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Chapter Twenty-Four
“Areyou actually cleaning up puke in your work clothes?” Agatha asked, peeking around the bedroom door.
It was just before 8 p.m., and Agatha was still up from the previous night. Her dark hair was standing on end, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Agatha looked like shit, but she still looked a hundred percent better than she had a year before.
Last year, Agatha wouldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds carrying a Christmas ham, and now she was filled out in places Sera had never seen on her before. Since she was in high school, she had the most prominent cheekbones of anyone Sera had seen. Now you couldn’t even see them.
“Someone has to. Violet’s been sick most of the night, and everyone has scattered.” Sera couldn’t blame them as she tossed the dirty sheet into the clothes basket. She wanted to run away also.
“Flu?” Agatha took a step back from her.
“I think so. I called in, but I have an interview this morning.”
“Harassment case?” Agatha asked. Agatha would remember.
“Yes, second with the victim.” Sera tossed the fitted sheet on top of the flat in the hamper.
“Want me to go with? I can see shit from a mile away.” Agatha folded her arms and leaned against the doorjamb.
“You wouldn’t stay awake,” Sera countered, knowing Agatha had yet to go to bed after coming home from work at close to dawn. But a second person there wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Now that Aspen had left to open her own law firm, Sera was left without a second person. Then Sera’s own assistant had called her to say she was also sick, which left her doing this alone.
“To weed through shit I will,” Agatha argued.
“Shower and raid my closet. Pretend to be a lawyer. I’ll see if I can get someone to watch Violet for a few hours. Oh, and I ask all the questions, got it?” Sera grabbed the laundry basket as Agatha gave her a thumbs up and headed to the bathroom down the hallway.
By the time Agatha was ready, Sera had started the laundry, gotten Lucy to watch Violet, and washed the bathroom floor. She had also changed her own clothes since she smelled overpoweringly of puke.
Sera had just enough time to doubt her impulsive decision to bring Agatha, but it would make the outing quicker since she hated leaving Violet when she was sick. The only difference between Agatha and Sera’s assistant was that she trusted Agatha’s instincts about people more.
Strictly speaking, she didn’t need a second interview. With the paternity test back saying Harrison was not the father, she was sure Kylie’s case would crumble if it went to court. For weeks, Sera had been looking for evidence and had found nothing.
“You should be a lawyer,” Sera said with Lucy agreeing from the couch as Agatha came down in black slacks and a green cashmere sweater and even heels—low heels, but still heels. Agatha looked more professional than she had ever before.
“No, thank you,” Agatha barked at her when she made it to the landing. Under the new layer of sophistication, she was still Agatha.
“Professional, Agatha.” Sera pushed her out the door before either one decided that this was a bad idea. If all went well, Kylie would stick to her story, they would be done within an hour, and Sera would just have to write up a report. It wouldn’t matter who was with Sera.
Across town, she was once again let into Kylie Nash’s apartment, and Kylie’s lawyer was already present. After introducing Agatha as a coworker, Sera watched Kylie to make sure she didn’t argue that she had never seen Agatha before. But the woman hadn’t been at the company long enough to meet everyone.
Once introductions were done, Sera began asking easy questions about employment length and personal history. Then she launched into the harder ones. Or, what would be the harder ones if the younger woman had been lying to her.
“How long was the affair?” Sera read the prewritten question but didn’t need the notes; she knew them all.
“Almost from the moment I started at Rodgers. Almost every day, he would say something not office-appropriate to me,” Kylie stated, though Sera noted to herself that last time, Kylie had said it began almost a month after she started.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Agatha asked without looking up. She too had a notebook she was writing on, but she was actually just doodling pictures that only Sera could see.
“No, not in a long time.” The younger woman gave a sad look.
“I know how that is. Are you looking? I am every day, but no luck,” Agatha lied. Agatha could bullshit with the best of them.
“Sometimes, but I am not really over my ex yet,” Kylie confided but didn’t name her ex, who could be Harrison for all Sera knew.
“My last one cheated,” Agatha tossed out.
“Mine too. With my friend, my best friend.” Kylie’s eyes filled with tears.
“Sister for me. It hurts,” Agatha commiserated. “Was he jealous that you were hooking up with your boss?” Agatha asked. She had taken over the interview, and Sera was letting her do it. Apparently, Kylie was willing to talk to her.
