The Last Invitation (51)

“You’re such a . . .” Jessa’s voice cut off when she looked past Gabby. Whatever she saw made the color drain from her face.

The tone and mood morphed from taking shots at each other to what looked like panic. Gabby turned around, trying to see what had caused the shift. “What is it?”

“Is that Rob Greene? That reporter?”

“Probably. When you texted, I was already supposed to meet with him to talk about some information he gave me.” Seemed reasonable to combine the two meetings, but then Gabby hadn’t expected this odd, undefinable reaction from Jessa.

“Why here?” Jessa glared at Gabby. “Is the goal to ruin my reputation?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Jessa stood up, knocking her thigh against the table and making it wobble. “I’m not staying.”

Gabby stood up at the same time. She followed Jessa’s gaze and watched Rob ride his bike around a car idling in the right lane and then head for a rack with a lock in his hand. “That’s your choice, but you might want to hear what he has to . . .”

Gabby couldn’t get the words out. Couldn’t shift fast enough to call a warning.

Tami’s face flashed in her mind. That engagement photo. Her open and friendly smile. The break in Rob’s voice when he spoke of her death.

Now it was Rob’s turn.

The chaos broke through Gabby’s shock. She started running as her mind shouted, No, no, no. “Stop!”

But it was too late.

The dark sedan that had been sitting, waiting, lurched to a start. Instead of going around or slowing down, it sped up and headed right for the bike rack. Rob looked up but never had a chance to run. The vehicle slammed into him, lifting him into the air, without hitting the brakes. A loud crack, then Rob flew over the hood. He crashed into the windshield before bouncing off and falling into the street.

The car sped up, tires squealing, and raced away.

For a second, no one moved. After a few beats, people watching from the sidewalk and in the café ran into the street. There were shouts about calling 911. People talked to one another and over one another. Someone mentioned CPR.

Out of breath and with injured ribs aching from the strain, Gabby pushed through the crowd until she reached Rob’s unmoving body. Then she saw him. Eyes open and so much blood. It flowed from under his head, caking his hair. His hand lay limp, and his cross-body bag stuck out from underneath his side.

For the second time in only a few weeks, Gabby stared at a dead man.





Chapter Forty-Three

The Foundation




The meeting started exactly on time. Tonight, they would vote on three action items. All called for assistance in dealing with evidence. Hiding it in one and creating it in the others.

The agenda included status reports on a few individuals they’d been watching, including the basketball coach who had been paying too much attention to his teen daughter’s best friend. Offering to be her confidante. Grooming her.

Before that, another disturbing matter. This one required they listen to illegally obtained taped conversations between a professor and his teaching assistant, the third student he’d slept with in eight months then threatened when he thought she might speak out.

The bullying behavior shielded him from trouble in the previous two cases. One woman transferred, and another dropped out of college completely. This time, he had to survive an official university hearing on improper conduct and not just a laugh about “hot coeds” with his university president buddy over drinks in the office.

It had already been decided by the group that the professor’s career would not survive the hearing. The university president was one of the group’s targets as well. But the professor would lose his job, despite tenure. Settle for a quiet resolution, which would include payments to the young women involved. Not a perfect answer, but one that would take him out of power. Then the Sophies would watch him. This was his only chance, even though he didn’t know they were allowing it.

But before that, another topic.

The leader started talking, knowing the room would go silent and all would provide her with rapt attention. “We have neutralized the growing issue.”

They all watched her now.

“The reporter partners—both of them—now have been stopped. Neither can speak on the supposed existence of a group of vigilantes.”

“Did he accept money?” The question came from the therapist who did testing and offered opinions in contested custody matters.

“There was an accident. Bike accident. He died on impact. Hit-and-run. There were witnesses, including Jessa, but no one agrees on what they saw, and the security cameras on the street didn’t point to any identifying evidence. No license plates. No shots of the driver.”

One hand went up. “The police will check garages for damaged vehicles.”

“There’s nothing left to find.” The leader waited a few seconds, but no one asked any other questions. “As promised.”

The greater good came first. That meant there would be collateral damage from time to time. Regrettable but necessary. Rob Greene had been a problem for a while now. They had to stop him, and destroying his reputation hadn’t been enough of a hint.

“I think we need to talk about our probationary member, Jessa.”