Selling Murder House

Chapter 6

Thankfully, when I returned Paul's phone call he answered sounding tired, but sober, and it seemed he wasn't going back on his decision to list the house. I wondered when he had finally gotten to sleep the previous night, and I was so giddy I almost made a joke about it before I thought better of it. Best not to joke about late-night drunk dialing with my very first client.

We made an appointment to talk more at the house, so we could discuss the process and I could take notes about the property. When I hung up, the excitement I felt was quickly overtaken by a mounting sense of panic. I had been so focused on finding a client that I hadn't put in any thought of what I'd do when I finally landed one. Not to mention that this wasn't just any client, and not just any property. This was the notorious Madsen Murder House.

I had a vague memory of something Lilian had said, what felt like ages ago, when Stassi had brought up the prospect of the Madsen House going on the market: I think we need to think seriously about how that might impact our image...

I got out of bed, suddenly dreading the day ahead. I had gone from sleeping in, with nothing of importance on my agenda, to running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I may have a potential client, but I would need to get the listing approved by Leo before I could go any further with it, and I needed to catch him at the office before he headed out for his typical client lunches and drinks. If I got there before 10:30, I thought I'd be able to catch him.

I put my phone on its charger to give it at least enough juice for the next couple hours, then shuffled through the shopping bags that still contained my new agent-appropriate clothes I hadn't bothered putting away. I pulled out a pair of black trousers with a subtle snakeskin sheen to them and a matching blazer. I paired it with a deep green form-fitting turtleneck, and the full effect gave me serious Draco Malfoy vibes. I had to hand it to Heather -- she may be a little tactless but she knew her way around a boutique.

I carried Winnie down to the courtyard for his bathroom break, whispering nonsensical apologies to him for sleeping late and keeping his little bladder waiting. I made a mental note to take him out later in the day for some fresh air.

When I made it to the office, it was buzzing with phone calls and keyboard clacks. The agents were busy in their own worlds, typing up contracts, answering emails, and leaving enthusiastic voicemails. Morning light filtered through the large windows, giving the room a bright, optimistic glow. I scanned the office for Leo's blonde hair, but he wasn't there. I made my way toward his office. The door was open and he sat behind his large black desk. He was speaking with an oddly commanding voice, so I waited just outside the door, thinking he was on a call. When he looked up at me, I realized he had been texting using speech-to-text: "Tell him to reschedule exclamation point send."

He smiled and waved me in.

"Mary! You look like a proper little agent," he said, admiring my outfit in a way that made me want to wrap my arms around myself.

I ignored the comment rather than accepting it as a compliment.

"I have a listing," I said in an exhale.

His eyebrows raised in surprise, then lowered in scrutiny, as if he truly didn't believe me. This hadn't been a part of his plan.

"Oh? And what's the property?" he asked.

"Well, it's this beautiful old colonial in Saddlebrook, I'm guessing at least five bedrooms, though I have an appointment today to get those details," I said. "I just wanted to run it by you because--"

"Because it was a crime scene just last week?" Leo interjected with an edge of bitterness.

"Well, yeah," I said.

He gave me a toxic little smile and shook his head.

"Mary, you have to be kidding me. This requires a much larger discussion, there could be consequences to our brand if this goes south. It's Halloween for god's sake."

I nodded, trying to muster up some kind of point in my favor.

"What I can say now is I don't have a good feeling about it. Honestly, Mary, the Madsen House? And you being a fresh-as-cut-grass green agent?"

I pushed back against the sudden urge to slide out of the chair and disappear into a puddle on the floor. I was saved from doing so by the whirlwind appearance of Stassi in Leo's office.

"I'm sorry, are we talking about the Madsen House?" she purred as she entered the room.

Leo nodded, looking pained.

"Mary, look at you, babe, you snagged the murder house?" she said, and if I didn't know better I'd think she was genuinely impressed.

"Yep," I said, and it came out more like a cough than a word.

"Leo, are you giving Mary a hard time about this?" Stassi said, mock-shocked.

"Stassi, please, I don't want to hear it," Leo said. "Like I told Mary, I don't have a good feeling about listing a house with this kind of reputation so close to Halloween--"

"Oh please," she cut him off, in the way only Stassi could get away with. "It's a fantastic idea, a no-brainer, really. A listing in Saddlebrook? God, I would die."

They went back and forth like this, and I let myself fade into the background. What a turn of events that Stassi had come in guns blazing, using her influence over Leo to help me get approval for my listing. I knew enough about Stassi and the Larson Group not to be anything but cautious and skeptical. Whatever her motivation was for stepping in and helping me, it was scarier than the thought of having her openly fighting against me. At least that I would understand.

Soon, Leo was standing and grabbing his keys.

"I have an appointment to get to," he said. "Bottom line, ladies, this is something Lilian and I will need to discuss together. Let's put a pin in this for now, okay? I'm late already."

He strode out of the room as if he were being chased.