BREAKDOWN

— Chapter III —

"Isn't that Betty's tiny slice of salami?" I heard a voice close to me. "What was his name? Joe? Paco?"

I pretended I wasn't listening.

"No. It's not him. This one is smaller. Look at him, Mandy. He looks like a smurf."

"It has to be him. That tight butt is definitely his. I could recognize the smell of cheese in a mile of distance."

"I grant you that. He does look so edible in…"

A vein snapped in my forehead. I turned to them: Marc St. James and Amanda Tanen were still in the reception room.

"Guys, I'm right here. I can hear you."

"Pickle boy!" Marc said in a singing voice. "You see? I knew it was you."

"But I was the one that said it!" Amanda said. Her blonde soft curls moving as she spoke. "Hey, Joe. Long time no see—"

"Gio."

"Right, Joe— "

"So, whatever-your-name-is" Marc said. "Sandwich prices went down in Wall Street? haven't seen you in like… ages. Oh, probably because Betty doesn't work in this floor anymore."

"She doesn't?" I asked. I never heard that Betty had been promoted. She never told me. Not that we kept in touch that much, anyway. How many things of Betty I didn't know these days. I felt a bit empty.

Marc's teeth gritted as he said. "She's an… editor, now. She works in another office."

"Beth has her place, now" Amanda jumped.

"And, who's Beth?"

"Don't play fool," Marc said. "Elizabeth Leigh. The one we saw you looking, queens hot dog. Beth, freckles Beth, stuck-up self-righteous Beth, Beth the Bastard Hartley, the new assistant of Daniel."

"She used to be assistant of Matt Hartley before. Did you know they're cousins? I could so have gotten that job. Damn the sportism!"

"Oh Mandy, I think you mean the nepotism. But, she was only his assistant, for —what? Like a week?! Then all that fuss happened!" Marc made a quick dramatic gesture, "and she begged to be moved to Daniel's office. Ah! Drama! Drama! I just love it!"

I took a step back and was about to leave that pack of mad nutcases when they pushed me back to them and told me very secretively.

"We heard you talking to that man" she signaled Pietro who was settling something with the officer that was staying in the reception desk. "Are you police now, Joe?"

Marc touched the lobe of his ear. I sensed some nervous expectation in him.

"No" I answered and I could almost swear I heard Marc sigh in relief.

"Well something smells funny about her" Amanda said, "and it's not only the cheap perfume she uses."

"Guys, I told you I don't care…" I said but Amanda pushed me against her very revealing cleavage. She didn't seem to care the closeness. Quite the contrary, she hugged my arm tighter and dragged her lips to my ear.

"She doesn't look at Matt like he's family. She looks at him like… like… like you used to look at Betty from the top of your carb-cart."

My faced must have turned red for she laughed at me.

"Don't feel bad, Joe. I say you were quite cute… almost like a puppy dog. But Beth… that's just sick."

Marc came closer too.

"Ah! Mandy. You and your lecherous twisted mind" he said, more proudly than disapprovingly.

"Not that I was intending to hear or anything" she continued. "But, right after the police finished interviewing Matt he came to Beth's desk. They weren't particularly shouting or discussing but the whole thing seemed odd to me: Matt was sitting in her desk. He never sits in her desk".

"No he doesn't" Marc confirmed. I was losing my patience.

"So, yeah, I found it weird. Matt and Beth, they barely even talk to each other. In fact, Matt tends to be quite cruel to her. I've seen it, we all have: In the meetings, at work, in the parties, everywhere... He treats her like his mother does. No wonder she's called 'The Bastard Hartley'. Anyway, it made me curious and I got closer. I couldn't hear clearly but it all look to me was as if he was begging her for help or something. Beth was very very very upset" she looked at me and Marc in turn, "very."

"You said she was crying" added Marc.

"Yes, crying. Exactly. So…" she looked straight to me. "Don't you find it very strange?"

I managed to set myself free from her grasp. "She just lost a family. I think that's reason enough to cry."

"But she never cries! She's not like Betty, you know".

"Definitely not like Betty" Marc said. "She had endured lot of … um… 'situations' in here… from everyone."

