“If you know you can’t trust your colleagues, you should know that you can’t trust anyone. Even pretty boyfriends.” Katarina lowered her voice, her tone dark and threatening. “Even those closest to you aren’t safe. Valerie is in danger, and it’s all your fault.”
18
The line went dead, filling the kitchen with a sudden ominous silence.
Lips parted in shock, Ellie met Jillian’s questioning gaze from across the table. “Jillian, what if she’s telling the truth?”
“Ellie, I don’t even know where Valerie is. Katarina is bluffing. You know these people. They like playing games. She’s trying to throw you off the scent.”
“What if this time, she’s not?”
Jillian shook her head. “You said yourself that she’s a criminal, and you can’t trust someone like that. No matter how convincing they are, you just can’t.” She pursed her lips, her wheels already turning. “Is this the Katarina I think it is?”
“I’m guessing she’s the elusive Katarina Steve Garrett told us about. The way it went down, I wonder if she had something to do with Steve’s death. We never found a trace of her. And I think she’s called in an anonymous tip before. That, or I’m just overly paranoid at this point.”
Jillian pointed to the notepad. “Can I get a copy of that?”
“Sure.” Ellie ripped off the top piece of paper and took it to the printer in the small office off the living room to make a copy. She brought it back to Jillian, who was pacing around the table, jaw tight and eyes narrowed, deep in thought. “What are you thinking?”
Jillian shrugged, sinking into a chair. “I don’t know yet. I’m going to take your notes first thing in the morning and see if Carl can use some of his forensic tech lab magic and help me track down the number that she called from.”
“It was blocked.”
“I’ve seen Carl get around bigger obstacles than that.”
Ellie nodded. “All right. I’m not too fond of the idea of bringing someone else into this, but I think we can trust Carl.”
“I do too. He could’ve spread that video of you as a teen being manipulated by your kidnapper all over the office when he found it last month, but he chose to keep it private. If anyone at the office is trustworthy, it’s him.”
Ellie grabbed her purse, shoving her cell phone into the zippered pocket. “Thank you. I’m going to check on Valerie.”
“Right now? It’s late.”
“I can’t wait all night and hope she’s okay. Tomorrow’s the thirteenth.” Ellie laid her hand over her heart, the knot in her stomach so tight she wanted to curl up in a ball. “I’ve had this nagging feeling that he was going to do something on this anniversary for weeks now. Katarina’s call confirms it.”
“Why don’t you just call Nick or Flynn and make sure everything’s all right? You could give them a heads-up and—”
“No!” When Jillian winced, Ellie realized she’d shouted her response. She lowered her voice, giving her a sorry look. “No. For now, we have to assume we can’t trust anyone.”
The color drained from Jillian’s face. “You can’t mean Nick, Ellie. Nick?”
Ellie pressed her palms to her temples. “I don’t know who to trust right now.”
Jillian stood, pushing the chair back so fast it tilted on two legs and hung for a moment before crashing to the floor. “This is insane, Ellie. What if she’s playing you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being cautious.”
“There’s cautious, and then there’s this.” Jillian gestured to the table. “You’re willing to take her word over your own gut. Ellie, you would know if Nick was dirty. There’s no way he could hide that for so long.” Shaking her head, Jillian turned and righted the chair, but she didn’t sit.
Ellie’s head was spinning as every possible outcome converged into one massive mess. “I just don’t know. But I have to keep Valerie safe. She didn’t survive hell trapped in Fink’s basement for almost two years to die because of me.” She brought her fist to her chest to punctuate the statement. “Jillian, I know this is going to piss some people off, but if it saves her life, then it’s worth it.”
“What are you going to say to Nick?”
“Nothing right now.”
Jillian’s jaw tightened. “He’s going to find out, Ellie. And when he does, he’s going to be devastated. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. No matter what you throw at him, he just rolls with it.”
“He’ll understand.” Ellie’s bottom lip quivered.
“You don’t even believe that, Ellie. And he won’t. In Nick’s place, I wouldn’t.”
Ellie inhaled, straightening her shoulders. “You’re not in his place. Jillian, you’re my closest friend. You know more about this case and what happened to me than anyone else. You heard what that woman said. If there’s any chance she’s telling the truth, Valerie is in danger. They’ll come after someone I care for to hurt me. I can’t ignore this and hope for the best.”
Jillian glanced away, considering. After a moment, she met Ellie’s eyes, her lips pinched into a tight line. She nodded, and Ellie let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Jillian.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to Valerie tonight.”
Jillian’s body went rigid with worry. She worked her lower lip between her teeth. “Then what?”
Ellie shrugged. Her nerves were so jangled, she couldn’t really think beyond her next move. “I don’t know.”
“Won’t Nick be there?”
“No. I hired around the clock security. Nick is going through his days like normal. He has no reason to be there.” Ellie took out her phone and powered it down before putting it back in her purse. “I can’t risk anyone knowing I’m coming. If Nick can’t get ahold of me, he might call you. Promise me if he calls or comes looking for me, stall him.”
Jillian scowled. “What in the world am I supposed to tell him? ‘Ellie thinks
