Deck stood, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He thought of the file he’d kept tucked away for years—the one he’d hoped he’d never have to open again.
“Thirty years readin’ people across a table, lad. I know the look of a woman who’s finally found her opening.”
He tossed a few bills onto the bar.
“I know the look.”
Sully gathered the money.
“So what are ye goin’ t’do about it?”
Deck slid into his jacket.
“Well now…”
He glanced once more at the television. Lila’s eyes were still cold when she said Nell’s name.
“…I think it’s time I paid a visit t’a few old friends down in Charleston.”
Sully tilted his head.
“Vacation?”
Deck smiled faintly, though there was nothing of holiday in it.
“Call it professional curiosity.”
He headed for the door.
Behind him, Lila Grant’s voice carried from the television. Deck paused just long enough to hear one more line.
“…because sometimes the people standing closest to the truth are the ones trying the hardest to bury it.”
Deck shook his head.
“Not this time, lass,” he said softly. “Not on my watch.”
33
Eleanor’s Office — Late Afternoon
The Cotton Exchange building had quieted for the evening. Most of the offices on the third floor had already gone dark, and the last streaks of mountain sunset stretched through Eleanor Harper’s tall windows.
Eleanor leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples.
Reopening the Caroline Simms case had already set the entire town humming. By lunchtime, she’d fielded three calls from reporters, two from curious clients, and one very enthusiastic voicemail from April that began with, “Okay, I just heard something, and you need to call me immediately.”
And threaded through depositions, email drafts, and a lunch she barely remembered eating was the constant, distracting replay of last weekend.
Reid’s mouth on her skin. His hands in her hair. The feel of his body pressed against hers in the dark.
She’d shoved the memories aside a dozen times just to get anything done. They kept slipping back in anyway.
She still hadn’t called April back.
Her phone buzzed on the desk.
Deck.
