“Found his body a few days ago. His maid too. And his family is missing. You and your sister will stay inside The Manor at all times. I’ll arrange for her schooling until she can return to classes. Your brother—”
“You think Abel killed him?”
Santiago stops pacing, looks at me like he’s waiting for me to catch up.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “As bad as Abel is, he’s not a killer.” But then I remember the lipstick. “Oh my god.”
“The poison that was used to poison me came from the tube of lipstick I found on the driveway of the house Hazel took me to. Abel’s safe house. I’m still trying to make sense of the things we found inside, all those files, names of my—”
“Wait, Hazel? What? When?”
Just as I ask, his phone rings. He checks the display, swipes, and puts the phone to his ear. “I’ll call you back.” He disconnects.
“Where’s Hazel?”
“Hazel and her son live in Oakdale. They’re safe. I have a man watching the house.”
“Her son? She has a son, and they’ve been in Oakdale all this time?”
“You’re getting worked up, and I need to return a call. We can continue this conversation after you’ve rested.”
“I’m not tired.”
“You need your strength. Not just for yourself but for the baby. I promise to tell you more, but I won’t risk your health or that of my child.” He stops as if he’s just caught himself. “Our child,” he modifies, and it somehow soothes me. He must see it because he sits back down and adjusts the pillows, easing me onto my back. “Rest. We’ll have dinner together later.”
I bite the inside of my lip. “Who do you have to call?”
“Society business.” He leans down to kiss me on the forehead. “Sleep, sweet Ivy. And trust me to take care of you.”
8
Santiago
"Santiago?" Judge answers the other line on the second ring.
"Sorry, I've been getting my wife settled back in,” I explain. “I’m back in my office now.”
I take a seat at my desk and stare at the bottle of scotch that's been taunting me. It would be nice to have a drink after the past two days, but I don't want to risk it. Not when Ivy's safety is in question. I won't let my guard down for even a second.
"How is she doing?" Judge asks, polite but seemingly not too concerned. He doesn't foster attachments to useless emotions for people he barely knows. And I have to remind myself that I am much the same, and I shouldn't take offense.
"She's tired," I tell him. "She needs rest, but the doctor assures me she's going to be fine. The baby too."
"All well and good," he says. "I'm assuming the paperwork that was hand-delivered to my desk today is something you'd like to discuss."
"Yes." I glance at the clock on the wall, realizing he's still at work. Marco didn't waste any time.
"Where did these files come from?"
"Eli has a safe house. A place Abel has been using for his own purposes apparently. It's in his mother's name, so it wasn't ever connected to The Society. Ivy had been hiding..." I clear my throat and cringe at that word. "Staying there during her absence. I sent Marco to search the place for anything useful, and he produced these files."
"I see." There's a sound of a chair creaking, and I can just imagine Judge leaning back as he considers this news. "These are all IVI members. Myself included."
"Yes."
"Names, birth dates, family lineage," Judge murmurs.
"You may have noticed a connection."
"Indeed," he answers solemnly. "There seems to be a dossier for every member who was killed in the same explosion that took your father and brother. Do you know if it was Abel or Eli who compiled them?"
"They are one and the same as far as I'm concerned. I'll be having a conversation with Eli. But what concerns me are the files on Jackson and Marcus Van der Smit. They are connected to The Tribunal. Marcus served before he died, and Jackson still serves."
"You don't think they have anything to do with this?" Judge asks.
"It's difficult to say. But his wife has been feeding my wife information. Befriending her. And it was Jackson who inserted himself into The Tribunal's investigation with Ivy. He made himself out to be a hero, but there's always a chance—"
"Not to mention what he did to Mercedes," Judge adds bitterly.
"Mercedes?" I repeat. "You mean because he didn't marry her?"
Judge is quiet for a pause before he answers. "He should never have courted her if he had no intentions to marry her."
His remark surprises me. I know he's protective of Mercedes because she will be his charge should anything ever happen to me. I detect a hint of something that sounds like resentment in his tone, yet I can only laugh as I consider the notion that his attachment runs any deeper. Judge will never marry. He is taking care of Mercedes, looking after her best interests, but I find it highly unlikely he could harbor any real feelings for her. Judge doesn't involve himself in romantic entanglements. I know because I've seen him at the IVI Cat House, picking out a woman as one might pick out a pair of shoes for the evening. He chooses what suits him, uses them for their purpose, and then returns them without any emotional investment.
"You shouldn't worry about Jackson hurting Mercedes again," I tell him. "Once she is scorned, she doesn't forgive. I am quite certain she only wants to make him sorry for it."
"I'm aware," he muses. "But is there a possibility that Jackson could have been courting her to serve some bigger purpose? If he never intended to marry her, and you suspect him of being dishonorable... it isn't much of a stretch of the imagination."
"I don't know," I admit. "I would find it difficult to believe he'd get into bed with Abel on any dealings, but Eli is another matter, perhaps. He was a respectable man, once. I believed so too. Perhaps they were scheming together."
"I think the only way to know for sure is to crack Eli while you still have the chance," Judge says. "You've been too lenient with him, and you don’t know how much time you’ll have. Someone already tried to clean up that loose end once. How long will it be until they do it again? It's time to put the screws to him. I can help if you require my assistance."
I don't want to tell him that he's still recovering, and it gives me pause to torture such a weak man. Or that he was right to assume Ivy's presence in my life has given me doubts about my own intentions. I can't think of torturing Eli without considering the consequences to my relationship with her, so I give him the only assurance I can.
"I'm going to speak with him tomorrow."
There's a slight pause, and then Judge answers. "Weakness will get you killed, Santiago. You can't afford it. There are already holes in your armor."
"I know." I lean my head back and close my eyes. "I won't deny it."