Page 99 of Blade

He sighs, gripping the wheel tighter as the car moves at a slow crawl. Too slow to catch up with Grace if she’s on foot.

Then he says, finally, “We’re together. Me and Shannon. We’re getting married.”

Jesus.Yes—this makes sense now. I look back at the documents on my phone but don’t say a word about them. I want to hear what he tells me first.

“Did she give you Grace’s dress?”

I stare at him, but he doesn’t look back. And I try to understand what’s happened. Shannon must have given him the dress to helphim, not Grace. Because Grace is his client. But why is this dress covered in blood?

And right then he draws another long breath. And says:

“It’s not Grace’s dress, Ana. It’s yours.”

Chapter Forty

Excerpt from Testimony of Kayla Johnson

Ada Olson: This man who attacked you in the field when you were training at The Palace—he wore a beaded necklace, correct?

Kayla Johnson: Yes. It was very distinct. Black and white beads.

Ada Olson: And he smelled of pine?

Kayla Johnson: Yes—like from a car air freshener.

Ada Olson: And you told all of this to Ana the night it happened?

Kayla Johnson: Yes.

Ada Olson: But you didn’t report it to the police? Or to anyone other than your friends at Avery Hall?

Kayla Johnson: Only Emile Dresiér.

Ada Olson: When was that?

Kayla Johnson: The next day, when he took me to the clinic for emergency contraception and testing. I told him everything. Including the necklace.

Ada Olson: And what did he say?

Kayla Johnson: He said hundreds of truckers used the rest stop near the field. He said they’d probably never find him with no physical description—just some necklace the guy probably threw away. I asked him about evidence he might have left—on me. On my clothes. DNA maybe.

Ada Olson: What did he say to that?

Kayla Johnson: He said he threw my clothes away in a dumpster. They were gone. And he said it was too late to go to the police. It would just be a story, and no one would believe a girl like me. I had no idea at the time that there might have still been evidence on my body—after the bath.

Ada Olson: How does that make you feel?

Kayla Johnson: I don’t really have words for it.

Chapter Forty-One

Ana

Before—Two Years at The Palace

The truck moved steadily along the highway. The rhythm of the wipers, a swish, then a click, wiping a light snowfall from the windshield. The strong, steady rumble of the engine. Lulling her to sleep.

Bare legs tucked beneath her. The brown coat draped over her body.