Page 155 of Concealed in Death

He mimed zipping his lip.

“That’s okay. What happened to Shelby?”

“Nothing.” He lifted his hands in the air, shook them. “Nothing, nothing. She wanted to stay in The Sanctuary. Me, too, but Monty and Philly said no. But the other place wasn’t home, so me and Shelby wanted to stay. Shelby said I could, then she said I couldn’t because I was stupid. And it hurt my feelings. She was bad. We’re supposed to help the bad girls be good. I helped her be good. And her friend, too. And I helped the girls so they could be good and stay home. Now I’m going on a trip.”

“How did you help them?”

“I don’t remember.” Slyly, just a little slyly, he tracked his eyes right and left. “I don’t think about it.”

“I think you do. You put a sedative in some drinks. You needed them to be quiet and still.”

“I had to.” Monty puffed out his cheeks, then released all the air. “They wouldn’t understand when they were bad. After, then they’d understand. Once we’d washed the bad out. I filled the tub, nice and warm. Cold water’s not fun. I didn’t want them to be cold because I had to take their clothes off. I didn’t touch. I promise!”

He crossed his heart.

“But they couldn’t have clothes in the water, they wouldn’t really get clean. I put Shelby in the warm water, and I prayed like you’re supposed to. Then she was clean, and sleeping so quiet. I wrapped her up, nice and snug, before I helped her friend. Then I took them downstairs. People would come and tell them they couldn’t stay, but I fixed it so nobody would see them, and they could stay home.”

“How?”

“I can build, so I made a new wall, so they had a secret place. Like a club.”

“Okay.” She strolled over, picked up a ratty stuffed dog from a shelf. “Where’d you get this?”

“That’s my dog. He was lost. I found him. He’s mine. His name is Baby.”

“Baby used to belong to somebody else.”

“Maybe, but she didn’t take care of him. I do.”

“You found Baby. You found other bad girls.”

“When you’re a missionary, you have to go to the people with sin, and help them. But not in Africa. It’s scary there. I don’t want to go to Africa, Nash.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

“But I’m going on a trip. I have to pack,” he told Eve.

“Yeah, go ahead. Pack for your trip.”

EPILOGUE

At the end of the long and miserable day, Eve dragged herself into the house. She wanted a shower, blistering hot, and oblivion.

Instead of Summerset and the cat looming in the foyer, Roarke walked to her, with the cat on his heels.

“This is different.”

“I wanted to be here when you got home. You look exhausted.”

“That’s how I feel. Thanks for the assist—the financial hacking wizardry, the transpo.”

“Those are easy, and fun. This?” He put an arm around her, leading her up the stairs. “This is necessary. It’s certainly in the marriage rules.”

“What is?”

“Holding on at the end of a hard day. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Actually, maybe it would help to get it out. He doesn’t know what the hell’s going on. Monty Jones.”

---