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“What’s it to you?”
“Shall I rephrase the question?”
Darius leaned forward. “Are you trying to get me killed? You’ve never asked me to do this before. Why now?”
“Was ither?” Mason demanded.
Darius blew out a breath. “It was Lana Walsh.”
He shouldn’t be surprised, and yet somehow he was. Mason moved on to the next question. “What else did she hire you to do?”
“Nothing,” Darius snapped. He chugged down his beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “She wanted something her son had hidden in the house.”
“How did she know he’d hidden something?”
Darius shrugged. “Who knows? I wasn’t hired to know the why; I was only hired to do the job.”
“Yet you ensured the job was not done and that even the police discovered what had been done.”
Darius ignored the accusation. “I did what I was paid to do.”
Obviously, Lana Walsh had been outbid. How curious.
“I’d like you to stay away from anything or anyone related to Asher Walsh,” Mason warned. “This one is mine.”
Darius dared to smile. “Sure.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Don’t call me again unless you have a paying offer.” Before going, he leaned down and said, “I wasn’t going to mention just how loyal I’ve been to you, but since we’re here, like this, why not? Old friend,I turned down a premium offer to take out your daughter. Since she’s still breathing, I’d say that makes us even now.”
Mason didn’t bother rushing after him to ask who had hired him to hurt Sadie.
He already knew the answer with the kind of certainty only a father could understand.
27
Session Four
Three Years Ago
Dr.Holden waits for her to speak. The sound of fabric rustling suggests he crossed or uncrossed his legs. Or perhaps Sadie shifted her position.
Her silence goes on and on. Finally, he asks, “Do you still want to participate, Sadie? I’ve told you on several occasions that these sessions are optional—totally voluntary.”
“I need the truth.”
Her voice sounds hollow, as if she would rather be anywhere but here. Except she clearly understands she has no choice but to try.
“Very well, let’s get started. It’s January now. Eduardo’s family seem to have embraced you,” Holden prods.
“Things changed at Christmas. I missed my period in November, maybe even in October. I don’t remember. Didn’t matter at the time. It happened fairly often. I didn’t really think anything of it until December passed and there was still no period. I asked one of the household staff members—Valerie—to pick up a couple of pregnancy tests in town. She promised not to tell, and I trusted her. I don’t trust easily.”
“Meaning you felt entirely comfortable sharing this potential bombshell with her.”
“Yes.”
“Did she bring what you needed?”
“She did, and both tests showed positive. I was pregnant. Not a good thing, considering my position.”
She says these things with such detachment. Perhaps because of the subtle form of hypnosis. There were times when she grew emotional. But not now. Not about the pregnancy.
