A Bad Day’s Work

by Nora McFarland

  He scanned the room and stopped at the chessboard. “Actually only the bishops are elves. The pawns are Hobbits and Gandalf is the king.”

  “But what’s it doing here?”

  “Warner’s henchmen trashed my place too. I’m staying here until it’s fixed.”

  “What?” My voice almost cracked. “Bud invited you?”

  “Ah-huh.” He reached down and pulled another stack of books from the open carton. “He called the station looking for me. Did you know he’s at the little sick girl’s house?”

  “But he told me I could stay here.”

  Rod’s head jerked up. “He did?”

  “Yes, and I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  Rod stood. He started to say something, but stopped. He looked uncertain.

  “I’m sorry, Rod, but you’re going to have to find another place.”

  “It’s just …” He paused and thought for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I will.” He knelt down and resumed stocking the bookcase.

  “What do you mean, you don’t think you will?”

  “This is the new Roddy. I’m more assertive.”

  “But you have to go,” I ordered.

  “No, I don’t. Bud offered it to me just as much as you.” He smiled. “And I call dibs.”

  “Dibs? We’re not in kindergarten.”

  “You’re only saying that because you didn’t call it first.”

  I tried to calm down. “I’m sorry Bud promised us each this house, but you’re going to have to leave. I don’t have money for another place and Bud is my uncle. Family is better than dibs.”

  “Nothing is better than dibs and I called it first, so you can’t kick me out.”

  “He’s right, lady.” The voice came from a strange man standing at the open living-room window. “I heard him.”

  I looked at Rod, who didn’t seem the least alarmed, then back at the man. “Who are you?”

  The man adjusted a drill and placed it against the outside of the house. “I’m Ted. I’m installing your new cable modem.” He turned on the drill, and seconds later the metal tip broke through the living-room wall.

  I turned on Rod. “You’re having cable installed?”

  “I play some online RPGs so I need a high-speed Internet connection.”

  “But …that’s …but,” I stammered, then recovered. “This is crazy. One of us has to go and it’s not going to be me.”

  “There are two bedrooms. I’m in one of them. If you stay in the other, it’s none of my business.”

  I let go an exasperated sigh and stormed out the back of the house. From the backyard I tried calling Bud’s cell phone, but only got the voice mail. Next I tried Annette’s house, but got her machine. I repeated this several times with the same outcome.

  Despite these frustrations, the time alone allowed me to calm down. When I returned to the living room, I knew what I had to say to Rod.

  He was still on the floor filling the bookcase. The cable guy had finished his work and gone.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. But we can’t both stay here.” I knelt down so I could face him. “You’re a great guy, and I know you won’t pull anything sleazy, but I don’t want a housemate. I like being by myself.”

  Rod picked up a book, looked at the cover, then placed it on the shelf.

  “Wait a minute.” I reached out and took the familiar image of the Nile. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m combining our libraries. See, your Agatha Christie goes before my Philip K. Dick.”

  I looked at the box he was unloading. It was mine. “But this was in the van.”

  “You said you weren’t leaving so I got the dolly off the truck and unloaded the van for you.” Rod gestured down the hall. “I already had my things in the guest room on the left, so I put you in the room with the quilt on the bed. I think it used to be Bud’s bedroom.”

  I jumped up. “Why do you want me here? It makes no sense.”

  He pretended to look at the open boxes of books. “Because I’m crazy about you and you’re crazy about me.”

  “I am not.”

  His head tilted up and we made eye contact. “Lillian Hawkins, you are so crazy about me. Deny it all you like, but we both know it’s true.”

  I couldn’t look him in the eye. My brain gave the order, but my body refused. It was a giant, screaming admission of the truth. “Oh, crap.”

  He stood, and before I could stop myself, we were kissing.

  I heard a feminine laugh and then my uncle’s voice saying, “I can’t leave you two alone for five seconds.”

  I reluctantly pulled away. Bud stood in the doorway carrying two grocery bags. Annette stood behind him holding her daughter’s hand.

