Page 91 of East

My heart starts pounding in my throat.

The red gemstone I’m holding in my hand.

Most people would think it’s a ruby.

They’d be wrong.

It’s a diamond. A red diamond.

I associate red diamonds with one person only.

A woman I used to know who wore dozens of them on her neck, wrist, and ears.

And she’s been in the ground for nearly a year.

33

THEA

“Aus?” I ask. “Did you find anything?”

“Um… Yes. No.” His mouth forms a straight line. “Maybe.”

“What is it?”

“A red diamond.”

I get to my feet. “A what?”

“A red diamond. A diamond that’s red.”

“I know what you meant.” I cross over to the tractor. “But what on earth is a precious stone doing at the scene of a murder?”

“It’s not the strangest thing you could find.” Aus is speaking slowly, as if he’s holding on to a secret he doesn’t want to divulge.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” He sighs. “There are certain people I associate with red diamonds who would have no problem crushing a man with a giant rock.”

My heart skips a beat. Do we finally have something that could prove me innocent? “Oh my God. Who?”

“Don’t get too excited.” He climbs down from the tractor and walks me over to a nearby bench. “Does the name Rouge Montrose mean anything to you?”

The name is familiar. You can hardly forget a name like that. Rouge Montrose. A great name for a high-end stripper.

I close my eyes and try to remember where I’ve heard the name.

Then it comes crashing to me.

“Breaking news from the heart of one of Chicago’s oldest clubs,” Tip Sanderson declares from the news desk. “Aces Underground, the exclusive club frequented by some of Chicago’s brightest stars, has come under fire for association with an illegal organ-harvesting operation headed by the club’s frontwoman, the mysterious Rouge Montrose.”

“That’s right, Tip,” Micaela adds. “Montrose was found deceased in her home in the Chicago Gold Hills neighborhood along with three of her male employees, also deceased. The investigation has concluded and it has been determined Montrose’s wounds were self-inflicted, while the three male employees were killed in self-defense.”

“Montrose’s sister, Bianca, was at the condo when the death occurred. She was joined by surgeon Harrison O’Rourke and two of Montrose’s other employees, Vanya Dimitriev and Chester ‘Chet’ Tabbit, the latter of whom fled the scene before investigators could question him. Tabbit is still at large.”

The screen behind them displays a photo of a man, completely bald with hot-pink eyebrows and a giant grin carved into his face.

I lean over toward Cal, who’s standing beside me off camera. “They’re having trouble finding that guy?”