Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(28)
When I stepped back my cheeks were again wet. “You do care about her? It’s not just about Nox and I, is it?”
“I do.” He reached for the handle. “Shall we?”
BLOCKED NUMBER: “I FOLLOWED HER.”
Blocked Number: “BRING HER BACK. I DON’T CARE HOW YOU DO IT.”
Blocked Number: “SIR, IT’S NOT LIKE BEFORE. THE SECURITY HERE IS TIGHT.”
Blocked Number: “THEN WAIT IT OUT. EVENTUALLY SHE’LL LEAVE. WHO ELSE IS THERE?”
Blocked Number: “THE WOMAN AND DRIVER LEFT. SHE AND HER FRIEND STAYED. I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHO ELSE IS INSIDE.”
Blocked Number: “DID YOU RECOGNIZE HER FRIEND?”
Blocked Number: “YES, SIR, THE SAME ONE FROM… FROM BEFORE.”
Blocked Number: “DEAL WITH THEM BOTH.”
Blocked Number: “I WON’T LET YOU DOWN, SIR.”
Blocked Number: “NOT AGAIN YOU WON’T.”
BEYOND THE LARGE windows of the office, blackness prevailed, thick and chilled. It seeped through the cooled air, rattling the branches of the nearby trees and stirring the waters of the sound. I should have been concerned about the men outside, protecting the estate, but I wasn’t. It was their job.
The thick windows held out the wind, but just beyond the windows I could see its effects in the whipping vines on the veranda beside the house. Winter was coming and the chill was all around me. It had been a long time since I’d wintered in New York.
I pictured my apartment in Knightsbridge. It wasn’t warmer in London. If anything, it was cooler. Nevertheless, even during my self-imposed isolation, Knightsbridge was anything but. There was no dark lawn or daunting perimeter. The entire hamlet bustled day and night. It was filled with culture, fashion houses, and famous restaurants. Perhaps subconsciously I’d purchased the flat with Adelaide in mind. Now that she was here, upstairs, my desires were no longer subliminal. I wanted to take her there.
I prayed that she’d walk the sidewalks, shop in Harrods and Jimmy Choo, and dine with me at any of the clubs and bars. With her appreciation of art, she could browse the museums or redecorate the flat with priceless antiques.
My dreams were at hand—literally at my fingertips—and yet a million miles away.
The concerns I’d explained to Alexandria were real. Eva insisted that I listen, that I comprehend. At first I was unwilling.
Adelaide would wake. I knew it. Until…
I didn’t.
And now the damn newscast.
The body.
The arrest.
This conversation shouldn’t occur over the phone, but I refused to leave Adelaide, and I had to know. I had to confirm my suspicions. It was probably the reason she didn’t come into the house.
“I could tell you to come here. To talk to me in person,” I said when she picked up.
“Or you could trust me that no one will hear this conversation. I provided the house with the burner phone for a reason. I was expecting your call.”
I squeezed the phone tighter. “Your name?”
“My name?”
“Standard insurance.” If she said her name, we weren’t being recorded. Her years as an operative would have taught her that. I shouldn’t have to explain it any more.
“Deloris Witt.”
I exhaled. “Now,” I said, “tell me why.”
“You’re not asking first if I know who did it?”
“I wouldn’t be risking this call if I doubted that answer. I know. You just confirmed it. Now tell me why and if my son authorized it.”
“I think you know why.”
“My son?”
“No. He didn’t authorize it, but he did mention he wanted it. Not her death,” Deloris clarified. “He wanted the consequences that would accompany it. He never knew she was being kept safe. He’ll never know what happened.”
I fought to respond. She was his employee. It wasn’t her place to go rogue. However, at the same time, I was thankful he wasn’t involved. “Yet you’re willingly telling me?”
“You aren’t him. He isn’t you.”
That had always been my dream.
If secrets were stars I could light a galaxy. If they were stars they wouldn’t be affected by gravity, not as we know it. Instead, they’re weights, each one heavier than the last, each one pulling me down until I fought to breathe, to live. Each one replacing the starry sky with drowning regret.
Could I continue to keep them to myself?
All of my dreams were so close. And yet each weight pulled me further and further away.
I closed my eyes. Murder had been in my past. I’d given it all up, moved beyond, and now I was there again. “Details?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“She was innocent.” That simple statement was what ate at me. Then again, I’d seen other innocents die. They’d died for power, for revenge, and for love.
“Her death took precedence over her existence,” Deloris said matter-of-factly. “Sometimes the saying is true: the end justifies the means. She was available. Besides, her fate was sealed when she reneged on her obligation to Infidelity and attempted to blackmail Spencer.”
“Blackmail?” I tried to understand. “Her accusations were false? He didn’t harm her?”