Page 117 of Forbidden Wish
“Who would ask?”
“Always assume someone wants to know what you don’t want them to know.”
Okay. That was beyond a level of paranoia, but made sense given how deep they were in.
As Jagg continued his observations, the clerk came hurrying back.
“She split,” the guy announced.
“What?”
“Yeah, just disappeared. She was here and then… gone.”
“Anyone with her?” Jagg asked.
The clerk shook his head. “No one saw anything. She just disappeared.”
“Thanks,” Jagg said without further question.
“Hey, uh…” Now it was the clerk’s turn to be paranoid. “We’re not really supposed to—”
“We were never here,” Jagg said, understanding the guy’s anxiety. “Thanks.”
His arm stayed over her shoulder, holding her close all the way back to the car.
“Gone?” she asked as he peeled away from the curb. “Gone where?”
“I don’t know. We’ll probably never know.”
“Do you think her family came to pick her up?”
Except if it was family and a legitimate pick up, why did it happen in secret? Why was Marseille still a Jane Doe?
“Maybe.” Jagg humored her. “Could be she’s safe.”
“Could be she’s not though, right?”
“If the Manzanis got word she was here…”
“They’d come and get her, take her back there, punish her for—”
“We don’t know it was them. Could’ve been anyone. The Manzanis had a lot going on. The fire bought her a window that, if she’s smart, Marseille took advantage of.”
Every step on this path brought more frustration. Marseille was the wronged party. It shouldn’t be on her to sneak out in the dead of night to save her skin. Freedom hadn’t cut all the chains.
“We have to go to the Carlyle,” she said before Jagg could turn toward the garage.
“Why?”
“I want to see what’s going on over there. What’s the damage?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“What harm can it do to go check? Maybe people are around. Maybe they want to talk. Or if it’s deserted, we could go inside. Look for ourselves.”
“The building might not be safe. And this is a big win for the cops.” Despite his objection, he missed the garage turn, keeping them on the road for the Carlyle. “They’ll be swarming.”
Amped up like hornets in a nest. “I know a bunch of cops.”
