Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“You made breakfast?” he asks.
“Surprised?”
He smirks. “Of course not. It was just nice of you to do.”
“I should thank you for having such an organized kitchen.” I grin. “Very intuitive. Everything was where I expected it to be.”
He shrugs. “Guess I’m full of surprises.”
We sit down and enjoy the breakfast, washing it down with two glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice. I have a change of clothes in my car—workout clothes I haven’t used in forever. I change into them after breakfast and then we head to the hospital to meet up with Alissa and Maddox, our music box in tow.
The hospital isn’t too busy, and we’re able to walk in discreetly, heading to the empty wing where Alissa and Maddox are being kept. When we get there, Dinah is just closing the door to Alissa’s ICU room. She smiles as we approach.
“Dr. O’Rourke. Bianca. I’m so glad you’re both okay.”
“You and me both, Dinah,” Harrison replies. “How are our special guests?”
“Better and better. They’re both such troupers. Maddox is still a little out of it, but Alissa is pretty alert.”
I swallow. “How alert? Can she stomach some…troubling news?”
Dinah widens her eyes. “Oh, God. What is it now?”
“We’ll tell you,” Harrison says. “But answer Bianca’s question. Is she stable enough that some shocking news won’t sent her into a panic?”
Dinah bites her lip. “I think so. You’ll have to see for yourself, Doctor.”
We walk into Alissa’s room, and she waves as we enter. “Good morning! Thank heavens you two are okay. I’ve been worried all night.”
“You don’t need to worry about us,” I tell Alissa. “How are you feeling?”
“Not too shabby,” Alissa replies. “I’ve been better, of course. But I’m feeling stronger. Dinah suggested we call in a physical therapist later today to start getting my body moving. I just had some scrambled eggs, and those stayed down. They’re going to try something more substantial for lunch.”
“That’s great,” I say. “I’m so happy you’re feeling better.”
“You and me both.” She looks us both over. “How about you two?”
Harrison inhales deeply and sighs it out. “There’s been…a development.”
Alissa widens her eyes. “What?”
I sit at her bedside, squeeze her hand. “Are you sure you can handle it? You won’t freak out?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m a lot sturdier than people seem to think. Need I remind you I was the one who discovered May’s severed head in that hatbox?”
I sigh. “This is about the same level of gruesomeness.”
“I can handle it,” she says. “Tell me what you found.”
Harrison and I recount our evening at Aces. How we disguised Harrison as the Ace of Clubs, complete with the branded shoulders and tight shorts, how we figured out the meaning of the “writing raven” in the locks on the ladies’ room stalls, and how we revealed the secret compartment. And finally…what I found in the cooler.
She drops her jaw. “No. It can’t be.”
I pat her arm. “Are you okay? I don’t want this to upset you.”
“Who wouldn’t be upset about this?” Alissa asks, the color draining from her face. “But if you’re worried I’m going to go into some sort of catatonic shock, I can take it.” She closes her eyes, steadies her breathing. “It does make a certain sort of sense. That’s why they removed May’s head. They’d have no need for it, since the brain can’t be—” She gasps. “My God! Lou and Carol!”
Harrison nods. “I’m afraid what you’re thinking might be right. Their donations might have come from May.”
“And if not from May, then some other poor innocent that Rouge killed in cold blood.” Alissa buries her head in her hands. “I might be sick.”
I quickly grab a nearby bedpan and give it to Alissa, but she waves it away.
“No. I’m just starting on solid foods. I’m not going backwards. I’ll keep it down.” She raises her head, wipes a tear from her cheek. “How are we going to stop this?”
“We aren’t doing anything,” Harrison says. “You need your rest, Alissa. You and Maddox both. You can leave this to me and Bianca.”
“But how?” she asks. “Do you have any leads from here? It’s not as if you can tell the police what you saw. They’d never believe you in a million years. And knowing Rouge, she’d sock away the evidence the moment she got any whiff of cops on Aces property.”
“You’re right. Which is why we have to be careful.” Harrison reaches into a small tote bag and produces the teapot-shaped music box. “This might be a clue. Since you’re our resident music expert, we thought you might be able to interpret the message in this music box.”
“Message? What message?” she asks.
“I’m not sure. But you might be able to figure it out.” Harrison winds up the key and places the music box in Alissa’s trembling hands.
The first four notes—the discordant ones that don’t match the rest of the tune—ping out of the little teapot.