AllFreeNovel
Share Us
”See,” she cut in, not wanting a lecture. She’d just taken a quick peek while he’d been in the shower and she hadn’t seen anything sensitive. “I can be an investigator.”
“It takes more than just Googling a name or two.” He looked perturbed, his jaw hardening.
“But they don’t know me—Kimberley Cochran or even her husband. No one. I’m just a girl. I can help you. I’ll follow her, and she won’t even notice me.”
“You look like a street person.”
She frowned. She was wearing her newly cleaned jeans and an army green T-shirt that she’d bought just before the trip south.
“You got lucky and got away with it at the Ivy . . . just . . . but it won’t work again.”
“I am a street person,” she pointed out. “Sort of.”
Rex gave a slight shake of his head, but at least most of his anger seemed to have dissolved as he returned his attention to the laptop. “I found a couple Ralph Gaineses I could call,” he admitted, seeming to consider her suggestion.
“But you don’t think they’re the right ones.”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe.” He closed the laptop and stared off into space while absently scratching the beard stubble on his chin.
“You want me to get some new clothes, I’ll get some new clothes,” she said as he took a sip of coffee, found it cold and made a face.
He scraped his chair back, then walked to the sink where he tossed what remained in his cup into the sink.
Lithely, she pushed herself onto the counter. “I want to go to the school—Wembley—and ask around about Elizabeth, but I’ll need a ride. Are you taking me ?” Once again, she glanced through the window to the dark skies beyond as he rinsed his cup and left it on the counter. “Tomorrow, I mean. When school’s in session.”
“I haven’t agreed to your plan.”
“Got a better one?” She arched an eyebrow, silently daring him to come up with an alternate idea.
“Maybe.” He gave her the once-over and she thought he was warming to the idea. “You do look like a high school student,” he admitted, drying his hands on a nearby towel. “That could work. Maybe someone will talk to you.” He sounded like he didn’t give it much hope.
Ravinia wasn’t about to give up. “So, I’ll find the oldest teacher, just like you said, and strike up a conversation, tell her I’m Elizabeth’s cousin. No . . . not good enough. Her half sister. Yeah, that’s better. I’m her half sister and we’ve . . . um . . . we’ve lost touch. I have to find her because our father’s dying.” She was proud of herself for the tale she’d woven. It sounded foolproof.
“Her or him,” Rex corrected.
“What?”
“The teacher who’s been at the school the longest. It could be a man.” He tossed the towel aside and sent her an intense look. “You’re pretty quick with the sob stories, you know.”
Was that a compliment? She didn’t think so. “Yeah, well, what’re you doing to find Elizabeth? It’s not like we’ve got a lot of time.” She thought about the sense she had, that evil was on its way. She couldn’t help but worry that she might be the reason that Declan Jr., if the evil was him, had somehow connected to her and had followed her like a wraith to Southern California. Ravinia had traveled all this distance to warn her cousin, to save Elizabeth. Was it possible that she’d read the signs wrong and was, in fact, doing just the opposite, bringing danger with her?
Either way, time was of the essence.
“We need to do something!” she said, her fingers curling over the edge of the counter as Rex opened one of the cupboards, rummaged around and pulled out a box of pasta. When he didn’t respond to her demand, she thought she might have pissed him off. “Okay, sorry,” she apologized as he set the box on the counter next to her. “You’re working on things, I know. But why don’t I go to the school and see if I can find anything out? Or better yet, I’ll talk to the old lady—that Marlena? I want to know more about what she said about Elizabeth and that bridge collapsing.”
“I don’t think she knew any more than she told me.” He was still searching the cabinet, but gave up and let the door close.
“All I’m saying is let me help. Symbiosis,” Ravinia persisted. “Come on, Rex. What have you got to lose?”
“I don’t know. . . .”
“Then let me follow the Cochran woman. You find Elizabeth.”
He was considering it; she was certain. Thoughtfully, he took in all of her, including her T-shirt and jeans, once more.
“I’ll get new clothes. I already said I would.”
He thought about it a moment, his eyes narrowing, then as if he’d made a decision, glanced at his watch. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll take you to South Coast Plaza. Bound to be something there that’ll work for you.”
