Page 71 of Wicked Fortune

“What about Joel Carradine? Have you heard of him?”

Jonah nods. “Yeah. He’s been to several, too. I think he works with Trent.”

As I nod, Jonah leans forward. “Listen …” He trails off, then takes a deep breath. “Whatever you do, can you leave my name out of it? I don’t want to get the rep of being a troublemaker or a paranoid freak. Despite appearances, this really is a small town.”

“I get it,” I say. “And I promise.”

He nods. “Okay. Good. And, you know … about Jenny. I hope you find the fucker who killed her. She was a good egg.”

“Yeah,” I say. “She really was.”

I know I should go back to the office after Clive and Jonah leave, but I can’t quite bring myself to head back there yet. Instead I go to my car and just sit. I need to think. To plan.

And the first step of my plan is clearing my schedule for tonight. I pull out my phone, then tap out a quick text:

Clive sucked me into a party tonight. I’ll hit ur place after? 12am or so?

I re-read it, add a kiss emoji, then hit send.

His answer comes within seconds. Tell C to be on best behavior.

I tag it with a laugh, then exhale. One problem conquered.

A million problems—aka questions—left to go.

I find Jenny’s letter on my phone. I want to look at it with new eyes. Eyes that have heard what Jonah said. Because even though he never used the word “trafficking,” the missing girls and the invite to London all sound like something out of the Taken franchise.

I AM THESE TORN LINES.

JG

PS: I’m driving on, driving out. Forgive me, this tangled knot.

Torn lines?

I have no idea what that could mean. But the line about driving …?

That one’s poking at my gut.

Driving.

That and another line—Forgive me.

Forgive her for what? I have no clue. Maybe she knew something was funky, and she didn’t say anything, and the note is all about guilt?

Or maybe it really was suicide, this is her farewell note, and I’m trying too hard.

Maybe not every word in the note has a double meaning.

I don’t know. I’m not even sure I can know.

But my eye keeps going to the word tangled.

Tangled. Driving. Knot.

Tangled knot.

Driving in a tangled knot.