Karin Slaughter - Fallen

Julia led them through another door and they found themselves in a small but well-furnished back office. The carpet underfoot was plush. There were two couches with overstuffed pillows. A plump Chihuahua sat in a recliner by the window, its eyes closed to what little sun came through the panes. Heavy metal bars framed the view to the service alley behind the building.

“Will has a Chihuahua,” Amanda said, because Will hadn’t been emasculated enough today. “What’s its name again?”

Will felt barbed wire sticking in his throat. “Betty.”

“Really?” Julia picked up the dog and sat on the couch with it. She patted the cushion beside her, and Amanda sat down. “This is Arnoldo. He’s a chunky little thing. Is yours long-haired or short?”

Will didn’t know what else to do. He reached around to pull out his wallet, too late remembering Amanda’s revolver. It shifted dangerously, and he sat on the couch across from the women, opening his wallet to show Betty’s picture.

Julia Ling made a tsk-ing sound with her tongue. “Isn’t she adorable?”

“Thank you.” Will took back the picture and dropped his wallet into his coat pocket. “Yours is nice, too.”

Julia had already tuned Will out. She ran her hand along Amanda’s leg. “What brings you here, buttercup?”

Amanda did a good job of blocking out Will, too. “I trust you’ve heard about Evelyn?”

“Yes,” Julia said, drawing out the word. “Poor Almeja. I hope they are kind to her.”

Will fought to keep his mouth from dropping open. Evelyn Mitchell was Almeja.

Amanda laid her hand over Julia’s. Instead of taking it off her knee, she left it there. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything on her whereabouts?”

“Not a peep, but you know I’d come straight to you if I did.”

“Obviously, we’re doing everything we can to make sure she’s returned home safely. I would pull some considerable strings to make this come out right.”

“Yes,” Julia repeated. “She’s a grandmother now, right? Again, I mean. Such a fertile family.” She laughed as if there was a joke between them. “How is that dear, sweet child doing?”

“This is a difficult time for everyone in the family.”

“Yes.” It seemed this was her favorite word.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about Hector.”

“Bless his heart. I was thinking of trading down for a Cadillac.”

“I thought business was going well?”

“It’s not really the time to drive something so flashy.” She lowered her voice. “Carjackings.”

“Awful.” Amanda shook her head.

“These young boys are such a problem.” She tsked her tongue. Will thought he understood at least this part of the conversation. Julia Ling was referring to the young men who had broken into Evelyn’s house. “They see all the gangsters on TV and think it’s so easy. Scarface. The Godfather. Tony Soprano. You can see their little brains spinning. Before long, they get these notions into their heads and they pop off without considering the consequences.” She tsked her tongue again. “I just lost one of my workers through this kind of careless action.”

She meant Benny Choo, the man in the Hawaiian shirt. Will had been right. Julia Ling had sent her strongarm in to clean up the mess Ricardo and his friends had made. And then Faith had killed him.

Amanda must have known this, too, but she treaded carefully. “Your line of business isn’t without its risks. Mr. Choo understood this as well as anyone.”

Julia Ling hesitated long enough to make Will worry for Faith, then finally let out a slow, “Yes. The cost of doing business. I think we’ll let Benny rest in peace.”

Amanda appeared as relieved as Will felt. “I hear your brother’s coping with his new surroundings.”

“Yes,” she said. “ ‘Coping’ is a good word for it. Roger’s never liked the heat. Savannah is practically tropical .”

“You know, there’s a vacancy at the D&C. Perhaps I could see if they’ll take Roger? Might be nice to give him a change of scenery.”

She pretended to think about it. “Still a little too warm.” She smiled. “How about Phillips?”

“Well, that is a nice facility.” It was also where Ignatio Ortiz was serving his manslaughter rap. Amanda shook her head like she was very sorry to say that that particular holiday had already been booked by another family. “Doesn’t seem like the right fit.”

“Baldwin is a better drive for me.”

“Baldwin isn’t really suited to Roger’s temperament.” Most likely because the prison only handled minimum to medium security inmates. “Augusta? It’s close but not too close.”

She wrinkled her nose. “With the sex offender release site?”

“Good point.” Amanda seemed to think on it, though she must’ve already cleared the deal with the state attorney’s office. “You know, Arrendale has started taking in some maximum security prisoners. Only with good behavior, of course, but I’m sure that Roger could swing that.”

She gave a chuckle. “Oh, Mandy. You know Roger. He’s always getting into trouble.”

Amanda’s offer was firm. “Still, I’d think about Arrendale. We could certainly make sure his transition was a pleasant one. Evelyn has a lot of friends who want nothing more than to see that she’s returned home safely. Roger might as well get something for himself in the process.”

Julia stroked the dog. “I’ll see what he says the next time I go visit him.”

“A phone call might be better.” Amanda added, “I’m sure he’ll want to hear about Benny from you rather than a stranger.”

“God rest his soul.” She squeezed Amanda’s leg. “It’s horrible to lose people you care about.”

“It is.”

“I know that you and Evelyn were close.”

“We still are.”

“Why don’t you get rid of Tonto here and we can comfort each other?”

Amanda’s laughter sounded genuinely delighted. She patted Julia’s knee, then stood up from the couch. “Oh, Jules. It’s been nice seeing you again. I wish we could do this more.”

Will started to stand, but then remembered the revolver. He put his hands in his pockets to keep his pants tight enough to hold it in place. All he needed was to break up whatever game Amanda was playing by dropping a gun through the leg of his pants.

Amanda said, “Let me know about Arrendale. It really is a lovely place. The windows are four inches wider in the close-security wing. Lots of sunshine and fresh air. I think Roger will love it.”

“I’ll let you know his decision. I think we can all agree that uncertainty is bad for business.”

“Tell Roger I am at his beck and call.”

Will opened the door for Amanda. They walked back through the shop together. The crew had obviously taken a break. The machines were idle, the stations vacant. The radio had been turned down to a low hum. He mumbled to Amanda, “That was interesting.”

“We’ll see if she does her part.” He could tell she was hopeful. The bounce was back in her walk. “I’d bet my left one Roger knows exactly what happened at Ev’s house yesterday. Julia probably told him herself. She would’ve never let us step foot in here if she wasn’t willing to deal. We’ll know something within the hour. Mark my word.”

“Ms. Ling seems eager to please you.”

She stopped and looked up at him. “Do you really think so? I can never tell if she’s just being affectionate or …” Amanda shrugged in lieu of finishing the sentence.

He thought she was joking, then realized she wasn’t. “I guess. I mean—” He felt himself start to sweat. “You’ve never—”

“Grow up, Will. I did go to college.”

He could still hear her chuckling as they walked toward the front office. Will guessed that he was doomed to have this woman play him like a banjo for the rest of his life. She was almost as bad as Angie.