Wordle by Wordle: Day 57
Monday, Feb 26, 2024
Wordle #982 - OFTEN
“What was it you said you dropped by for, dear?” Karen rescues me from Eugene’s scrutiny, steering me away by the shoulders toward the far end of the bookstore.
“Bree’s portable charger,” I lie again. I needed some excuse for Olive to come to the bookshop, and it seemed as good a reason as any.
“That’s right. Let’s take a look in the break room.”
We spend only a minute going through Bree’s cubby—there’s not much in there except for some lipstick and a few pieces of sugar-free gum. But even in that short time, I clock Karen stealing more glances at me than Rickey Henderson stole bases.
My first reaction is to worry. She’s spotted the edge of my wig, or she suddenly remembered a picture of the real Olive from Bree’s Instagram, or maybe she finally noticed just how much I’m sweating.
But after a second, I realize she’s not bothered by me at all. She’s excited. I’ve seen that eager look in my clients’ eyes often enough to recognize it—she wants me to spill the tea.
I manage to hold back a self-satisfied smile. This is exactly what I’d hoped to find when coming here, after all. The irresistible urge to gossip about one’s coworkers behind their backs.
“I guess she must’ve left her charger somewhere else,” I say perfunctorily. Karen gives an apologetic but half-hearted shrug, as ready to move on as I am. “Were you here with Bree on the twentieth? The day Roy went missing?”
I know that she was. Bree had whined about Karen giving feedback on her staff pick that same day, and it’s no accident that I showed up when Karen was working.
Okay, yeah, maybe I’m not the worst private investigator to ever exist.
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