Motion to Dismiss Read Free Page B

tell him I was unavailable?"
    "I tried. But he said it was important."
    "Go tell him I can't be bothered."
    Simon cleared his throat. "It has something to do with a police investigation, sir."
    Nina was looking at Simon, so she missed the look that passed between Marc and myself, and the tightening of Grady's jaw.
    Grady stood abruptly and pushed back his chair. "Must be that damn breakin at the plant last month. Maybe they've got a lead."
    "What breakin?" Nina asked.
    Marc made gesture with hand. "Nothing important. They made off with some, uh, office equipment."
    I was glad that Marc had picked up on Grady's cover. I'm not sure I would have been as quick. My mind was too much on what the phone call might really mean.
    "They probably recovered some of the stuff that was stolen and want Grady to verify it."
    "At seven in the evening?"
    Marc brushed the air with his hand. "You know how paperwork is. They have to catch up on it when they can." The nervous tapping of his legs made the comment seem ludicrous. "Hey, this is great salad. Really superb."
    Nina gave him a curious look. "It's the same salad you thought was too froufrou when we served it at the Patterson closing last fall."
    "Is it?" He laughed. "Guess my taste is maturing."
    Nina sucked on her cheeks, her expression more perplexed than concerned. It dawned on me that she might suspect that our antics were part of some finely orchestrated birthday surprise.
    Any thoughts she might have had in that direction were put to rest when Grady returned not long after, wearing a gray pallor that even his well-mannered apology couldn't disguise.
    "Sorry for the interruption," he said.
    "What was it?" Nina asked.
    "Nothing." Grady's tone was sharp. He took a breath. "Nothing that I need to deal with at the moment." His forehead glistened with a band of perspiration.
    "What the hell's going on? You've all three been tense as thieves the whole evening." Nina looked in my direction. "What do you know about this, Kali?"
    Nothing. That was the word that bubbled to the surface of my brain. The answer I expected to give.
    What I said instead was, "I think Grady should be the one to tell you."
    Marc kicked me in the shin too late.
    For a moment there was dead silence. Grady picked up his wineglass and took a sip. His hand trembled. "Let's talk about this after dinner, shall we?"
    Nina shook her head. "I want to know. Now."
    "Maybe we should leave," Marc said, starting to rise.
    "No." Nina put a hand on his arm to restrain him. "You two already seem to know what this is about." Her voice was almost strident, her face flushed.
    "Well?" When none of us answered, she grabbed the edge of the table, breathing hard. "Tell me, goddammit."
    Grady sent her an imploring look. "I love you, Nina. You do know that, don't you?"
    She rocked back as though she'd been slapped. "Oh, God. Don't tell me you're having an affair!"
    "No, not that." Grady shook his head. "Never."
    "Never again, you mean."
    "Please, Nina. This is hard enough as it is."
    "It's not another woman?" Her breathing became easier. "I'm sorry. It's just that I couldn't stand it. Not now."
    Grady nodded. His elbows were on the table, hands folded against his chin. I fought the urge to smack him hard between the eyes.
    "Are you in some kind of trouble?" Nina asked, reaching for his hand. "Is that it?"
    "Nina, sweetheart. I wanted to spare you this." He took a gulp of air. "I made an error in judgment. And now, well, things have gotten out of hand."
    "Is it something with the company? Are there problems with the offering?"
    "No, it's not that."
    Nina waited. When Grady didn't continue, she turned to Marc. "Would somebody tell me what's going on?"
    "Grady's been accused of sexual assault," Marc explained without inflection.
    "Sexual..." Nina's expression was puzzled at first, then comprehension dawned. She pulled her hand from his. "You mean rape?"
    "Date rape," Marc said.
    There was a moment of heavy silence, before Nina spoke. " Date rape?