Free Killer Career by Morgan Mandel Page B

clients who’d suffered all weekend
without advice and wanted answers now.
    With the proliferation of telephone calls and the absence of recent
files on the computers for reference, the busy morning sped past
leaving no time for lunch. Mounds of waiting tasks stared at Julie
wherever she looked, on the desk, the credenza, even the floor,
meaning more late nights at the office and no time to spend doing
what she craved. At this rate her dream of being a writer would never
be real.
    It had to. She wouldn’t settle for seconds. She must reclaim her
life.
    Dade stuck his head in the doorway of her office around three
o’clock.
    “How did it go,” she asked.
    “The Arbitrator wouldn’t let on to what he thought. We’ll have
to wait for his Decision. You know what that means. It’ll be at
least a month to find out.”
    “You’ve got to win. You gave it your best and you’re good. I
predict a victory.”
    “If so, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
    His smile of appreciation warmed her heart.
    Dee’s voice cut in over the intercom. “There’s an officer on
the phone and he’s asking for Dade or Julie. He won’t say what
it’s about. There’s also a call for Dade. Sounds like a new
case.”
    “I’ll talk to the officer. You get the case,” Julie said,
heading to her own office. She grabbed the phone before sitting down.
What she heard made her blood freeze. She sank into the chair. When
the officer finished speaking, she hung up the receiver slowly.
    A few seconds later, Dade stepped in. “What’s the word?”
    “It’s Nora.”
    “They found her? What did she say?”
    “They found her all right. I can’t believe this. She killed
herself. The police called her apartment over the weekend. They even
knocked on her door, but no one answered. They finally got her sister
on the phone this morning. She went over to Nora’s apartment. The
poor thing found her own sister hanging from a rope in the closet,
with the chair kicked out from under her.”
    “My God, that’s terrible. So she really did snap. I had no clue
she had mental problems, at least not until Saturday. Still, I can’t
believe she’d resort to suicide. If only she’d asked for help.”
    “I feel awful. I never really liked her. Maybe I should have been
nicer to her. She had no friends at the office. I wonder if she felt
alone.”
    Dade put his arm around Julie’s waist. “It’s not your fault if
she had a condition. That explains her weird note and what she did to
the office. Hell, she must have offed herself right after she trashed
our stuff.”
    Julie shuddered. “It’s unbelievable. How could life be so bad
she’d want to end it all? It all seems like a movie or a novel.
Things like this don’t happen in real life.”
    “Oh, yeah, they do, more often than you think. Still, when it hits
so close, it’s hard to take in. Hell, she was intelligent,
attractive, had her whole life ahead of her. I guess we’ll never
know why she snapped.”
    Julie sighed. “No matter what trouble she caused, now that I hear
she took her own life, I feel sorry for her.”
    Dade nodded. “I’ll see if I can get the sister’s number, find
out the arrangements, send some flowers.”
    Julie’s stomach turned. Thoughts of funerals still brought up
painful memories. Some things a person could never get over.

 
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    No phone calls kept Julie from missing the next Saturday’s
workshop. Wondering what valuable writing tips she’d pick up, Julie
eagerly took her seat at the glass table. The great mystery writer
entered. Casting a glance in her direction, he nodded, as if to
confirm this time she’d made it. She flashed him a tentative smile.
She should have called to explain why she’d missed a session, but
had forgotten in all the turbulence. She’d have to explain later.
The man was gracious enough to make himself available, and she didn’t
want to appear ungrateful.
    “Put yourself into each book,” Jensen said.