  “Mommy? What’s funny?”

  Annette suppressed a giggle. “Nothing, dear.”

  I took a step toward Bud. “Did you tell us each we could stay here?”

  “You didn’t look too broke up about it a couple seconds ago.”

  Rod, whose cheeks were now fire-engine red, walked across the room and gestured to the grocery bag. “Can I help with those?”

  “Rod, you always show proper respect to your elders.” Bud passed him one of the bags. “Let’s take this on out to the kitchen. I’m fixin’ to barbecue, and I’m bettin’ you don’t know much ’bout how to grill up a proper piece of sirloin.”

  We all drifted out to the backyard, where the sun managed to drive away most of the winter chill. Bud and Rod rolled out a large square of AstroTurf, which nicely covered the dead grass, weeds, and dog poop. A barbecue appeared from under the back porch, and folding chairs were set up. Bud expertly lit the charcoal, and while it got hot, he rattled off barbecue tips like a Zen master.

  Chelsea squealed with delight as Pepper paused to lick her face. All the little girl’s shyness had vanished, and I wondered if the change was due to the dog, Bud, or her mother’s improved mood.

  Bud was putting meat on the grill and I was opening a beer when Chelsea asked, “What’s wrong with Pepper?”

  The animal stared intently down the driveway and made low growling noises.

  “Dude,” a voice said, “I’m totally telling you I smell food.”

  I laughed. “We’re back here.”

  “Lilly, dude, you got food?” Freddy turned the corner, followed by Teddy. He surveyed the scene and grinned. “Beer, chips, barbecue …looks like you totally knew I was coming.”

  I glanced at Bud. “Do we have enough?”

  “I got brats and chicken in the fridge.” He headed for the back porch and winked at the Wonder Twins. “And if I’d known you was comin’, I’d have baked that cake.”

  Rod came and put his arm around me. I didn’t pull away. Teddy and Freddy saw and exchanged a look.

  “You’re welcome to stay,” I said to them.

  They did. A minute later Teddy froze with a beer can halfway to his lips. “Dude, what about Callum?”

  “What about Callum?” I asked.

  “Yes, what about me?” Callum followed Bud out the back door. Each man carried an armload of food down the back steps.

  Teddy lowered his eyes like a guilty schoolboy. “We kind of left him in the van.”

  “You can’t kind of leave someone in a van,” Callum said. “You either do or don’t, and in this case you did.”

  I managed to get over my shock and speak. “I’ve never seen you outside the station. Did you abandon the scanner?”

  He reached the bottom of the stairs, noticed the AstroTurf, considered it for a moment, then followed Bud to the card table next to the grill. “I’ve never had a shooter single-handedly catch a murderer. I’ve never had a shooter follow that up by moving out of their apartment without a word where they were going. I’ve never had a shooter fail to call in after all that drama and carnage and let me know they were all right.” He opened his arm and dropped his load of buns and condiments.

  Bud tipped an imaginary hat at him. “Much obliged for t
he help.”

  Callum nodded, then turned back to me. “None of that has ever happened before, so I’ve never had to abandon the scanner.”

  “Dude, I told him you were cool,” Freddy interjected, “but he insisted on coming over and checking.”

  I looked at Callum. “Really?”

  His eyes moved evasively around the backyard. “I was off in an hour, anyway, and Marcie’s watching the assignment desk.”

  “Dude,” Freddy said, “he was, like, totally worried about you.”

  Teddy nodded and added, through a mouthful of potato chips, “Totally.”

  Callum frowned. “I was concerned.”

  “Totally concerned,” Teddy countered.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Rod handed Callum a beer. “Now that you’re here you can stay and eat.”

  Callum glanced around the yard. He shrugged his shoulders. “Lord knows I’ve put in enough unpaid overtime the last couple days.”

  Bud patted him on the back. “That’s the spirit.”

  “What about Trent?” I asked. “Is he going to be okay with this?”

