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“Hey, Faith,” he answers. “Good to hear from you, stranger. I guess you meant it when you said you were going to let me run the show.”
“I did. I do. I am coming into town just to get some of my things this weekend. You want to have dinner?”
“Of course. When?”
“Saturday night?”
“Perfect. I’ll come to you after we close up.”
I have Siri dial Bill next. “Faith. Are you on your way here?”
“I am. I think I’m ready to talk. How about coffee tomorrow morning?”
“That works. When and where?”
“Do you just want to come by the house? I’m afraid I might get emotional about my parents, and I really don’t want to be around people if that happens.”
“Eight?”
“Eight.”
“And I understand you getting emotional, but we’ll get through this.”
“Thanks,” I breathe out, and when I hang up, I’m pretty sure I’ve misjudged him for a really long time.
I reach for the radio, but it starts to rain, and I listen to the thrum of droplets on the windows. I love the rain, but tonight it feels like I’m in an empty hole.Alone.
And it doesn’t ease up. In fact, the rain is heavier and the night pitch dark when I pull up to my house, and I am hollow inside except for a stabbing pain. I don’t belong here anymore. I don’t know why I wanted to come here. I almost turn around and leave, but I set up meetings. And I have random things in there. And I really need things that feel familiar.
I walk up the steps, key in my security code—miraculously getting it right the first time—and enter the house.
…
Nick
The rain is making me crazy. It taunts me. It repeats Faith’s words:Liar. You hurt me. You made sure I will never trust again.
I dial Beck, desperate for anything I can share with Faith. “I’m going to see her. Your time is up.”
“I’m onto something,” he says. “One of my CIA contacts has a ping on that mercury, and flag boy got a hit. There’s a connection there.”
“Where is he now?”
“Hanging out in a cabin on the outskirts of Sonoma. He tells locals he is having a zen retreat.”
“The autopsy report.”
“Nothing yet, but I’m working on it. I’ll be in touch.” He hangs up.
…
Fifteen minutes later, in an absolute downpour, with adrenaline surging through me, I pull into the driveway of Faith’s house. Our house. I’m going to fix us. I park behind her car and shrug out of my jacket and tie. The rain doesn’t ease up, and I toss them in the back seat and just say screw it. I exit the car and take off running, stomping a path up the stairs, and I am literally so drenched I might as well have stood in the shower. But I’m here. She’s here.
I ring the doorbell, and nothing happens. I ring it over and over, then start pounding on the door. “Faith! I know you’re here. Talk to me. Faith!” Still nothing. I stomp back down the stairs and into the rain, the real storm raging inside me. I face the house and look for a light in her studio that I don’t find. “Faith! I’m not leaving until you talk to me. Open a window. Anything. Faith!”
The front door opens, and I run up the stairs to find her standing in the doorway, behind the screen. I reach for it, but it’s locked. “Open the door, sweetheart.”
“I need you to leave.”
