Page 58 of Cruel Dynasty

“And Kerrigan was staying in that ritzy resort. What was it called?” She wiggled her eyebrows over the rim of her glass.

I was going to kill her later. But I’d chosen Bandol, because I actually remembered it. “The one on the private island? It was so lovely. Anyway, we hit it off and then we traveled together for a bit.”

“Leaving a string of broken hearts in our wake,” Eliza added with a grin.

“I’m sure you did.” Iris sighed. “It sounds lovely. I wish I could get your father to take a real honeymoon.”

“You didn’t go on a honeymoon?” Eliza asked.

“We did, but it was cut short when…” Iris trailed off, but her eyes darted toward me.

“It’s my fault,” I guessed. “I’m so sorry that I made you all worry.”

Kerrigan had disappeared and Tod had come home to find her.

“It all worked out,” Iris said brightly, “and, trust me, if that man doesn’t take me to Bandol, I’ll take myself.”

We all laughed appreciatively.

“So, what are you doing now, Eliza?”

Her eyes skipped to me, but she shrugged. “Working in a pub, figuring things out.”

“Exactly what you should be doing,” Iris said without an ounce of superiority. Of course, she wasn’t the type to judge a working woman. She hadn’t been born to this extravagance. She knew what the real world was like.

Still, as I watched her chat with Eliza, my chest tightened with jealousy. I wished it was me so at ease with her place in the world. I wished my place in this world didn’t have an expiration date. But wishing wouldn’t change anything. I placed my wineglass on the table and stood. “Excuse me. I need to run to the loo. Too much wine!”

“There is no such thing,” Iris said with a wink as she refilled my glass.

“Iris,” Eliza said on cue, “I’m told you’re a ballerina…”

The conversation faded as I made my way casually into the hall. I’d been smart enough to keep the key I’d found to Tod’s office the first time I’d gone looking for answers. I slipped it out of my pocket, glancing nervously around the hall, and then let myself inside the locked room.

It looked exactly the same as it had last time. Spotless. No sign that a moment of work had been done inside. I went quickly to the corner where I’d found Kerrigan’s bag. There was nothing there but shadows. My heart dropped, taking my hopes for answers with it.

“You are such an idiot,” I cursed myself. Why hadn’t I gone back for it that night? Because I’d been distracted by Spencer and his numerous talents. My weakness would cost me. I didn’t have the time to open up books or tear the place apart. Plus, it would be pretty obvious if I ransacked the place. Even worse, I could get someone else in trouble.

I dropped into Tod’s chair and stared around the dark study. There was no reason to think there was a shred of information in this room, except for that bloody locked door. Why lock it if there was nothing to hide?

I opened each desk drawer again, finding the same unused office supplies. My fingers paused on the locked drawer. I should have looked for a key or googled how to pick a lock. I pulled the latch with a sigh.

It opened.

I took a deep breath and pulled it the rest of the way from the desk. Inside there was a manilla folder and nothing else. Placing it on the desk, I opened it with trembling fingers. A number of Post-Its had been stuck to one side with meaningless info scrawled across them. One read Cannes? Well, that one was easy enough to decipher. Another New York? I gulped when I saw Bexby??? on one. Had he thought he’d found her only to be disappointed by me?

There were a number of bank statements dating back to Kerrigan’s disappearance. My eyes widened when I saw the balance of her bank account. She could be anywhere with that kind of money at her disposal. I flipped through them and noticed something odd.

The balance didn’t change.

I paused and studied them more carefully. Kerrigan Belmond hadn’t spent a dime of her trust fund since her disappearance. Ice formed in my chest, and I thought of what Holden had said about Kerrigan not coming back. Did he know something he hadn’t told me? Something terrible?

Behind the statements there were pictures, and the dread building inside me dissipated a little. It was her. Alive. At least, she’d been alive when these pictures were taken. I tried not to think about that untouched bank account. There were a million reasons that she might not need the money. She could have taken cash with her. She might have run off with someone else. Kerrigan had to have tons of rich friends who would foot the bill.

Except, I hadn’t met any of them, save for Beatrice and Holden.

I tore through the pictures. There had to be someone else with her. It was the only thing that explained it. I froze when I reached the first picture of me. It had to have been taken before Tod came to find me. But it wasn’t the photo those wankers had snapped in the pub. It was like the others: high-quality and professionally shot. It looked like it had been done by a private investigator. There were more. Some of me at the Hare & Hound. Others of me leaving the flat. A few with Eliza. How long had someone watched me before they realized I wasn’t Kerrigan Belmond?

Long enough for Kerrigan to slip through their fingers. By the time she had, Tod had no choice but to make his arrangement with me.