The Child Riddler by Angela Greenman

Author:Angela Greenman [Greenman, Angela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2022-07-14T20:42:09+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Zoe left the lounge and stepped onto the corridor’s glass floor. Beneath her feet, black coral and starfish were nestled among sand-colored pebbles. Blue lights centered among the pebbles and along the base of the corridor’s black marble walls created an “under the sea” aura.

Halfway down the corridor, a large crystal chandelier hung above another spiral staircase. She detoured onto it and descended two floors into an art gallery. The polished white marble floors shined and glass-blown vases with a contemporary black-silver-red color mix glistened under spotlights on wall shelves. She walked to the rear where the crew were housed.

Beep. “Wildcat. Two doors down, on your left.”

She turned the knob. Locked. Zoe used her magnetic pick from her shoe to unlock it.

Her face scrunched into a suspicious frown, Leah sat cross-legged on a queen-sized bed. Two Barbie ballerina dolls were in her lap. Dressed in a red short-sleeved T-shirt and blue capri pants, her long chestnut braid was draped over her left shoulder. She looked healthy. Lazos hadn’t appeared to have harmed her.

Zoe said in Greek, “Hi, Leah! I’m Zoe. Do you remember me? I tried to help you last week during a fight on the street.”

Leah studied Zoe. Her expression became less suspicious, but she still frowned.

She remembered, Zoe realized with relief.

Leah said in English, “How do you know my name?”

“I know a lot about you,” Zoe answered back in English. “I know you’re a smart lady. I can talk to you in Greek or English. Which do you prefer?”

Her expression belligerent, Leah said again in English, “How do you know about me?”

“Okay, we’ll talk in English. I learned about you from people who want to keep you safe. They sent me here. You need to come with me. We must leave.”

As Zoe took slow steps toward the bed, she surveyed the spacious nautical-themed room. Photos of sailboats and ships covered the white walls, and anchors and wooden steering wheels decorated the aqua bedspread. A generic unisex bedroom.

“Where’s Mr. Lazos?” Leah said.

Zoe stopped. Now how to answer? Mercedes had developed a profile on Leah, and during their briefing in preparation for this op Mercedes’s advice had been to talk to Leah like an adult. Mitropoulos had kept her isolated, homeschooling her with a tutor. There’d been no playtime with other children.

In a quiet voice, Zoe said, “He’s no longer alive.”

“Oh.” Leah’s lower lip trembled, and she looked down at her dolls. Her head shot up and she said with fierceness, “How do you know he’s dead?”

“Because I saw his body. We need to go. Now.” Zoe resumed her walk toward her.

“Why do we have to leave?” The stubborn curl to her mouth tightened as Zoe reached the bed.

“Because you’ll be in danger if you stay.”

“What happened to Mr. Lazos? Why did he die?”

So many questions. What was Isabel thinking? Kids were a pain in the ass. Suppressing her irritation, Zoe sat on the edge of the bed. I can do this. Her job was to befriend Leah, and she was a good actress.

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