girlfriends, most of whom are also married to horny cheating husbands, so I’ll be sure to keep your number on hand.”
“I certainly appreciate it, Mrs. Farrow,” Maya said, jumping up from her chair and shaking her hand.
“Jessica, please. I thought about going back to my maiden name after the divorce papers are signed, but then I thought, the name Farrow also gets me a good table at most of the finer restaurants in the Old Port.”
“Wise thinking.”
“Are you married, Maya?”
“Yes, I mean, well, no, not anymore—”
It was such a simple question, why did she always fumble it so badly?
“One of the smart ones, I see,” Jessica said with a wink.
Maya wasn’t too sure about that. She could barely cover her electric bill, and Jessica Farrow was about to secure the deed to a sprawling mansion situated next to the Kennedy compound in Cape Cod.
Jessica turned to leave, when there was a quick knock on the door. It flew open and Vanessa stood in the doorway.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were with a client,” Vanessa said sheepishly.
“Why aren’t you in school?” Maya asked.
“It’s almost four thirty. School was over an hour ago,” Vanessa sighed.
Maya checked her watch. “Oh. I guess I lost track of time. Don’t you have theater rehearsal or something?”
“Not until six. I told you that this morning.”
“That’s right,” Maya smiled apologetically. “I remember now.”
“Is this your daughter?” Jessica asked, taking a step toward Vanessa, who still hovered in the doorway, not sure if she should come in.
“Yes, this is Vanessa,” Maya said.
“She’s gorgeous,” Jessica exclaimed.
Maya and Vanessa both spoke at the same time. “Thank you.”
“I have to run. Thanks again, Maya. I’ll be in touch,” Jessica said, breezing past Vanessa, down the hall, the clicking of her high heels fading as she rounded the corner toward the elevator.
Vanessa waited until she was completely gone before slipping into the office and closing the door behind her. “Did she give you a check?”
Maya held it up in front of her. “Five grand.”
“Awesome!” Vanessa said. “Now I won’t have to study at night by candlelight. I can actually use a lamp with a light bulb and electricity and everything.”
“Don’t be flippant,” Maya scolded. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a loving daughter just pop by her mother’s office to say hello after a long day of learning at school?”
“Of course. But you’re not that kind of loving daughter. You would only swing by here if you needed something.”
“That hurt,” Vanessa said, putting on a fake pout.
“It was meant to,” Maya said matter-of-factly. “So what do you need?”
Vanessa contemplated pretending some more that her motive for this unexpected visit was pure, but she quickly gave up on that and came clean. “I need a favor.”
“I’m listening . . .”
“This Dirty Laundry site is getting way out of hand. It’s literally tearing my school apart.”
“I’m very aware of that. But it’s only thriving because every student is clicking on the site constantly to read the latest gossipy headline. If everybody at your school boycotted it, the site would lose oxygen and finally wither away and die. It’s a very simple solution.”
“Well, we both know that’s never going to happen. People can’t help themselves. They’re too curious to know what story the site is going to break next.”
“Including you,” Maya said.
“Yes, including me. All my friends, they check it out three, sometimes four times a day. I have to keep up.”
“What can I do?”
Vanessa took a deep breath and then planted both of her hands down on her mother’s desk. “I want you to investigate the site and find out who’s behind it.”
“You want to hire me?”
“Yes. Well, obviously I can’t pay you anything.”
“Obviously.”
“But you’re a really good detective, and if anybody can finger who is hurting people at the school and causing so much pain, it’s you.”
“I appreciate the flattery, but you know I don’t have the time to do it.”
“What are you talking about? You just wrapped up your only case. You made five grand.”
“Yes, and that five grand will pay for all the bills I didn’t pay in September and all the ones pouring in now for October. I also have November to worry about now. I need to focus on finding a paying client with real, honest-to-goodness money.”
“Can’t you multitask? You’ve always been so good at that.”
“Vanessa, I can’t . . .”
“I know it’s been tough with Frances gone so much, and I’m willing to drop out of the musical and come work at the office every day and night after school to help out if that’s what it takes.”
“You really want me to do this?”
“Yes, I do. I believe in you, and what this person who runs the site is doing is wrong, and I really want to expose him or her.”
“How did I raise such a conscientious daughter?”
“It was mostly Dad,” Vanessa joked.
“I’m not even going to touch that one.”
“It was a joke. Everyone knows Dad’s in prison. I honestly think he would find that funny. I get my dark humor from him.”
Maya leaned forward in her chair and tapped her fingers on the desk, thinking.
