Page 26 of Be Very Quiet

Luca shook her hand. “You too.”

“So, a good friend, huh? When did you two meet?”

She directed the question to Luca, so he answered. “Ten years ago, in Minnesota.”

“Hum. A decade passes, and you suddenly show up?”

“Shonda!”

“What? You’re my bestie. Don’t I get to ask questions? Especially about a man . . . oh, wait. Is this . . .”

Is this what?Luca wanted to ask. Shonda just stopped and eyed Liliana.Talk, darn it.Had Liliana been chatting with her about him? She’d said no one knew about her past, so he assumed that meant they didn’t know about him. Could he have been wrong?

#

Liliana hoped the floor would open wide and swallow her up. Shonda was about to tattle on her and reveal to Luca that she’d spilled her guts to her friend about him. In her defense, it was one night after a couple of glasses of wine. Liliana hadn’t divulged the details of their relationship, meaning she hadn’t mentioned Ted Rader and the murders, but she had confessed her love for the handsome cop.

Shonda read the desperation on Liliana’s face because she recovered nicely. “Is this the day you teach class?” Shonda knew it was yesterday. She’d taught too. “I can cover for you if needed.”

Liliana let out a sigh of relief. “It was last night, but thanks.”

“No problem. I’ll be in my office if you need me.” The look she gave Liliana said she had better need her soon.

Kasey Teagan came from the women’s locker room and waved. “Hey, Liliana, there’s a package for you.” She moved behind the reception desk and handed the envelope to Liliana.

“Thanks, Kasey. Who left it?”

Kasey shrugged. “I don’t know. Jody didn’t leave a note.”

“Was it there when you arrived this morning?” Luca asked.

“Sorry, Kasey, this is an old friend, Luca Russo. Luca, this is my daytime office manager, Kasey Teagan.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kasey said. “To answer your question, I’m not positive. I wasn’t paying much attention. I was running late and needed to get the room ready for the early class.”

“Were you the first one here?”

“I was,” Kasey confirmed.

Liliana thanked her, and Luca followed her to her office. She looked at her space through his eyes. It was apparent she loved plants, as they took up much of the room. There were boxes with the newest T-shirts she hadn’t looked at yet and other merchandise stacked to one side.

Liliana placed her purse inside a credenza and removed the bulletproof vest and jacket she’d worn to cover it before opening the package. “What the heck?”

Luca grabbed her arm before she could pick up the jewelry that had dropped on the desk. “Do you know who it’s from?”

She shook her head and turned the envelope over. “There’s no return address.”

Luca removed a glove from a pocket in his tactical pants and lifted the necklace. “It’s the letter ‘L’.”

“It’s old,” she noted. “Look at the tarnish.”

Why would someone send her old jewelry?

#

A feeling of dread spread over Luca as he picked up one hoop earring and studied it.

Liliana leaned closer. “It’s cheaply made. Definitely not genuine gold. Why is there only one, and who would send me these?”

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