Page 71 of Dissection of a Murder
The jury will wonder what was so urgent that he needed to speak to Eddie on the phone and then follow up in person.
The camera shows Jack walking into the salon and waiting at reception. He looks bothered; he can’t stand still and is repeatedly dragging his hands through his hair. After about thirty seconds, Eddie walks from the back of the salon to the front. He appears to be in a rush, edging toward the door as Jack talks to him and gesticulates animatedly with his hands.
Eddie grows impatient and keeps looking at his watch. Jack attempts to guide him into the office—away from the body of the salon for privacy, it seems.
Then Daniella emerges from the office, and something changes.
Jack spots her standing in the doorway and stops. It’s as if he has second thoughts about the entire thing. Moving away from Eddie, he walks backward toward the door and grabs the handle, opening it. Eddie looks bewildered as Jack leaves.
By 1:38 p.m., he’s gone.
35
Leila
3:21 p.m.
After dropping Davinaback off at her firm in the city center, I realize I don’t want to be around Julian right now. His gloating earlier today made my skin crawl, and if that’s the kind of behavior I’m in for when the trial starts, I’ll have to distance myself from him. It’s intolerable.
Driving through the streets, I glance at all the Christmas trees in the windows and warm white lights decorating the houses. Crowds of schoolchildren wearing their best festive clothes—little girls in sparkly dresses and boys in smart shirts—walk down the road holding hands with their parents. The excitement of finishing school for Christmas shows on their faces as they skip along, not a care in the world.
Suddenly, I feel desperately alone. I’m not the kind of person who always needs someone by my side, but right now, everything is collapsing around me.
I decide to reroute to visit Audrey. There’s something comforting about her house and being in her company.
As I approach, I notice there’s a red car parked where I usually go. Typical for Victorian semis, there’s very little parking space nearby. I generally know everyone who has access to the house, but I don’tknow who this is. Dread settles over me as I wonder if it’s anything to do with the messages I’ve been receiving.
No. She wouldn’t be that obvious.
Parking a little farther up, I get out of the car and walk toward the house. Just before I reach the path, the front door opens and a blonde woman wearing a long, gray coat comes out. She slams the door shut and begins walking down the path.
“Sienna?”
It’s dark now, and she didn’t expect to see me. She stops and makes the kind of noise women do when someone has sneaked up on them.
“Jesus Christ, Leila!” she says. “You scared me!”
I pause for a second, trying to figure out how best to handle this.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry?” she replies with a hint of aggression in her voice.
“Why are you here?” I ask again.
“What? I’m not allowed to see a friend? I was related to Audrey for a time.”
“Well, you’re not related anymore,” I point out.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t still care about her. I always bring her a little something at Christmas. What’s wrong with that?”
“You’ve been before?” I ask, raising my voice.
“Sorry, Leila, I don’t understand the issue here.”
“Do you have any idea what Julian will do if he finds out?”
A huge smile appears on her face. She starts laughing.
