The Life Thief

by Cherie Mitchell

  She watched as Sasha pulled on her professional mask while she spoke with the caller. She and Sasha met on the first day of middle school and Becky had been immediately smitten with the freckled-faced redhead who’d boldly marched up and told her she was going to be her best friend. It seemed Sasha’s prediction was destined to come true and they’d been close ever since. Sasha was married now, to the effervescent Chad, and Becky knew they were trying for a baby. It went without saying that she would be godmother and she was looking forward to the day when Sasha made her happy announcement. They hadn’t spoken about how they’d manage the agency once Sasha eventually did fall pregnant but Becky knew they could handle it. She and Sasha were an indestructible team and they could handle anything together, especially after everything she’d gone through.

  Sasha spoke a warm goodbye into the receiver and hung up from her call. She gazed across the desk at Becky, her eyes sparkling. “Guess who that was?”

  “Someone interesting from the look on your face. I don’t know. I wasn’t listening to the conversation.”

  “Jerome Saunders. He said he’s only making enquiries at present but if he does decide to list, he’s placing the property with Monroe & Freeman. He also told me he’s downsizing his real estate portfolio and will have several apartments to add to our listings in the coming months.”

  Becky pressed her hands together in a prayer gesture and touched the tips of her index fingers against her lips. “Really? Oh, wow. Sasha that’s amazing!” Jerome Saunders lived in a fabulous mansion in the salubrious suburb of Arlington Heights and he owned a string of apartments and condos across the city. He was known for his highly selective tastes and everything he did was closely watched and reported on. If Monroe & Freeman successfully handled the sale of the Arlington Heights property, they would be set up in business for years to come.

  “He wants us to do up a marketing proposal and email it to him as soon as possible.” Sasha had turned back to her desk and was pulling her laptop toward her. “What are you doing now, Becks? Are you free to give me a hand?”

  “Of course!” Becky was already heading back to her desk on the other side of the office to get her notepad. “Tell me everything he said and don’t leave anything out.”

  It was dark as Becky drove into her driveway and she was pleased to see that Michael was already home. She’d texted him earlier to say she was working late but he hadn’t replied. She locked the car and walked across the cobblestones, calling to Lucifer as she passed the bushes where he liked to hide. She went to open the door, rolling her eyes when she discovered it was locked. Michael was so security conscious that it sometimes drove her a little crazy. She found her key and walked in, looking behind her to see if Lucifer had followed. There was no sign of the cat so she shut the door and walked through to the living room and kicked off her shoes. Michael was speaking to someone in the kitchen, his voice a soft murmur from here.

  He turned and smiled at her as she walked in, pointed at the phone held against his ear, and went back to talking while chopping mushrooms on the large Oregon pine chopping board that took up most of the counter space. She’d argued with him over buying it, telling him it was far too big for their needs, but he’d won the argument when he twinkled his eyes at her and said that size really does matter.

  She saw he already had a glass of wine on the counter in front of him and she opened the refrigerator to get the bottle. The kitchen smelled homely, scented with the distinct aroma of onions and garlic, and she guessed he was making his famous chicken and mushroom pasta recipe. Her foot kicked against Lucifer’s food dish as she turned away from the refrigerator and she was surprised to see it still piled high with the pink, spooned mess of Purr & Dine. Lucifer never left his food uneaten.

  She poured herself a glass of wine and walked through to the living room, calling for the cat. There was no answering brrrrp and no green eyes glinting at her from the cat’s favorite spot on the sofa. Puzzled, she walked back to the front door and opened it to call for him again.

  “He’s not around. I put food out for him but he hasn’t come looking for it. He’s probably found himself a lady friend. Or a large rat to chew on.” Michael ducked his head to kiss her. “I’m making dinner.”

  “I saw that. You’ll make someone a great husband someday.” She shut the door and followed him back to the kitchen. “How was your day? Has Walt given you his answer yet?”

  Chapter Ten

  It was already Wednesday afternoon and Becky still hadn’t made much of a dent in her backlog of work. She glanced at the time, aware she had two showings this afternoon and another meeting with the bank manager. On top of that, the phones were ringing endlessly and she had a mountain of filing to get through. She looked over at Sasha, who was currently on a call with Jerome Saunders, and pulled a face at amount of paperwork cluttering her friend’s desk. She waited for Sasha to hang up before broaching the idea she’d been tossing around since she returned from the retreat. “Hey, Sash. What do you think about us calling in a temp for a few days? She could watch the phones, attack the filing, and generally take care of the office while we get on with the hard work of being busy.”

  Sasha blew out a noisy breath as she scrabbled to find something in her paper mountain. “That might be a good idea. I don’t even know which way I’m facing at the moment. Do you want me to ring the agency or will you do it?”

  “I’ll ring them. I’ll see if they can send us Michelle again. She was excellent.” Becky was already looking up the number. Michelle Owens, a fresh-faced English girl, had spent four weeks with them six months ago during another hectically busy patch and she’d left the filing cabinets pristine and the office systems in shipshape condition. Becky knew the time was coming when they would need to hire a permanent additional staff member but that was part of next years’ plan, along with a move to bigger offices. Or rather, the expansion ideas were Sasha’s. Becky thought they had enough to do already without offering expanded services.

