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You, Again
Chloe
Seattle, Washington
6 weeks, 1 day pregnant
The following day
“Miss, for the umpteenth time, you can’t book private detective services and pay us after we do the work,” the secretary from Seattle Secret Eye groaned over the phone. “We need your full two-thousand dollar deposit upfront.”
“Do you offer any installment arrangements?”
“No.”
“What about any special discounts for the poor?”
The line went dead, and I leaned back against a seat on the tram. Today was supposed to be the “secret buyer takeover day” at Rogue Publishing, but I couldn’t force myself to care.
I was late to work for the first time in my entire career, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. I’d stayed up past midnight, cross-referencing more Williams and highlighting chapters in pregnancy books. Just as I was slipping under my sheets, my newest friend, Nausea, showed up to play until sunrise.
Shockingly, Hazel hadn’t called or texted to berate me about it at all.
“Now approaching the next stop!” The tram’s speaker system announced. “Please approach the doors if this is your final destination.”
Holding an umbrella in one hand and my morning coffee in the other, I stepped off and took the long route to Rogue.
When I rounded the last corner, I noticed a huge crowd of people standing on the front steps. Tons of news vans lined the curb, reporters staked their spots with cones, and police placed a barrier in front of everyone else.
Did something happen last night?
I looked over my shoulder at a guy on the bus bench.
“Excuse me, sir?” I approached him. “Sir?”
“Yeah, lady?”
“Do you know if something happened last night?” I asked. “Why are all those news crews and people over there?”
He glanced at my cup. “Give me that coffee and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Ugh.I handed it to him.
“Well, let me see…” He downed it in one gulp and tossed the cup away. “I honestly don’t know what the hell is going on over there, but whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’ll be on the news tonight.”
Okay, I deserved that. “Thank you so much, sir.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed the street.
Avoiding the main entrance, I walked around the back of the building and held my ID badge against the door.
Inside, every copy room was abandoned. The file library was a ghost-town, and not a single intern was helming the slush pile area.
Where is everyone?
Confused, I made my way to the lobby and did a slow double take at the over-the-top decor. Whoever Hazel hired for today’s event must’ve plucked every London and Seattle cliche straight from a Pinterest board.
