Page 49 of Hidden Trial

“How’s the training program going, by the way?”

“You haven’t spoken to Charlotte? I would have thought you would have heard from her.”

“She’s called me a few times, but I’ve let her leave a message. It’s easier. Best to leave her in your capable hands and not interfere.”

“Talking to her is not interfering.”

“Why complicate things?”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of what?”

“To talk to your sister.”

“No. I just don’t need the emotional upheaval. I talk to my mom, and that’s plenty. With Charlotte, it will either be small talk, which I can’t stand, or she’ll want to work stuff out, which I also can’t stand. It’s better if I leave things for now. I don’t have the energy for personal stuff.”

“If you say so. She’s your sister.”

“Yes, she is. And how are you finding her?”

“You two are nothing alike.”

“Yeah, but how’s she doing with the training? And how are things progressing?”

“Good. I’ve been quizzing her on the details of the case, and she’s learning everything faster than I expected. She’s a tough girl. Strong.”

“You’re confident she can pull it off?”

“I’m not there yet. I’d say I’m less skeptical than before.”

“You always have been difficult to persuade. I hope you’re not giving her a hard time.”

“Only enough to test her. She’s nicer than you.”

Maddy laughed. “I’d agree with that. I spoke to Turner, by the way. He said they haven’t turned up anything.”

“No. I spoke to him this morning. Whoever did this to you covered their tracks well.”

“I thought they were amateurs. But now I’m not so sure. Why go through all that trouble to get me stuck in a hospital bed? Why not kill me? Psychologically, it’s been torture, but I don’t think that’s what they were going for here.”

“I don’t know. The only thing I can come up with is that Antonio wants a reason to break off the deal.”

“That can’t be it.”

“I know. He’s not the passive aggressive type. If he wanted out, he’d say so. Or he’d just kill us both. Pushing you out of the picture and then demanding your presence doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe someone else wants to stop the deal?”

“There are easier ways. Whoever did this lured you there because they wanted to hurt you. It sounds personal. But not personal enough to kill you.”

“Right. Someone whose life I ruined and wants revenge, but they still have a conscience.”

Will pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, taking her hand.

“You’re not going to propose, are you?” She smirked. “I know things have gotten emotional, but take a breath.”

“Very funny. No. I wanted to say how glad I am that they didn’t kill you. I wasn’t there for you, and if you died, I don’t know how I’d live with myself.”

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