A Web So Dark and Deadly

Chapter Four

Saige pats my bag while I sob into my jacket's sleeve. In the back of my mind, I feel bad for soiling the one-hundred dollar jean sleeve, but I'm more upset by my failure. How could I have missed the switch?

"It's going to be okay," Saige soothes. "Really, everything will be fine. You did your best. Not even I saw the switch happen."

"Yes, but I should've been more careful."

"Here." Saige holds my cross-body purse out. "Call your boss. What's the worst she can do? Fire you?"

A fresh wave of sobs overflows from me.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Saige nibbles her lip while I accept the purse with shaky hands.

"You're right," I say. "I should just come clean. She'll know sooner or later." I dial her number. Every time the ringtone blares in my ear, panic jolts through me. Then the ringing stops, replaced by a slight crackle.

"Hello, Tabitha Endlewood speaking."

"Hi, Tabitha? This is Cleo."

"Ah, yes. Did you get the wood?"

"N-not exactly." There's a beat on the other end of the phone. My voice speeds up. "You see, I did purchase the board. But as we were leaving the festival, a man bumped into me and switched the boards. He ran off before I realized what happened."

Silence. My eyes, glimmering with tears, lock on Saige's.

"Who's 'we?'" Tabitha asks at last.

Taken aback, I stammer, "m-my friend, Saige. She drove me there."

"You said you have a license."

"Yes."

"And I provided a car."

"Yes." My voice chokes up. I've really messed up now.

There's a long pause, one that seems to stretch from infinity and beyond. I almost wonder if she hung up on me, but my phone doesn't indicate that the call ended.

"No more group work going forward," Tabitha says finally. "You're to complete my tasks alone. Understood?"

"S-sure."

"Now, describe this man for me."

I provide as detailed a description I can: face, hair, build, clothes. When I'm done, Tabitha thanks me and says that she'll contact me shortly.

I hang up the phone, then bury my face in my hands. "She's so mad at me. What am I going to do?"

"Maybe it's for the best," Saige says. "She seems a little eccentric for an employer. And her jobs are just weird."

Slowly, my head nods of its own accord. "You're right."

"Let's go get some coffee. And maybe a nice scone?"

I fasten my seatbelt. "Yeah. That'd be nice." Get all the treats I can before Tabitha's generous money supply expires. As I lean my head against the window, watching as the Sorrel Gardens grows more and more distant, I wonder what I'd do without Saige at my side, if I have to continue working for Tabitha alone.

🕸 ✩⋆｡°🕸｡°⋆✩🕸

My phone rings. I dash from the kitchen, leaving my water glass on the counter, and snatch my phone from the couch cushions. My heart leaps in my throat when I read the caller ID.

Tabitha Endlewood.

"Hello?" I say.

"I have a job for you."