  Unfortunately, the woman she spoke to her at the agency advised that Michelle had returned to England but she assured Becky she had someone else in mind who would be perfect for the role. Becky said that was fine, as long as she was personable and able to work autonomously and without supervision, and she asked if the candidate could pop by the office to meet her later that afternoon.

  Sasha was watching her as she hung up the phone. “I heard part of that. Has Michelle gone?”

  “Yeah, she’s gone back home to England. Dammit, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to train someone else. I have to go. If I don’t get moving I’ll be late for a showing. It seems I’m always running late these days.” She was already shoving documents into her briefcase, aware that she had only 15 minutes in which to get across town to the property to meet the owner. “I’ll be back here by 4.00 to interview the new candidate.”

  “Thanks, Becky.” Sasha returned to her work as Becky shoulder-bumped her way out the door with her arms crammed full of her folders, her briefcase, and her handbag, wondering if she’d ever had that week away or if she’d only dreamed it. She drove over to the Westside suburb of Aloha, tapping her foot on the accelerator whenever she thought she could get away with it, and parked outside the attractive semi-detached townhouse. This house was up for sale due to a marriage breakup, an all too familiar reason but Becky felt smugly confident in the knowledge that she’d never have to go through such a trauma. It was obvious that she and Michael were made for each other and their life together just kept getting better.

  She picked up the folder containing all the information she’d put together about the property and quickly flipped through it. Great location, close to schools, shopping, public transport, and restaurants. Open sunny floor plan, vaulted ceilings, a modern kitchen, a gas fire, two decks, and two-car garaging. It was also priced to sell. She’d spoken to Michael about the possibility of entering the rental market by snapping up some of these superior, bargain priced homes and finding reliable, permanent
tenants. Michael had agreed it was a good idea but he’d suggested they leave it a year or two as they were both currently so busy with their careers. As he’d practically pointed out, taking care of rental properties took time and energy and both of those were in short supply at present.

  She sighed happily as she opened the door and climbed out of the car. Her life was exactly what she’d always wanted and there was so much to look forward. Her father always said there was no such thing as luck but she knew she’d had more than her fair share of good fortune. Especially when she looked at how she’d managed to turn her life around for the better after the Tony incident.

  “Watch out, lady!” A teenager on a bike swerved around her as she stepped onto the pavement.

  “Watch out yourself!” she yelled after him. “You shouldn’t be cycling on the sidewalk!”

  His hooted laugh floated back to her as he flipped her the bird over his shoulder. Still shaking her head at the cheek of the boy, she walked up the steps and knocked on the front door. Jill, the property’s co-owner opened the door immediately, looking distracted and harassed. “Oh, hi. I’ve been cleaning all morning. I hope it’s good enough.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine. Buyers are aware you’re in the process of moving out.” She followed Jill into the house and was hit in the face with an eye-wateringly strong waft of bleach. “It certainly smells clean.”

  “It’s such a stressful time,” Jill continued. “I just want it to be over with.”

  “We’ll do what we can to sell the house as quickly as possible,” Becky soothed. She knew better than anyone not to make any promises to her sellers. She’d learned the hard way that regardless of how ‘saleable’ a house was, until the right buyer walked through the door the contract would remain unsigned.

  “I’m pregnant,” Jill said suddenly, stopping Becky in her tracks with her words. She waved a disposable facemask in the air. “Don’t worry, I’ve been using this while I clean.”

  “Uh,” Becky stammered. What was she supposed to do with this information? Was it the right time to offer congratulations?

  “I’m not keeping it,” Jill continued without prompting. “My sister and brother-in-law have been on IVF for years. They’ll be adopting the baby.”

  “Uh.” Becky wondered how she was going to turn the conversation back to the subject of the property showing. She was used to hearing personal details about other people’s lives – it came with the territory when she spent so much of her day walking through the houses of strangers – but she often ended up tongue tied and unsure if she’d given the right response to some of their unexpected confessions.

  “Anyway,” Jill said brightly as she pushed her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. “What’s happening?”

  Becky checked her watch. “I have a couple who’re interested in the house and they should be here in ten minutes. You don’t have to stay. In fact, it’s often easier for both parties if the home owner isn’t in the house during a walk around.”

  “It’s all right. I don’t intend to stay.” Jill tried for another smile but she failed dismally. “I’m not sure what happened to my beautiful life. I hardly know where to go from here. Back to Mom and Dad’s, I guess. You know the security code. Shut the door hard behind you when you leave and punch in the code. I hope they like it.” She snatched up her keys and hurried out the door.

  Becky pulled a face for no one’s benefit but her own and sat her folder down on the counter. She just had enough time to do a quick run through each room for a final check before the potential buyers arrived.

  It was a good showing, Becky thought to herself as she left the house an hour and a half later. The couple had loved the house and stayed for ages, walking back through each of the rooms several times to talk about where they would place their own furniture and possessions. Becky rung Jill from the car, glad to be able to deliver some positive news.

