Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I stand and face him. “I agree. We should approach this delicately, but we also don’t have much time before Rouge figures out what we know.”
“Right. Right.” Harrison gazes out his front window. “Holy shit, Bianca.”
“Holy shit doesn’t begin to cover it.” I walk up behind him, rub his shoulders. They’re tensed. No amount of massage is going to loosen them. “Do you have any idea where we should go from here?”
He turns. “I was about to ask you the same question.” He widens his eyes. “Wait. This might be something.” He crosses over to his kitchen counter and brings a tiny teapot into the room.
I narrow my eyes. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s a music box. I found it in my car trunk when I got home. It was placed there before we rescued Alissa and Maddox. I noticed the gift bag in my trunk that night, but obviously with everything else going on, I didn’t give it much thought past that.” He places the music box on a side table by the couch and winds it up. “The tune is disjointed. It’s some kind of code.”
“Code?”
“Yeah. Remember what Alissa told us? Maddox found a riddle that led them to that poor girl’s head in the nature reserve out by O’Hare.”
I lean down and examine the small teapot. “How did someone even get this in your trunk?”
“Remember when we left your apartment and picked up my car? The valet driver didn’t recognize me because I’d left my car with someone else?”
I widen my eyes. “Right. You were freaked out someone had stolen your car.”
He nods. “I think some guy disguised himself as a valet so he could take my car and plant this music box inside it.”
“But who would have done that?”
“I’m not sure.” He sits down with a sigh. “He didn’t speak, and his face was completely hidden by his outfit.”
“Are you even sure it was a he at all?”
“I’m pretty sure. He was super tall. Most women aren’t as tall as this guy was.”
I widen my eyes. “How tall was he?”
He bites his lip. “Pretty freaking tall. He made me feel short, which isn’t something I’m used to. At least six-six, maybe six-seven.” He shrugs. “This could be a nonstarter, though. The valet said it could have been some guy named Chad.”
I shake my head. “Chad has parked my car before. He does wear a lot of scarves, but he’s average height.”
He shifts his gaze. “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.” I sit down on the couch next to him. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a valet driver at my complex that tall, and I’ve been there a few years now. And why would a person of that height take a job where he’d have to be cramped inside tiny cars all day? Doesn’t make a lot of sense.” I tap at my chin. “You don’t see men who are considerably taller than you every day. It’s not impossible, but it’s uncommon. In fact, the only person I know who’s that tall is…” I clamp a hand over my mouth.
He leans in. “Who, babe?”
I blink several times. “The only man I’ve met in Chicago who is as tall as this valet driver you describe…is Chet.”
6
HARRISON
Alarm bells go off in my brain.
At Bianca’s words, I want to open my window and chuck this little teapot as far as I can from my house.
Chet? Chet?
Alissa told me under no uncertain terms that Chet was not to be trusted. He gave them the riddle that led to them finding May’s head, but then he turned around and betrayed them when they were ransacking Rouge’s office. He’s the reason they starved for a month at the Caterpillar Hotel.
Still… he’s not the only unusually tall person in the city of Chicago.
Anyone could have planted the music box. It might not even be the valet driver at all.
Mr. Night seems to be on our side. He recognized me when I was masquerading as the Ace of Clubs and didn’t reveal me.
“It might not have been Chet, though,” I say. “It could be another Aces employee. Someone who’s trying to get even with Rouge. Mr. Night, perhaps. Maybe one of Rouge’s Kings, too. They’re all big and tall.”
She scoffs. “I’d trust Chet before I trust one of the Kings. They’re all devoted to Rouge. I’ve heard there’s a rigorous process through which she tests their loyalty.” She scratches her chin. “Mr. Night could be a clue, though. But he’s not tall.”
“Like I said, it might not have been the valet at all. He could just be a red herring.”
She sighs. “The music box itself could be a red herring. A dead end. It might just have been a gift to you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. Like I said, the tune is a little funky. There’s some kind of message, but I have no idea how to figure it out. Besides, the fact that it’s a teapot has some meaning as well.”