I say. “I just got the email. And…something about this feels off.”