Her miniscule waiting room was empty, and any receptionist had apparently taken the day off.She sat alone in her office behind her desk, staring at the surface of that polished mahogany slab. When we entered and she saw Sam, relief flooded her face and she ignored me to hurry around her desk to him.I thought she was alone, that is: As we entered a fluff ball of fur charged me, bristling. It irked me that the mutt didn’t woof at Sam at all.“Down, Lola,” Elaine yelled at her protective cur. “Down.”Lola subsided and retreated to the side of Elaine’s desk; but the little bitch still lay there with her chin on the floor, looking at me from under in trembling indignation.“Hello, Sam,” Elaine said, taking both his hands in hers and swaying up against him. “It’s been too long.”“Yeah,” Sam said, looking at the floor without trying to pull his hands free.Elaine pretended she was just taking note of me. “I’m in trouble here, Markus. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
