Page 60 of Now or Never
“I’m on board with ‘just in case’ right now. The more variables we can eliminate, the better.”
Kenna planned to keep thanking God for every moment of safety, where each of them was injury-free, and she had no pregnancy complications. So many things could crop up, some that would require bed rest or even hospitalization. Not that she couldn’t work cases from her bed in the RV, but Kenna intended to enjoy her health for as long as she had it.
The hostess led them to a corner booth, and Kenna sat with her back to the wall. It wasn’t even lunchtime, and she was already exhausted. “Today is going to be a nap day.”
“Good.” Ramon nodded. “While you’re doing that, Zeyla and I will work this case.”
“I took a look at the photos from the packet.” Zeyla looked at her water glass rather than at them. She and Ramon sat with space between them, unlike Kenna and Jax, who took any opportunity to be tucked against each other for solidarity and reassurance.
The two of them, across the table, were different than they’d been before. They seemed to have reached some kind of consensus. Like new police detective partners, or coworkers forced to team up. Whether that developed into more later, time would tell.
Zeyla continued, “I know at least three of them. I’ve met them.”
“Are they offspring?”
“In the sense that you and I are, probably. They’re…in the program.”
“Not resistance?”
Zeyla shook her head. “It doesn’t pay to be resistance these days. Not since that bombing in Paris, and now with the lawyers all getting rounded up and arrested.” She hesitated, then said, “By the way, they asked me to join that think tank as well.”
Ramon’s head whipped around to her, but he didn’t say anything.
Zeyla’s confessions seemed like such a tenuous thing, so it was a good call on his part. If Kenna said the wrong thing, or spoke at the wrong time, she could break Zeyla’s intention to tell the truth.
“I didn’t realize that’s what the lawyers were into until Maizie sent me the photos. The name was the same. They emailed a few months ago, and called me a bunch of times.” Zeyla shook her head. “Everyone knows I signed up with you guys. I might not be resistance anymore technically, but I’m also not going to give up and do nothing.”
Kenna sat back while the server delivered the meals they’d ordered. She’d chosen the first cheeseburger she saw, and it smelled good. She took a bite to try and get her stomach to back down with the hunger pangs and swallowed. “Risky move.”
“Signing on with you, or letting people know about it?” Zeyla stabbed a bite of her salmon salad.
Kenna had taken another bite. She shrugged. “Both.”
Zeyla nodded, chewing. Ramon glanced at her again. He had a huge roast beef sandwich and a mountain of fries. Jax had ordered a bowl of chili.
Kenna took one of her fries and dipped it in the sauce, swirling it a bit so she could try his lunch. “That’s spicy.”
He grinned. “It’s good.”
“Hmm. Maybe I need to dial up the heat when I make chili.” And then load it with sour cream for her so she didn’t get heartburn as bad.
Jax said, “Maizie is getting us the information from those images. What else do we have? The ghost should be our top priority, right? We need to catch him before he hurts someone else.”
They couldn’t put that much pressure on their ability to track him down, or they’d feel responsible if he did hurt or kill someone else. She already felt bad enough that he’d targeted Detective Langley.
Zeyla said, “We have a few cases we believe are connected. I don’t think he was responsible for anything to do with Samantha Ambrose’s death, but I do believe he was tasked with cleanup once we figured out what happened.”
Kenna nodded. “Right. Since he showed up at the hospital to kill Megan Tilley.”
“He also murdered the boyfriend,” Zeyla added. “Carl Allerton was released on bail and found dead less than twelve hours later. Someone slit his throat and left him in an alley.”
The server paused by the table, then turned and walked away instead of refilling their water glasses. Jax set his by Kenna’s and took her empty one. He set it at the edge of the table.
“Then he hightailed it to DC to catch Langley on the street,” Zeyla continued. “It’s almost impressive.”
Kenna took a sip. “He’s working for someone who wants to take out the competition and secure the vote to be the newImperatoris.”
“I know.” Zeyla sighed, as if that information was obvious. “I mean, soon as they tried to take out Petyr, it was pretty obvious.”
