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There are several missed calls and a dozen or so texts. No contacts are saved on the phone. I open the first text thread. It’s the one I saw in the notifications, asking where Christopher is.
The last message says, “I’m done waiting for you. Call me when you’re ready to make a deal.”
I take a picture of everything, wondering what the deal is and who the message could be from. There are several missed calls from the same number during the time the text messages were being sent. Nothing after that last text, though.
The next text thread only has two messages.
“Tonight is the night. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
“It’s done. Final payment is expected within 2 hours. Don’t be late.”
There’s also a missed call from this same unknown number two hours after the last message was sent and again two days later. I can see where Christopher called them back right after. What’s even more curious is there’s another outgoing call from last night after we went to bed.
He must have made the call last night after I fell asleep.
Does this have anything to do with the man who came to the door last night?
It has to be connected somehow. Christopher seemed off—anxious or even shaken—as soon as the man left. That’s part of the reason I had so much trouble sleeping last night. I was on edge, too.
I have to talk to Addy, see if she found anything on her end. I quickly put everything back in the office, powering off the phone and slipping it back into the book. I look around to make sure everything is back in place before hurrying out the door and back downstairs to the foyer. I grab my keys, hurrying out the door. I don’t know if he has the house bugged or not, but I’m not willing to take the chance. I make my way down the sidewalk, several hundred yards away from the house before I call her. Looking over my shoulder as I walk.
She answers on the first ring. “Hey, they left this morning,” she rushes out.
“I know. I’ve been searching his office all morning, and I found something big! We need to talk,” I say as I pace the sidewalk, glancing around every few minutes.
“I’m on my way to Andrew’s place. Mom was out of the house this morning, so I grabbed the spare key he gave her to his house. I figured this was the best time to go.” A cab horn blares in the background.
“Why didn’t you call me? I could have gone with you!” I’m nervous about her going by herself.
“I got this part. Andrew is gone. I can get in and out without him ever knowing. Mom will be out of the house all day, so I’ll text when I get done, and we can meet somewhere.”
I know I need to trust her, so I agree before ending the call. Now all I have to do is wait.
Chapter 14
Addy’scallcamejusta few hours later. Hearing from her so soon surprised me, but that may be a good thing. I’d been going stir crazy while waiting to hear from her.
I’m in the back of a cab on the way to my parents, anxiously wringing my hands. She didn’t tell me anything specific over the phone, so I wonder if she found anything.
The burner phone I found is pretty damning, but anything and everything we find helps us with our plans to blackmail Christopher for safety. We need that assurance right now. It’s the only way Addy and I will be able to relax.
The driver pulls up to the front of my parents’ home, and Addy is already standing outside waiting for me. I run up the stairs and hug her tightly, and she squeezes back just as hard.
“Let’s go inside and talk,” she says as she takes my hand and leads me inside.
We walk into the study, and she goes straight to the bar to pour herself a drink.
“Do you want one?” she asks before gulping hers down in two seconds flat.
“Woah, is itthatbad? What did you find?”
“Well, define bad. ‘Cause the way it looks to me, it’spastbad. It’s‘I’m about to throw up from the weight of it,’bad.”
Suddenly, I’m extremely nervous, debating if I even want to know. How can it be worse than what we already know?
“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it, okay? Let’s get comfortable so we can start talking it out,” I say in a hushed tone.
She looks at me for a moment, and I wonder if she’s questioning if I really want to know what she found. In the end, she must decide I want to because she finally opens up.
