Free Canyon Road by Thea Thomas Page B

on the counters in the kitchen."
    "No problem. Anthony mentioned on the way over that that's why we were coming in the first place. I'll work around it."
    The front door chimes rang through the house. "And I'll get that on my way."
    The three of them listened as Millie opened the door. she called up the stairs, "Anthony, it's a detective. he wants to ask some more questions."
    Anthony patted Sage's hand. 'I'll be right back."
    There was a moment of awkward silence between Sage and Michael.
    "How have you been?" Sage finally asked.
    "Fine. Keeping busy." Michael's tone was cool.
    "Are you... angry with me?" Sage asked, puzzled.
    "No. No, I'm not angry with you. I'm just, I guess I'm confused."
    "Confused by what?" Sage breathed deeply, willing the pain and fog in her head to stop so she could clearly understand Michael.
    "I don't understand how you could have this Bill Rattnor anywhere around you in your life...."
    "Oh. Well. You're right. Absolutely right. It's fallout from my being too nice. Why didn't I fire him before? I almost did, yesterday. And why didn't Aunt Vicky fire him? I don't know the answer to that question. Why I didn't fire him – I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't like him. I didn't trust him. But... I was, simply, too nice."
    Michael nodded, still unconvinced. "He's a bad person."
    "I know," Sage agreed. "I have the bruises to testify."
    "Yes. you do. You're going to have that shiner for awhile."
    "Shiner?"
    "Black eye. Bruised face."
    Sage brought her hand to her face, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. "Oh!" She exclaimed, touching her cheek. "Now, that's sore. I must be quite a sight." She waved at the little mirror on her dresser. "Can you hand me that?"
    Michael hesitated. "No. I don't think I should."
    "That bad?" She started to stand, cried out in pain and slumped back on the bed.
    "Okay, all right. Ill hand you the mirror." He came over to the bedside with the mirror.

"Sit," Sage ordered, making him take the chair Millie vacated. She held the mirror up to her face and gasped. "Oh! Who is that? Wow. Swollen, black and blue." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
    "Are you okay?" Michael's voiced was edged with worry.
    "I'm okay. I'll be okay. Ya shoulda seen the other guy! Ha!" Sage leaned back into the pillows. "Yeah, I'm pretty sore."
    "The doctor gave you some sort of injection and left pain meds."
    "Good to know. By the way, thanks for carrying me up here. Sorry for the almost dead weight."
    "You have a dark side, don't you?"
    "I suspect it's temporary. A coping mechanism. But let's get back to why you seem to be angry with me?"
    "Not angry. Just... mystified. Women can be very mystifying."
    "True. Where are you headed with this?"
    "Apparently Bill Rattnor acted as though he was interested in Millie, and it seems Millie fell for him – and his line. But he was only trying to get close to her because he thought she was a personal friend of yours. I don't know why he couldn't go to you directly, but...."
    "Excuse me Michael, for a moment. I'm a little confused... aren't you and Millie, ah, a couple?"
    "Millie and me? In a relationship? No. We're good friends, but, no. Why would you think....?"
    "At Anthony's party you'd said something about seeing each other every day. That seemed, you know...."
    "We work together. She delivers the mail at Micro Silicon. I see her every day. Sometimes twice a day. And we often play racquetball on the week-end."
    "Oh. I see. That clarifies my confusion. Now back to your confusion... you think that I'm somehow responsible for Bill and Millie?"
    "No. Of course not. She's an adult. She learned... whatever she learned. I 'm just frustrated that neither of you seemed to see what was patently obvious in the first fifteen seconds after I met him. I just don't understand how you could be associated with someone who is so... unethical."
    "Well, I already said. Anyway, I agree with you completely."
    Right then, Millie came back into the room, carrying a heavily laden