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“I think we got most of the loose ends figured out. We haven’t been able to put our hands on Miriam, but we’ll get her. It’s a lot harder to just disappear than people think. I got the rest of the stuff on its way to Augusta with the forensics team. You were right about that icon on the note being Lorelei. It was the sex trafficking ring’s symbol and a way they brand their victims.”
“Brand? As in burning their flesh?”
He nodded. “We finally found a match to the prints at the scene. They were Miriam’s.”
“That makes it pretty conclusive, doesn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so. Rafferty has been working with Selma and Barbie all day in the library…”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “They all must think I’m the worst hostess…”
“Quite the contrary. They think you’re wonderful, but they’re all a little bit afraid of Sudie. She threatened to cut them off from her wonderful food and beat them with her rolling pin if they disturbed you.”
Jessica smiled. “She’s one hell of a gatekeeper, and they’re good to be afraid. That rolling pin is made of steel and has some heft to it. Did they get anywhere with deciphering the ledger?”
“Actually, with Selma and Barbie’s help, they’re making great strides. Apparently, Thompson kept meticulous records including who, dates of service, who serviced them, what it cost, and even detailed notes and pictures of what transpired. We’ve already begun tracing leads to prominent people within the state. There’s going to be a lot of fallout when this is made public.”
“I’m starving. Why don’t we go join the others, turn in early, and fuck like bunnies?”
“Why Jessica Rabbit, are you propositioning me?”
“Yes, and the best part is, Sudie will feed you, and you won’t have to pay for any of it.”
* * *
Thorn wasn’t sure what woke him, but he knew she was gone before he even opened his eyes. It was dark out, but perhaps a little less dark than when they’d gone to bed. Sudie had warned him that when she was behind, Jessica often got up in the middle of the night if she was inspired. He decided his needs could wait, and he rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next time he woke, the night was a lot less dark. It was that time of day before the darkness began to give way to the light. He pulled on a pair of jeans and went to pull her away from her laptop to eat something. He meant to see that her work/life balance improved. Step one, she would come to bed and sleep and make love. Step two, she would not eat every meal at her desk or her writing chair.
He poked his head in her office. No Jessica. He looked around the rest of the downstairs. No Jessica. Sudie was in the kitchen when he wandered in there, Tracer sitting at her feet and staring at her intently.
“It’s almost as if he thinks he can will a piece of food to drop.”
Sudie laughed. “He’s my little sous chef. And that five-second rule people have about something hitting the floor and if you get it before five seconds, it’s fine?” He nodded. “That only works if you don’t have a two-second basset.”
Thorn chuckled as he made himself some coffee. “So where is she?”
Sudie turned around. “I thought she was with you.”
“No, I woke up about three and she wasn’t beside me. I thought she’d gone to write.”
“Did you check her office?”
“I did.”
“Sometimes if she can’t sleep, she goes down to the seawall to watch the fishing boats leave as the sun begins to rise.”
“I’ll finish getting dressed. Damn. If she took the Range Rover, I don’t have anything to drive. My roadster is still up at the lighthouse.”
“My car is out in the garage. Take it. It isn’t as fancy as hers, but it’ll get you to the dock and back. Keys are on the peg by the back door.”
“Thanks, Sudie.”
He pulled on a sweater, socks and cowboy boots, grabbed Sudie’s car and headed down to the dock. He found Jessica sitting on the seawall, her knees drawn up to her chest as she sipped from her mug of coffee.
The boats were pulling away in a fairly tight formation. “They are kind of magical, aren’t they?” he said, kissing the top of her head.
She nodded and smiled. “They are. I often find it very centering to watch them leave, just like they have for hundreds of years.”
