“No way!” Zeke could scarcely believe it. “How?”
“He hung himself with his bootlaces,” Karl said with a skeptical raise of an eyebrow. “The Philadelphia Police Department considers it a suicide.”
Garth gave a snort of disbelief. “How come his bootlaces weren’t taken from him by the desk sergeant?”
“The desk sergeant says he confiscated his laces, his wallet and keys, his jewelry and anything else that he might use to harm himself,” Karl replied. “But somehow, those bootlaces found their way from an evidence bag into the cell. I’ve asked the coroner to perform a full autopsy. Something’s wrong here, and I think the police are trying to cover up their mistakes.”
“Somebody murdered him,” Zeke said. “They needed to keep him from talking, so they killed him.”
Christina nodded. “That’s my theory too. Mr. Foster had requested a meeting with me tomorrow morning, and I think he was ready to strike a deal, but now we’ll never know.”
“Who had access to his cell?” Zeke asked. “There must be camera footage.”
“You won’t be surprised to learn that the camera footage has been lost. Someone deleted the files before we managed to get hold of them.”
“Surely we have a list of suspects.” Zeke was beginning to wonder exactly how many people were betraying them. This level of chaos could not be the work of just one person. “The culprit has to be a member of law enforcement, either FBI or police.”
“Foster was being held at the Philly PD headquarters, one of the busiest stations in the entire state. The desk sergeant said that numerous officers came and went during the window of opportunity. He’s not been able to offer us a great deal of help, but he’s trying to protect the reputation of the force. The police allowed an arrested man to be murdered on their watch, and the sergeant simply wants the investigation to go away.”
“The FBI will take over the investigation into Foster’s death, right?” Zeke asked. “There’s a serious breach in this case, possibly from multiple sources. We’ve been coming under attack since the very first day Goldie and I arrived, and now a man has been murdered in police custody. Something is very seriously wrong here.” He looked across at Goldie. “I don’t know if it’s safe for Goldie to leave right now.”
“Well, it sure isn’t safe for her to stay,” Christina said. “Her bedroom just exploded.”
“And that’s another breach,” Zeke said. “Who put that bomb in Goldie’s room? How and when did they get the opportunity?”
“The early reports from the forensics guys suggest that the bomb worked on a timer switch and could’ve been placed inside her wardrobe at any point during the day. It was a homemade device, not particularly sophisticated but powerful, and it was intended to kill anybody in the room. Goldie was fortunate to be able to get out in time.” Christina leaned across the table toward Zeke. “Are you sure that the door was locked on the outside? Could it have been jammed or stuck?”
Goldie now spoke up. “It was locked. I’m sure of it. The key is always in the lock but it was gone. Somebody locked the door right after I went inside.”
As she spoke, Zeke noticed that she was pale and downcast, as if she’d given up. It was unbearable to see her like this.
“Goldie’s right,” he said. “She was trapped, and I got to her with only a second to spare. I think somebody activated the bomb as soon as the lights went out, hoping to capitalize on the sudden darkness.”
“Who had the opportunity to place the bomb in her room and remove the key?” Garth asked.
Christina checked off the people on her fingers. “You, Karl, Zeke, Mrs. Volto and Willy.”
“Unless somebody is getting inside without us knowing,” Karl said ominously.
Christina shook her head. “The procedures for getting in and out of this house are airtight. There’s no way anybody could gain access without authorization.”
“Actually,” Zeke began, “that’s not entirely true.”
Goldie shot him a look of concern, warning him against revealing the secret they had both promised to keep.
“What are you talking about, Agent Miller?” Christina asked in a tone that demanded truth. “Who’s been coming into the house without authorization?”
“Goldie caught Willy Murphy in Mrs. Volto’s bedroom during the night, but he wasn’t on the official overnight list. Mrs. Volto admitted that she sometimes signed him out of the house in the evening but, instead of leaving, Willy would stay in her bedroom until the morning. Then he would sign back into the house and pretend that he’d only just arrived, when in reality, he’d never actually left.”
Christina was confused. “But why would Mrs. Volto hide her lawyer in her bedroom overnight?” Her face broke into an expression of surprise as realization dawned. “Oh! She’s in an intimate relationship with him?”
“Yes,” Zeke replied. “And she was desperate to keep it all under wraps in case her husband found out. Her baby is the only thing protecting her right now, but if Leonardo thinks it’s not his child...” He let the unsaid words hang in the air.
“I see.” Christina’s eyes darted back and forth across the table, clearly agitated by this news. “If Willy was able to stay overnight without following the correct protocol, then it would appear that my airtight procedures aren’t so airtight after all.” She rose from her chair. “It makes me wonder who else has gotten inside without us knowing. I think I need to have a conversation with Mrs. Volto to see if there are any other rules of entry she’s been bending. Karl, shall we go together?”
“Sure.” Karl stood up. “Zeke, don’t let Goldie out of your sight until the car arrives to transport her to a new safe house. I didn’t receive your official request to reassign to her protection detail, so I assume you changed your mind.”
