Page 51 of Be Very Quiet

“I see him. Wait here.”

He left the office and approached the delivery man, who backed up a step. With his size and build, Christian could be intimidating. They spoke, and the bike messenger made all kinds of gestures with his hands. Christian took the package—somehow, he’d donned a glove—and signed for it.

He returned and placed the envelope on the desk. “The person paid in cash and wore a disguise. They flagged this guy down a block away and gave him an extra hundred to deliver it now. He thought it was a man because the person wore a shaggy brown wig, mustache, sunglasses, and hat, but conceded that it might’ve been a woman.”

“That helps not at all.”

Christian sighed. “It doesn’t.”

“I’ll let you open it.”

Christian took out a knife. “Don’t you want to wait for Luca to return?”

“The police need to know about it as soon as possible.”

“Agreed.”

Using the tip of the blade, he sliced through the tape.

#

Luca wasn’t keen on using Audria as bait to draw out The Mortician, but they needed to stop him before he killed again. They would’ve set it up for tonight, but the cop who would accompany her wasn’t available until tomorrow. Luca hadn’t known Audria for long, but she was more than qualified. She’d passed the tests to become an FBI agent and the more rigorous ones to work for COBRA Securities.

Man, those suckers were brutal. Dante Costa, the person in charge of certifying new hires, was a beast. He’d been a Navy SEAL and demanded the best of the recruits. They gave it, or they weren’t hired. Period. That Audria was here now was a testament to her mental and physical fortitude. She would be protected, and he trusted she could handle herself.

As wary as Luca was, Reese Reneau was twice as leery. He’d been adamant that Audria not set herself up. Since she didn’t work for him anymore, he had no say in the decision. That seemed to frustrate him. Luca spoke to him, assuring him that Audria would never be in grave danger. Maybe he was talking himself into it too.

It was also telling that Reese was so adamantly against it. He knew Audria had excelled at her job with the FBI—Reese was always the first to point it out. She’d had dangerous assignments before. Luca was sure of it. It seemed Reese’s feelings ran deeper than those of a former boss.

Once they discussed the details of what would happen tomorrow, Luca was anxious to get back to Liliana. He trusted Christian but hated leaving her, even for a short time.

Kasey was on the phone when they arrived at the studio. She waved as they passed her desk and headed to Liliana’s office.

Luca spotted the package as soon as they entered. He had a sinking feeling about what they would find inside. “Have you opened it?”

Christian nodded. “Yeah. Just now.”

“Is there something with a daisy on it?”

Christian lifted a pencil dangling a gaudy necklace with white petals and a yellow center that Luca remembered from the photo Diamond had shared of Daisy May. The center should open to reveal the picture of a baby boy. J.J. would grow up without the mother who had sacrificed her life to care for him.

“How did you know?” Liliana asked.

He recalled Diamond’s visit and the fear that her friend had fallen victim to The Mortician.

“Oh, no,” Liliana murmured. “What will happen to the boy?”

Luca shook his head. “I’m not sure. He’s in the care of child services now.” Hopefully, he would be adopted by someone who would give him a good life. Maybe the courts would do the right thing and give him to Diamond. She loved the baby and wanted to raise him. Most likely, they would place him with a foster family if relatives of Daisy May couldn’t be found.

Luca called Detective Torres and Reese Reneau to inform them about the latest package, which also included a gold cuff bracelet that most likely belonged to Darcy Beale, Rader’s original third victim.

When he disconnected, he asked, “How did this arrive?”

“A bike messenger dropped it off.”

“Luca, Audria, take a look at this.”

Christian had his laptop open on the conference table. He turned it so they could see the screen. “It’s security footage from outside Liliana’s studio.”

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