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“Okay. I’ll call again when I have the footage.”
He hangs up. I put my phone down and let out a breath.
When he has the footage. God, I hope he gets it. In the meantime, I should work.
I sit in front of the desk and open my laptop. I’m about to check my mail when my phone rings again.
I give it a puzzled look. That can’t be Dino. It’s too soon.
I get even more confused when I grab my phone and I find an unknown number on the screen. I hesitate another moment before giving in to my curiosity.
“Hello.”
“Leo Ursini?” a raspy voice asks.
I draw in a breath. “Who is this?”
“I have some information regarding the person responsible for Marilyn Swinton’s death.”
My eyes grow wide at the mention of the name.
My mother.
“I’ll send the instructions to your email.”
Then the line dies. I keep the phone against my ear, my fingers still frozen like the rest of me. Only my mind seems to keep functioning.
Someone knows about my mother’s murder even though it wasn’t reported in the news? Furthermore, someone knows who did it? After all these years of trying to put it behind me, after failing to find answers, I finally have something new to go on with?
My laptop beeps. I put my phone down and check my email. The new message is from an unknown sender. The subject? Instructions.
I open it. Sure enough, it’s telling me what to do next – to find an envelope under a bench in a zoo.
Do I trust it? I don’t even know who this person I’m dealing with is. What if he’s lying? It’s been years since my mother died. Why come out just now? What if this is some kind of trap?
Still, I can’t stop the caller’s voice from echoing inside my head.
I have some information regarding the person responsible for Marilyn Swinton’s death.
I can’t disregard that, not when I’ve been blaming myself for her death because I wasn’t there to protect her, not when I made a promise at her grave that I would find the one who did it and make him pay.
Maybe there’s a risk in this, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from doing business, it’s that there’s always a risk of losing something when you’re going after something of value. Sometimes, it’s the willingness to take a risk which can spell the difference between success and failure.
I’m not going to fail my mom again.
I put on my shoes, grab my stuff and rush out.
~
It’s Tuesday so there aren’t too many people at the zoo. The crowd consists mostly of middle school kids on a class trip, a few tourists, and mothers with their toddlers. Whether that’s an advantage or disadvantage for me, I don’t know. It could mean that envelope doesn’t contain a bomb. It could mean it’s easier for someone to snipe at me. I’ve imagined a dozen different scenarios that could unfold on my way here. I guess I’m about to find out which one will play out.
I find the bench next to the entrance of the Monkey Kingdom like I was told. It’s not hard to find. It’s distinct, actually. Yellow with green vines drawn on it. All I have to do is sit on it and grab the envelope that’s supposed to be stuck underneath.
I look around for a camera and see one. It’s not pointing to the bench but rather towards the entrance of the exhibit. If anyone kills me on that bench, no one will know.
Last chance to back out. I don’t.
I draw a deep breath and take the remaining few steps to the bench. After checking to make sure there’s no one suspicious lingering around, I sit. I wait a few more moments, make sure there’s no one around – suspicious or otherwise – and reach under the bench. My heart stops when my fingers brush against coarse paper.
I give a tug and it comes off. It’s fairly small, the smallest size of padded envelope from the post office. Because of the padding, I can’t really tell what’s inside, and as much as I want to, I can’t open it now.
Patience.
I slip the envelope into the inside pocket of my jacket and walk back to my car. Inside, I open it and find a flash drive.
Okay. More suspense.
Time to go back to the hotel.
~
To my surprise, Jodie is waiting for me in my room. She stands in front of me in a shirt and jeans with her arms crossed over her chest. Anger and determination blaze in her brown eyes.
What does she want now?
“Let me guess,” I say. “You seduced Rick, too, so he’d tell you where I was and so he’d let you come here alone.”
“No,” she answers calmly, not the least bit unnerved by my suggestion.
Has she grown immune to my taunts now? Something tells me she’s just not in the mood.
