Chapter 9 - The Woman in the Rental Car
I let his screams echo through the cheap motel room for three full seconds before answering. I had to play the game better than he did.
“Julian?” I gasped, forcing a ragged sob into my throat. “Julian, the house... everything is gone. The roof... the firemen... oh God, Julian, where are you?!”
“I’m at O'Hare!” he sobbed, his voice cracking with theatrical agony. “I just stepped off the jetway! I’m booking the first flight back right now! Honey, tell me Lily is okay!”
“She’s with me,” I cried. “We were at the beach. We just drove back and the police wouldn't even let us near the driveway! Julian, they’re saying someone set it!”
Silence. A microsecond of hesitation.
“What?” Julian’s voice dropped an octave, the panic suddenly cold. “Who... who is saying that?”
“The fire chief,” I whimpered. “He said they found gas cans. Julian, somebody tried to burn our home down! What if we were inside?!”
“That’s... that’s insane,” Julian stammered, recovering quickly. “It was probably an electrical short, Nora. People jump to conclusions. Listen to me: don’t talk to the police without Bradley there. Bradley is my attorney; he’ll protect us from insurance bureaucracy. Where are you right now?”
“At a diner in town,” I lied smoothly. “Lily is crying. I don't know what to do.”
“Go to the Grandview Hotel downtown,” Julian instructed, his voice firm now, taking charge. “Check into a suite under my name. I’ll catch the red-eye or charter a private flight out of Midway. I’ll be there by midnight. Don’t talk to reporters. Don’t talk to the marshals. Just wait for me. I love you, Nora.”
“I’ll wait for you,” I whispered.
He hung up.
The room was deathly quiet. Marcus looked at me with sheer respect.
“He bought it,” Marcus said. “He thinks you’re terrified, confused, and heading to the Grandview.”
“He’s not catching a flight from Chicago,” I said, wiping a rogue tear that was born of pure fury, not sorrow. “He’s driving to Bay Harbor right now to meet Victoria. They’re going to board that yacht and leave US waters before the arson report is filed tomorrow morning.”
“Not without the lockbox,” Marcus pointed out. “He hid that ledger and the cash in Lily’s dollhouse. He thinks the house was leveled. He’s going to circle back to the ruins after dark to dig through the rubble before he heads to the marina.”
“No,” I said, remembering the text on the burner phone. *‘The bird is in the nest.’*
“What does that mean?” Claire asked.
“The bird isn’t the lockbox,” I said, ice flowing through my veins as realization struck. “Victoria went to the house *before* Julian set the fire. She picked up something else.”
I grabbed my purse. “Marcus, stay with Claire and Lily. Lock this door. Don’t open it for anyone except me.”
“Where are you going?” Claire cried, grabbing my wrist.
May you like
“To the only place Julian thinks I’d never look,” I said. “Victoria Sterling’s penthouse.”
***
