Aftershocks Read Online Free Page B

small notebook out of the inside pocket of his jacket. “If you give me the number, I’ll look into it. Thomashunis made a call to Rhomney the day after he was released. I can at least find out if it’s the same number, or if the one you have is connected to either of them.”
    Zoe pulled up the last call, glad she hadn’t deleted that one like the others. “They’re going to want the totems,” she said. “Were they ever found?”
    “No. But they weren’t listed stolen property and weren’t necessary to the prosecution of the case, so no one looked for them.” He cocked his head, his brown eyes kind in his dark, impassive face. “Do you know where to find them?”
    God, she wished she did. When she’d tossed them onto that train car, she’d been so naïve, believing their disappearance would eliminate Pat and Freddie’s obsession. But she knew better now. That kind of psychotic fixation didn’t fade. To them, the totems were a treasure of immense value. There was no way they’d given up their quest for the power they believed the totems would provide them.
    “Would it matter if I did?”
    He shook his head. “The bureau has no interest in the totems. But if you knew, we could find a way to feed that information to Rhomney. Keep him off your trail.”
    Zoe wasn’t sure that would be enough. The totems—according to Pat—needed a key. And they needed someone to “activate” them. Sixteen years ago, that person had been Zoe. She didn’t know if, in Pat’s mind, it still was.
    She tried to remember everyone who had been arrested that night. The train yard now seemed an odd place to meet someone, but it had been off the beaten path, for sure. They were supposed to meet the person who had the key, something that explained the totems’ significance and how to unlock their so-called mystical powers. But they’d all still been at the rail yard when the police showed up, and as far as Zoe knew, the person with the key hadn’t been one of them. She asked Henricksen, but he had no more information than she did.
    He rose and handed her a business card. “As I said, there’s no open investigation, so I’m limited in what I can do for you. But that doesn’t mean my hands are completely tied. Keep me informed of anything that might connect. Anything that makes you nervous. Even if it seems like coincidence.”
    Zoe understood. Every detail could be used to build a case, could combine for enough reason to investigate or act. If she did become a target, this man was on her side.
    It was as reassuring as he probably meant it to be.
    “Thank you.” She accepted the card and slipped it into a sleeve in her planner. “And the phone number?”
    “If it amounts to anything, I’ll let you know.” He raised a shoulder. “Honestly, it’s probably—”
    “A burner phone. I realize that. But I appreciate your help.”
    “Good luck to you, Zoe.” He closed the door behind him on the way out.
    Zoe dropped into her desk chair and stared at nothing. Amazing how much things could change in three short days. She had the career, the love, the life she’d always wanted. Her happiness seemed solid. Grounded.
    But it was so much more delicate than she’d thought. A few words—from her to Kell, from Pat to Zoe, even from the media to her mother—could blow it all away like smoke in front of a fan.
    If Henricksen’s gut feeling was right, if Pat and Freddie came after Zoe, whether for the totems or for herself, she wouldn’t be the only one in danger. She thought of Kell. Of Olivia. And knew, with growing nausea, what she would have to do.
    Maybe not . A tiny kernel of hope remained that nothing would happen. That her captors had changed, or moved on to other obsessions. She’d look back someday not with laughter, but at least with relief and amazement at how lucky she was. She could still live the life she’d designed.
    But if she was wrong, it wouldn’t matter if she told Kell the truth or not. She’d lose