“The woman in the photo was a girlfriend when I worked for the Agency. Her name was Natalia Banderas. She was a natural history student at the Sorbonne that I met at a café in Paris. She was killed in France when a case I was working on went south and she was caught in the crossfire.
“I blame myself for her death. I should have known better than to get involved with a civilian. That’s why I left the Agency when I fell for you, Emily.
“I figure the gun could belong to someone seeking revenge for her death or it could be related to another case—it’s hard to say. I don’t know how they found me, but if you’re reading this note, it means they did. Keep these things hidden. Trust no one. I love you, Emily.
Evan, aka David Gerard.”
When Isabel was finished reading, she slowly refolded the paper and handed it back to Emily. “That explains a lot.”
~*~
Emily dropped Isabel off at home and agreed to come back for dinner that evening. Isabel wanted to talk more about what to do regarding Jethro and how to find out what he was really up to.
Pulling into her own driveway, Emily glanced up and down the sunny tree-lined street for anything suspicious before heading inside. Everything looked normal. She stepped onto her porch and took a second look before unlocking her door and going in.
Once inside, she clicked the lock into place, kicked off her shoes and headed for the bathroom. She paused at the bathroom door and decided to take a quick look around her house and make sure the back door was locked, as well. With her pistol held low, she skulked from room to room, making sure it was all clear.
A long, hot soak in a tub full of bubbles was all she wanted right now—something to relax her and help her worries float away, at least for a while. As she turned the water on and poured in the liquid bubbles, her phone beeped, alerting her to a new text.
The message was from Maggie, telling her what a great time they were having, and she had attached a photo she must have had someone else take. It was a picture of Maggie and Molly on the beach, in their bikinis, lying on colorful towels with big smiles on their faces.
Emily felt a little jab of envy at the sight of them, wishing she could go somewhere and totally relax without a care in the world. Someday, she promised herself, she would take a vacation too—when Evan’s murder was solved.
As the claw-foot tub filled, she slipped out of her clothes and set her towel on the vanity chair, laying her phone on top. She climbed into the tub and immersed herself, still feeling a little unnerved and exposed.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes and tried to rest, but the thought that someone might be right outside her window kept her on edge.
As the warm water finally began to relax her, Emily mulled over the pieces of her puzzle.
Natalia was Jethro’s daughter. Was Delia also his daughter? Evan had said in the note he felt guilty for getting Natalia killed. Jethro had said when he was showing Evan’s photo around to his colleagues, that someone had mentioned something about revenge for her death.
Isabel had explained that Jethro had moved to Boise from Virginia recently, after retiring from the FBI. Had Delia given him her late husband’s black BMW after his death, maybe before Jethro’s move to Boise? Is that why it still had Virginia plates?
Did Delia know Evan was involved in Natalia’s death? If so, why would she have hired him to investigate her husband? And where did the file go, the photos and reports of the work he had done for her? Did his murderer take the file? Why wasn’t the background check in that file?
Emily had chosen to take a bubble bath hoping for relaxation, but as her mind began to unwind, the questions flew at her in rapid success, one after the other. There was no rest in it whatsoever, only more questions. She dragged herself out of the tub and wrapped the towel around her breasts, tucking it in beneath her arm.
She threw on her jeans and a knit top and decided to make herself a cup of Chamomile tea, hoping that would help. While she waited for the tea kettle to whistle, she sat at the breakfast bar and opened her