Amanda jumped forward.

"So, yeah. I was about to continue listening then police, they asked us to leave and then I was dragged here against my will. They told everyone to stay and we couldn't leave. Beth, she didn't come with us".

"Poor baby, I remember you were hysterical when they called you to come here."

Beth and Matt. Yeah, I remembered the scene quite clearly. The sad woman was standing in the entrance of the office, tears in her eyes, looking at that man while he was sitting in Betty's desk. No, it wasn't Betty's desk anymore. It was her place now.

"So what do you think, Joe? Very suspicious, right?"

"Okay…" I said again as gently as I could. These two were definitely mad and needed to be handled with care. "I think I'm leaving now."

"Aren't you even a bit curious?"

"Guys, really… I have a business to attend. I don't have time to play detective."

"Detectives! Great idea! Marc, don't you think we could be pretty good at that?"

"I think so. Actually, you can be the 'pretty' and I could be the 'good' one at it" answered her friend. Amanda visibly took it as a compliment.

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave them in their ramblings. Pietro finally came back to me after sorting something out in the reception desk.

"Here are your things" he gave me my belongings. "You are clear to go, Gio. I talked to the guards and explained you have nothing to deal with this stuff. Now, I have to go and attend something in there. We need to take the body out of Mr Hartley."

"Yeah, I think I'm definitely leaving, now."

Pietro patted me in the shoulder and made a sign to the officer letting him know I could leave the premises and disappeared into the offices.

The voice of Amanda was heard again.

"Giovanni Rossi?"

I gave a huge sigh, made a quick turn on my heels and said.

"The name is Gi—." I raised an eyebrow realizing she actually said my real name. "Well, you got it right this time!"

"Of course, Joe. What do you think I am? An idiot?" she said and I sighed again. "This call was for you. Beth wants to meet you."

"Oh!" said Marc very suggestively, clapping his hands. "Bravo! So we are going to play detective after all."

"Trying to seduce her to get the truth out of her?" Amanda said. "Because I would be totally up for that."

"Are you sure she called me?" I was surprised. "But… I just met the woman."

"Yes, it's you. She said to meet her in Matt Hartley's office. That's through that way."

I obeyed and, once again, made way into the office. That much orange in the decoration was hurting my eyes. But even with those new bright colors, the office felt like crushing upon me. I found it hard to breathe. It was as if there was a dark invisible mist surrounding everything, probably the presence of Death itself that was still roaming in every room. I was desperate to leave the place as soon as I could.

I didn't walk too far. I saw someone standing in the corridor. She was checking something in a blackberry. As soon as she noticed my presence she looked up at me. Half surprised to see me, half glad, she smiled. A few more steps and I found myself standing in front of her.

"Gio? What are you doing here?" she said. Still the same Betty: her long chestnut hair that gave that untidy aura around her, her rosy fresh face without any drop of make up made her look so much younger than she was.

"Hi, Betty" I answered. I mentioned I had already seen her when she passed through me without recognizing me just a few minutes before.

She really looked surprised at my remark. "Really? I'm sorry. I didn't see you. I was…"

"I know" I said. I had already forgiven her for her previous behavior. I wonder if she had ever treated me like that, the way she cared for that Matt Hartley.

"I guess… you heard" she told me. And something about her voice made me shiver.

A murder had just occurred but she was just there, unabashed, quiet. The Betty I knew would have been too nervous; too excited… she would have the need of me. The woman in front of me… I sensed her too calm, too cold. She had changed. Like a Mode Girl. Very unlike moments before or like the Betty I used to know, like the one I used to love…

My heart started beating madly in my chest. Who was I fooling? Have I really stopped loving her?

"You asked what I was doing here. I came here…" I slowly started but was quickly interrupted by the sound of Betty's cell phone. She answered it and changed into an alert state. "I'm coming right, now. Please stay calm. I'm going to talk to the detective, Matt. Calm down. He can't treat the body of your father that way. I'm coming…"

"I have to go." She said and quickly said finally looking me in the eyes with her own dark ones. "It was good to see you, Gio."

She left.

