Free A Murderous Game by Patricia Paris Page A

it.
    "Thanks," Abby mouthed,
as she walked around the desk.
    She put the daffodils in the vase
then went into the ladies' room to add some water. When she got back to her
office, she put them on the corner of her desk where she'd be able to enjoy
them all day. Her lawyer called a couple of minutes later to tell Abby her
divorce had been finalized, and she would receive a copy of the decree by
registered mail.
    Between news of her divorce and
getting the Riv One account, there was so much
excitement bubbling inside her Abby couldn't concentrate on work. She had to
release some of it before she burst. More than a little giddy, she dialed
Rachael's office.
    "It's over," she
exclaimed when her friend got on the line. "My lawyer just called; the
divorce is final."
    Abby smiled and held the phone away
from her ear as Rachael's loud whoop reverberated across the line. "We
have to celebrate. Dinner and drinks on me tonight. How about Fergys ? I should be able to get out of here by six."
    "I've got to meet a client
tonight," Abby said, laughing at Rachael's reaction, "but we'll
definitely celebrate, maybe this weekend. Look, I've gotta go. I have to leave for a meeting soon. I just had to tell someone."
    She leaned back and hugged herself.
Gage had told her he'd take care of informing Norwell today. She glanced at her
watch. It was almost two and she had to leave for a client meeting.
    She took her purse from the bottom
drawer and went out to the lobby. "I should be back from my meeting with
Carlson around three thirty," she told Madeline before getting on the
elevator.
    Gage would probably call Norwell
while she was out. Didn't things always happen that way? Well, everyone would
know soon enough. And she wasn't even going to gloat when Billings found out. Well, she'd try not to
anyway. Things were finally going her way and she was feeling benevolent. As
far as days went, this one ranked pretty close to perfect.
    "Six
messages." Madeline waved the pink slips over her head without
looking up from her computer screen when Abby returned to the office.
    "Thanks." She snatched
them out of the air as she passed the other woman's desk. Her meeting with
Carlson had dragged on for over two hours because his marketing manager wanted
to dissect every proposal Abby had made. She swore the guy felt threatened by
her for some reason. She shook her head as she flipped through the messages.
    Betty Mawbry wanted to know if they should run another full page ad in the Sunday Inquirer. No! Phil Baker—how about using purple and yellow for their logo? Egad! Your
mother—you haven't come to dinner in almost two months. Abby rolled her eyes.
Gage Faraday. Lewis Pinker. Gage called?
    She locked her briefcase under her
arm and pulled Gage's message out with her teeth so she could put it on top of
the stack. No message. Glancing at the time notation she saw he'd called at
three seventeen.
    Dropping her purse and briefcase on
top of the desk she picked up the phone and buzzed Madeline.
    "Madeline, did Gage Faraday
leave a message?"
    "No, just
his name."
    "Do you know if he called Mr.
Norwell with a decision on the account?"
    "Not yet he hasn't. I asked if
he wanted me to transfer him to Norwell in your absence. He said if he'd wanted
Norwell he would have asked for him. Not very friendly, is he?"
    If Gage had found time to make a
phone call, why hadn't he called Norwell about his decision? Did he want to run
something by her first? Maybe he wanted to give her a heads-up so she could be
prepared.
    "Listen, do me a favor. Don't
say anything to anyone until after I return his call."
    "My lips are sealed."
    After closing her door, Abby called
Gage's office and got his secretary.
    "Grace, this is Abby
Carpenter. I'm returning Mr. Faraday's call. Is he in?"
    "He's in a meeting, but he
said if you called to let him know. Hold on please."
    Wow, Abby thought, it must be
important if he wanted Grace to interrupt him during a meeting.
    Grace came back on the line.
"If