Page 49 of Forbidden Whispers

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Gretchen! Please don’t point that thing at me,” Margot said, taking a step back. “Do you realize you could have been killed?”

Gretchen gave a small shrug. “But I wasn’t. And what about you, beating up that guy with your handbag?”

Margot blushed. “Well, I couldn’t just stand here and do nothing! That man was clearly hurting this poor girl.” She looked at Maggie. “Are you all right, dear?”

“I’m fine now.” Maggie laughed. “Seriously, the two of you were amazing! By the way, I’m Maggie.”

“We’re grateful you were here,” Noah said. “But now I think we should get out of this alley.”

Together, they all walked back up onto the sidewalk.

“I’m curious,” Noah said, looking at Gretchen. “How did you know I was a Riley?”

Gretchen snorted. “Seriously, kid? Everybody in town knows that you and your equally hot brothers are J.P.’s grandsons. And now that your brothers are both hitched, you’re the most eligible bachelor in town, even considering the fact that you’re probably a murderer.”

“Gretchen!” Margot cried out, looking appalled.

“Well, that’s what the top story is about!” Gretchen waved the newspaper she’d picked up after Nick had dropped it in the alley. “By the way, mind if I keep this. That’s why we stopped. I wanted to get a newspaper.”

“Sure,” Maggie shrugged. “It’s not any news I want to read right now.” She looked at Noah. “What do you think we should do now?”

Noah’s shoulders slumped. “I suppose we should start by letting the police know we were attacked,” he sighed. “Again.”

He pulled out his cell phone and made the call. Within minutes, two officers arrived at the scene. After getting a statement from each of them, and securing the knife in an evidence bag, the officers made certain everyone was all right and then left.

“All right, Margot,” Gretchen said. “Shake a leg! We’re going to be late for the party.”

“Oh my goodness!” Margot said. “In all the excitement, I forgot.”

Maggie and Noah thanked them again, standing side by side, waving as the two women climbed into an ancient blue Impala and drove off.

Together, they walked slowly back toward the Porsche, and Maggie could feel the worry emanating from Noah like it was a tangible entity.

She nudged him with one shoulder. “You okay?”

“Me!” he sputtered. “I feel awful for ever getting you involved in this.”

They were at the car now and he turned to face her. “Of all my FDFs, this is the absolute worst ever.”

Maggie smiled ruefully. “It’s not your fault, you know.”

“Then why does it feel so much like it is? We still haven’t found Valentina, and if those guys find her first, who knows what might happen to her.”

“Noah, those guys are clearly a couple of very dangerous men, and it’s equally clear that they were already involved with Valentina somehow.”

“I just...” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m out of ideas. I still don’t remember anything from Friday night and I just don’t know what to do next.”

Maggie couldn’t resist. She reached up to smooth back the dark curls he’d just messed up. He looked surprised, but not displeased. And she let her hand linger there for a few seconds longer than necessary before dropping her hand. Then she said, “I know what we need to do next.”

“What?”

“Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique?”

Noah looked at her quizzically. “No.”

“Well, it’s a productivity technique I use when I’m working on something that requires a lot of time and concentration,” Maggie said. “It’s one that Jaime’s husband Jack recommended to me. It’s based on the theory that taking regular breaks to relax your mind ultimately helps you work more efficiently and effectively.”

“You think we should take a break?”

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