  Freddy and Teddy erupted into squeals of laughter.

  Even Callum smirked. “He’s out for the day. Apparently somebody dumped a bunch of garbage on his lawn last night.”

  “Dude, it was way better than garbage,” Freddy told him. “There was like weird lawn decorations and furniture.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to look at Bud.

  “I even saw a trampoline,” Teddy said. “I took pictures, but Trent got mad and said we weren’t allowed to put it on the news.”

  “Did Trent get a description of the man who did it?”

  “One of the neighbors saw them.” Freddy found the chips and began munching. “They had a truck and wore ski masks.”

  “Them?” I asked. “There was more than one?”

  Bud moved some meat around on the barbecue. “That’d be a two-man job, Little Sister.” He gave Rod a sly, sideways glance.

  I walked over to Rod, who’d managed to stay out of the conversation by playing with Chelsea.

  “What did you do?” I whispered.

  He could barely contain his laughter, but somehow managed to say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even own a ski mask.” He then kissed me and I forgot to be upset.

  A little later Bud sent me into the house for more chips. I found them on the kitchen counter and turned to go back out. Callum stood at the back door.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “So you and Rod, huh?”

  I nodded. “Me and Rod.”

  Callum looked troubled. “You may have the wrong idea about him. He looks sharp and cool, but he’s actually very shy.”

  “I know.”

  “Frankly, he’s pretty geeky. I think sometimes girls dump him when they figure that out.”

  “I know.”

  “But he’s a good guy and …”

  I opened my arms. “And what?”

  “I think you could do some damage if you treat him badly.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not going to treat him badly.”

  “You wouldn’t mean to, but …Take for instance when he first started at KJAY. Freddy pulled a lot of stupid hazing-type pranks. I kept thinking Rod would refuse to work with him, but each day he came back thinking it would be different.”

  “He sees the best in people, and when something does go wrong, he believes the next time will be different,” I said matter-of-factly.

  Callum nodded. “Yes.”

  “And you think that makes him vulnerable because, of course, people rarely change and the next time is almost never different.”

  Callum nodded again.

  “Don’t worry.” I stepped onto the back porch and looked down at the unlikely group assembled in Bud’s backyard. “That’s why I’m crazy about him.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  None of this would be possible without Molly Friedrich, Lucy Carson, and Paul Cirone. After being rejected by forty-seven agents, I had the unbelievable good fortune to be pulled from the slush pile at The Friedrich Agency.

  I’m deeply indebted to Trish Lande Grader for taking a chance on Lilly Hawkins during the worst economy since the Great Depression.

  My most heartfelt thanks go out to everyone at Touchstone and Simon & Schuster. My editor, Sulay Hernandez, has been amazing from the start. Her support and feedback was integral to shaping the final manuscript. My copy editors, Steve Boldt and Jessica Chin, saved me from my worst grammatical instincts. The production, marketing, and sales departments, as well as publisher Stacy Creamer, have all gone above and beyond.

  I’d also like to thank my family and all the friends who helped me during the writing of this book. My mother, my father, Cheré Coen, Matt Harry, Hillary Huth, Tracy Imley, Jo Imhoff, Ceasonne Reiter, Peter Schuurmans, Barbara Stepansky, and Kim Zachman all graciously gave up their time to read and give advice.

  I’m especially grateful to Rachel Manija Brown for reading two different versions of the manuscript and for her thoughtful feedback. It was her suggestion that led me to create the character of Rod Strong.

  Finally, I’d like to thank my husband Jeff for his unwavering support.

  News camerawoman, Lilly Hawkins, gets the scoop on all her competitors when she is first to film the crime scene of a gruesome murder. She hurriedly returns to the office to screen her footage, only to discover that the tape is blank. When Lilly returns home, two dirty cops attack her, demanding that she produce the tape of her footage or suffer additional attacks. Working against the clock, Lilly must clear her name and solve the murder before she becomes the next victim. Along the way, Lilly receives help from a surprising source who challenges her to rethink the way she’s always seen the world and herself.

