Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
I called up Melissa and asked her out to lunch the next day and spent the next few hours rehearsing what I was going to say to her so as not to give myself away. I was very calm once I had a plan in mind.
Ever since I learned of their real game, I’ve switched gears. Now, I’m no longer interested in their plans for my husband and our company; I want to know who’s pulling their strings from behind the scenes, as well as how many others are involved.
It's not as easy as it seems. I can’t just go in guns blazing as I fantasize so many times a day. It’s delicate and involves the safety of those who were harmed by this manipulative evil before. There are so many layers to peel back, all needing a delicate hand. That’s one of the main reasons for my hesitance.
I don’t want to start something I can’t finish or would make even worse for the victims. I now understand why my husband didn’t want me to get involved. Not that I doubted his sincerity or that I thought he was looking down on me because of my gender or anything like that; he’s never been the type for all his old-fashioned ways.
But I think it must take a special kind of person to deal with these matters on a daily basis. The toll it must take on their psyche, dealing so closely with the horrors of this crime. I feel immense guilt for the privileges I’ve enjoyed all my life.
I thought my childhood was rough because my father was a serial cheat, and my mother was a broken shell of a woman who wore her diamonds and minks to hide the stench of her dead marriage. But I can’t imagine the horror these kids must feel and their families who are left behind wondering about their fate.
It wasn’t something I could take lightly, and my anger and hate for those two weren’t going to be of any help in the scheme of things. So now that I had bided my time, I felt ready, and the pep talk I gave myself all throughout the night and the next day before meeting my friend Melissa for lunch helped calm me down and put me in the right headspace.
I chose a familiar place for our lunch meeting. A cute little bistro that we’d gone to plenty of times over the years. As I sat and waited I tried not to let my mind run away with me. I didn’t want to give myself away, so I practiced my facial expressions, at least in my mind, until I saw her coming toward me.
“Hey, you look great. New hair?” She looked me over before taking her seat across from me.”
“No, nothing’s changed that I know of.” I ran my fingers through my hair that hadn’t been changed in at least two years.
“Well, something’s different, you’re positively glowing.”
“Oh really, well, thanks for the compliment, I guess.”
“What are you drinking? I’m famished.”
“Order something; I’m having white wine.” I pointed to my half-empty glass which I had been nursing while I waited.
I needed to have a clear head, but I knew how much she liked to drink her calories, which was one of the reasons I chose this place. They have a red that she always raves about, and I knew that after a few glasses, she’d be even more open to talking. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d overshared, and that was just the result I was hoping for.
The bartender had been warned to make mine spritzers heavy on the seltzer and my second arrived at the same time as the bottle of red I had ordered to be brought upon her arrival. “You know me so well.” She took a nice big gulp of the first glass, and I paced myself.
Our orders were taken: salad for me, a club sandwich for her, and an order of their special seasoned fries to share. That was the usual order unless we were joined by someone else. The conversation flowed just as easily as usual, and there was no sense that she was onto me in any way.
I almost didn’t want to question her because a part of me was afraid of what I would find, but just the memory of the things I had read was enough to propel me forward. “Oh, I meant to thank you again.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For recommending Jack to work as Mark’s assistant. He’s worked out very well.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t mention it. I’m actually really glad he worked out because I had my doubts in the beginning.”
“What do you mean?” She leaned in closer across the table as if she had a secret to tell.
“I didn’t say anything in the beginning because I felt kind of bad, but you know how my sister-in-law is and the kind of company she keeps.”