Page 45 of The Last Session

I’d responded:What if he’s a spy for this place?

That’d be CRAZY. Can you question him about it?

I can try.Not that I had detective skills… but maybe my clinical skills would help?

What are they like?Dom had asked, sending emojis for the sun and moon.

I’d responded:No sightings yet.Grace had told us Moon and Sol were indeed around but “preparing” for us, and that we’d see them at dinner.

I knew I had to do much more surveying, more sleuthing. But I also had to fool everyone into thinking that I was here for the right reasons, didn’t I? And if that meant hanging out by the pool for an hour or two… then maybe that was okay.

Mikki got up and wandered towards the pool.

“So, how are you doing?” Jonah settled into her vacated chair, his voice low.

“Oh, I’m fine.” The relaxation vanished; now my body was as tight as a spring. “Just loving that I get to spend more time with you.”

“I appreciate you keeping everything under wraps. And also…” He angled himself towards me. “I wanted to apologize for what happened.”

The words surprised me, but I recovered quickly. “?‘What happened’? That’s what you’re calling it?”

“Fair. What I did.” He ran a hand through his curls. “I didn’t mean any harm, but I can see how intrusive that was, coming into your home like that. I should’ve kept us at the bar.”

Gross.It made me feel like a chess piece, one he could move around at will. I didn’t answer, and he went on. “It’s a weird field. I don’t break the law, but there’re a lot of gray areas. And when I get wrapped up in a case—that’s always my focus, above everything else.”

I stared out at the pool. Mikki was deep in conversation with Karen and Dawne.

“And for the record,” he went on, smiling faintly, “I’ve had more than my share of one-night stands. So I’m really sorry for sounding like a judgmental, sexist pig. That was an extremely shitty thing to say.”

“I appreciate the apology.” I paused. “But how can I believe you? For all I know, you work for Moon and Sol.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You think they hired me to go to New York, talk to you, and then come back here and pretend to be a guest so I can put you off the scent?”

“Well… yeah.”

He scratched his chin. “Think about it. If they’re doing anything shady, why would they have me here conspiring with you? Wouldn’t it be easier for them to just host a normal-seeming retreat and expect you to go away after?”

That stumped me.

“You’ve heard of Occam’s razor, right?” he asked.

“Please don’t ask me if I’ve heard of Occam’s razor,” I snapped. Any goodwill from his apology melted away. God, he was condescending.

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “It just seems unnecessarily complicated. But maybe it makes sense to you.” He turned to me, lowered his voice even further. “I understand if you don’t trust me. That’s fine. We can keep our distance from each other if you want. I just thought it might make sense for us to pool our resources.”

“Okay, then tell me this—why’d you end up here?”

He opened his mouth, but suddenly Mikki appeared over us, water droplets glistening on her shoulders. Jonah relinquished her chair, and she sat, wrapping herself in a towel.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Smirking at me, she winked.

22

As we left the pool to get ready for dinner, anticipation hummed in the air. I wondered if Moon and Sol’s absence was a tactic, a way to get us to revere them before they actually appeared.

I headed back to my yurt, relieved I’d stayed dry so I didn’t have to brave the showers. My brain whirred as I got dressed. As much as I hated to admit it, Jonah’s explanation made sense. His presence was making me more suspicious of the Center, not less. It wouldn’t be logical for Moon and Sol to plant him in this group, not if I already knew him.

I thought back to his phrase:pool our resources.Did he have information about Catherine that I didn’t?

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