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Birdie gave the woman, who had been in her shoes decades prior, a knowing glance and a tilt of her head.
Willa Mae asked, “So, how did Maisie’s diary make it all the way to Wayward?”
Birdie shrugged her shoulders. “After I was told that I was free to go, I strapped Mia in the back seat of my car and left Charlotte and kept driving north for yet another new start. This time, I ended up in Duxbury. I took all of our belongings. Including Maisie’s. I didn’t go through any of her things, just threw it all in the trunk and left. Maybe Marshall found the diary after I moved in and married him and hid it in one of Pearl’s old steamer trunks for safekeeping.”
Lucas reached out his hand, and she laid the diary in his palm and he instantly turned to the back. There was duct tape attached with a slice down the middle of the strips, as if it held something in place at one time.
His chest constricted with disappointment. Whatever had been hidden inside had been removed.
Pinkie stood. Alerting her posse that it was time to go. As the women gathered their long silk coats and boas, she asked, “What’s on this thumb-print that’s so important?”
“Thumb drive,” Lucas corrected. “Supposedly, there’s a file saved onto the storage device with detailed information on all of Errol’s and Ariana’s shady dealings.”
“So it’s evidence that could bring charges against them.”
Lucas nodded, but Pinkie had one more question. “Birdie, when you left Wayward, what were you planning to do? Search for the thumb-print?”
“At the time, I didn’t even know it existed.”
“So why leave?”
“I thought I had lost everything that was important to me. And the Shepherds were to blame.”
Lucas watched Birdie lower her eyes and whisper, “I was going to kill him.” Meaning Errol.
Lucas’s throat went dry as she looked up at him, her eyes watery as she comingled her fingers with his. “But then Lucas showed up and made me realize that maybe, I hadn’t lost everything, after all.”
Likely satisfied with the answer, Pinkie said, “We shall take a two-pronged approach. We’ll look for this thumb-print, and we’ll continue with our ruse. Our plan B.”
Lucas was confused. “What’s plan B?”
Pinkie responded, “Our Wayward Coastal Development Project, of course.”
Birdie’s head shook back and forth. “I can’t let you do that. He’ll steal all of your money.”
Pinkie tittered, along with her four minions. “Oh, my. That’s not all of our money. Our financial mentor and resident mayor taught us never to invest more money than we could afford to lose when considering high-risk stakes. And you, my dear, are a risk worth taking.”
As Birdie worked through that heartwarming statement, Lucas asked, “Okay, then, so what’s the plan?”
Pinkie addressed the room. “That’s the easy part. If you want to catch the criminal, you simply follow the money.”
That’s when Flynn spoke up. “I installed a keystroke software program onto Errol’s computer after everyone had left his office earlier this evening. The computer was unlocked, and I was free to install the software. I’ll now be able to remotely track everything he does with the money. That is, after you transfer it to him, of course.”
Lucas had to agree with a skeptical Birdie, who said, “That’s not a sure thing. Again, what if we lose the money?”
Pinkie answered as she opened the door. “I’ll say it one more time, where you are involved, it is a risk worth taking, my dear.”
Then Pinkie winked at Lucas. “Come, ladies, it’s been a long evening. I haven’t worn a girdle in forty years, which is about to do internal damage to some of my more vital organs.”
Flynn turned to Lucas and Birdie as the Posse exited the room in single file. “Let me drop the ladies off at the Four Seasons. Birdie, I’ll be back in about an hour to take you back to the house. By then, Errol will have been advised of your escape by his crackerjack of a security team and quite pleasantly surprised at your voluntary return.”
Then Flynn added matter-of-factly, “That will also give you and my esteemed employer some time alone.”
Lucas stood and ushered Flynn out the door. “So far, you’ve been worth every penny, Flynn Shepherd.”
