The Whitehall Affair (Excerpt)

3 - Chasing Ghosts

Nora dropped down at her desk Monday morning feeling like she had just spent an entire week at work, rather than having a restful weekend. She had barely slept the night before thanks to her nightmare and woke up seriously wishing she could call into work just to get a few more hours of sleep.

Ian hadn't said anything to her as he walked out of the apartment while she was still getting ready that morning, but she clearly saw the look of worry that he tried to hide. There was no time to really talk about it and they likely wouldn't get to it until late that night, depending on his shift. While his hours had gotten better the deeper into his residency he got, they were still long.

It only made Nora feel even guiltier. It was one thing for her to be doubting her own progress. Another if her boyfriend was concerned. Nora wasn't even sure if she wanted to tell him what was really going on in her head.

"Rough weekend?"

Nora looked over to see her co-worker Lauren Janes drop her bag down on her desk, looking over at her closely. She sat up, rubbing her temples.

"Just... didn't sleep well for some reason," Nora replied, offering her a small, reassuring smile.

"Been there," Lauren quipped as she sat down. "Actually, currently there. This Smith case is killing me."

"Still in court?" Nora asked, frowning slightly.

It felt like the case had been going on forever, though it was only a few weeks. Lauren nodded.

"Though not until this afternoon, thankfully. Came in to try and get some work done on other stories before this one makes me want to jump out the window," Lauren grumbled, pulling her laptop out of her bag.

Nora nodded, going over what she knew. It was a rape-murder trial, which she imagined wasn't pleasant. She had avoided looking at too many of the details, but it was pretty gory from the vague comments Lauren had made.

"If you're up for it, I could use some help. Got a few more stories than I can handle at the moment and I'm sure Ethan would be okay with it. Maybe help ease you back onto the crime desk?" her co-worker then said.

"I'm good," Nora said quickly, firing up her own laptop and keeping her eyes fixed to the screen. "Honestly, I really think that the community section is my calling."

"Right. Said no one ever," Lauren snorted. Nora looked over at her, seeing the brunette roll her eyes. "I mean... It's been three years. You sure you don't want back on crime? Certainly more exciting than writing about street fairs and clothing swaps."

"I like writing about that sort of thing," Nora muttered, frowning.

Though that wasn't completely true. It was more so that she liked that the stories didn't cause her nightmares or kept her up at night. The transfer from the crime desk was only supposed to be temporary - a suggestion by her therapist. Though lately, Nora was beginning to think that she just might make it permanent at this point.

"You'll never get to the Times writing fluff pieces," Lauren sang.

Nora focused on her laptop as she navigated through her email, shifting around in her chair.

"They're not fluff pieces. And maybe things have changed," she replied softly.

Nora saw Lauren glance at her out of the corner of her eye, her brow furrowed. The crime reporter cleared her throat and looked back to her own laptop.

"So how was the party this weekend?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Good. Really good," Nora said, infusing a bit of cheer into her voice, though she could clearly tell that she was failing. "They had a great band."