Page 104 of The Newcomer
Vikki looked expectantly at Letty. “What should I say?”
Letty got up and went into the bedroom, where her niece was turned on her side, clutching Ellie to her cheek. She shut the door and went back to the dining area.
“Point out that it’s after nine o’clock, and she’s asleep.”
“Should we take a photo of her, to prove it?” Vikki asked.
Letty’s reply was sharp. “No. I don’t want her to wake up and think something is wrong. If Evan doesn’t like it, too bad.”
“Good idea,” Vikki said.
It’s after 9. She’s asleep. Long day.
Wingfield’s text was to the point.
No proof, no money.
Joe peered over the agent’s shoulder, reading the text as it appeared. “What a douche. Tell him your guy doesn’t like getting stiffed. No money, no kid.”
Vikki texted Joe’s message, verbatim.
They waited.
“Okay, I’ll take a very small glass of wine,” Letty said, after fifteen minutes of pacing the room. “Otherwise, I’ll never sleep tonight.”
She took the glass of wine and stood at the sliding glass doors, looking out at the rain. What would they do if Evan balked at completing the transaction? Would the FBI have enough evidence to arrest him? How could she prove she hadn’t killed her sister? Would Evan ever face charges for killing Tanya? Would she and Maya have to return to New York? The questions swirled around in her head as the minutes ticked slowly past.
“It’s been thirty minutes,” Joe said. “Should we ping him again?”
“No,” Vikki said, standing up. She yawned loudly. “Let Wingfield stew about it overnight. I’m going to bed. If I hear from him, I’ll let you know.”
She went to the sliding glass doors and stood beside Letty for a moment. “Don’t worry,” she said softly. “We’ll nail this guy. I promise you, Evan Wingfield is not going to get away with this. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Joe gathered up the pizza box and the paper plates and placed them in the kitchen trash bin. He corked the wine bottle and placed it on the counter.
“I’m gonna shove off too,” he told Letty.
“No more sleeping on my patio, or in your truck out in that parking lot,” Letty said, trying to look severe. “Go home. You heard Vikki. They’re gonna get Evan. Maya and I will be fine.”
He cocked one eyebrow and studied her. “Will you? Seems like you’ve been through a lot. Especially today. I get that you’re physically okay. But what about up here?” He tapped her forehead.
“Truthfully? I’m a mess, emotionally. I need a good night’s sleep, and then Maya and I will get up in the morning, and we’ll somehow get through this. Because we don’t have a choice.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “You’re a ballsy chick, Letty Carnahan. You know that?”
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
He placed the flat of his hand on her back and it lingered there, for a moment. “I have lots of real compliments. You know, when you’re ready to hear them.”
Letty walked him to the front door and locked it behind him.
“Don’t forget the security latch,” he said, his voice muffled by the door that stood between them.
“Go home.”
When she heard his footsteps echoing outside in the breezeway, she stood with her back to the door, feeling a mixture of relief and regret. She had come so close to caving in, to asking him to stay, to allowing herself to give into her growing attraction to Joe DeCurtis. For tonight, anyway, she’d managed to dodge that bullet.
