“Knox can stay with Joseph and Juliette.”
“How’s that going to work?”
“Juliette is going to help me transition him to a gentle formula for supplemental feedings. She’s also going to give him a little more solid food midday. That should help reduce the frequency of the bottle feedings. He’ll be safe there with them, right?”
I’m fucking shook.
Elizabeth has done a complete one-eighty.
Maybe there is a silver lining to this whole debacle.
“Yes, Joseph will protect him with his life if it ever came to that.”
“Then we’re good,” she chirps. “But there’s one more thing,” she adds.
“Yes, baby?”
“I thought about keeping this from you at first but I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”
“Agreed.”
“So here.”
Elizabeth pulls up a chair as close to the bed as she can then shows me an email on the screen of her phone.
Dear Elizabeth,
You were once kind to me in college which is why I’m writing. I tried calling you months ago to tell you this before your husband was attacked but I didn’t get through. I’m hoping that it’s better late than never to make this confession.
I didn’t know it at the time when we were students studying in the computer lab at Penn, but you were dating a boy I’ve known since I was a little girl. Although I grew up across the country from him, his mom and my mom are best friends and have been since childhood. The boy’s name is Ethan.
His family has not heard from him in over a year and they are convinced that his disappearance has something to do with you. Because of his complicated history, and lack of any evidence, the police aren’t taking his missing person’s case seriously. So I was asked to befriend you by my parents in an effort to find out any information I could and give them a lead.
I used the fact that my creepy landlord was harassing me as my “in” but didn’t anticipate the avalanche of violence that would occur after your husband confronted him. In my defense, I didn’t think you would send Roman to speak to him and I didn’t know my landlord had ties to the Russian mafia until they came to my apartment to threaten me.
At first I wasn’t going to tell you any of this, because maybe you did have something to do with Ethan leaving town, and maybe you and your husband are getting exactly what you deserved. But then I reconsidered. I hope you can forgive my part in what’s happened, but I also hope that if you know anything about Ethan that you’ll share it with the authorities.
Sincerely,
Patty
“Will I ever get rid of that asshole? I thought I was finally done hearing his name.”
“Me too.”
“Don’t tell her shit about Ethan, Elizabeth. She thinks he was some sort of saint and you’re what–his downfall?”
“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know anything, remember?”
“And Cam put this ungrateful wench on a first-class flight to Oregon.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“You realize, me getting shot wasn’t your fault, right?”
“I’m the one who asked you to help with Patricia and look what happened. You almost died because of someone with an agenda involving me.”
“No, Duchess, you’re wrong.” I try to hide my flinching from her but it’s hard. I’m in a great deal of pain. “Her vendetta is against me. I’m the one who made Ethan disappear and as far as the landlord, I was arrogant and didn’t do my homework before I approached him, but trust me when I say that will never happen again. I promise you that.”
