Page 69 of Be Very Quiet

“He used martial arts to get loose from the officer escorting him to a waiting cruiser and took off running into the street. A bus struck him.”

“Oh, Douglas,” Liliana murmured. She was mad as hell at him, but he didn’t deserve to die. He’d proven to be a bad guy, but he wasn’t the killer. She told Luca as much.

“We might have proof.” He took out his phone and scrolled to a picture. “Do you see anything that belonged to Erin?”

Liliana took it from his hands and studied the photo. There was an opal ring, a diamond Rolex, and a gold drop necklace. She shook her head and handed it back to him. “No, I don’t recognize any of it.”

He slid the phone into his pocket. “We’ll have forensics test the items.”

“Luca, Douglas didn’t know what I was talking about when I asked him about the murders.”

“He was lying. He’s a criminal. It’s what they do.”

“I don’t think so. Otherwise, he’s an accomplished actor. But I truly believe he was clueless.”

Luca didn’t look convinced. “He’s from Minnesota, so he probably knows about The Mortician. Maybe he even knew him personally. Why else would he kidnap you? By the way, we’ll have a discussion later about you leaving on your own.”

Liliana winced. She knew it was coming but dreaded it. “Luca, he would’ve hurt Nina. I couldn’t let that happen.”

His face softened. Barely. “How is she?”

“Shaken, but okay. She’s tough. As to why he took me, he said he’d been blackballed and couldn’t get a job anywhere in Florida.”

“He held you responsible instead of Villanueva?”

“He thinks I tattled to Rutger.”

“We’ll stay vigilant until we can prove one way or another he’s the copycat. Now, you’re going to the emergency room to be checked out.”

“Luca, I’m fine.” Yes, she’d been chloroformed, but that was a while ago, and she was clear-headed now. No sense in wasting anyone’s time. She expressed as much to him, but he didn’t look convinced.

“You might have cracked a rib.”

“I didn’t. I’ve had a broken one before, and I know what it feels like. Besides, there isn’t anything they could do about it at the hospital.”

Thankfully, the FBI arrived and postponed the discussion for now. Unthankfully, Liliana had to repeat what had happened for the hundredth time, it seemed. She knew they needed to hear it from her, but gosh darn it, she was tired.

She’d wanted to take Nina home, but Detective Torres said he would have someone drive her. Before she could argue, Nina elbowed her and tipped her head toward the handsome police officer a few feet away. With close-cropped hair and eyes the color of melted chocolate, he was adorable. And he was smiling at Nina.

Liliana hugged her, told her she loved her, and watched as the man cupped her elbow and guided her from the room. At the last second, Nina turned and wagged her brows. Liliana smiled.

#

SSA Reese Reneau pulled Luca and Detective Torres aside. “We researched the ownership of the house. It was recently for sale, but the listing has been deactivated.”

That’s why it looked staged,Luca thought. “Can you find out who took the listing down?”

“The agent on record is Georgia Perkins.”

“She works for Rex Raines. His office is next to Liliana’s studio.”

“I’m headed there now. You want to come?”

“Yes. I’ll have Christian and Audria escort Liliana home.”

“I need to stay here to clean up this mess,” Torres said. “Keep me posted.”

Luca motioned to Christian, and they walked over to where Liliana was chatting with Audria. “I’m going with SSA Reneau to follow a lead. I need you two to escort Liliana home and keep her safe.”

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