TWELVE
The next morning, Joey walked slowly back to his office, stirring his coffee as he went. Like everyone else in the section, he had a lot on his mind, and he found himself preoccupied as he went through the motions of his morning routine. He wasn’t even aware of Marlene Wilson, Frank’s legal assistant, as she came out of her office in front of him.
“How’d it go last night?” she asked when she saw him coming.
The sound of her voice broke Joey’s trance and startled him. “Huh?” he said reflexively.
Then he smiled when he saw Marlene. “Sorry. Did you say something?”
Marlene smiled, showing white, perfect teeth. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just asked how the meeting went last night. I need to prepare myself for what mood Frank will be in when he gets here.”
“It was a waste of tim
