Page 49

Hez kissed her goodbye and hurried off to catch an Uber while she walked briskly to Tupelo Pond. She spotted Nora waiting by the bench and lifted a hand in greeting. Nora’s strained expression and lack of greeting told Savannah all she needed to know—her friend knew.
Nora shot her an accusing stare. “Elliot Drake has been all over the news bragging about how he led the effort to takedown an international artifact smuggling ring. The media somehow got old family photos showing the Willard family, and I’m in some of the pictures.” She pulled out her phone and swiped through the images. “Look.”
Savannah studied the old pictures. One of them showed a young Little Joe, barely out of his teens. He had his arms around Nora and another cousin. They stood smiling on the beach at Pelican State Park, and they looked impossibly young, happy, and wholesome. What turned Little Joe into the glaring thug with the ugly Punisher tattoo on his shoulder?
Savannah handed Nora’s phone back. “At least your face is blurred.”
Nora huffed and dropped it in her purse. “Like that matters. Everyone knows it’s me. Officers are looking at me like they think I should have known. The past twenty-four hours have been horrible. You were part of the raids that wrecked my family, weren’t you? Don’t try to deny it.”
Savannah barely managed not to look away from the hurt on her friend’s face. “I-I’m not supposed to talk about it, Nora. I’m so sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
Nora took off her glasses and wiped tears from her eyes. “Two of my cousins are dead, including Little Joe. Another cousin is in the hospital and likely heading to prison. Uncle David was arrested and so were some other relatives. Was the Justice Chamber behind this?”
“Sort of, but I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
Nora’s brown eyes pinned Savannah in place. “You were in New York. Were you working with the NYPD?”
“I... I...” Savannah couldn’t lie. “Yes.”
“Graham was taken in for questioning.” Nora raked herhand through her thick brown hair. “He’s never even had a speeding ticket, but they badgered him for two hours. He was on a trip to visit publishers and he had proof, but the police refused to believe him. He probably needs an attorney, which he can’t afford. Would you know anything about why the best man I’ve ever met was picked up? He told me he saw you there, so I want the truth.”
Her friend needed at least a heads-up that Graham might be involved. “I hate to have to say this, but, well, I have reason to believe he might not be who you think he is, Nora. Be careful.”
Nora’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe my best friend would do this.” A sob broke from her chest, and she turned and ran back toward the parking lot.
Savannah wanted to go after her, but what could she say?
Chapter 28
The loan documents sat in a neat stack on Hez’s desk. Annotated yellow sticky notes stuck out in random spots, like weeds sprouting from a sheer cliff. His temperamental office printer had been busy for over an hour and had quit in protest several times. It would have been much faster to use the copy room printer, but he didn’t want to risk someone seeing one of these documents before he had a chance to talk to Jess.
Jess hadn’t responded to his text, but she must have seen it by now. He sent it almost thirty-six hours ago, and she’d gotten back to Nova Cambridge yesterday evening. She hadn’t even asked him what was so urgent, which presumably meant she knew or she was ignoring him. Most likely both.
Well, she wouldn’t be able to ignore him much longer. Her office was just a few doors down from his, and he made a point of walking past every fifteen minutes this morning. He glanced at his watch. Time for another lap.
He picked up the stack of papers and headed into the hall. Her light was on and her door was ajar. He stopped and glanced in. She sat in front of her computer, her petite frame erect and her eyes fixed on the screen in front of her.
He knocked with his free hand. “Morning, Jess. We need to talk.”
She didn’t look away from the monitor. “Not now. I have a meeting to get ready for.”
He pushed the door open and walked in. “Sorry, it has to be now.” He sat in one of her office chairs. “Whatever your meeting is about, this is more important.”
She gave a sharp sigh and turned toward him, her mouth pressed in a thin line. “I don’t care who pays for it. I’ll get a rental if I need one. Now get out.”
Hez blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“My car, of course.” Jess turned back to her monitor. “Toni found all the tires slashed and the paint scratched when she came out of a witness interview on Tuesday. She said she told you and asked you how to get the damage fixed.”
So that’s what Toni’s email was about. Hez had been too focused on the loan issue to clear out his inbox. “Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to go through my emails. There’s been an urgent matter that I—”
“Read it and we can talk after my meeting. I’m pretty sure Pierre did it. See if you can find a way to stick him with the repair bill.”
“You think Pierre vandalized your car?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Toni was interviewing a witness who had dirt on another one of his trust-fund scams. You’re way behind on this, aren’t you? Seriously, go read your email. I have other things to do.”
“I—”