Silence.
A very long silence.
"Juliette," Augustus said eventually, "it's almost midnight."
"Congratulations. Your ability to read a clock remains unimpaired."
"You have work tomorrow."
"So do you. Yet here you are."
"That's different."
"How?"
I imagined him behind his desk, deciding whether honesty or dismissal would end this conversation faster.
"There's no reason for you to return to the office."
"I'm not volunteering as your unpaid midnight investigator. I'm bringing dinner because you apparently cannot be trusted to feed yourself."
"The investigation is confidential."
"And tonight my only qualification is knowing which restaurants are still serving food."
"Juliette—"
"You can let me in, or Security can explain why your assistant was turned away while delivering dinner to a CEO who hasn't eaten since lunch."
A longer pause.
"Come briefly," he conceded. "And leave the audit materials alone."
"Deal. What do you want?"
"Anything."
