Page 62 of Forbidden Whispers

“Are you crazy?” Maggie said, sitting back up and buckling her seat belt.

“Maybe. But what if he leads us to Valentina? Or we find out where he lives? Either way, we’ll likely have something more concrete to tell the police when we call.”

“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Maggie said, the dashboard lights highlighting her anxious expression.

“It will be fine,” Noah reassured her. “And after everything we’ve been through, wouldn’t it be great to finally find Valentina?”

“Well, yes,” Maggie said reluctantly.

As they entered the road, Noah turned his headlights on and kept a discreet distance behind the other car.

They drove through town and then to the outskirts, passing an abandoned strip mall before watching the car pull into the driveway of a small motel, its ancient neon sign stating it was the Shoreline Inn. A red-lit vacancy sign with a few letters missing flashed on and off beneath it.

“You missed the driveway!” Maggie said as Noah sailed past the motel entrance.

“Avoiding suspicion,” he said.

Maggie rolled her eyes. “I think you’re getting a little carried away here, Sherlock,” she said.

“Think about it,” Noah gave her a sidelong look. “We’ve been attacked by mobsters two—actually make that three—times now. Do you really think that we can’t be too careful?”

“Okay, okay. You’re right,” she agreed.

A moment later, Noah did a U-turn on the empty road and headed back toward the motel.

The unassuming, low-slung brick building had seen better days. Even in the dark lighting, it was clear that the doors and window casements were in desperate need of a paint job. The motel was small, offering only eight ground-level rooms, and there were only a couple of other cars in the parking lot. The one belonging to their target was in front of the room furthest away from the office.

Noah parked his car on the opposite side of the lot, near the closed office door, and shut off his engine.

“Should we call the police now?” Maggie asked.

“We don’t know anything yet,” Noah said, his eyes focused on the door of the last guest room. “I think I’m going to go listen at the door to see if I hear anything.”

“I dunno...” Maggie hesitated.

“What if he’s holding Valentina hostage in there or something? I need to know, Maggie.”

She sighed audibly, then unbuckled her seat belt. “Fine, but you’re not going alone. We’re coming with you.”

“We?” he frowned.

“Me and Boon,” Maggie said. “He’s a big dog, Noah. We know he attacked Nick the Knife, so he’ll likely offer us at least some protection.”

“Okay,” he said reluctantly.

He and Maggie got out of his car and he attached the leash to Boon’s collar before letting him jump out, too. Then he looked at Maggie. “Ready?”

She nodded, and they began moving silently along the sidewalk in front of the building. The wind had picked up. It sent litter skittering across the parking lot. And there was a rumble of thunder in the distance. Every room was dark, but a sliver of light shone down on the pavement in front of the last room at the end of the motel.

When they were almost in front of it, Noah turned and leaned close to whisper in Maggie’s ear. “There’s a slight opening in the curtains. Let’s duck down low and try to get a look inside.”

Maggie nodded her understanding and they both bent over low to move just beneath the guest room window. Then they squatted down. There was no sound coming from within.

Noah exchanged a nod with Maggie and they both lifted their heads to peer in through the small gap in the curtains.

They could see the ends of two twin-size beds lit by the soft glow of the guest room’s small night table lamp. The man stood at the end of one bed, his back to the window. Noah noted that he held his head at an odd angle. As they watched, a pair of hands—very feminine hands—suddenly slipped around his waist and slid up his back. The man’s body turned slightly, revealing the fact that he was kissing a tall, slender woman with long dark hair.

“Valentina!” Maggie whispered.

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