Jade heard Valentina’s cellphone start ringing from the bedroom.
She felt like jumping in five directions at once. She quickly put the file folders away and shut the cabinet door. Now Valentina was speaking in Italian on the phone, her almost baritone voice sounding sleepy. Fumbling with the paper clip, Jade tried to get the lock closed again, the metal raking noisily along the tumblers.
“Cara?” Valentina called.
Jade ignored her, desperately trying to turn the lock. Finally, it rotated back into place.
“Jade?” she called, louder. Jade could hear the squeak of bedsprings as she got up.
She quickly smoothed down her robe and picked up the glass of orange juice. She pretended to look out the window at the sea. It was dawn, and the sky was painted with violet and pink hues.
Her footstep
