“Sheila hasn’t answered me in six days,” the tapping woman said.
“Maybe she’s busy,” the laughing one answered.
“She’s not busy.She’s avoiding me.It’s strange.”
A spoon clicked against china.
“Strange how?”the woman with the earrings asked.
“Strange as in she’s cut me out of her life almost completely,” the tapping woman said.“All because I told the truth.”
The killer’s cup paused near their mouth.
Truth.
People used that word carelessly.They wielded it like a garden tool and were shocked when it cut someone open.Still, the word had power.Truth was a blade when held correctly.A mercy, if the hand was steady.
Behind them, the laughing woman made a small sound.“You enjoy saying the truth a bit too much, Connie.”
“I’m looking out for my friend.”
“You’re getting involved in a marriage you know nothing about.”
“I know enough.”
The woman with earrings lowered her voice.“What exactly did you see?”
The tapping stopped.
“I saw Bradley out with his bit on the side.”
A hush followed.Not real silence.The waffle diner continued around them with forks, plates, and low voices.But the booth behind the killer tightened around the sentence.
“Are you sure?”the earring woman asked.
Connie gave a dry little laugh.“I’ve got eyes, haven’t I?”
“That’s not the same as being sure.”
“It’s enough.We all know what Bradley’s like.”
“Do we?”
“Oh, come on.He’s always smiling at women like he’s doing them a favor.I saw him with her outside Whitcomb’s office.Young thing.Hair down her back.Skirt too short for any respectable workplace.”
The laughing woman said, “Sheila told me Bradley explained all that.It was an innocent after-hours coffee with an employee.”
The killer lowered the cup to the saucer.
An innocent coffee meetup again.
Of course.
Nothing good began with coffee after hours.
Connie’s voice sharpened.“You don’t hold hands with your employees.”
The earring woman sucked in a breath.“They were holding hands?”
