Heirs Apparent by Thomas J. Thorson

Author:Thomas J. Thorson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2020-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Vinn can be a good listener when she wants to be. She sits across from me, expressionless and silent, while I recount the events as best I can, trying not to omit a single detail that might be relevant. I can be a good talker when I want to be. Even after I finish, she remains quiet, staring into my eyes as if she could look inside my mind to bring out details that I missed in the retelling. Part of me thinks she can. It’s unnerving.

“You could have been killed,” she finally says.

“I realize that now,” I reply, a bit defensive. I take a sip of the Gyokuro I brought from home. “But how was I to know? For all I could tell, she was going off to meet a girlfriend for a beer. If I had any idea that gunshots and murder in an abandoned building were on the agenda, don’t you think I would have taken precautions? I probably wouldn’t have gone after her at all.” My voice rises as I speak, maybe overplaying the incredulity I feel the need to convey to Vinn as a way of shielding the fact that yes, I used to do that all the time. I look around to make sure no one at one of the nearby tables is listening in. All good.

Vinn eyes me cautiously before leaning forward, taking my hands in hers, and speaking so softly that I have to lean in to hear her. “Yes, you would have. I know you, Mal. You care. Maybe too much sometimes, but it’s a good bad habit to have. I respect you for it.” She sighs, then leans back and lets out an exasperated breath. “The question is, what do we do now?”

“We?” I raise an eyebrow at her, my attempt to show her how annoying that is. No reaction. “I don’t want you anywhere near this, Vinn. Some maniac is out there running around with a gun. He knows what I look like. He doesn’t know you and I’d like to keep it that way. Besides, this doesn’t concern you.”

Again, the ten-second stare of death. “Fine. But it doesn’t put either of us in harm’s way to talk some of this through. Do you have any idea what she was trying to tell you?”

“Not a clue. And I’m not sure she knew that I’d be the one to see her message. Maybe it was meant for someone that would immediately understand what ‘1915’ means and connect it to her killer.”

Vinn nods thoughtfully. “Possible. You can start by asking her friends if it has any significance that they know about.” She notices the blank expression on my face and frowns. “What? You do know who her best friends are, don’t you? You were dating for what, six months? What were you doing that whole time if you never met her friends?”

I must be blushing, causing Vinn to snort and mutter “pig” under her breath as she shakes her head.

“Even

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