“Well, just...” Mark looked at Zanne, at Ted, and at Zanne again. Did he have to explain the obvious, that if you woke up in the morning and your neck wasn’t gorked and your lower back didn’t burn, then your body and the pillow had made a good match? Was he supposed to talk down to Ted, like he was an alien or a toddler or both? Was this a challenge he was supposed to accept?

“It doesn’t sound like you’ve given this enough thought. Zanne,” Ted said, turning to face her and blocking Mark out.

“Yes, Ted,” she said.

“What was that thing he said—T... D... R?”

“Oh, TL;DR. It’s internet slang, an acronym that stands for Too Long; Didn’t Read.”

“Too Long, Didn’t Read?”

“Yes.”

“Too Long, Didn’t Read,” he said, drawing out each word slowly.

“It’s just what you say when—” Mark began, but Zanne shot him a look and he shut up.

“I hope by now anyone working for me would understand not to deliver a report that’s too long, and then tell me they didn’t read it.”

“Absolutely,” Zanne said. Absolutely. No problem. Happy to help. These were all ways of saying yes while your soul ran in the other direction.

“It’s also common practice to define an acronym upon first use. Correct?”

“Correct,” she said.

“I wouldn’t expect someone to know what an APS-C or an MFT sensor is on a camera, just because I do.”

“Ted,” Mark said. “I’m really sorry if I offended you.”

Ted turned to face Mark again, who took a step back. “Offended me?”

“Or...”

“You think my feelings are hurt?”

“Sorry, offended is the wrong word.”

“You didn’t offend me. You wasted my time.”

Oof. The deadliest words that could be uttered at the Stabler estate. Zanne’s stomach was in knots, and she didn’t even like Mark. She didn’t see how he could come back from this.

“Speaking of time, Ted, you have a call with London. We should get back to your office. I’ll work with Mark and we can come back to you when we have something more straightforward worked out.”

“No need for me to talk to Mark again. You and I can discuss it, Zanne, the next time we’re in the master suite. You always do such a great job of explaining things.”

10

Phoebe

Only $150 a night near the beach—a steal!

Phoebe had known this was what she would get, a front desk clerk with an oxy habit and a bedspread that smelled like someone else’s sweat, but she could walk to the beach, over to Abbot Kinney for coffee, along the canals. That had been the fantasy, at least, when she’d made the reservation at the Sea Breeze Motel on Lincoln a month ago.