Think Twice

Chapter Sixty-eight

Be

She took a left onto one of the narrow sidestreets, sprinting past boarded-up windows and lots strewn with rubble and glass. Her eyes swept right and left as she ran, looking for a place to hide. People could be calling 911 from the houses. She had to get off the street, fast. She spotted a corner tavern up ahead. It would do, for now. She slowed her pace to a fast walk, passing women drinking beer on a stoop. She had almost reached the tavern when she heard a shout.

“Yo, wait up, Al!” a woman called, from behind her.

Be

“Hey, it’s me, Tiffany! Al! Alice!”

Alice? Be

“Yo, wait!” The woman reached Be

“I know, right?” Be

“You get in a fight or somethin’? Why you ru

“It’s a long story.”

“Caitlin’s been lookin’ for you. Kendra, too. Where you been?”

“Around.” Be

“Sure.” Tiffany beamed. “I’m right around the corner. Let’s bounce.”

Chapter Sixty-nine

Alice was standing in the lobby with Grady and Marshall when the elevator doors opened on Mary and Judy, who entered the reception area. They seemed unusually quiet considering the ruckus, and Alice wondered what had happened to them outside. She had to keep them on the reservation.

“Are you guys okay?” she asked, going over. “DiNunzio, you all right?”

“Thanks, we’re fine.” Mary flashed a weak smile.

“We saw everything from the window. Way to go, out there. You really went toe-to-toe with Alice.”

“But she got away, did you see?”

“We did. I hope they get her quick. She’s obviously off the grid and she needs a shrink.”

“I know, right?” Mary glanced at Judy, who averted her eyes, a movement Alice didn’t miss.

“Carrier, how are you? You look upset.”

“I’m fine, too.”

Marshall gave Mary a sympathetic hug. “It looked like Alice was yelling at you. I thought she was going to attack you. What happened?”

“She was just ranting and raving. The Rothman guys had her.”

Alice sensed something was still bothering them, but she couldn’t defuse it until it was out in the open. “DiNunzio, what did Alice say to you?”

“Nothing, really.”

“Like what? Tell me.”

“What we discussed, like she’s Be

“Nice try.” Alice fake-laughed. “More mind games, eh?”

“Exactly.”

Marshall laughed. “You’d think if she was going to try to be Be

Grady nodded, smiling crookedly. “What, you never saw my girl in a bra, in public?”

They all laughed, including Mary. “Grady, she went ballistic when she heard you were up here. She must think you’re hot.”

Grady nodded. “Of course she does. She has good taste. It’s in the DNA.”

“Very fu

“Not me, I’m smarter than I look.” Mary squared her shoulders, and Alice gave her a pat.

“DiNunzio, it’s just what you said. She’s trying to run a scam that she’s me, and your restraining order worked like a charm. Thanks, partner.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now let’s go get ready for Rexco. They’ll be here in twenty minutes. We have a big client to reel in, yes?” Alice got Mary moving toward the offices, with Grady following. Marshall went to the reception desk to answer a ringing phone.

Judy brought up the rear, dragging her feet. “The only thing I don’t get is what Alice gains by making a scene in front of our building.”

“You’re right, Carrier.” Alice kept moving, her tone casual. “She gains nothing.”

“Then why does she do it?”

“She just wants to jerk me around, and that’s enough for her. She’s so jealous, she can’t control herself or forward her own agenda, like find a job on her own, or get a life. She thinks everything I have, I got at her expense.”

Mary shook her head. “Plus, it does hurt us. Wait until what happened out there hits the TV news and the Internet. It’s such bad publicity for the firm. I bet we get calls from the clients.”

“You’re right.” Alice gave her another pat on the back. “But don’t worry about it, DiNunzio. She can’t keep us down. Let’s go get ready for Rexco.”

“Let’s do it!”

Alice could feel everybody cheer up as they walked back to their offices.

Everybody, that is, except Judy.

Chapter Seventy

Mary went back to her office with Judy on her heels, closing the door behind them. She had a million things to do and they had discussed this already in the elevator, but Judy stood in front of her desk like a dog with a bone.

“Mare, don’t you get it? Fiorella said, ‘That is a good woman,’ and she pointed to Alice, outside. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“No, like I said, Fiorella’s Italian. She’s dramatic. Ever hear of Verdi? Rossini? Puccini? See a pattern? I should know, I have the same infection.”

“No.” Judy shook her head. “It’s amazing that she said that, and she was looking right at Alice, or Be

“Fiorella’s the crazy one.” Mary rubbed her eyes irritably. She’d never even disagreed with Judy, much less argued with her.

“Listen, I hear you. I didn’t think anything of it, either, at first.” Judy shrugged. “I mean, I know that Fiorella isn’t a witch queen, even if she cured me.”

“Good, we agree on something.”

“But she is intuitive.”

“She’s a woman. It comes with the ovaries.”

Judy didn’t laugh. “So it got me thinking. What if?”

“ ‘What if’ is meaningless. You’re smarter than what if.”

Judy frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means this is speculation, not fact. You’re usually the logical one, not me.”

“Hear me out, one last time.”

“Fine, shoot.” Mary glanced at the phone messages scattered in a sliding pile on her desk. All of them were from her clients, individuals with small matters, and on these child-size blocks, she had built a client base that had made her a partner. None of the messages was from Anthony, nor had he called on her cell.

“Let’s say something happened over the weekend, something we don’t know. Be