“Did you key my car, too?” Nikki demanded.
“No!” Celeste stared at Nikki as if she’d lost her mind. She let out a disgusted huff. “Why would I do that?”
“Out of spite.”
“Oh, for the love of God. Of course not. Are you kidding me? Hell, no I didn’t do anything to your damned car!”
“But Fink’s Corvette?”
Celeste snorted. As if she thought Nikki were an idiot. “Youdidn’t lie to me and tell me that you were getting a divorce so you could marry me, so no, I repeat, I didn’t key your car.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, he lied to me. Over and over again. Every time we broke up and got back together. That lying motherfu—He promised me he would get a divorce, and I believed him. I believed that fucker!” She was nearly hyperventilating. “So I guess you’re right. I am a fool! But no more. I’m outta here.”
Though, deep down, Nikki thought the newspaper office would be better off without all the drama Celeste brought, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. She also believed Celeste would be far better off without being romantically involved with a slimy two-timer like Fink. “Look, I’m sorry about all this.”
“Save it! I don’t want your sympathy. Or your pity. Or your platitudes.”
Fine. Nikki had tried. “Okay. But my car was keyed, too.”
“Well, I didn’t do it.” Celeste placed one box on the other, and as she did, a tension ball popped out and rolled onto the floor. “I can’t imagine anyone keyingyourcar. It’s not like you pissed off anyone.” She picked up both boxes. “Why don’t you start with the police department? You know the one. The place where your husband works? I hear they hate you over there! I mean, you’re so goddamned careless and egotistical, you put your own husband’s partner at risk, and she ended up dead, now didn’t she?”
“Low blow,” Nikki whispered, still heartsick at the thought.
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it? So, suck it, Gillette! Just … suck it! Now, get out of my way!” She came around the desk and started for the door, but to avoid Nikki, she shifted too fast and tripped over the stress ball.
The boxes flew out of her hands.
And Celeste went down.
Hard.
Face first.
Onto the tile floor.
The boxes landed upside down, spilling their contents.
Nikki was on her knees in an instant. “Celeste!”
“Goddamnit!” Celeste cried.
“Are you okay?”
Celeste rolled over and glared at her. Blood was dripping from her nose. “No! No, I’m not!” she said, fighting tears and reaching for a tissue from the Kleenex box that had tumbled onto the floor. “And I probably won’t be for the rest of my life.” She broke down then, sobbing uncontrollably and dabbing at her face with the tissue.
“Let me help. If you need a ride or to see a doctor, I can drive you.” Nikki reached out, but Celeste slapped her hand away.
“No!” she said angrily. “No one can help me. I’ll be …” She swallowed hard. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me alone!” She swiped the tears from her eyes, stuffed the tissue into her bleeding nostril and began crawling over the reception area and throwing her items into the boxes.
“I’m sorry,” Nikki said.
“For what? For me fucking up my life?” she said, scooping up the stuffed animal and stuffing it into a box. “Well, don’t be!”
Nikki managed to gather the books and put them into the box with the pink T-rex, and Celeste finally didn’t argue. Instead, she gave out a little groan as she spied the spilled dirt and cracked pot of the Christmas cactus. “Perfect,” she muttered, her voice muffled due to the tissue. “Just … fucking … awesome.” Without Nikki’s help, she struggled to her feet. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she yanked the chain on her necklace, breaking it, and let it drop onto the floor, its small diamond winking under the overhead lights. Celeste gave it an angry kick, and it scraped its way under her desk. “Good riddance!” To Nikki, she added, “You can tell Fink where that is, and if he wants to, he can give it to his wife.” Clearing her throat, she twisted on her heel, and with the white tissue hanging from her nose and her spine ramrod stiff, she walked out the door to the elevator.
“Wow,” Nikki said under her breath. It was true, she’d never been close to Celeste and had found her cold at times and thought shewas foolish to be so entangled with a married jerk like Fink, but never would she have expected the vitriol that the receptionist directed at her.