I shook my head and scratched the rough surface of my stubble. This was no good. I suddenly wished I hadn't seen her at all.

'Come on, Gio. Be a man! Let's get over with this and pack your butt back home.' I said to myself and finally found my destination.

I opened the door and saw Elizabeth Leigh in front of a very disorganized desk. She was stuffing a small leather briefcase with several papers and magazines from the table. She noticed my presence and quickly closed the bag.

"You're here" she said and erected to her elegant way of standing.

"You called me, miss Leigh." I said and walked towards her.

"Everyone calls me Beth" She waved her white hand, like a dove, very graciously. "I need to get out of this place. I can't stand it. I would do great with some breakfast and it's quite convenient you own a Deli. That's... if you are still up for it… Gio."

She played with a little strand of hair, a nervous tick I supposed, and placed it behind her ear. I finally found what had fascinated me of her before: she had a small birthmark in her face, close to her jaw line, right below her earlobe. It had the shape of a heart, and it was of a darker color than the scattered freckles she had sprinkled on her nose… My eyes just couldn't help but being drawn to that spot.

I think she noticed me looking. I coughed and smiled.

"Of course. I was about to leave, myself."

"Then, I'll go with you. Just—" she said, lifting a finger of her beautiful hands, "let me make a quick call".

She dialed somewhere and whispered something into the telephone. I think she was giving the address of the Meade Building. As if she was calling a Taxi company. It surprised me a little because I had told her the deli was only two blocks away.

"Done. Sorry for the wait" she said and picked a couple of magazines, a folder, her big purse and tried to carry the briefcase. It was such a heavy load for her skinny constitution.

"Let me" I said and took the briefcase. I hanged it on my shoulder and noticed it was quite heavy for being so small. I pointed to the exit with my hand. "Shall we?"

"Thanks. You're so nice" she said and walked ahead of me in the direction of the entrance.

Her long hair fluttered as she walked with her quick determined steps. I really never liked red in the hair of women. They made them look untrustworthy in my eyes. I wondered why.

Strangely enough, the front desk was deserted when we return back. I heard some sort of talk in the contiguous room but Beth hurried her steps and reached the elevator. "Are you coming?"

I thought I heard a voice calling from behind but I continued my way.

Beth was already inside the lift when I arrived to the elevator. I heard some steps and, looked to my right, just the way I had just walked from. Several meters away from me, stood the officer that I had seen guarding the reception desk. He looked a bit exhausted as if he had run all the way there.

"So, it's only you" he said, somewhat disappointed, and waved goodbye.

I made a gesture with my hand and entered the lift. Beth immediately pushed a button and the door closed in front of us.

Standing near her, in such small space, I could clearly hear her own breathing. It was too loud and unsteady. But she didn't say a word, or even moved an inch while we stood there. She just kept looking at the bright light jump from number to number in the panel.

A sound indicated we had reached the first floor.

We walked side by side, Beth had her eyes fixed on the exit.

We were about to reach the main entrance. I greeted a new security guard that was at the door and I waved to Antonio, my friend the porter, who sat by his side. Antonio nodded back at me. But then, he sprang up as soon as he saw Beth.

The guard quickly stood between Beth and me, preventing her to leave.

"Miss Leigh, we've been informed that you or anyone from Mode can't leave the building, yet."

She stared angrily at him.

"Those are the orders. I'm sorry" he said, not intimidated at all.

I was about to step forward but Beth raised a hand.

"I'll sort this out, Gio. It's okay. I'll see you later at the deli."

The guard took her purse and the papers from her. It was then that I noticed I still had her briefcase with me.

The guard gave a suspicious glance at me and then, turned to Beth.

"Is that bag also yours?"

Beth looked straight to my eyes.

"No. It's not mine."

She spoke calmly and coldly. Her words shocked me so I just stood there, like an idiot. I still don't know to this day why I said nothing. Must have been those cursed hypnotizing eyes.

"Let's go, miss" ordered the guard and urged her to follow him.

"I'll see you in the Deli as soon as I can, Gio. Please, wait for me there."

'I beg you' I almost read in her clear silvery eyes.

The most stupid thing of all was that I did exactly as she said.

To be continued… soon