Page 26 of Chain Reaction

“I guess you could look at it like that.”

Raven waited as he made the call.

Jake kept the conversation short. When he got off the phone, he turned back to her. “She’s going to have her guys canvas the area for anyone suspicious. You didn’t hear anything else? See anything?”

Raven shook her head. “No, it was quiet in the house—until I heard someone trying to get in. But I didn’t hear a car pull up or footsteps or anything else like that. I did see a shadow at the door, though.”

Jake grunted. “I see. But why would someone want to break in?”

As soon as he asked the question, Raven knew the answer.

She swallowed hard as her gaze crept up to meet his. “Because I have something they want.”

“What would that be?” Jake held her gaze.

“The fragment of the bomb relic I brought here. Maybe someone wanted to get it from me before the truth is exposed.”

Jake took a moment to process Raven’s words.

“What exactly did you discover?” His heart pounded harder as he waited for her answer.

“This bomb that was found on the beach by Eleanor . . . it wasn’t a relic. It was new, and it was made to look like a relic by someone very skilled. The paint isn’t historical, and the aging process was artificial. Plus, I examined the metal under my microscope, and the alloy is too pure. Those elements weren’t used in manufacturing at that time.”

Jake leaned back and let out a deep breath. He knew Raven was brilliant. But listening to her now just proved that.

Beautiful. Intelligent. Kind.

She was the total package. He’d always known that.

His thoughts continued to churn. “That guy who was watching us on the beach . . . maybe he didn’t want this to be discovered. Maybe he was coming back to the scene to search for any evidence.”

“That makes sense to me. I believe someone made a new bomb to look like an old one, and they wanted someone to do exactly what Eleanor had done—to think it was simply a great beach find, to bring it home.”

“But why? Just for fun?” Jake asked. “Just to see what would happen?”

“You and I both know there’s more to it than that.”

He definitely agreed. “Someone’s trying to make a statement.”

“That’s my best guess. I just don’t know why.” She paused. “Maybe we should give this bomb fragment to Cassidy for safekeeping. It’s not going to be secure with me.”

“And you having it in your possession puts you in danger.” His thoughts continued to race. “Maybe it’s a terrorist who wants to disrupt the American way of life. Something like this will put fear in the average everyday citizen who is just going about their day.”

“It’s a definite possibility.” She paused, a question flashing in her eyes. “You never told me why you came back here.”

His gaze darkened at the memory. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out the photo, and slid it across the table toward her. “I found this at the site of the explosion.”

Her face went white—but she didn’t look totally surprised either. What wasn’t she telling him?

“Raven?”

She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “I saw that earlier—right before the second bomb went off. I assumed it had been destroyed.”

“A metal box landed on top of it. It’s probably the only reason it didn’t burn up.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why didn’t you mention it?”

Raven shook her head. “I . . . I really don’t know. I was frightened, I suppose. Wondering if I was reading too much into this. Then everything happened . . .” Her gaze drew up to meet his. “Do you think Eleanor had some kind of connection to me?”

He didn’t have to think long about his answer. “I have a hard time believing that. I think the person who left the second bomb at the scene may have also left this photo.”