Free Talk of the Town by Sherrill Bodine

frappaccino with extra whipped cream. Do we need her to go for one soon? I have a break in twenty minutes.” Pauline giggled. “It’s her turn to treat.”
    “Perfect. I owe you.” Waiting, Rebecca read her recipe column over and over again until she could recite every ingredient and word by heart. Disgusted with herself, she marched into Kate’s cubbyhole-size office and placed it on the desk. “I added a gossip note this week. I think you’ll like it.”
    Looking up from the computer screen, Kate poked her wire-rim glasses higher on her nose. “Let’s take a look.” As she read the column, she burst out laughing. “This is hilarious. Did it really happen?”
    “I was there,” Rebecca admitted.
    “Amazing! Wednesday’s edition should be interesting. I’m almost finished with our section.” Kate looked back down at the computer screen.
    Not wanting to hamper Kate meeting her deadline, Rebecca backed out of the office.
    Time to discover if Shannon is meeting her deadline.
    As Pauline promised, Maybella had deserted her desk for a Starbucks run. Tim’s office was dark. Rebecca sidled up to Shannon’s door to find her typing madly.
    I’ve never seen her look so happy. Dear heaven, what is she writing?
    Rebecca’s gaze darted around the office looking for something,
anything,
that would give her an excuse to barge in. Her gaze fell on the poster of the Chicago skyline she’d bought when she first moved to this office.
    Perfect.
She rapped on the doorframe. “Hello!”
    Shannon glanced up and all but threw herself in front of the computer screen. “What do you want?”
    Shannon’s bark gave Rebecca pause, but the need to know what was coming drove her on. She gestured toward the print. “I just realized I left my print of the skyline in here when I moved out. I’ll just take it back now.” She stepped closer to the desk to take a look. Leaning forward, she squinted at the computer screen.
    “Stay right there!” Shannon reached for the phone, shifting her body strategically to block the screen completely. “I need to check with housekeeping first to make sure it belongs to you.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous, Shannon. Trust me, it’s mine.” Rebecca inched closer.
    “Stay back!” Shannon repeated. “As I was saying, I will call to make sure the print belongs to you. If it was in the office originally, then it belongs to the office, which means it now belongs to me. It’s despicable to take things that don’t belong to you.”
    Shannon clenched her jaw, and loathing shot out of her limpid eyes.
    If looks could kill I’d be drawn and quartered.
“Are you all right?” Rebecca asked and stepped closer. True, she had hoped to catch a glimpse of what Shannon was writing, but this girl looked so flushed and agitated, Rebecca honestly feared for her health.
    “Why don’t you go away? Can’t you see I’m busy?” Shannon’s trembling lips twisted in such a nasty smile Rebecca fell back one step. “I have two and one-half pages to get out. You still remember what a real column is like, don’t you?”
    Rebecca thrust up her chin. “This is the second time you’ve told me to get lost. You know, the third time I might start getting offended.”
    “A threat, Rebecca?” Shannon mocked.
    Odd, Rebecca’s laugh sounded genuine to her own ears, although her insides quivered with rage. “No,
darling,
it’s a promise.” Her dignity shaken, she forced herself to stroll slowly out.
    That night at home, Rebecca set the timer on her treadmill for ten miles and stuck in a DVD of
The Thomas Crown Affair.
The pounding soundtrack caused her to quicken her pace on the treadmill. The thrill of the first robbery brought images of stealing every copy of Wednesday’s edition racing through her head. If she didn’t steal
all
the papers, then she could take just the pages with Shannon’s column, which might or might not expose Rebecca’s embarrassing secret without her consent.
    This is crazy. I need