“He did,” Goldie said quietly. “I’m fine to go by myself.”
“I’ve arranged for two female agents to accompany you to your new place,” Karl said. “And Christina has ordered some new clothes to replace the ones that were destroyed.” He smiled. “It’ll be a regular home away from home.”
As Karl and Christina left the room, Garth cleared his throat and pushed back his chair. “I’ll go see if the forensics guys could use my help.”
All three knew that this was a convenient excuse to give them some space, and Zeke was so very grateful to Garth for excusing himself at that moment. He and Goldie would shortly be saying goodbye, and the time that remained was precious.
“Listen to me, Goldie,” he said, moving his chair to face hers. “We don’t have a lot of time, but I think I can persuade Karl to allow me to come with you if you’ll allow it.”
“That subject is no longer up for discussion.”
“But you shouldn’t have to go alone.”
She smiled. “I won’t be alone, Zeke. I feel my faith slowly returning, and wherever I go, I know I won’t ever be alone.”
He took her hand, their skin dancing with flickering light from the candles. “I’m really pleased that you’re finding your belief again, but there’s room in your life for both God and me, isn’t there?”
She pushed her hair from her face and held it back with her hand. “There is so much damage from my past that I have to deal with—my father’s crimes, my mom’s death, losing touch with my sister when she moved overseas, my loss of faith, my inability to let anyone get close to me.” She paused. “And my breakup with you.”
“I understand that you want to take time to recover and deal with these things,” he said. “But you have to remember that nobody ever reaches a point of perfection. There will always be something that prevents you from having the perfect life. Unless you learn to be happy in the dark times, you’ll never be happy at all.”
She remained silent, playing with his fingers, rubbing her index finger across his wrist.
“I don’t expect anything fr
om you,” he continued. “If you decide that you don’t want to rekindle our relationship, then I’ll accept it and leave without a fuss. All I ask is that you give us a chance. Let me come with you to your safe house where we can have a few more weeks together, to see what happens.”
Her eyes began to glisten in the low light, and her mouth turned down at the corners. “What if it doesn’t work out, Zeke? What if you’re the one who decides to walk away? Have you ever thought of that?”
Truthfully, Zeke had never considered that possibility because he simply couldn’t envision it.
“I’ll never give up on you, Goldie,” he said. “Never in a million years.”
“Oh Zeke.” She wiped away a tear. “I love your optimism, but it’s so naive. Life goes wrong all the time, and invariably we don’t get what we want. It could all go wrong at any second and...and...” She stopped and placed a palm across her chest. “And my heart couldn’t cope with it a second time around. I’m not strong enough.”
He cupped her cheek, feeling the wetness of her tears. “If fear of pain is what’s holding you back, you have to let it go. Now that your faith is returning, you have a platform to stand on. You don’t have to leave anything to chance because nothing is random.”
He could almost see the struggle behind her eyes. “I want to agree with you, Zeke, I really do, but I’m not there yet. Don’t ask me to take a chance on you, because I just can’t forget how it turned out the last time.”
Zeke glanced at the clock, conscious of the minutes ticking by, of the possibility that these really were the last moments he would spend with her.
“I’m not asking you to take a chance on me,” he said. “I’m asking you to take a chance on us.”
“Stop.” She stood and picked up a candle from the table. “I’d like to take a shower before I leave. My hair smells smoky.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t fair of him to put pressure on her, no matter how mistaken he thought she was. “If you use the downstairs bathroom, I’ll stand guard outside the door.”
“Thank you. You’ve been kind to me and I appreciate it.”
Her tone was oddly formal and awkward, the distance between them suddenly all too obvious.
“You still have fifty minutes to consider it,” he said, following her from the kitchen. “I’m packed and ready, just in case I have to beg Karl to let me go with you.”
Goldie didn’t respond. She simply slipped through the door of the bathroom, shut it behind her and immediately switched on the water.
Zeke suspected she was hoping to cover the sound of her tears.
* * *
Goldie towel dried her hair and ran her fingers through the curls, hoping to prevent knots from forming. The scent of smoke permeated her jeans and T-shirt, and she wished she had access to clean clothes. Yet everything she had brought with her to Gladwyne had been blown to smithereens by the bomb. She would be starting over entirely.
Zeke knocked on the door. “You okay in there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a second.”
Goldie had taken an extralong shower, using the rushing water to muffle the sounds of her weeping. Her candle had burned down to the wick and was now surrounded by a puddle of wax in the saucer. She knew that her time in this house was short, and it was easier to while it away in the shower than to spend it looking at Zeke’s face. His idealism was very persuasive, painting a picture of possible happiness and contentment. Life didn’t work that way, at least not in her experience.
Opening the door, she saw him standing on the other side, the candlelight shimmering on various surfaces in the background. At first glance he appeared to be in a glittering ballroom, holding out his hand as if inviting her to dance. But he was simply offering to lead her through the dark hallway.
“Mrs. Volto would like to talk to you,” he said. “She heard that you’re leaving soon, and she wanted to say goodbye.”
“Where is she?”
