Lainie read several notes and then wondered if this was a violation of Evie’s privacy. She decided not and her attention returned to the odd little notebook.
Lainie opened it. Inside the front cover was a sticky note with a handwritten message on it.
Ben, sorry I messed up—if you’re reading this, I did. Found this little gem in one of Vine’s SUVs. It’s got everything: the code legend, names, and involvement of other players, and I only scanned a small portion of it. I pray to God it gets to you. Tell Candy that I love her. Efren
Her heart nearly stopped. This was the ledger, not what they had put into evidence. Efren might have thought that he messed up, but he protected the book.
Lainie grabbed her phone to call Ben just as someone pounded on her door.
CHAPTER 57
Ben winced as he got behind the wheel of his car. His whole shoulder girdle ached. He tried calling Lainie, but she hadn’t answered. It took about fifteen minutes to reach her apartment. It was early, and she might not have answered because she was asleep, but he needed to talk to her.
He bounded up the steps to the second floor and knocked on her apartment door, wincing because maybe he’d overdone it a bit and knocked too loudly.
He was about to knock again when Lainie said, “Who’s there?”
“Lainie, it’s Ben. We need to talk.”
She pulled the door open. In her hand she held a black notebook. “The journal must be Evie’s because I found the ledger in her Bible.”
Ben stared at what she held in her hand. Relief flooded him as he stepped inside. “That’s what I came to tell you. I guessed that it had to be in the Bible. Efren must have switched them.”
Lainie nodded, closed the door, and handed Ben the book. “I’m afraid I might have muddied the chain of custody, but I had to open it. There is a note from Efren.”
Ben held her gaze for a moment and took the book. He opened it and saw the note. Each word pierced him. Though on some levelhe knew days ago that Efren was gone, this note cemented that fact. Now the question was, where did they put his body?
When he tore his eyes away from the book, he saw Lainie watching him with compassion and understanding in her eyes.
“Did you read any more?”
“Bits. I don’t understand the code, but the dates I do. This goes back a good fifteen years. If you can break the code, then I imagine it will tell us a lot. Benton sure was desperate to get it. And she’s still alive. I have your optimism now. Vine is going down.”
Ben nodded, the connection he felt with Lainie so strong. And he felt tremendous relief. Perhaps Efren would be the end of Vine after all. He held his arms out. “Right now, I just want to give you a big hug for finding the ledger.”
She smiled and his spirits soared. He wrapped his arms around her, knowing now, despite the sadness and pain of losing Efren, there was the hope and promise of something special with Lainie.
A knock sounded at the door and Lainie pulled back. “That’s Shea, I’m sure. I told him to come get the book.”
“Good. It’s just as well. We’re not going to break the code tonight. We both need to get some sleep.”
“Yeah,” Lainie said as she stepped toward the door. “I’m not letting you off the hook so easily.”
“What do you mean?”
“You still owe me dinner, Isaacs. Better figure out a time and a place.”
Ben laughed. “It will be my pleasure to do that.”
CHAPTER 58
“Lainie, are you all right?”
Lainie had slept until midday, waking up only when her phone rang. It was Mom.
“You were in a shooting yesterday.”
“I’m fine, Mom.” She yawned. “It was actually early this morning.”
