Page 68 of Lucky Night

Please let there be a plan.

How about you tell me something first? he says. Why has there been zero communication since the deranged announcement we heard a few hours ago?

Oh no. He shouldn’t get angry. Lawyerman needs to shut up and listen.

Why hasn’t anyone been answering the phone downstairs? You call me when you want information, but when I call—no no, let me finish. This is outrageous. What little we know about what’s happening we’re getting from New York fucking One!

He pauses, listening.

Okay, he says. Okay. And how long…uh-huh. That’s good news.

Good news? She likes good news! She unclenches a little at good news.

Hang on, he says, opening a drawer, pulling out a notepad and pen. Go ahead. He scribbles something. Smoke? No, not in the room or the hallway. The stairwells, yes, quite a bit, though it varies from…what’s that? There are two of us. No, no injuries, or…yes, that’sme.

He listens. Then he glances at her.

What is it, Nick?

I’m not comfortable giving you that information, he says.

What are they asking?

He motions to her with his free hand, likeRelax. I’ve got this.

I understand that gathering these details is part of your standard protocol, he says. Part of my standard protocol is checking into a hotel and not being trapped for hours by monumental incompetence.

Jesus, Nick. Tell them my name!

Fine, he says. Fine. Her name is…

He glances at her again.

Grace Gryzb, he says.

She drops down onto the sofa.

Sure, he says. G as in George…

She lets her head fall back. She gazes up at the ceiling.

I know, he says. It’s Polish.

No more lies! Wow. And he’s not just lying. He’s erasing her. He gets to be named, and counted. But Jenny Parrish? Sorry, there’s nobody by that name here. There never was.

The lies are inescapable. Even though lying is categorically wrong, he said. The true problem of infidelity. Once you’ve started, you can’t stop. You lie to spouses, to each other. To people trying to rescue you from disasters.

You just can’t lie to yourself. That, to him, is key.

Lie if you must, but know yourself.

Though, whymustyou lie? Because of who you are, and what you’ve done? Genetics, environment? Because you literally have no choice?

Yes, he says. Understood. Thank you.

She’s still staring up at the ceiling. He comes to the sofa and sits beside her.

That was a fire chief of some kind, downstairs at their command center. He said we should absolutely not leave the room right now.

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