No surprise at all.
Frank looked straight at her. “Once I’ve sorted this out, I’ll help you move back.”
Now that Marcia was out of the picture, he was sure she’d be willing to return.
He didn’t wait for Elissa to reply. His car had already sped away, tires hissing on the wet pavement.
He was in a hurry–just like every other time Marcia had called him away.
Elissa, on the other hand, didn’t show a flicker of emotion. No shock, no disappointment. Nothing.
She drove to theb and quickly lost herself in her research.
Maybe Lorraine’s warningst time had worked. Those two colleagues in the Traditional Medicine Unit–who’d always looked down on her–had been surprisingly cooperativetely, and their efficiency as a team had improved significantly.
That afternoon, for once, Elissa didn’t go to theb. Instead, she went shopping, picking up a few local specialties.
The next morning, before dawn had even broken, she picked up Aaron. and Jacqueline to drive them to the airport.
With the holidays approaching, the airport was packed. Traffic crawled along the overpass, and it took quite a while before Elissa finally dropped. them off at the terminal,
She’d just started the engine to head home when her phone rang..
Elissa answered. “Hello?”
“Hello, this is the Vistapeak Police Department. Are you Tanya Foster’s next of kin?”
<b>1/3 </b>
09:18
The voice on the other end was all business.
At the mention of Tanya Foster’s name, Elissa’s heart clenched. “Yes, I
am.”
Tanya Foster’s family had always favored her brother over her. Years ago, when she got into Vistapeak University, her family refused to let her go, iming the money for tuition would be better spent on her brother’s future wedding.
They figured she should get a job as soon as possible, start earning, and help her brother buy a house.
Over the years, Tanya had barely kept in touch with her family, except during the holidays.
Her emergency contact had always been Elissa.
“Here’s the situation. Tanya Foster is currently in custody for allegedly inciting a witness tomit perjury. You’ll need to bring her some fresh clothes as soon as possible.”
For a moment, Elissa’s mind went nk. But she didn’t ask any questions. “Understood. I’m on my way now.”
Outside, rain pattered steadily as her white SUV cut through the streets, leaving a long trail of water in its wake.
Back home, as she packed Tanya’s things, Elissa made a call to Atwater
Manor.
The butler picked up.
While folding clothes, Elissa spoke. “Hi, Quentin, it’s Elissa, Is my mother–inw home?”
There was a brief pause before Carm took over the call.
“What is it?” Her tone was icy.
With her bag packed and nerves fraying, Elissa forced herself to speak. “I–my friend’s in trouble. Could you help me find out what’s really going
09:16
on…?”
She knew exactly what kind of person Tanya Foster was. There was no way Tanya would ask anyone to lie in court.
If there was one thing Elissa understood after all these years, it was how tangled these cases could get. Most people couldn’t even begin to figure
them out.
Connections–that was the only shortcut to solving problems.
She needed to know the truth before she could decide what to do next.
“Elissa,”
Carm cut her off with a sneer. “Now you know how to beg, hmm? That’s not the attitude you had when you demanded half a million dors from us.”
Elissa’s nails dug into her palm as regret washed over her.
How could she have ever thought she could go toe–to–toe with Carm?
She pictured Tanya sitting alone in that cell, desperate and afraid. Swallowing her pride, she took a steadying breath. “Carm, I was young and foolish… I wasn’t thinking clearly. Please, don’t hold it against me…”
“Toote.”
Carmughed, cool and in control. “Elissa, I always said you were clever. You yed the perfect good girl for years, just to marry into the Atwater family. But you really were na?ve.”
“How could you dare to burn bridges with me when you had nothing to fall back on?”
<b>09:18 </b>