Deadly Little Lies by Stephanie DeCarolis

Author:Stephanie DeCarolis [DeCarolis, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-10-20T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Now

I sit at my desk on Monday trying to think about anything but Emily’s haunting words. Someone is coming for you, Jules. But I’m finding it almost impossible. It seems that lately all I do is try to stave off the inevitable.

Jason and I ordered in Chinese takeout last night, after my day spent visiting Emily and running errands specifically designed to keep my mind distracted from all that’s been going on. We made small talk over the dinner we ate out of plastic containers. Neither of us seemed to have the energy to pick up the argument we’d started the day before, and so we politely stepped around it. “Pass the lo mein,” “It’s supposed to rain all week.” But marriage is like that, isn’t it? When you know you have a lifetime to spend together, it sometimes feels as if there is no rush to work on it. Sometimes it’s easier to hit “pause” than it is to unpack complex emotions, to mend hurt feelings. I do worry, though, that if we let so many things pass between us, like a swelling river it’s eventually going to erode the banks of our marriage, the murky waters growing turbulent and destructive.

With a sigh I turn back to my work.

“You okay over there?” Andrew asks.

“I’m fine … just working on this motion for Barrett.”

“You’re working with Barrett now?” Andrew asks incredulously.

I’d forgotten that I hadn’t mentioned it to him. “Yeah, lucky me …”

“Well, he might be a nightmare to work for, but that should go far in locking down your bid for partnership. If he likes you, you’re basically a shoo-in.”

I chew my lower lip. Andrew is right: I need Barrett’s support, but I know I won’t get it unless I do his bidding and submit this motion—and the falsified operating report along with it.

“Hypothetically …” I begin, “if you thought a client had, say, lied to you, what would you do?”

“They always lie,” Andrew replies with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“I mean … what if you thought critical records had been tampered with. Possibly concealing an important witness.”

“Yikes.” Andrew thumbs his chin. “Have I hypothetically discussed this with the senior partner on the file?”

“Yes.”

“And he, hypothetically, wants me to go along with it?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’d want to know for sure what I’m being asked to overlook before I put my career on the line.”

I nod in agreement. Andrew is right. I should at least know what Barrett is expecting me to cover up for him.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Andrew asks.

“It’s probably best if I don’t …”

“All right, well, I’ll be back in a little while if you change your mind. I’m just going to go pick up lunch. Do you want anything?”

I shake my head.

Andrew heads out of our office and pulls the door closed behind him.

I immediately pick up my phone and dial Barrett’s extension. “Hi, Mr. Barrett. It’s Juliana Daniels. I just wanted to talk to you about some inconsistencies in—”

“There are no inconsistencies,” he snaps.

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