Broken Build Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Rachelle Ayala
hushpuppies or jambalaya?”
“Salad, I’m not that hungry.”
Owen winked at the waitress. “I’ll have the usual.”
The waitress flipped her order book shut without asking Jen for her choice of dressing.
Owen grabbed Jen’s hands across the table. “Hey, I know you’re scared and nervous. Let’s go through the timeline of your actions starting from when you lost your purse.”
Jen withdrew her hands from his sweaty palms and fiddled with a napkin. “I stopped by Starbucks with Praveena and Lester to go over branching strategy for the Black Friday build. I usually tuck my purse in my backpack when leaving work, so I don’t know exactly when I lost it. Praveena bought my latte because she owed me for restarting the builds so many times.”
“You didn’t notice your phone missing?”
“No, at first I thought I’d left it at home, but when I went home, I couldn’t find it, so I figured I left it in my purse.” She balled up the napkin. “Did the detective say exactly where he found it?”
Owen sipped his coffee and made a face. “He didn’t, but I’ll call him.”
The waitress returned with a glass of water and handed it to Jen. “Anything else I can get you?”
Owen tucked a napkin into his collar. “Oh, sorry I didn’t introduce you. Patty, this is Jen Jones, my client. Jen’s father’s got a gig coming up in December.”
Patty perched a hand on her hip. “Len Jones, Cajun Crawdogs?”
Jen looked at the ketchup stain on the waitress’ apron. “I’m not into his kind of music.”
“Well I’ll be darned, an uppity daughter.” Patty’s mouth curved with a barely disguised smirk, and she tucked a strand of dark-brown hair behind her ear.
Jen picked at the chipped nail polish over her cuticles while Owen and Patty chatted about the upcoming Swamp Thug dance contest. It was just like her father to not let her know he’d be in town unless he needed a couch to crash on.
Another couple sat at a booth close to the bar, and Patty left to take their order. Jen excused herself to visit the bathroom. The sound of Owen blowing and slurping his coffee scratched her nerves the wrong way.
When she returned, Owen was perusing a local event flyer. He tapped the table. “Talk to me. What happened Saturday? Who dropped you off at work?”
Jen wiped the water ring off the plastic menu. “I’d rather not say.”
Owen tapped on the menu. “I went by your place and your car was in the carport, but you weren’t around. I heard a dog whining behind the door. It doesn’t take a detective to surmise you might have gone out with someone.”
“This is covered by attorney-client privilege, right? I mean I haven’t paid you yet…” Jen’s voice wavered.
“Don’t worry about it. Answer my question.”
“Oh, look, there’s our food,” Jen said, thankful for the interruption.
Patty balanced a plate on her well-tanned forearm and slid their food on the table. She swung around before Owen could say anything. Why was Owen so eager to chat up a woman whose nose looked like it permanently smelled something stinky?
Owen took a few bites of his catfish and said, “Must have been Rey, since you’re not forthcoming with the information.”
Jen took a deep breath, but her heart went on overdrive. “He was alive when he dropped me off. I don’t want to be arrested for something I didn’t do.”
Owen slapped his napkin on the table. “So you did know him. Were you on a date with him?”
She twisted the napkin into a tiny ring. “Not a date.”
She concentrated on breathing evenly while sorting out what Owen needed and didn’t need to know. “Rey was Rodrigo’s brother. He was having a hard time with his death. We had a talk, and he dropped me off at Shopahol because the build servers were not responding.”
Owen pointed to her cell phone. “What does ‘Bitch, you broke the build’ mean? And why would he care?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
Owen shoved a hushpuppy in his mouth.
“Salad, I’m not that hungry.”
Owen winked at the waitress. “I’ll have the usual.”
The waitress flipped her order book shut without asking Jen for her choice of dressing.
Owen grabbed Jen’s hands across the table. “Hey, I know you’re scared and nervous. Let’s go through the timeline of your actions starting from when you lost your purse.”
Jen withdrew her hands from his sweaty palms and fiddled with a napkin. “I stopped by Starbucks with Praveena and Lester to go over branching strategy for the Black Friday build. I usually tuck my purse in my backpack when leaving work, so I don’t know exactly when I lost it. Praveena bought my latte because she owed me for restarting the builds so many times.”
“You didn’t notice your phone missing?”
“No, at first I thought I’d left it at home, but when I went home, I couldn’t find it, so I figured I left it in my purse.” She balled up the napkin. “Did the detective say exactly where he found it?”
Owen sipped his coffee and made a face. “He didn’t, but I’ll call him.”
The waitress returned with a glass of water and handed it to Jen. “Anything else I can get you?”
Owen tucked a napkin into his collar. “Oh, sorry I didn’t introduce you. Patty, this is Jen Jones, my client. Jen’s father’s got a gig coming up in December.”
Patty perched a hand on her hip. “Len Jones, Cajun Crawdogs?”
Jen looked at the ketchup stain on the waitress’ apron. “I’m not into his kind of music.”
“Well I’ll be darned, an uppity daughter.” Patty’s mouth curved with a barely disguised smirk, and she tucked a strand of dark-brown hair behind her ear.
Jen picked at the chipped nail polish over her cuticles while Owen and Patty chatted about the upcoming Swamp Thug dance contest. It was just like her father to not let her know he’d be in town unless he needed a couch to crash on.
Another couple sat at a booth close to the bar, and Patty left to take their order. Jen excused herself to visit the bathroom. The sound of Owen blowing and slurping his coffee scratched her nerves the wrong way.
When she returned, Owen was perusing a local event flyer. He tapped the table. “Talk to me. What happened Saturday? Who dropped you off at work?”
Jen wiped the water ring off the plastic menu. “I’d rather not say.”
Owen tapped on the menu. “I went by your place and your car was in the carport, but you weren’t around. I heard a dog whining behind the door. It doesn’t take a detective to surmise you might have gone out with someone.”
“This is covered by attorney-client privilege, right? I mean I haven’t paid you yet…” Jen’s voice wavered.
“Don’t worry about it. Answer my question.”
“Oh, look, there’s our food,” Jen said, thankful for the interruption.
Patty balanced a plate on her well-tanned forearm and slid their food on the table. She swung around before Owen could say anything. Why was Owen so eager to chat up a woman whose nose looked like it permanently smelled something stinky?
Owen took a few bites of his catfish and said, “Must have been Rey, since you’re not forthcoming with the information.”
Jen took a deep breath, but her heart went on overdrive. “He was alive when he dropped me off. I don’t want to be arrested for something I didn’t do.”
Owen slapped his napkin on the table. “So you did know him. Were you on a date with him?”
She twisted the napkin into a tiny ring. “Not a date.”
She concentrated on breathing evenly while sorting out what Owen needed and didn’t need to know. “Rey was Rodrigo’s brother. He was having a hard time with his death. We had a talk, and he dropped me off at Shopahol because the build servers were not responding.”
Owen pointed to her cell phone. “What does ‘Bitch, you broke the build’ mean? And why would he care?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
Owen shoved a hushpuppy in his mouth.