Page 102 of Jep

“What statue?”

“In the bedroom at the apartment. You probably didn’t see because I knocked it over when I pushed the bed off the wall to block the door.”

Em’s head cocked to the side, and her eyes narrowed, picturing the room. “I do remember. I reached for it in reflex as it fell, then thought how ridiculous that was because we were about to die.”

“You thought all of that?”

“Yeah, in like, a split second. You know how your brain slows everything down when you’re in crisis. It was a figure of some kind.”

“Yeah. A monkey man holding a knife up like this.” He demonstrated.

“It was white.” Her eyes roamed the room, looking at nothing as her mind put the details together, then she stared back at Jep.

“I know that look,” he said. “You’ve thought of something.”

“You got a good look at it?”

“Yeah. When I first cleared the room.”

“Did it have flames coming up in front of the figure?”

“Yeah.”

She swallowed. “I’ve seen that same statue before.”

“Where?”

She didn’t respond as her mind began going back over every conversation she’d had with Gardener.

“Em. What is it?”

“It could be nothing. Maybe I’ve got this all wrong. We can’t jump to conclusions.”

“Em.”

“We need to get back to the office.”

“Em, where have you seen it?”

“Sylvia Gardener has one just like it. Or, at least, I think it is.”

“Your supervisor?”

“Yeah. I didn’t really get a good look at the one in the apartment, but Gardener brought it back from a trip to Cambodia.”

“She spent time there? Recently?”

“Yes, but it could be a coincidence.”

“It could be. But it would explain a lot.”

Em shook her head. “We need more. We can’t accuse her of treason when all we have is a statue someone could probably buy at any market.”

“We need to bring it to Lawson.”

“Do you think he’ll listen?”

“You’re afraid he won’t?”

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