Page 83 of Carbon

“We have pool vehicles.”

A lockbox on the wall yielded row upon row of keys, and Emmy grinned as she selected a bunch. “Let’s take this one.” She aimed the fob into the cavernous garage, and a nearby Porsche 911 flashed its lights. My eyes widened.

“This is a pool car?”

“Nope. It’s Black’s. Figured it’s the least he can do after the way he upset you.”

I smothered a giggle. “You’re stealing his car?”

“I prefer the term borrow.”

She climbed behind the wheel while I hopped into the passenger side.

“Bloody Nora—look how far my feet are from the pedals.”

She slid the seat forward while I settled my handbag into the footwell. Whoever usually sat in the passenger side was a more normal height.

“Buckle up,” Emmy said. “Safety first.”

I half expected security guards to come running after us as she headed for the exit, but the metal shutter rolled up without any sirens going off, and then we were out in the street.

“You want to head straight back or go for a joyride first? Driving always helps me to relax.”

Oh sod it, I might as well go full rebel. “Maybe a short drive?”

She grinned at me, and I couldn’t help smiling back. “You got it.”

Before too long, we were out of London, driving along the motorway to nowhere in particular, and my heart rate began to decrease. Events at the meeting had left me shaken, and although my trust in Ben had grown stronger, one thing still bothered me.

“You know how we were going through all the evidence?”

Emmy kept her eyes focused on the road. “Yes?”

“We never discussed the DNA i-i-inside my sister.”

“It’s been bothering you, hasn’t it?”

“I can’t believe Beau would have done that, not when...”

“Not when you were waiting for him so soon afterwards.”

“Exactly.” Somebody understood me.

“It could have been faked.”

“How?”

“First there are the remote options—either our culprit could have paid off an employee at the forensics lab to doctor the results, or hacked into the system and changed them, but the first one’s dodgy because if he approached the wrong person, they could have blown his plan, and Luke hasn’t spotted any evidence of the second.”

“Is there another way?”

“Two, but neither of them is palatable.”

“I need to know.”

She sighed. “Fine, but try not to throw up in the car, okay?”

I gripped the door handle, knuckles white. “Okay.”

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