Chapter 14

Alicia walked back into the LG conference room to say goodbye to her client, and was surprised to find her still sitting in the same chair as before she had walked out of the room. "Lacie?" Alicia asked. Lacie looked up, and replied, "Yes?"

"Would you mind coming back to my office? I'd like to ask you a few more questions?"

"I, well…" Lacie trailed off, then came back to the conversation. "Sure, as long as Frank isn't anywhere near us."

"He won't be," Alicia said confidently. "Follow me back in my car, okay?" Lacie nodded in reply and turned around to get her coat. They rode down in the same elevator to the parking garage, and while Alicia started wanting to ask questions, she had learned that clients that were hiding something wouldn't start talking in a place like an elevator. She watched Lacie get in her car, and then got in hers to head back to Florrick/Agos.

As Alicia was taking the elevator up to the office with Lacie, she tried calling Cary again. Thankfully, he picked up this time. "Hello?" Cary said.

"Oh, thank God," Alicia replied, "I've been trying to reach you for over an hour. Where are you?" Lacie looked at Alicia with a weird look on her face as Cary replied, "I'm taking a sick day, remember?"

Alicia wanted to ask him about Kalinda, but she couldn't do that with Lacie in the elevator. And not with the elevator just opening on the Florrick/Agos floor. As she motioned for Lacie to follow her to her desk, she told Cary, "You know what, I'll call you later," and hung up. Lacie and Alicia sat down on opposite sides of the desk, and Alicia wasted no time.

"What's going on, Lacie?" When Lacie hesitated, Alicia put her arms on the desk and leaned forward. "Look, Lacie, I have been a lawyer for over five years. I know that when clients are hesitant and quiet, that means they're hiding something. And I need to know what's going on so I can appropriately defend you during the course of your divorce."

Lacie looked around, then turned back to Alicia and leaned forward. Alicia suddenly realized that she was scared. "Promise Frank won't find out?"

Alicia wanted to say yes, but she didn't know what Lacie was about to say. But she wanted to find out, so she replied, "Yes."

"Okay," Lacie began, pausing to uncross her legs and cross them again. "The main reason Frank and I are getting a divorce is because we don't really want to be together anymore. After I had a miscarriage."

"Alright," Alicia replied calmly, "Anything else?"

"That's what Frank thinks," Lacie replied. She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope from a doctor's office. She handed it to Alicia, who opened the envelope and read the first page of blood test results. She did an internal gasp. Lacie was having another baby.

And she hadn't told her husband.

After Alicia had, as calmly as possible, told Lacie to go home and try her best to chill out, she stood pacing back and forth behind her desk as she called Cary again. He must have been waiting for her to call again, because he picked up before the second ring. "Alicia," he said calmly.

"Cary, I need you to come in. We've got a problem. A big problem," Alicia hissed.

"Alicia," Cary said, trying to fake a cough but failing, "I already told you, I'm taking a sick day."

Before Cary could say anymore, Alicia turned towards the window and hissed into her phone, "Don't think I'm that stupid, Cary. I found out this morning that Kalinda took a sick day too. Isn't that just a weird coincidence that the two of you would take a sick day on the same day?"

Cary sighed, then said, "Promise you won't tell anyone."

"Won't tell anyone what?"
"Kalinda and I are back together," Cary replied slowly. Busted, he thought to himself.

"Oh my God, Cary," Alicia replied, turning back towards her desk again. "You didn't have to cover up your relationship with a sick day. I'm your managing partner. You should have told me."

"I wasn't sure what was going to happen."

"Cary, you're just supposed to say 'I'm sorry' and come into work. I need you right now, okay?"

Cary, sitting on the edge of the bed, put his head in his free hand. After recollecting himself, he replied, "Okay, I'll be in in 30 minutes."

"Great, see you soon," Alicia said quickly, and hung up the phone.