Spiders in a Dark Web
Page 27
That was my first choice, and Peter had finally admitted it was his, too. He was reluctant to have me spend the money when he couldn’t invest an equal amount. As much as I appreciated the thought, I wasn’t about to let such a minor point stop me from going forward.
I still didn’t know what I was going to do, but I had money to spare, and property, and a business to help run. Delia had been so distracted with Hal’s legal problems, now that he’d been arrested and returned to the U.S. for prosecution, flying back and forth to Texas to deal with business there and see her son, that she hadn’t been able to keep up her co-management of the bar. I was glad to help out, especially since the publicity of Hal’s case had splashed their names and the Hideout all over the news and brought a rush of curious customers. It was dying down, but had meant a lot more work for everyone.
It was fun to work with Peter, an unexacting but attentive manager. He had a lot of ambitions for the Hideout, and though I wasn’t convinced it was going to be my life’s work as well as his, I was ready to support whatever he wanted to do.
I glanced over at him, focused and grunting slightly with exertion. The night we got back from San Francisco, we’d finally said out loud what we both felt. It wasn’t too soon any longer, not after the agonizing minutes we’d spent with death so close by. Time was too precious to waste feeling bound by conventions.
My eyes moved to the small table next to me. On it sat the bouquet, a hefty, fragrant burst of bright freesias and greenery, clearly the work of an experienced florist. Osiris having knocked over and shattered the original small vase, hey graced a plastic pitcher borrowed from the Hideout, looking no less cheerful or attractive for the pedestrian container. In my hand was a letter, which had come with the flowers, sealed tightly in an envelope within an envelope, my address printed on the outer paper.
I’d read it several times. Though I knew the contents by now, I wasn’t ready to put it aside yet.
Dear Lo, it read.
I’m not really supposed to be contacting anyone, but I couldn’t go any longer without reaching out and bargained for this chance. I’m all right, I promise. I’m in protective custody while they build the cases (there are dozens) against L. He’s got extradition orders from about 15 countries and the charges keep piling up. Seems to be a large-scale coordinated investigation now, mostly through IP, and they tell me the information I’m giving is valuable. Though I meant what I said before—I probably don’t deserve to go unpunished. Still, I’m not going to argue with them about it.
For now I’m content to sit tight and answer questions and make depositions, but I think I know what I want to do next. Remember when you asked me what I’d do if I got out? It seemed impossible at the time, but now that it’s happened I’m getting clearer about who I want to be and what my purpose is. One way or another, I know I’m supposed to be working against people like R and L.
She’s out there, Lo. God knows how she did it but she managed to disappear. One of my handlers heard she went down a laundry chute and/or that she had an accomplice. At least L is a consolation prize, but they’re still furious about it. I think she’s long gone, and it’ll be a while before she risks coming to the U.S. again. They’ve traced a lot of the money to the Caymans and are watching to see if she’ll show up (they tell me things like this sporadically) but nothing so far. I’m sure she’s got plenty stashed elsewhere, and L’s not giving her up, not even to save his own skin. If he wasn’t such a creep, I could almost respect him for his loyalty. As bad as he is, she’s even worse. And she won’t forget easily.
Anyway, enough about that. I hope the flowers are pretty. Freesias always make me think of your mom, and how much she liked them. I don’t know what would have happened to me if it wasn’t for your parents and you. I thank my lucky stars every day that I got to grow up in your family. I wish mine had left me alone for good, but at least they gave me the gift of years without them and a wonderful, loving home.
I hope everything is good with you and Peter. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get in touch again, but it helps to think of you living a good life. Enjoy the money—it started with the first payout I got, which felt so dirty I just couldn’t use it, along with the balance of what your parents saved for me over the years. Spend it on the things you want. (And don’t feel like you have to donate it, I’ve already done that with the rest of what I earned.)
Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble.
Love, M
I set the letter down on my knee and looked out across the wide, empty landscape. Marianne was going to be OK. I could only hope that whatever happened, we’d be a part of each other’s lives, but even if that wasn’t possible, she had the chance to start over and find a new purpose. Not only that, she’d done everything she could to make sure I was OK, too. Even to the point of investing in my future. Things looked much brighter now for all of us—thanks to her.
But she was right. Rosemary was still out there, no doubt plotting her next move. And loathing all of us for the trap we set. We took away the one person she trusted and cared about, forced her into hiding, made her more unpredictably lethal than ever.
The truth was, we might never be safe. Not completely. We’d never be able to forget what we knew about her, never stop being witnesses to her identity, and that was always going to be dangerous. But as much as I hated knowing, and the threat that knowledge was to people I cared about, I couldn’t deny that it also gave us power, whether we wanted it or not.
She was out there. And we’d be watching for her.
The Sliding Sideways Series
Novels of suspense by Emily Senecal
www.slidingsidewaysbooks.com
Book 1, Strangers on This Road
Lainey Parker's first mystery, set on Catalina Island, involves her in an international criminal investigation (also available in paperback)
Book 2, Danger in Academia
Lainey Parker, now a college student at Columbia in New York, has her second encounter with crime (also available in paperback)
Book 3, Enemy at the Wedding
A family wedding in England turns deadly for Lainey Parker
Book 4, The Heartbroken Brides
Lainey Parker stumbles into an unexpected mystery in San Francisco, and learns some surprising truths about her past
Book 5, Death on the Menu
Molly Faraday is drawn into murder, criminal conspiracies and mistaken identity in L.A.
Book 6, The Night Ferry
Megan Hofflin finds adventure and romance on the night ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki
Book 7, The Missing Tourist
Megan Hofflin races across Europe to solve a strange mystery
Book 8, Beneath These Streets
A chance encounter pulls Becca Rossiter into detection and danger in San Francisco
Book 9, Murder on Santorini
Becca Rossiter's vacation in the Greek Islands is interrupted by murder
Book 10, An Empty House
A dream job turns into a disturbing investigation for Paige Brody
Book 11, Saints and Enemies
Mysterious accidents and unknown enemies disrupt Hannah Wood's trip to Marseille
Book 12, In a House of Strangers
A bizarre murder changes the fate of Mindy Faraday
This novel is set in real places, but this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Copyright © 2019 Emily Senecal
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.
eBook published through Kindle Direct Publishing January 2019
Cover Photo by _media_ on Reshot