Shattered Virtue by Magda Alexander Read Free Book Online

out for you.”
    I toss my arm around her shoulders and hug her to me. “You have nothing to worry about, my dear Olivia. The man can’t stand me.”
    “Why?”
    Well, that ruffled her feathers. “Because Gramps demanded he take me to North Carolina. I dare to say right now I’m his least favorite person.”
    “That’s good.”
    I laugh. “Come on. Help me choose what to wear. Should I wear a dress”—I grab a red dress and swish it in front of me—“or the pantsuit?” The navy-blue outfit gets the same treatment.
    “The suit. Makes you look more professional. If you wear a dress, those prisoners and Mr. Steele might get ideas.” She steps behind me, grabs a mass of my hair, and coils it at my neck. “And downplay your hair and makeup.”
    I retrieve a skirt suit from my closet, but she shakes her head. “No. Not that one. The navy-blue pantsuit is the better choice. More comfortable on the plane. Low heels. Nondescript purse. And no jewelry.”
    “Not even my gold studs?” I ask, pinching my ears.
    “Don’t want to give anyone ideas.”
    “Okay, the navy-blue pantsuit it is.”
    “Here.” She takes it from me and grabs a pair of navy-blue low-heeled pumps from the cedar shoe drawer. “I’ll have Katie press it and shine the shoes.”
    I smile, which prompts a questioning look from her.
    “It’s odd to worry about how to dress for jail.”
    She tosses her head, and her brown bob sways over her shoulders. “Not odd at all. You want to wear your best for every occasion.”
    “Including visiting a death row inmate.”
    “Yes.” She darts a glance toward the door and looks back at me.
    “Is something wrong?”
    “I’m worried about Madison.”
    My senses go on alert. “Did something happen to her?”
    “Today was her first day at that newspaper internship.”
    “Yes, I know.”
    “Well, as soon as she came home, she holed herself in her room. I knocked on her door to see if she wanted a snack before dinner—you know how she is about food.”
    “Yes.” Madison can eat anything and not gain an ounce. I, on the other hand, so much as look at a pastry and blimp up ten pounds. There’s no justice in this world.
    “Well, she said she wasn’t hungry.”
    I shrug my shoulder. “Maybe she got something to eat on the way in.”
    “No, she didn’t. She looked like she’d been crying.”
    Okay, not wanting to get a snack is one thing, but combined with red eyes means something else. “I’ll go talk to her.”
    “Thank you. Dinner will be ready in an hour. That should give you enough time to find out what’s wrong.”
    “Here’s hoping.” Mad doesn’t always share her trials and tribulations with me. Sometimes she keeps things to herself. That’s what comes from being so many years apart in age. An eight-year difference means I was in law school when she suffered through her early teens. I never developed the role of a confidante. I try to make up for my absence during the times we are together, but it’s not nearly enough.
    Her room is right next to mine, so I don’t have to go far. I rap my knuckles against the wood. For good measure, I jiggle the doorknob only to find out it’s locked. “Maddy. It’s Madrigal. Let me in.”
    “Go away.”
    “Come on, Madison. Olivia’s worried about you. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
    Feet pound across the room, something clicks, and she throws open the door. She does not cry pretty. Her eyes are red, and so is her nose. “Satisfied?”
    “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Things didn’t go as expected at your internship?”
    “They went fine. They love me.” She throws herself on her bed and cuddles the teddy bear she’s had since she was two against her chest. Uh-oh. She’s definitely upset. She only grabs Mr. Blue when there’s something seriously wrong.
    I lock the door behind me before I take a seat on her bed. “So why are you crying?”
    “Because.” She sniffles and pulls a tissue to wipe her face.
    “I’m going to