AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It wasn’t until they were driving through the suburbs of Chicago that he abruptly remembered what had led them to the Orwells in the first place.
“Where are the pictures?” he asked.
Rayne sent him a puzzled glance before realizing what he meant. “Oh.” She waited until she was forced to halt at a stoplight before she dug into the pocket of her jacket to pull out the photos. “Here.” She handed them to Niko. “Are you looking for something?”
“There had to be a reason why Nat kept them in her special box.”
“We know she was in a secret relationship with Brooke,” she reminded him. “And was being blackmailed by Henri.”
“Good reasons to keep them hidden,” he agreed, holding the third picture toward the window to catch the afternoon sunlight. “But why this one of the fountain?”
She pressed on the gas pedal as the light turned green. “I really have no idea.”
“Maybe it was a meeting place for her.”
Rayne was shaking her head before he finished his thought. “I don’t think so. She went to our room or the stables when she wanted to talk in private. Besides, most of us avoided the area.”
He sent her a surprised glance. He remembered seeing the fountain when he’d visited St. Cecilia’s. It was close to the gardens behind the cathedral. It was a beautiful spot.
“Why would you avoid it?”
“There were rumors a nun had jumped from the bell tower and landed in the fountain. Her ghost supposedly haunted the area,” she explained. “I doubt the story was true, but when we were young it was easy to scare one another with ridiculous stories.”
Niko narrowed his gaze. “There’s someone in the background, but it’s too fuzzy to make out who it is.”
She pointed toward the dashboard. “There’s a magnifying glass in the glove compartment.”
He sent her a startled glance. “Seriously?”
“I use it when I paint.”
Oh. That made sense. He’d seen the impossibly fine details in the landscapes he had hanging at his office and his condo. He’d even gotten out his own magnifying glass to admire them.
Leaning forward, Niko opened the glove compartment and pulled out the round glass that was set in a black frame. He held it over the photo, enlarging the blurry form.
“It’s definitely a woman,” he murmured, able to make out blond hair and a delicate profile.
“A student?” Rayne asked.
“I don’t think so. She’s not wearing a uniform.”
“One of the nuns?”
Niko’s gaze traced the slender body that was faithfully outlined by the skin-tight dress. Was that a leopardskin print?
“Absolutely not,” he muttered, his gaze returning to the woman’s profile. Suddenly he sucked in a shocked breath, feeling as if he’d just taken a punch to the gut. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I recognize the person.”
“Who is it?”
He hesitated, reluctant to share what he’d discovered. Then, grimacing, he accepted that Rayne was going to insist on seeing this investigation to the end. No matter where the clues might lead.
“Your mother.”
With a sharp jerk of the steering wheel, Rayne swerved into a gas station and put the van in Park.
