Speak of the Devil Read Online Free PDF

and the Frog barrettes Anna had given her a while back.
    Olivia pulled back and held Anna’s shoulders sternly while she spoke. “Don’t leave us again.”
    “I won’t.”
    “In fact,” Jack scooped up Olivia, “I took your suggestion. I asked Anna to marry us.”
    “What’d you say?” Olivia searched Anna’s face.
    “I said yes.”
    “Yay!” Olivia hopped down from Jack’s arms and jumped up and down in circles, clapping. “Yay! Yay! Can I be a flower girl? Can I help pick the band? Can we invite my friends?”
    “Yes to everything.” Anna was filled with unexpected joy. She had loved Olivia for a long time. The fact that Olivia loved her back was more than she had hoped for.
    A movement in the kitchen made Anna look up. Luisa was crossing herself. Her skin had gone pale and slack. “Dios mío,” she whispered.
    “What’s wrong?” Anna asked. She and Luisa had always had a friendly, easy relationship.
    “N-nothing.” Luisa shook her head. “Congratulations. I am very happy for you.”
    The nanny turned to the counter and continued making sandwiches. But her hands were shaking as she spread jam on bread. She whispered something in Spanish under her breath. It sounded like a prayer. Anna glanced at Jack, who shook his head, looking as perplexed as she felt.

8
    Oh my God!” Grace squealed. She held Anna’s hand and examined the ring. “It’s gorgeous! Gotta be at least one-point-two carats—and on platinum. Girl, he spent a pretty penny on you.”
    Anna smiled at her best friend. Grace was an elegant black woman with a sharp mind and an impressive collection of designer shoes stashed in her filing cabinets. Two years earlier, she and Anna had started together in the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor unit. The experience had been difficult but rewarding, akin to boot camp—it broke them down and built them back up, and bonded them in a way that few other jobs could. Over the years they’d worked their way up through the office’s rotation together, taking on more responsibility and more serious cases. Now they were both senior sex-crimes prosecutors. Grace was the only person in the office who’d known that Anna and Jack were dating. Grace had gone with Anna to the Tiny Jewel Box to pick out the watch for Jack.
    “I can’t believe you tipped him off,” Anna said.
    “Look, I love you both, you know that.” Grace lowered her voice. “But he’s gonna get enough grief from the sisters for marrying a white woman. It’ll be fine—don’t frown—but he didn’t need the additional twist of a reverse-gender proposal. Trust me on this.”
    Anna nodded, forgiving her friend. She tried to brush away her anxiety at the thought of people judging their relationship and finding her wanting.
    “Think of all the money you could’ve saved on that watch,” Grace said, cheerfully changing the subject.
    “No, he needed to hear it from me, first,” Anna said. “And I like the idea of something from me being with him all day.”
    “Yeah. Why is it the woman is marked as ‘taken’ as soon as a couple gets engaged, while the man isn’t until after the wedding?”
    “The same reason women traditionally take their husband’s name, instead of vice versa.”
    “What will you do? Anna Bailey has a nice ring to it.”
    “I’ll figure it out later. The more important question now is: Will you be a bridesmaid?”
    “Of course!” Grace trilled, and they hugged some more.
    The noise brought more women. Soon Anna’s office was crowded with prosecutors, paralegals, and advocates, all wanting a turn looking at her ring. They peppered Anna with questions—who, where, when, and how. Jack was right; she was going to tell this story, and all of its details, many times.
    “My goodness, what’s going on here?”
    The women quieted. The chief of the Sex Crimes unit stood in Anna’s doorway. Carla Martinez, a lovely Hispanic woman with a Puerto Rican accent, looked impeccable as always in a ruffled white