  FOR DISCUSSION

  1. At the start of the novel, what does McFarland establish about Lilly Hawkin’s status at KJAY? What has happened to her? What are her challenges? Why is it important to Lilly that she acquire good footage of the Valley Farm’s murder scene?

  2. What do we learn about the nature of Lilly’s work as a shooter? According to Lilly, there are key “Gets” to shoot in every news story. Identify some of Lilly’s shooting assignments, her intended “Gets,” and her success rate. How would you rate Lilly’s skills as a shooter?

  3. How would you characterize Lilly? What are her strengths and her weaknesses? How are your perceptions of these altered throughout the story? Do you like Lilly? Why or why not?

  4. Describe Lilly’s relationships with her two potential suitors, “Handsome” and Rod Strong. What are Lilly’s perceptions of each? Whom did you find most appealing? Why?

  5. By the time Skinny and Belly attack Lilly in her apartment, what does Lilly believe or know about the Valley Farms murder? How does the attack impact the direction or focus of her investigation? What does she learn about the particulars of the case in her efforts to meet her attackers’ 2 p.m. deadline?

  6. As the novel progresses, Lilly’s taped recording of the murder scene becomes extremely valuable to a number of key characters. Identify these characters and the value of the tape to each. By the story’s end, what meaning does the tape provide to any or all of them?

  7. Why does Lilly seek out her uncle Bud? How does his presence aid Lilly? What are they able to discover together?

  8. Explore the nature of Lilly’s relationship with her uncle Bud. What do they believe about each other? How do the actions of the story support or challenge their conceptions of each other?

  9. Lilly gains a surprising ally in Rod Strong, who sheds light on the nature of her relationships with her colleagues at work. What does Rod reveal about Lilly’s views of her colleagues? How is Lilly able to use the knowledge she gains from their interaction to assist in clearing her name? What larger lesson does she extract from the situation?

  10. As Lilly progresses deeper into her investigation, a more complicated portrait of the victim, Val Boyle, emerges t
hat contradicts the views of the police. What are the conflicting perspectives on Val? How are these conflicting perspectives highlighted in the discovery of the real murderer? How does the resolution of these conflicting portraits impact Lilly?

  11. Which seemingly inconsequential events or individuals provided clues to help Lilly solve the crime?

  12. Leland Warner threatens to reveal a family secret to keep her from revealing evidence that could hurt his daughter. What is the nature of his claims about Lilly’s past? Is Lilly able to substantiate his claims? What does Lilly’s confrontation with Leland reveal about her? Do you agree with Lilly’s stance? Why or why not?

  13. By the story’s end, Lilly repeats a line she heard from Rod: “People aren’t just one thing. You don’t always know what they are going to do.” What does Lilly mean to suggest with this line? What is Rod suggesting when he first says the line to Lilly? What does her repetition of this line illuminate about her character? Do you agree with her contention? Why or why not?

  A CONVERSATION WITH NORA MCFARLAND

  This is your first novel. What was the inspiration for A Bad Day’s Work?

  I was working as a shooter in Bakersfield and realized it would be a great set-up for a mystery, but didn’t make the attempt until later when I took a job at Barnes & Noble. Meeting the authors who visited the store and working around so many books inspired me. At first I tried to write like Ross MacDonald or Sue Grafton, both of whom I’ve always loved, but it’s just not my voice. When I try to be hardboiled it comes out pretentious. As soon as I allowed myself to be funny everything began to click.

  Why did you choose to work within the mystery/suspense genre? What are its benefits and drawbacks?

  Long before I attempted to write in the mystery genre I was a fan. I think it goes back to my parents showing me the film version of Death on the Nile when I was five. I can’t imagine writing straight fiction. I’d have no idea what to do with my characters.

  You have worked for a television news network. What can you tell us about the demands of putting together a compelling news story for the public?