“No, no. We should.”
The trail starts out in the park, but it winds around into beautiful wooded areas where it feels like the rest of the world ceases to exist. For a good distance, the trail runs between old train rails, with crushed stone forming the path. It’s just the two ofus, the wind through the trees, and the first of the crickets that are starting to chirp. Even with the breeze, the weather is nice—it’s not even bordering on too cold.
We cross over a long wooden bridge-like area where the wooded hills on both sides rise, the wooden path barely fitting between them. We aren’t too far past it when we come to a bench, and Charlie pulls me toward it. Once we both sit, she turns to me and takes my hands in hers, which is sweet. I’d be loving this moment if it weren’t for the ultra-serious expression on her face combined with the stress-filled vibes I’ve been getting from her. Now I’m just nervous.
She looks at me like she’s trying to figure out how to start. Which, honestly, is giving me heart palpitations. She shifts on the bench, and then she says in a soft voice, “I didn’t want to keep anything from you, but I had to wait until I had facts. And now I do. I also can’t tell you everything about how I know this—not yet. But I promise the information I’m about to tell you is legitimate.”
So this talk isn’t about our relationship. That’s comforting. My stomach still tightens, though, because this sounds serious. For a moment, I worry that it’s about Tessa. Then, suddenly, I know. “This is about The Shadowridge, isn’t it?” She nods, and I have an immediate pang in my gut. I don’t know what has been making me feel like it was pulling away, but I knew it was.
“I looked into Giovanni because something just didn’t feel right,” she says. “What I found was pretty serious, and I think you should know.”
I swallow hard and brace myself.
“But this is privileged information. So you’ll have to use a lot of discretion so you won’t tip him off.”
“Okay,” I say, my voice coming out wary.
“The man we saw break in that night of our picnic? He had a small package with him when he went backstage, and when he came out, he didn’t have it with him anymore. When we went to check everything out, I remembered you said you showed Giovanni a hidden alcove behind the set storage area. I looked there, and I found the package.”
“You did?” My mind scrambles to remember that night exactly. Had I seen the man holding a package?
“Yes. I got in touch with a contact at a government agency, and they retrieved the package. I didn’t bring it up because I hoped it was nothing, and I didn’t want you to have to stress even more about the break-in if it was. But the package contained ancient coins from a known cache that went missing. They were confirmed as illegally trafficked antiquities.”
Now my mind is whirling, trying to process this information. “So the package was…What? Some kind of black market thing?”
“Yes,” she says, then takes a breath. “But it’s even more than that. Giovanni has been runningan illicit artifact smuggling operation internationally, and he’s using the theater as a dead drop location.”
I lean back hard against the back of the bench, feeling like I was just punched in the gut.
“He targets historical buildings,” she continues, her voice gentle but steady. “That’s why he chooses them as restoration projects. It could be because he genuinely appreciates their beauty—he did seem to truly love The Shadowridge. Or maybe because they’re full of forgotten spaces and clever hidey holes. Either way, he disguises what he’s doing behind philanthropic restoration funding.”
My throat feels dry as pieces click into place. “Those questions you asked Giovanni when you first met him. You already sensed something was off and were trying to get information out of him?”
Her eyes don’t leave mine. “Yes.”
I close my eyes for a moment, as if the enormity of this situation wouldn’t enter if I did, before I have too many questions to try to block it. “When you asked if he flew in just to see The Shadowridge, he mentioned that he had other business in the area to attend to. Was that related?”
Charlie nods. “He’s got a luxury import/export business in Alexandria. That’s how he connects with international buyers, moves things overseas, and keeps everything looking legit on the books. He’sgood at it, too. It kept his less-than-legal activities hidden for a long time.”
I stare out at the trees that rise up just on the other side of the path, my thoughts tangling.
“So The Shadowridge… It’s not just a passion project to him. It’s a front.” Saying the words out loud makes it feel even more real. Even more devastating.
“I’m so sorry, Owen.” Her voice cracks just a little. “I know how much restoring it means to you.”
I nod, but the motion feels brittle. I turn to her. “How do you possibly know all this?
“It’s… complicated,” she says, carefully. “I can’t go into details yet. Not because I don’t want to. But the short answer is, at my work, we investigate people like Giovanni.
“Officers and agents have had eyes on The Shadowridge since that man snuck in that night we were there. They arrested the person who showed up to retrieve the package he left. So far, they haven’t seen anyone else come to drop an artifact or to pick one up. But they might be lying low because I’m sure they know that the location’s been compromised.”
I’m gripping the edge of the bench and trying my best to stay calm. “So what happens now?”
“It’s hard to say. Giovanni might get arrested right away. Or they might hold off for a bit so they can gather more evidence or find couriers in the chain. But if Giovanni’s people have gotten spooked,it might be a while before anything else happens. Or, it’s possible things could happen quickly.”
Silence hangs between us for a long moment.
Then Charlie really looks at me, and her voice drops a little. “I didn’t want to tell you this. I was really hoping all my fears were unfounded and that the answer I’d get today would be that my gut was wrong and I just shouldn’t trust it. But now that I know, I had to tell you so you won’t be caught off guard. I don’t want you blindsided if things do start to move fast.”