“In the kitchen.” His eyes strayed to his watch. “Your car should arrive in twenty minutes, so you don’t have much time.”
She nodded. Twenty minutes of conversation with Louisa Volto would stop Zeke from trying to change her mind, to prevent her from making the biggest mistake of her life. Taking his hand, she padded across the wooden floor, which was warm underfoot. Without air-conditioning the house was yet again warm and humid, but the cooler night air made it bearable.
“Hi, Mrs. Volto,” she said, entering the kitchen to see her sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of her. “You wanted to talk?”
“You’re supposed to call me Louisa now, remember? We’re friends, right?” She looked up at Zeke, who was standing by the door. “Can’t we have some privacy here?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, ma’am,” Zeke said. “I must have eyes on Goldie at all times.”
Mrs. Volto raised her eyebrows high. “Well, I guess you turned into a VIP, huh?”
“I’m hardly a VIP, Louisa,” Goldie said. “Someone planted a bomb in my room and locked me inside.”
Her face fell. “Willy and I are just devastated about that. Someone must’ve snuck inside the house without anyone noticing.” She wrung her hands. “It’s terrifying to think about what could’ve happened.”
“You need to ensure that you have professional bodyguards ready to take over when the FBI agents leave this house,” Goldie said. “You’ve seen what can happen when somebody is determined to cause harm, and you must take precautions to safeguard your life and your baby’s. Your husband will probably be going to prison for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still hurt you.”
“I have security people arriving in the morning,” she said. “Please don’t worry about me. You’re the one in danger here, and I want to extend my sympathies.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll miss you, Goldie.” Mrs. Volto smiled. “It’s not been easy for me to make new friends since I married into the Mafia. They controlled everything in my life, including the people I saw.”
“You’ve been very kind to me, Louisa,” Goldie said. “But whatever friendship we had will have to come to an end. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“I wondered if we could stay in touch?” Mrs. Volto asked. “Just the odd phone call or video chat. I would like that very much.”
Goldie saw Zeke take a step forward, intervening on her behalf, as she suspected he would.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but that won’t be possible. Goldie’s whereabouts will be a secret. Her life is in grave danger, and there are strict rules about sharing information.”
“I won’t get to talk to you at all?” Mrs. Volto asked. “Once you leave here, you’re gone for good?”
“I’m afraid so.” She reached across and patted Mrs. Volto’s hand. “You’ll be fine. Once the baby is born, you’ll make a ton of new friends and your life will be full again. You don’t need me.”
Zeke turned around and sighed, and Goldie was sure she heard him mutter, But I need you.
“That’s a real shame,” Mrs. Volto said. “I hoped we could stay friends, but if there’s no way to keep in touch I guess this is goodbye.”
“I guess so.”
The two women stood and hugged, Goldie being careful to avoid pressing onto Mrs. Volto’s protruding stomach. This very first goodbye made her quite emotional, and she blinked away yet more tears. It wasn’t a good sign. If she couldn’t bid farewell to Mrs. Volto without becoming upset, she stood no chance of maintaining a cool composure when leaving Zeke.
“You take extra care of this special woman, Agent Miller,” Mrs. Volto said, turning to face him. “She needs your protection.”
“Actually, ma’am,” Zeke replied, his eyes resting on Goldie. “I’m not going with her.”
“You’re not?” Mrs. Volto was clearly surprised. “I thought you two were joined at the hip
.”
Goldie shook her head. “Not at all. Wherever I’m going, I’m going by myself.”
“Well, I wish you the best.” Mrs. Volto patted her hand. “You’re a brave woman, Goldie. I’ll let you spend your remaining time with Zeke.”
Zeke remained like a sentry at the door as Mrs. Volto passed him and walked to the stairs.
“It still might not be too late,” he said. “I could go speak with Karl and Christina.”
“Would you stop it please?” Goldie rubbed her temples. “This is hard enough as it is.”
“I just don’t want you to make a decision that you’ll end up regretting for the rest of your life.”
“Regrets are kind of a specialty of mine,” she said. “But I’d rather regret setting you free than ruining your life.”
“Listen to me,” he said, moving into the flickering room. “I’m really worried about you. Something really bad is going on, and we have no idea who we can trust. For all we know, Mrs. Volto put that bomb in your room and locked you inside.”
Goldie laughed. “Yeah, like a pregnant woman is going to risk her baby’s life by planting a bomb in her own home.”
“What I’m trying to say is that you can’t really trust anybody anymore. I’m pretty sure we’re dealing with more than one mole working against you. You could be tracked to your new safe house, and all of this could start over again.”
“Christina says that the procedures for transportation are complex, so I can’t be followed.”
“I’d still rather be with you.”
“I asked you to let it go, Zeke.”
She was clearly tired and emotional, yet he could feel a sense of indecision in her voice. She was wavering.
Sitting on a chair next to her, he said, “How do you feel about me, Goldie? I mean, how do you really feel?”
She stared at him, biting her lip. “When I’m with you, it’s like going home after a long time away. It’s warm and comfortable and safe.” She laughed. “Like old slippers, I guess.”
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