Colleagues

Chapter 10 | Sadie

"This just isn't making any sense," Margot lamented, staring at the papers in front of her. "I have no idea how we can come up with another motive aside from self-defense." I wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Well, Cynthia was right," Margot continued. "This case has so many more layers than initially meets the eye. We're going to have to get more perspectives."

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Testimonies," she replied. "We're going to have to interview people closer to the case."

"Like Megan's family members?"

Margot furrowed her brow in thought. "If they'll have us, which they probably won't. But I was thinking more like the officers that found him and investigated the case. I think Earl might have a stepbrother who lives in Chicago." She glanced at her watch. "Great, we're almost done for the day."

"You don't seem very happy about that," I observed.

"I don't like to be interrupted from my work," she explained with a sigh. Margot looked up at me for a second, shaking her head as if to dispel a thought that was forming there.

"I guess we better head out," I suggested after a moment.

"Yeah, actually- I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink with me after work," she said quietly, knocking me completely off guard.

"Really?"

"Yeah, like I said before, we better get to know each other if we're going to work on this case for the next few months together."

I nodded. In all honesty, despite Margot's sudden change in the way she interacted with me, I was hesitant to spend more time with her outside of work. She was still intimidating and overbearing, it was doubtful we'd end up getting along. But I couldn't say no.

She watched my reaction expectantly. "Yeah, sure. I don't have anything right now."

Margot flashed me a rare smile. "Great, have you heard of Gibson's Steakhouse? It's one of my favorites."

"I just moved here, so no," I replied truthfully.

"Oh right, I forgot. But trust me, you're going to love it."

As we left the office together, I prayed that things would go well between us this evening. After all, my job depended on it.

~~~

"Have you wanted to be a lawyer your entire life?" Margot asked as she sipped a glass of wine across from me. By drinks, I'd never imagined it to be this fancy. Even in my work clothes, I felt painfully out of place.

I pondered the question for a moment. "Yes, I guess. I was never the smartest or the top of my class, but I knew what I wanted to do from the very beginning. What about you?"

Margot shrugged. "It was either that or becoming a doctor, and I'm awful at science."

I laughed out loud. "Me too. So have you lived in Chicago your whole life?"

"Yes," she replied. "My parents came here from Cuba right before I was born."

"Do they still live here?"

"No," Margot said, looking down at her glass. "They divorced after I graduated from college. One moved to Portland and the other to LA. I visit them every summer."

"Do you miss them?" I asked, surprising myself with my own boldness.

"Sometimes," she said, her face darkening for a moment. "What about you? I take it you don't live with your mommy and daddy anymore like Marcus does?"