UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck Read Free

but decided against it. Over the last few weeks, Sheila had noticed that something was not right. She had been with John ever since he opened shop eighteen months ago. Business got off to a good start from the first week itself. John came with excellent references and the clients were very pleased with his work. He paid well, and his demands were very limited. Sheila was a happy employee. She is also the closest friend that John has in the city. John would occasionally go out on dates and have some female companionship, but nothing serious. Sheila was aware of this too. John may never admit to it, but she is the best friend that he has; which is why she was the only one who had a rough idea why he was sort of losing it lately.
    The first time she noticed something was wrong was about a month ago. It was a standard day. It was ten o clock in the morning. She walked into the office and found that her boss was not in. John Russo was the most punctual guy she had ever met. Unless John was working on something, he was never late. As his personal assistant, she knew everything he ever did. John told her everything. He did this out of the trust he had for her. He also did this because he was required to do so by the law. His license clearly specifies that he has to document all of his actions, and that includes when he is on duty, and when he is not. So she knew he was not working on any case.
    She wanted to call him up, but decided against it. She decided to see him at his house. She locked her office up, and reached his home. His door was locked from the inside. Of course, she had his keys. She unlocked the door, after knocking three times. She walked in to find a house that was in complete disarray. The TV was still running and there was John. He was lying on the sofa. He was sleeping sound, but he still had his work clothes on. Then and there, she knew something was not right. She wanted to wake him up, but decided to let him sleep.
    She checked his messages. There were a few of them, and two of them were from his housekeeper. The housekeeper had messaged to tell him that she would not be coming over that day. Sheila decided to do some housework. She cleaned up his living room while listening to her favorite playlist on her phone. She used headphones, so that she did not wake him up. With the living room taken care of, she headed over to the kitchen. The kitchen was messed up too. There were food items spread all over the counter. It looked like someone had tried to cook dinner when they were insanely drunk. By the time she was done with the kitchen, it was already afternoon. That was when she heard some movement in the living room. John was up.
    He came in wading through like an insect with a broken leg.
    “Hey, Sheila. What are you doing here?” he said.
    “I came in, boss, to see what happened to you. Are you alright?” She asked the question with concern. She placed the teapot with water on the gas stove and then added some coffee and sugar. She was preparing coffee just the way he wanted. John noticed this and took a seat next to the refrigerator.
    “I see that you are making coffee. Thanks, Sheila. Very nice of you.” said John.
    “Don’t change the subject, boss. Tell me, what happened to you?” said Sheila, not giving up.
    “Nothing. Everything is fine. I am...just fine.” said John, picking up the coffee that Sheila handed over to him.
    “Boss, I know you. The last time you were late to the office was…never. Seriously, is everything alright?” asked Sheila.
    “Really Sheila, I am fine. Just leave me alone. I will see you in the office in an hour. Just please leave.” said John.
    That was almost a month ago. Now, back in the present, she sat there for a few minutes, looking at her formerly happy boss, all sullen and unhappy. Eventually, she decided to give up and got up. She was just about to pull the office door open and leave the room.
    “Sheila, sorry about not responding.” said Russo, getting