Chapter 28
“YOU WILL have three hours to complete the exam,” Chuck said to the class of about twenty students. “You can’t use notes, dictionaries, or any other resources. Your phones and other devices must be stowed at all times. No smartwatches or smart glasses. If you need to use the restroom, you will have an escort. This is a scaled exam. There are no penalties for wrong answers, so don’t leave any blank. You will receive your exam results by mail. If you pass the exam, you’ll attach the letter to your license application. If you fail, you will have the opportunity to take it again in six months. Are there any questions?”
Linda was questioning everything, including agreeing to Octavia’s cockamamie idea to start their own agency. What was she thinking? That she would somehow morph from a housewife and stay-at-home Mom into some kind of super sleuth?
She glanced over at Octavia, who looked pale and nervous. Great. Both of them were probably going to fail the exam. She and Oakley would have a big laugh at her silly aspiration, and she’d beg for the bank job, if it was still available.
And Octavia would live on her futon forever.
Chuck held up a digital timer then set it on a table. “And the exam starts… now. Good luck, everyone.”
Linda opened the thick booklet in front of her. At the sight of the dense text and the sheer number of questions, panic crowded her lungs. Blood rushed in her ears. She took several deep breaths… and gradually began to relax. If she failed, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. She read the first question and felt about seventy-five percent sure of the answer she chose, then kept moving down the page.
As the time ticked by, she occasionally glanced at her sister. From the tenseness of Octavia’s jaw and the stiff body language, she inferred things were not going well. She tried not to let it affect her own focus, but it was impossible. She had a lot riding on this venture, but Octavia had put everything on one number and spun the roulette wheel. If this didn’t pan out…
Linda looked back to her test and kept moving. Keep moving forward.
When she marked the answer to the last question, thirty minutes remained on the clock. She reviewed her answer sheet to make sure she hadn’t left any blank, then stood and walked her exam to the front table. Chuck gave her a warm smile and slid the answer sheet into the envelope with her name on it, sealed it, then stamped over the flap.
It was out of her hands, literally.
She walked out into the hall to wait for Octavia and checked her phone for messages. The coupon had been sent to area homes today. Klo hadn’t left a message and she resisted the urge to call her. Octavia wanted her to see the new furniture, so they were going to the agency anyway.
Until she got bad news, she could keep thinking it might be good.
Her phone buzzed and when Oakley’s name came up, she smiled and connected the call. “Hi.”
“How’d it go?”
“It was hard, like you said. I honestly don’t know.”
“Which section was the most challenging?”
“The section on state statutes, for sure.”
“As it should be. But I’m sure you did better than you think.”
But would it be enough to pass? She set her jaw. “Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about your friend who offered me the bank job before. Do you think she’d be willing to consider me again?”
Oakley was silent for a few seconds. “I’m sure she would, but I think you should wait to see how you did on the exam.”
She exhaled. “You do?”
“I do.”
Linda closed her eyes briefly. “Thank you, Oakley.” She looked up to see Octavia emerging from the room. “Oh, there’s Octavia. I should go.”
“Okay. Talk soon.”
She ended the call, then walked up to meet her sister, who looked as if she’d run a marathon.
“It was a massacre,” Octavia whispered.
Linda tried not to react. “I thought it was hard, too. Oakley says we probably did better than we think.”
“One can hope. I need a drink.”
“Later.” She gestured to the exit. “I want to see the new furniture at the agency and find out if the coupon has generated any leads.”
Octavia grunted. “The way our day is going, this could be brutal.”
On the drive to the agency, Linda ventured, “So… you and Grim Hollister.”
Her sister stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time at his place… and I know he drove you to Louisville. Is something going on between the two of you?”
Octavia scoffed. “No. Have you seen that mustache?”
“I didn’t think so. I mean, the two of you are so different.”
“I’m just spending as much time with Mercury as I can.” She sighed. “I’m afraid the day is coming when I’ll have to give him back.”
Linda knew she was thinking about the pony their father had so lavishly bestowed on her, only for it to be taken away after she’d become attached to it. “Maybe not,” Linda said cheerfully.
“I have to start generating an income soon,” Octavia said. “I can’t live on your futon forever.” She turned her head. “Or can I? No, don’t answer that.”
Linda didn’t want to. “Still no luck on the Pierce case?”
“No luck at all, and the deadline is tomorrow.”
Linda made a rueful noise. They needed a break—soon.
She slowed the van to pull into the strip mall, parked in front of the agency and cut off the engine. They sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at their big, honking sign.
“We might as well go in and face the music,” Octavia said.
They climbed out and dragged themselves to the front door. When they walked in, Klo was on the phone—a good sign. But when they realized she was phoning in a lunch order, they deflated.
“But look at this place,” Linda said, surveying the new table and chairs and loveseat for guests to wait. And Klo’s office chair was new.
When she opened the door to Sullivan’s office, she gasped. A beautiful blue wool rug covered the floor. Two blond-wood desks sat facing each other, with matching navy leather chairs. Two bookcases filled the space perfectly, and even her untrained eye could tell it was all top-quality. She pulled Octavia into a hug. “I love it.”
“I’m glad. I was afraid you’d be… sad. We set Sullivan’s desk in the storage room.”
Linda nodded. She’d decide what to do with it later. She bit down on the inside of her cheek—yet one more thing she was postponing.
When Klo ended her call, they walked back to the main room.
“Well,” Linda said, mentally crossing her fingers, “did we have any response to the coupon?”
Klo sighed. “Not a single call.”
Disappointment arrowed through her. She looked at Octavia. “I’m sorry… I thought it would work.”
“Not a single call,” Klo repeated. Then she grinned and held up a thick stack of pink message notes. “Thirty-six calls and counting!”
They cheered and merged for a group hug. But even as she was laughing, in the back of Linda’s mind she was thinking if they didn’t pass their exam, they were screwed.