“Half triangle,” Nick says, mostly to himself.
“It didn’t have the bottom line. Instead, the ends of the intersecting lines looked like inverted feet.”
“Wait…” he says, words trailing off. “I’m sending you a photo. Can you confirm that this is the symbol you saw?”
My phone pings, indicating a text, and I pull it up to see exactly what I was attempting to describe. At least in part.
“That’s it, if you put the eye around that and center the eye in the middle of a full triangle.”
“That’s helpful, Alyssa. Very helpful.”
I smile, even though he can’t see me. I’m just happy to know I’ve given him something to work with.
“How are you doing? Has…have you seen Isla?”
“No. I haven’t. I actually left the ring back at my place,” I admit, feeling guilty for purposefully leaving her behind.
It’s no offense to Isla—she’s lovely—but I wanted to focus on Nina while we search for Ian.
“That makes sense,” he says around a yawn. “Well…I hope you and Nina are enjoying your trip. I…” His words trail off, and I wonder if he’s going to complete the sentence, and then he does. “Miss you.”
A smile spreads across my face. “I miss you too. Hopefully we can both wrap up our mysteries and get back to that date that seems to evade us at every turn.”
“I’d like that.” He sighs. “I should probably start looking into your blonde. Get some sleep, okay?”
“I will. And if I learn of anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Lyss. I’ll talk to you soon,” he says before ending the call.
“That went well,” Nina says, swiping through her phone.
“It did, but I know I put so much more on his plate. Another body is going to make this case all the harder for him.” I sigh.
She doesn’t comment on that because she knows I’m right. With every additional piece of information that was dragged to the surface revolving around Richard, things got more difficult. Sometimes, more isn’t better when trying a murder case. There’s too much room for a mistrial, which means that one family is likely to get screwed out of justice.
16
Five of Pentacles
We’ve just arrivedin Florida and our first order of business is to buy groceries, since we’ll be here for a week.
We’ve split up, each with our own list of items to grab.
I’ve just finished my list when I spot Nina in the produce section, eyes fixed on a cucumber. Her shoulders are slumped, and I don’t miss the way her hands shake.
Even from a distance, it’s clear she’s upset.
“Dammit,” I say under my breath.
I’ve only been away from her for fifteen minutes. What the hell could’ve happened in that short amount of time?
I lean over my shopping cart, swerving around people like a seasoned race car driver. Random shoppers call out greetings as if they know me. I offer a half-hearted wave to a few, but my focus is on getting to Nina.
As soon as she spots me, her demeanor shifts instantly, relief flooding her features. I’m overcome with the urge to pull her close, to offer comfort in the midst of whatever turmoil she’s facing.But I know drawing attention to her would only exacerbate the situation.
I tamp down the emotion swelling within me and put on my cheeriest face.
“Hey, Nins. What’s up with the cucumber?”
