Alice climbed out of the cab, hoisted the messenger bag on her shoulder, and stepped onto the slick asphalt, ducking under the umbrella offered by the valet. Rain thundered on its nylon and sprayed underneath. She turned to Judy, as if she’d forgotten something. “Damn, I left my cell phone at the office, and I need to call Grady.”
“You can borrow mine.” Judy stepped under the umbrella, then reached in her bag, produced her iPhone, and handed it over. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Alice pressed in her office number as the valet escorted them to the restaurant, but right before they reached the curb, she let the iPhone drop into the filthy water flowing in the gutter. “Oh no!”
“My phone!” Judy scrambled to pick up her phone, but it came up dripping wet, its end cracked and screen gone black.
“I’m so sorry, I’ll get you a new one.” Alice let the valet usher them inside Roux, then left Judy behind to struggle with her phone, in vain. The restaurant had a French country vibe, and candles glowed against golden walls. The place was half empty, either from the weather or the vacation week, and Alice found the maitre d’ while Judy joined her.
“It’s dead,” she said, with a frown.
Bad choice of words.
They were seated at a table not far from the door, and half an hour later, Alice was craning her neck, pretending to check the entrance for the Irish biotech client. Then she eased back into her chair, shaking her head. “Not here yet,” she said. “The weather must have held them up.”
“Probably.” Judy checked her watch. “It’s been a half an hour.”
“That’s annoying, and we rushed down here for nothing. Make a note, and we’ll charge them.”
Judy frowned. “You’re sure it was tonight, right?”
“Positive. They called today.”
“Too bad we don’t have a cell.”
“We’re snakebit.” Alice picked up the menu. “I’m hungry. Are you?”
“Yes, but should we call them? I’m sure there’s a pay phone, or we can use the restaurant’s phone.”
“I don’t have the number, and I wouldn’t want to do that, anyway. Why make them feel bad about being late?”
“What about calling the office to see if they called?”
“Nobody’s there to answer. Marshall’s gone by now. If they want to reach us, they’re smart enough to call the restaurant.” Alice opened the menu. “Let’s get a bunch of appetizers while we wait.”
They ordered food, the waiter brought it, and Alice had lobster bisque while Judy tucked into a goat-cheese-and-beet salad. They made small talk, with Judy doing most of the talking. If the associate still harbored any suspicions, the wine seemed to smooth them over. They finished the appetizers, and Alice signaled for the check. “I gather they’re not coming,” she said, pretending to be miffed. “Let’s skip dinner and go. I’ve got work to do, at home.”
“Shouldn’t we wait longer?”
“No. Something must have gone wrong.”
“Do you want to ask the waiter if they called, again?”
“I will, but I’m sure he would have said something.” Alice reached for her wallet. “Grady will be happy I got home earlier than I thought.”
“Good.” Judy rose, taking her napkin from her lap. “I should use the bathroom.”
“Me, too.” Alice got up with her. She wasn’t about to let the girl out of her sight.
Not when she only had fifteen minutes to live.