carly part seven: micki

This story started here.

Micki put a mug of coffee in front of Susan and sat down
across the table from her. Susan looked up and they were both
silent for a while. Finally, Susan asked, “Why are you here?
Why did you come to see me?”

“I need some money.”

Susan nodded. “Okay, I see, and your idea is that I’m going
to give you the money because I’ve just figured out ‘what he’s
really like,’ and I’m going to feel guilty about working for
him all this time.” She leaned forward and picked up her coffee.
She sipped it and then placed the mug on the folded
newspaper.

“I am a bad person,” she went on, “but not for the reason you
think. I’m a bad person because even though the man I work
for–”

“The man you love,” Micki muttered into her mug.

Susan laughed. “The next vacation I get, I want to spend it
where you live, the country where things are so simple.
Anyway, the man I work for just had two men killed, and he had it
set up so that their bodies would be found in the most ridiculous
and humiliating situation he could imagine.”

“I wonder if this comes as any big surprise to you,” Micki
said quietly. Susan ignored her.

“One of those man was going to withdraw his support,” she
continued, “and maybe make some public statements. Plus he
called you a slut. The other man, this Hobbs, didn’t do
anything, at least nothing that Mike Sheldon cares about. And
now they’re both dead.

“You know why I’m a bad person? I’m a bad person because the
thing that upsets me the most is how Mike treated you. More than
two murders.” She picked up her coffee. “You might as well take
off that horrible, smelly jacket, because I’ll give you money,
and some clothes besides, but there’s a price. I want to know
what’s going on, all the questions Mike was too angry to ask.”
She held up her hand, “Not for him. If he wants to know, he can
stop being so stubborn and ask you himself. This is just between
you and me. But if you don’t want to tell me, you can leave
now.”

Micki nodded and stood up. “Okay,” she said, taking off her
jacket and hanging it over the back of her chair. Susan went to
the stove and got the coffee pot. She topped off both their mugs
and then sat down.

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