Page 66 of Insidious Threats

Sasha’s breath caught in her throat. “What?”

“According to my source at the county arraignment court, he was alone in his cell when he slipped and fell, striking his head on the cement floor.”

She sucked in a breath. “Good Lord.”

“He lost consciousness. They did emergency brain surgery to relieve the pressure on his cranium, but he didn’t survive the procedure.”

“So, they’re calling this an accidental death?”

“They are.”

“That’s convenient.”

“That’s what I thought. And get this, the prosecutor’s office had just given Zane Novak’s widow an update on the murder case against Colchis. Apparently, Colchis was about to plead guilty to murdering Zane and turn state’s evidence. He was going to tell them everything he knew about Landon’s murder.”

It was Sasha’s turn to fall silent for a long spell. “And now he can’t,” she finally said.

“And now he can’t.”

“Maybe Cinco wasn’t crazy to hide in his closet.” She peered through the window. Ellie had managed to get her father to his feet and back into the chair.

“He did what now?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Listen, Maisy, you still have Landon’s phone, right?”

“Yeah, but I told you, he didn’t text or save his emails.”

“What about a call log? Can you see if there are any calls to the San Francisco area code in the day or two before he died?”

“Yeah, sure. But Jordana and Jenna went through all that stuff and showed Landon’s ex-wife. Deanne said nothing stood out.”

“Will you do it again for me, though? As a favor.”

“Of course, I will. I’ll do it right now and call you back. I have the phone and laptop here. I brought them home because I’ve got a meeting with Deanne next week and I wanted to go over everything again, anyway.”

“You’re a peach,” Sasha told her.

“I know I am, sugar. A genuine Georgia peach. I’ll call you back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

“Thanks, Maisy.”

She ended the call and steeled herself to return to the cabin. Ellie had found a can of soup in the small galley kitchen and was heating it on the single-burner stove. She turned when Sasha came back in.

“I figured getting something besides peanut butter crackers into his stomach couldn’t hurt,” she said.

“How is he?”

“About the same.”

“Will you be okay to stay with him if I go back to reception to tell Poppy he’s actually here? I thought I’d say he has the same flu her coworker came down with. I doubt she’ll come within a hundred yards of the cabin if she thinks he’s contagious.”

Ellie nodded, but her forehead was wrinkled with concern. “But, Sasha, what are we gonna do? If what he’s saying is true, he might be in danger. But I think he needs mental health services. And probably we need to tell the authorities. He may have facilitated a murder.”

Her loud whisper drew a curious glance from her father. Sasha pulled her over to the far corner of the kitchen area and spoke to her in a low, measured voice. “The most important thing is you have to remain calm. If you can’t do that, then our options shrink down to almost nothing. I know it’s asking a lot, and if you can’t do it, there’s no shame in it. Can you stay calm, Ellie?”

Ellie took a deep, shuddering breath. “Yes.”