Page 41

CHAPTER FORTY

COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2023

10:00 A.M.

Ali went to work that Monday feeling lighter than air. All she had to deal with were her usual work responsibilities. There were no immediate crises awaiting her attention. The first email she opened that morning came from Cami.

What a great weekend, and boy did I need one!

That surprise trip to Stonehenge on Saturday was amazing. Hope you enjoyed the pix. On Sunday we had tickets to two plays—a matinee performance of The Mousetrap and an evening performance of Les Mis. The Mousetrap was a little hokey, but it’s been running for seventy years. Les Mis was terrific.

Today I’ll be working my way through the appointments that had to be canceled on Friday. At this point I’m still due to fly home tomorrow, but I’m waiting to hear from DI Wallace on that. I’ll let you know for sure when I find out what he says.

So far there hasn’t been any indication that someone has been paying any kind of undue attention to us. I’ve been glad to have Rachel with me, but I’m worried about the added expense when it may not have been necessary.

Cami

Attached to the bottom of the email was a photo showing Cami and a purple-haired young woman standing side by side and grinning for the camera under the marquee of the London Theater with the words The Mousetrap overhead.

Prior to Cami’s trip, Sonja Bjornson had sent Ali and B. a copy of Rachel Bloom’s employee file at WWS for their perusal. The accompanying photo had been of a poised, young woman—a brunette—who had looked calm, collected, and entirely capable. No one looking at the wild-haired young woman with Cami would ever guess that she was a fully trained and dangerous bodyguard.

As for Ali herself? With no updates on the progress of the Chuck Brewster homicide, all Ali had on her plate for the day was doing her actual job, and that was a welcome change.