Colleagues

Chapter 13 | Sadie

"How would you describe the defendant, Brooks?"

"Erratic, unstable, anxious, and troubled."

"And the murder?"

"An impulsive act of aggression done out of spite."

Alexis nodded. "Nice, Sadie. It's not much, but it's something. I like this approach better than the financial one. Earl Wilson was not a rich man."

"This is true."

"On a much different note... " she continued with a sly smirk. "What's going on between you and Cody."

I coughed on my coffee, some of it spilling onto my black slacks. "Shit," I muttered under my breath, attempting to wipe the wet spot down with a napkin.

"That's what I thought," she said with a short laugh. "Word has it that Mr. Chase has a bit of a crush on you."

"He does?" I asked incredulously. Part of me knew this was coming and I internally cursed myself for not talking to him about my sexuality earlier.

"Yes," Alexis continued. "I'm always in on the tea. At least that's what I think you Gen Z call it," she said, gesturing around. I cringed internally. "So what do you think?" she asked, leaning forward in her chair. "Are the feelings mutual?"

"I do, but not in that way," I replied, choosing honesty. "I'm pretty focused on my career right now, so I don't really have time for romance." Well that wasn't as honest. 

Alexis sat back in chair, a look of clear disappointment resting on her face. "Guess I have to say goodbye to that ship."

I laughed quietly. Her attempts to be "one of the kids" were pretty inspiring. "Guess so."

"Well, have a good lunch break!" she said, beaming. I smiled back at her. 

Over the past couple of days, working on the Earl Wilson case was getting easier and easier. I was beginning to master the art of separating my professional life from my personal life. Now, despite the shouts in Margot's apartment growing louder and more concerning, I could come to the law firm focused and ready to work.

However, an underlying sense of guilt consumed me, especially during the nights. Even though Margot and I weren't even partners anymore, I felt a strange desire to make sure she was okay. I mean nobody deserved to go through what she was probably experiencing right now.

I had promised Cody and Marcus we'd go out for lunch today, but I figured taking a brief detour past my old desk wouldn't hurt anyone, just to see if everything was still intact. 

Walking through the narrow halls I felt self-conscious all of a sudden. I had seen Margot a few times in passing around our apartment complex, but hadn't shared an actual conversation with her in a week or so. It was strange going from working on a case together every hour of the work day to not speaking at all. What was I going to say to her?

I found myself at my old desk before I could change my mind. 

Margot regarded me warily. "Hi Sadie. What's up?"

I was taken aback by her calling me by my first name. She had referred to me as "Brooks" for so long that the name sounded weird coming from her lips.

"Oh nothing," I replied quickly. "I just figured I would check up on my old desk, you know? See if I left anything."

She looked at me quizzically before smirking. "Just spill it, Sadie. What's on your mind?" I sighed. "Is it the case?" My expression must have revealed something because she nodded solemnly. 

"Listen, I know it might seem weird to talk to me about it. You know, because I'm not on the case anymore, but it's fine. Do you understand?"

I nodded gratefully. "It's this new prosecution strategy," I admitted. "It's completely based off of the fact that Wilson was cheating on her, that she killed him out of spite or revenge or something."  Margot raised her eyebrows. "It just makes me feel icky. And the scariest thing is that it might actually work in court."