Murfey's Law Read Online Free PDF Page B

referring to last night, had his office in Green Bay, the next village along from Murfey’s Beach. From the little map on their website, it looked to be about a twenty minute walk. She could do with the exercise she told herself, and besides, it wasn’t like there was actually a choice, she had no other mode of transport and judging by the taxi driver’s mumblings last night outside the train station, not many cabs came this far down the coast.
    In the corner of the screen a little chat window popped up with a PING! It was Sara. She’d obviously seen Lori’s instant message status flick to Online when she’d logged in to check her emails.
    Lori hovered the mouse pointer over Sign Out.
    On the one hand, she desperately wanted to ignore it, make Sara suffer, but on the other, she missed her best friend terribly. She needed to share her news, get Sara’s opinion and advice on how to get rid of the shop as quickly and as painlessly as possible. She would know exactly what Lori should do.
    Their friendship had been built on mutual understanding and admiration.
    Robin James, and Catherine Sands had been admitted to the Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital on the same day. It was Lori's twenty-third birthday. She and Sara had been sat beside each other on the bolted down plastic visitors seating, signing committal papers for their respective mothers, when a stark naked patient had tried to make his break for freedom through the doors separating the waiting room from the hospital itself. Thankfully the half inch thick glass had held, and his morbidly obese body had merely splattered against the frosting. Out of nervous anxiety or perhaps as a release of years of worry the girls had burst into fits of inappropriate giggles. They’d spent the next three days locked inside Lori’s apartment, laughing, drinking and eventually crying. Max had been on call for them, ferrying vodka and takeaway meals back and forth. He didn’t speak apart from to tell Sara that he loved her as he handed over the deliveries. It was the first time Lori had realised true love actually existed. She hadn’t cried once since then.
    Until her run in with the sexy lolly thieving surfer that is.
    Lori clicked the box and typed. I just need to know why? Sara. Then we can move on and forget the whole thing even happened.
    Sara’s reply came slowly. PING! I didn’t do it Birdy. It was Max.
    Lori shook her head incredulously. Don’t blame it on poor Max Sara! He’d never do that, and besides, YOU gave me the drink remember.
    PING! Max gave me the drinks. He texted me earlier that night to say he had something new and exciting for me to try, I thought it was something kinky for god’s sake, not drugs! When he gave me the drink he just told me yours was the one with the monkey, or at least that’s what I thought he said. I thought he was just being sweet to you, but I was wrong, and more than a little drunk. Your glass was meant to be mine. I had no idea what he’d done…what I had done, until I saw your reaction. I promise.
    Lori stared at the screen.
    PING! Birdy? Are you there? Please answer me. I tried your phone a thousand times. Did you get my messages?
    PING! Can we video chat?
    PING! Please Birdy.
    PING! PING! PING!
    Lori glanced at the time on the screen. She needed to get going if she was going the make it to the solicitor’s by one o'clock.
    She waited for the next PING! and then replied. Later.
     
    Sweat ran down Lori’s stomach as she alternately wafted her top in and out and swatted mosquitos away from her face. The twenty minute walk had been closer to forty on account of her taking the wrong turn several times. Wiping the little beads of perspiration from her top lip Lori pushed open the door of Matthison, Walker & Young and was greeted with an icy blast of air conditioning. The sudden drop in temperature made her light headed. A water bottle would have been a good idea.
    ‘Can I help you?’ The receptionist enquired, taking off her