AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cora held the picture up and asked, “Can I keep this?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Jenna said. “I hope it helps.”
“Cora,” Finn called.
She glanced to the end of the hall where Finn was gathering his gym bag. There was a tense set to his shoulders as he waved her over. Cora thanked Jenna and hurried toward him.
“Something just came in.” He reached into his bag and handed her Magnus’s cloned phone. There was a text from a number she didn’t recognize.
The diversion wasn’t enough. Need to regroup and discuss strategy.
Magnus’s only response was:When and where.
Will send details later.
Cora stared at the screen, excitement roiling in her stomach. “When did this come in?”
“About fifteen minutes ago. I just noticed it now.”
“This could be a big breakthrough for us,” Cora whispered, handing back the phone. “The diversion could mean the money Magnus must’ve planted in Lindsey’s locker. Whoever sent this text message is our missing link.”
“It’s vague,” Finn pointed out.
“Yes,” Cora agreed. “Intentionally vague. That’s what makes me believe it’s from Magnus’s accomplice. I have a gut feeling about this.”
He nodded. “Me, too. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know the second something comes up.”
Back in her car, Cora quickly dialed Liam’s number to tell him about the selfie.
He answered on the second ring. “Cora?” Loud music blared in the background, and she could hear people hooting and hollering over the noise. It sounded like he was at a raging frat party, complete with high-energy techno beats, shouts of laughter, and the occasional collective “ooh” and “aah” from a crowd of revelers.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Following orders, like you said,” Liam shouted. “I’m having lunch with the kid.” Someone hollered at him in the background, and Cora heard Liam say, “No, I don’t mean you, Slice. I was talking about someone else. Yes, Cora’s...kid cousin. Who I’m having lunch with... Tomorrow.”
Cora shook her head in amusement. “Not your best save. Also, you sound like an old man when you call him ‘the kid.’”
Liam said something she didn’t catch. Cora pressed the heel of her hand to her other ear. “I can’t hear you.”
“Hold on,” he shouted. Shuffling noises ensued, then a door slammed, and finally the noise was muted to a more manageable level. “Are you still there?”
“Where are you?” she asked.
“Hiding in a maintenance closet at the Teens in Action center,” Liam said with a groan. “I got Slice to come when I told him there would be all-you-can-eat free food, which is the only upside to having lunch with a bunch of lunatic teenagers during a video game tournament.”
“That explains all the noise.” The teen center had been getting large, anonymous donations lately, and they’d been able to revamp the whole lounge area. With rows of new monitors, comfy chairs, and game consoles, the place had become more popular than ever.
“I knew Billy Mac would be here, so I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and check up on both of them at the same time.”
“What a Good Samaritan you are.”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“How is Billy the Mac? I haven’t seen him in a while.” It made her happy to know Liam had kept in touch with Billy, the fifteen-year-old foster kid who’d helped confirm Liam’s alibi and clear his name. Billy was tough for his age, but Cora had a soft spot for him and often checked up on him to make sure he was okay. He spent most of his time prowling the streets like most kids with too much time and not enough supervision, but he knew a lot about the seedier side of Providence Falls, and sometimes had insight that helped her solve cases. Recently, Cora had been able to put an abusive criminal behind bars because of a tip Billy had given her, which ended up working in his favor. Without the man to harass him, Billy’s home life had improved, and according to Liam, he was spending a lot more time at the local teen center.
Liam didn’t talk about it much, but Cora knew he’d been showing up at the center to visit with Billy, often volunteering a couple of hours to grill burgers on weekends or assisting with group activities. The other volunteers loved Liam, and told Cora he had an easy, natural rapport with the kids—especially the ones who seemed aloof and unsocial. She wasn’t surprised. Liam’s easygoing humor and natural charm seemed to work on everyone. Young, old, male, female—people were just drawn to him. Heck, even her cat, Angel, liked him, and Angel didn’t like anyone.
“Billy’s fine. He’s moonstruck over that girl Katie,” Liam said. “I saw him in the library pretending to read some hitchhiking space book. He’s been trying to catch Katie’s attention, and I think he might be making progress.” Someone thumped on the door, and Cora could hear Liam swear under his breath.
