The Coworker

by Freida McFadden

A matter of great importance. I wonder if that was about… No. Probably not.

When I get there, I notice something on my desk that I hadn’t seen before. It’s a turtle figurine.

More silence. Just when I’m about to hang up, two words are spoken in a tortured female voice that send an icy chill down my spine: “Help me.”

The expression on his face betrays a distinct lack of concern. He doesn’t look even the slightest bit worried.

Hmmm

I notice the wedding band he always wears on his left fourth finger is gone. Recently gone—there’s a visible tan line. My eyes stray to the photograph he always keeps on his desk of him and his wife Melinda, but that’s gone too. Hmm. That’s interesting.

You know I’m shy. I have that in common with turtles—they are naturally shy animals. Not to say that they don’t have any personality, because they certainly do, but most turtles prefer to stay in their own environment. They don’t want to be played with. And when faced with any kind of threat, their first reaction isn’t to attack. It’s to retract into their shells and hide. Sound familiar?

and most importantly, he’s a good guy. Whatever else you can fake, it’s hard to fake being a genuinely kind person. It’s also exceedingly rare.

I DONT TRUST HIM!

Every single shelf is bursting with turtle figurines. Turtles, turtles, turtles. Glass, ceramic, marble, even stuffed turtles. Every single inch of the bookcase bears the likeness of a turtle, except for one bare space in the middle of the second-highest shelf.

Today my lunch was white. Yes, I still prefer monochromatic meals. I can’t explain why. I just feel uncomfortable when, say, I’m eating a sandwich that is mostly white and then there’s this big hunk of green lettuce in it. Not to say I won’t eat it, but I would prefer the sandwich was all one color. You’re the only person in the world who didn’t judge me for it.

Very ocd

But me and Natalie and Kim ate together for the next twenty minutes, and I told them a lot of other interesting facts about turtles. They both listened to everything I had to say, and they even asked some questions that I of course was able to answer easily because I know so much about turtles. There’s a lot more I could have told them, but then Natalie said she had to get to a sales call, so they both had to leave. I’m already planning out some new interesting things about turtles that I can talk to them about tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Oh no! Its giving mean girls

“No. She didn’t have a boyfriend.” Detective Santoro gives me a funny look. It takes me a second to realize why. “I mean, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Oopp!!

Except I don’t know what they think I did. Do they think I killed Dawn, made up a phony call where she asked for help, then went back to her house and “pretended” to find all that blood on the floor?

Well, did you?

Neither of us did anything to hurt Dawn. So it will just confuse the investigation if we don’t have an alibi.”

“You don’t have to have been a bride to know how to plan a wedding. I’ve helped a lot of friends with their weddings. And when I get married, they’ll help me.” “If you get married,” I corrected her.

Socially awkward

Natalie is likely to never get married.

Oh, thats not...

Also, I distinctly remember that I took that turtle figurine and shoved it to the far corner of my desk, so I wouldn’t have to look at it. Yet somehow it’s made its way to the center of my desk. Right in front of my keyboard.

This is so fishy to me especially Dawn made a big deal out of Nat not saying thank you after she gave her the turtle figurine

If she’s still missing, we can run in her honor. It might even end up being a good thing.” Kim frowns. “A good thing?”

GIRL!!

But I wanted to wait a little bit, because at the first meeting, Seth told me I talked too often. He told me to “get control of yourself, Dawn. Jesus.”

I would go home immediately and cry

“She was… strange. It’s hard to explain it exactly, but she was just a very strange person. If you met her, you would know what I mean.”

Other people seem to know when another person is angry or sad or happy just based on their face. I have no idea how they do that. If somebody is smiling, I assume they’re happy, but beyond that, I am at a loss. You’re the only person whose expression I can read. Well, and my mother, but that’s an easy one because she’s always annoyed with me.

He can’t possibly know about… No, I’m being paranoid.

Literally the only way Dawn has ever had sex is if she did it with a turtle.

Thats so mean!

“Several of your coworkers felt you were bullying Dawn Schiff.”

“we found Dawn’s body early this morning.”

NOOOO I was really hoping she was alive. But i still dont think Natalie did it tho

We didn’t bully Dawn, although God knows, we could have, because she blatantly disregarded so many social conventions.

Waiiitttt

I even made an effort to include her in work events.