  The second showing wasn’t as successful, largely because the potential buyers failed to show up. Becky left a note and her card on the countertop for the owner and sat in the car to call her bank manager and ask if she could come in any earlier for her appointment. Hank Dobson was a friendly, affable man and he’d been a great help to Sasha and Becky when they first took out a loan for their business startup. He told her that any time was a good time to see her and Becky started the car and set off to the bank.

  It was nearly 15 minutes past four by the time Becky arrived back at the office. Hank had insisted on taking her out for coffee, they’d started talking, and time had run away from her yet again. She parked the car in the parking lot at the back and ran around to the front of the building. A girl wearing a beanie and a long coat was waiting by the office door as Becky rushed up, full of apologies for arriving late. The girl turned slowly as Becky fumbled in her bag for her keys.

  “Hi, Becky. The employment agency sent me.” Alice beamed at her. “I’m ready to start when you are.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What do you think of Alice?” Becky and Sasha had popped out of the office to grab a few minutes at a coffee shop on Friday afternoon, taking the opportunity to regroup and take a breath before they both launched into a busy weekend of property showings.

  “She’s okay,” Sasha said carefully. “Did you know she worked for the temp agency?”

  “Yes, she told me that she did contract P.A. work. It’s quite a coincidence that she ended up in our office but she seems to be an efficient worker.”

  “I really don’t know how I feel about her.” Sasha spun her coffee cup around on the saucer. “She’s quite intense.”

  “She’s a deep thinker, if that’s what you mean.”

  “No, it’s not what I mean.” Sasha met Becky’s gaze. “She watches everything you do. Don’t you find it creepy? And she always has that damn notebook out, scribbling away like a madwoman.”

  “She writes poetry and she likes to take notes. I actually think the notebook is a security blanket of sorts.”

  Sasha widened her eyes but said nothing.

  “I feel sorry for her,” Becky said lamely. “She reminds me a bit of me back when I lost my way.”

  “She’s nothing like you,” Sasha scoffed. “Just be wary around her, okay? Don’t tell her too much. I’m not sure if she’s who she’s making herself out to be.”

  “Everyone needs someone to help them get out of a rut, Sasha. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “You weren’t in a rut. You were traumatized.”

  “Rut, trauma – who’s counting?” Becky attempted to make a joke but Sasha was having none of it.

  “I don’t think you realize how far you’ve come, Becky. You’re an amazing woman. Not many people could’ve turned their lives around the way you have.”

  “I did what I had to do,” Becky said stiffly. “There was no other way around it.”

  The two women stared at each other and Becky could see that Sasha was thinking the same thing as she was. She’d been lucky to come through that incident alive and Tony had paid for his mistakes in prison time, but in the end it was the aftermath that had nearly taken her life.

  Sasha reached across the table and took Becky’s hand. She turned it over and gently rubbed her thumb across the white scars on her wrist. “I love you, Becky, and I’m super protective of you. Have you ever heard that ancient Chinese proverb?”

  Becky giggled. “No. And stop. That tickles.” She drew her hand away and pulled down her sleeve to cover the scars. She didn’t generally bother to cover them, most times she forgot they were there, but she did feel self-conscious whenever anyone drew attention to them.

  “Confucius says,” Sasha began before laughingly shaking her head. “Actually, I doubt it was one of Confucius’s sayings. I don’t even know if it’s Chinese. I remember reading it somewhere. If you save a person’s life you are responsible for them forever.”

  “Jeepers, don’t tell too many people!” Becky shuddered in mock horror. “No one would ever
bother to save anyone ever again if that was the case. Doctors would be leaving the profession in droves. What a responsibility.”

  “Being responsible for you forever would be both a privilege and an honor,” Sasha said seriously. She considered Becky for several seconds. “You know he was released, don’t you? Several months ago now.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She drew circles with her fingertip on the tabletop. Tony Everett, her one-time boyfriend and the man who’d tried to kill her, was a part of her life story and she couldn’t change that. She knew she’d never forget him but that didn’t mean she had to spend more time than necessary thinking or talking about him.

  “He might’ve changed but I’ve always been doubtful of that entire ‘leopards changing their spots’ thing.”

  “Do we have to talk about him, Sash?” Becky pushed her coffee cup out of the way and bent to pick up her bag from the floor. “We should get back.”

  “Yeah. We’d better check to see that Alice hasn’t burned the place down in our absence.”

  “Sasha! She’s not like that.” Becky led the way to the door, determined to move the conversation on from tricky topics. “How did you get on with Jerome? I know you were meeting him at his house last night. How did it go? I haven’t had the chance to ask you.”

  “You should see his house. It’s to die for. I know we’re jaded from seeing so many properties but honestly, this one tops them all.”

  “In what way? Did you take some photos? Can I see them?”

  “No photos. He hasn’t agreed to put it on the market yet. We’re still working out the finer details.” She made quote signs with her fingers to frame the last few words.

  “I’m intrigued. Tell me more. Did he take you out the back and show you his Jacuzzi?” Jerome Saunders had a well-earned reputation as a ladies’ man and the parties he held that had his pool and Jacuzzi as the central theme were notorious.