“Donahue wasn’t her boyfriend,” said Thomas sharply.
“You think we don’t know that?” asked Hadley. “That’s why we’re here. Something iswrong.”
Dread threaded through him in wire-thin filaments. In his pocket, his phone was ringing again. He fished it out, hoping desperately that it would be Vivienne’s name on the screen. Instead, it was his fraternity president, calling for the fifth time in as many minutes.
“Shit,” he said. “Give me a second.”
“Walsh.” Colton Price’s voice trickled pleasantly over the phone. He didn’t sound like he’d been repeatedly trying to get in touch with Thomas for the past twenty-four hours. “You’re a difficult person to get ahold of.”
“I’ve been busy,” said Thomas, with a glance at Hadley and Frankie. They were shepherding him across the parking lot—herding him away from the taxi stand and toward the visitors’ garage. He gave in and let them lead him. “What’s up?”
“It’s kind of a long story,” said Colton.
“Make it a short story.”
“Touchy. Noted. I’ll skip to the end—does the name Mikhail Popov mean anything to you?”
“No,” said Thomas as Hadley ushered him into the back seat of a spotless silver Lexus.
“Try not to bleed on the leather,” she whispered as Colton asked, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He reached for the seat belt. “Can I be honest with you? This doesn’t feel like an emergency.”
“I never said it was,” said Colton, affronted.
“You called me twenty-seven times.”
“That many?”
“Look, I’m kind of in the middle of something. I’ll have to call you—”
“What about Vivienne Farrow?”
His seat belt snapped into place. “Where did you hear that name?”
It was a beat before Colton replied. In the background, Thomas could hear a girl whispering something in a murmur.
“Got it,” said Colton. “I’ll ask him. Walsh, are you at all familiar with an organization known as the House of Hades?”
•••
The Farrow house loomed larger than ever as Thomas stood on the front doorstep and braced himself to go inside. In his pocket, Isaac Shaw’s recorder felt as heavy as an anvil.
He hadn’t listened to it. Not yet.
But he already knew what he’d hear.
I’ll do some digging,he’d told Colton Price.I’ll call you back when I know more.
Colton had been vague about his sources over the phone, but he’d talked about the House of Hades like it was some sort of club. A club Vivienne was connected to. It didn’t make sense—not to Thomas—but if anyone could help him connect the dots, it would be his employer.
Philip had lied to the police. He’d sent them away.
What kind of parent did that when their only child was missing?
Philip Farrow was hiding something, Thomas was certain of it.
And if Colton was right, it had to do with this mysterious club.
