“He went back to Salem, took his job back, and he and Sam didn’t live together. He was furious with Sam and felt betrayed. It effectively broke them apart. It was right after Chris and I broke up. They stayed married, but they never reconciled. Shortly after, my father was poisoned by Abigale and George.”
Ethan felt bad for her.
“I’m sorry.”
She knew why he said that.
Because she’d been in DC and couldn’t save him. Tony Morell could have, but opted not to. He’d let him expire on the floor, alone.
In that moment, Sam lost his husband forever.
And Elizabeth lost her father.
Ethan was thinking about it.
“He knows your father died. He’s trying to get that in your head, too. He wants you all worked up. Stay focused. Think about DC, and the clues he left you.”
Elizabeth pointed one thing out.
“I loved my father more than anyone could love their’s, but mine died a while ago. If he thinks that poking me with Charlie is going to make me lose focus, it won’t. He can remind me of how he could still be alive if Tony Morell wasn’t a piece of shit, but I’m not going to react.”
They let her talk.
“I’ve made my peace with that. When I put the bullet in Tony, that pain went to its grave. His father died more recently. Mine wouldNOTwant me getting vengeance for what Tony did. The reason Tony died was he was trying to actively killUS.”
She had a point.
Elizabeth continued.
“Back to the church in DC. The minister said the hymns were taken off the board there. He said they were all related to the heavenly father—along with the scripture about gifts. I’m going to keep this simple, because he’s not that bright where he can make this a Mensa challenge. He’s doing this to honor his father.”
Ethan agreed.
“He respected his.A LOT, so that tracks. He learned everything from him—and most of it was twisted with hate—unlike what Charlie taught you.”
Yeah, well, crazy flocked together. Charlie was trouble, but he was a decent person. In the world, there were only two kind of people. Those who ran toward danger, and helped people, and those who ran from it to save themselves.
Charlie was the former.
She tapped the table as she chewed on some French fries from the never-ending pile Gene was slipping onto her plate. If he thought she didn’t notice, he was crazy, but she appreciated that he was trying to take care of her.
“There is one thing I don’t get. It feels out of place.”
They let her talk.
“What the hell is the one-hundred-dollar bill about?” she asked. “It was inside a Bible, and that’s one of the clues I can’t figure out.”
Ethan was curious.
“Was it marking a specific page?”
She shook her head.
“No. It was inside the cover. There was no writing and no markings either. The Bible wasn’t placed there, but instead, it belonged to the minister. He left it there at the pulpit.”
They all considered it.
“Is it tied to the hookers?” Chris asked. “Maybe he’s saying money paid to buy someone? Or something?”
