Poisoned by Gilt Read Free Page A

asked her: "Can you please
    hold?" and pressed the button without waiting for her response.
    "Who is that?" Sullivan asked.
    "I don't know. A soon-to-be-former client, most likely."
    I sighed and looked up at him, suddenly feeling a horrid
    pang that made it hurt to breathe. If only he weren't so
    close to being everything I wanted, and yet never within
    reach. "We can't do this now."
    "I don't want to do this at all."
    "Oh, Steve." I massaged my temples, willing myself
    not to lose my composure. "I don't know if you mean 'do
    this' as in breaking up or as in being together. But I just
    meant that this isn't a good time for us to talk about it."
    "No kidding. It's a train wreck. Look. Let me cover our
    last two appointments this afternoon alone, while you see
    if you can get us caught up here. Okay? Meet me tonight
    at Richard's class. Please."
    I nodded as I clicked back on the line and said, "This
    is Erin Gilbert. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Silence.
    "Hello?" Nobody was there. Sullivan pushed out the
    door.
    "It is a train wreck," I muttered to myself.
    The phone rang again, and I answered immediately.
    "Erin, it's Burke," he said. His typically gentle voice
    was tinged with desperation. "I need your help."
    Had he already been told about the charges Thayers
    had made against him? "Why? What's wrong?"
    "Some idiot with an ax to grind has put me under investigation for false claims of rule violations. Turns out
    the finalist judge is this guy named Richard Thayers, who
    hates my guts. He did some work for me four years ago,
    and it was all such garbage, I refused to pay. It had to be
    14 L e s l i e C a i n e
    him who made these ridiculous charges. But I don't
    know for sure. Nobody at Earth Love would tell me."
    "Should I--"
    "At any rate," he interrupted, his words gushing out in
    a semitirade, "I'm telling you, Erin, promising you even,
    that the claims are totally bogus. But my status as a finalist is now pending. Worst part is, there'll be some sort of
    trial. It'll be covered in the Crestview Sentinel. My name
    will be dragged through the mud."
    "I'm so sorry, Burke. That's terrible."
    "I need you and Steve to testify. I'll get Jeremy
    Greene, my architect, to testify as well. Once I find out
    what the charges are. Earth Love won't tell me that, yet,
    either. They said I'll have to call back tomorrow morning,
    after they've had a chance to read through the reports."
    "I'll do what I can, Burke, but--" I stopped. This
    wasn't the time to explain about Sullivan's possible conflict of interest. Burke was our client, and we'd been paid
    to be on his side.
    "But what?"
    "Steve's not here, and we'll need to talk this over. All
    three of us. Let's aim for sometime tomorrow, after you've
    learned exactly what you're up against. Or Friday, if that
    works better."
    The other line was flashing with an incoming call. I
    set a tentative time to meet at the office in the morning,
    said a hasty good-bye to Burke, and answered the new
    call. "Erin, this is Margot Troy," a woman's voice huffed.
    "Did you realize you hung up on me?"
    "Was that you on the phone just now?"
    "A minute or two ago, yes. You tried to put me on
    hold."
    "I'm really sorry, Margot."
    P o i s o n e d b y G i l t 15
    "You've got too many clients. This is the reason I
    didn't hire you to spruce up for the open house last
    Saturday. Today I'd decided I wanted to hire you again,
    for a second small job, but now I won't. In any case, it was
    nice seeing you at the Earth Love open house, and best of
    luck to Burke."
    "That's very kind of you, Margot. And I'm--"
    "True," she interrupted, "but it's also just basic manners. You should have thought to wish me well, for old
    times' sake. But you're obviously too busy even to answer
    my phone call."
    "Margot, I am so--"
    She hung up. "Sorry," I said to myself.
    Margot Troy. My former client from hell. I found both
    her and her home fascinating, though. The woman was
    filthy rich, yet believed so strongly in recycling