Chapter 95
I nodded and walked back with her to the dilapidated house. When we reached the front porch, the little girl was still standing in the doorway.
Yve spoke to her in Spanish. The child nodded slowly, eyeing me as she took the grocery bag and turned back into the house.
“I can drive,” I said.
Yve’s ‘s eyes turned skeptical again. “It’s just a few blocks away.”
“It’s no trouble really. Let me drive, please.”
Her eyes darted to my Bentley parked across the street, and then she finally nodded.
The atmosphere in the car was just as tense as I expected. Yve sat like she was preparing to jump out at any moment, eyes continuously checking the mirrors.
“Who are you? Are you some kind of private investigator? A cop?”
I kept my eyes on the road as she gave me directions in between her questions. “I’m neither of those things.”
“Then what could you possibly want with me?”
“I just want to talk to you.”
She scoffed. “Really? You chased me down the alley, pinned me down just because you wanted to talk.”
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“Look,” I said, pulling into a parking space in front of our destination. “I’m not here to fight with you Yve, just to ask some questions.”
We climbed out of the car and I looked up at the building. It was old… almost as if it had been forgotten by time. The exterior paint was peeling, the striped awnings were so faded that I couldn’t tell their original color. And a neon “OPEN” sign flashed in the window.
The interior wasn’t any better. It was lined with mismatched tables and chairs that had seen better decades. The space smelled of old coffee, disinfectant and grease. The only customer was an elderly man hunched over a newspaper and a steaming cup of coffee.
We chose a booth in the back corner.
Just as I sank down opposite her, Yve waved over a waitress. “I need to eat first. I can’t think straight when I’m hungry.”
The waitress sauntered over and Yve proceeded to order a
cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake. I ordered the same because I didn’t know what else to get.
When the food arrived, Yve attacked it instantly. She ate like someone who hadn’t eaten a full meal in a while. Her eyes constantly scanned the cafe as she ate. It was a wonder how she managed to do both things at a time.
I picked at my own burger. It smelled processed and unhealthy. But Yve devoured every bite like it was gourmet cuisine. She even ran her
even finger around the inside of the shake glass to get the last drops of chocolate. I tried not to stare, but I failed when she started licking her fingers.
“Okay,” she said, wiping her hands on a napkin.
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I took a deep breath. “I’m a friend of Aaron B’Lorenz.”
Her entire body went so still I feared she might shift again and bolt. Then, without warning, she turned to me, features burning with anger.
“Did he send you to kill me?”
*Jane*
The silence that followed was deafening. Mostly from my part. She actually thought Aaron was trying to have her killed? That he’d sent me as some kind of assassin? The idea was so ridiculous I almost laughed, but the genuine terror in her eyes stopped me.
She really believed I was her death sentence.
“Yve, listen to me.” I leaned forward, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. I needed to find a way to get her to trust me enough not to run away again. “I’m not here to kill you. Nobody wants to hurt you.”
She scoffed. “Speak for yourself.”
I ignored the comment and continued. “Aaron just…he sent me to ask you a question. Just one question.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was always a flight risk, or if the events following her son’s death made her this way.
“What question?” she asked.
I took a steadying breath. What I was about to say could either get Aaron the answers he’d always wanted or send Yve running. I mulled it over in my head for a moment, trying to find the best way to phrase it. But I couldn’t think of anything.
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So, I took another deep breath and asked, “Why did you take Ethan
from school that day?”
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