I skim the rest of the message and feel like screaming when I know there’s no choice.
To: Trixsters Anonymous
From: {Website Contact- Anon 4}
Subject: Help!
Dear Trixsters,
I’d like to retain your services immediately. I suspect my husband may be meeting a woman tonight while in Charleston for a meeting. You come highly recommended, and this is a delicate situation. My sources tell me you have people in the area and may be able to help. Please let me know.
R. Dell
I read the corresponding messages from our secure accounts and see exactly why Maren’s so hell bent on making this happen. R. Dell freely admits she’s seven months pregnant, and she suspects he’s been cheating for a while. Her own efforts to catch her husband in any lies have been futile, so she’s grasping for help. But something she wrote in the first message sticks with me.
“We have people? Who are our people?” I ask, confused.
“Remember, no one knows where we live, Em. For all these clients know, we are an expansive group.”
“Makes sense, I guess, but I have plans tonight.”
She hmmms into the phone and then snaps loud enough for me to hear through the line. “I’ll do it alone.”
Alarm bells ring in my head, knowing her determination. “No, we do this together. But what the hell am I supposed to tell Walker? You can’t keep crashing our dates.”
“Tell him you’re feeling ill.”
“Lie to him again?”
“I’m sorry, Emi, but she’s pregnant.”
“Ugh! Why do we have to be such sympathizing people?”
“I have the hotel and the room number. Tonight, we are incognito.” She hangs up, and I clear my throat a few times harshly, trying to make myself sound hoarse.
Right as I think I have enough courage to lie convincingly, my phone rings, displaying Walker’s name. “Hello,” I croak, adding a cough for effect.
“Emi?”
“Hey, Walker.”
“You sound weird. Are you okay?”
I start to tell him I’m not feeling well when there’s a ton of noise around him and he cusses under his breath.
“Shit, I hate to do this, Emi, but I need to reschedule. We have a situation.”
My chest seizes at the word situation, while at the same time, I’m relieved for not having to lie again. “Oh,” I say sadly.
“Tomorrow night, same time, work for you?”
“Yes, Walker, it works great. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just some police business.”
“Okay, good luck. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“Night, Emi.” The line goes dead.