Chapter 26 #3
“Mr. Wilder!” The mechanic waves from the garage. “Almost thought you weren’t coming. We were about to close up.”
“Sorry about that,” I say, water dripping from my jacket onto the floor. “Work’s been crazy.”
“No problem. Your sister’s brand new car is all fixed up,” he says, wiping his hands on a rag. “Replaced the slashed tires, fixed the broken windows, repainted the keyed panels. Good as new now.”
I nod, thinking about how impatient Megan’s been without her car.
“Thanks for rushing the job. She’s been driving everyone crazy having to be driven around everywhere.
” I sign the paperwork and grab the keys, doing a quick walk-around of the car.
Megan babies this thing like it’s her firstborn.
The least I can do is make sure it’s in perfect condition before I hand it back to her.
“Thanks again,” I call to the mechanic as I slide into the driver’s seat, the familiar leather interior smelling of Megan’s lavender air freshener.
The drive to my parents’ brownstone on Park Avenue takes longer than usual with the rain slowing traffic to a crawl.
Headlights reflect off the wet roads, and the wipers struggle to keep up with the downpour.
By the time I pull up outside the familiar building, the digital clock on the dashboard reads 8:47.
I’m already calculating how quickly I can get back to the office—to Eve.
I park Megan’s car in the driveway and text her: ‘Your precious baby is back. Come get your keys.’
The response is immediate: ‘In my room working. Come up.’
Rolling my eyes, I dash through the rain to the front door, getting soaked all over again in the process. Mom must have heard the door because she appears in the hallway, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.
“Caleb! You’re soaked!” she exclaims, taking in my dripping clothes. “Let me get you a towel.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I say, running a hand through my wet hair. “Just dropping off Megan’s car. I need to get back to the office.”
“In this weather? You’ll catch your death,” she frowns, but she knows better than to try to stop me when it comes to work. “At least take an umbrella with you.”
I nod, already heading for the stairs. “Sure. I’m going to give Megan her keys.”
“Dinner’s almost ready if you want to stay!” Mom calls after me.
“Can’t tonight, Mom. Big launch tomorrow,” I call back, taking the stairs two at a time.
Megan’s door is half-open, and I can hear her muttering to herself inside. I knock twice before pushing the door wider.
“Special delivery,” I announce, dangling her car keys. “One overpriced German engineering marvel, good as new.”
Megan doesn’t look up from her desk, where she’s surrounded by what looks like hundreds of photographs. She’s wearing a pair of trendy oversized glasses as she studies the images intently.
“Just put them on the bed,” she says distractedly, shuffling through the pictures.
I toss the keys onto her comforter and walk closer. “What’s with all these kid photos?”
That gets her attention. She glances at me over the rims of her glasses. “It’s for a project.”
“What kind of project requires a million pictures of kids?” I ask, peering over her shoulder at the scattered photos.
“It’s for my internship,” she explains, suddenly animated. “We’re designing a children’s clothing line, and I have to choose models for the catalog shoot.”
I glance at the photos spread across her desk. They’re professional headshots of children, all around six to eight years old, with profiles and information clipped to each one.
“Aren’t they a little young to be models?” I ask, frowning as I pick up one of the headshots.
“It’s just for a catalog,” Megan shrugs. “Child models make good money these days. Some of these kids are supporting their families.”
I put down the photo, looking at the dozens of others. My eyes linger on one of them, and I frown. I pick it up, and something tugs at the back of my mind, an uncomfortable prickling sensation that I can’t quite place. I’ve seen this kid before. I know it. I just—Where though?
“Who is this? Has he been in something before?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual even as my heart rate picks up. Maybe I saw him in some billboard or clothing ad. That could be why he looks so eerily familiar.
Megan glances at the photo I’m holding up. “Oh, no. He’s got a brother. The two have been in small local commercials. They’re from a small town in Tennessee. They just arrived here. Their mother wants to give them some exposure.”
“A brother.” My heart is racing now. “You have any more pictures of them?”
Megan looks at me blankly for a minute. “Ah, yeah. Look behind you. There are some folders. Their portfolio should be there.”
As I search through them, she continues working. “Those two are actually my top picks. They’re brothers—the older one is eight and the younger is six. They have a single mom, so the project would really help them financially.”
I freeze, my hand hovering over the images. “You’re sure about that? A single mom?”
“Yeah,” she says, giving me a curious look. “Why? What’s going on with you?”
I flip the folder open, and my blood runs cold.
There they are—more photos of the same children, but in different settings.
My eyes land on one particular picture that has me freezing.
No wonder I thought they looked familiar.
My mind is racing now, pieces clicking together with a sickening finality.
Fuck.
“I have to go,” I say abruptly, grabbing her keys from where I just tossed them onto the bed, already backing toward the door.
“What? Hey! Where’re you going with my keys?” Megan’s voice rises in irritation. “Caleb!”
I shake my head, unable to explain. “I’ve got to get back to the office.”
“Caleb!” she calls after me again as I rush down the hallway.
My mother emerges from the kitchen as I hurry down the stairs. “Sweetheart? Where are you—”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ve gotta go. I’ll take Megan’s car.”
“What’s wrong?” She asks, her face immediately creased with worry. “At least take the umbrella by the door!”
“Nothing,” I lie, snatching the umbrella. “Just remembered something important for tomorrow’s launch.”
I’m out the door before she can say anything else, my hands already fumbling for my phone as I dash through the rain to Megan’s car. I try Eve first, cursing when it goes straight to voicemail. She’s probably deep in work mode, phone on silent.
I slide into the car, starting it with shaking hands while dialing Ethan.
Water drips from my hair onto the leather seats, but right now I couldn’t care less about Megan’s precious interior.
The rain hammers against the windshield as I pull out of the driveway, my mind racing faster than the wipers can clear the glass.
Ethan picks up on the second ring. “Caleb?”
“It’s not Joshua,” I blurt out, navigating through the flooded streets. “The mole. We’ve been looking at the wrong person this whole time. It’s not Joshua.”
There’s a pause, then Ethan’s voice comes back, suddenly sharp with focus. “I know. I’m already on my way to the office.”
“What? How—”
“Joshua is the nephew of one of the board members. They found out I was investigating him and came clean. He was looking into the leak as well. Get to the office. I’m on my way.”
He ends the call before I can tell him what I’ve discovered.
I try Eve again, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I weave through traffic. Visibility is terrible, the roads slick and hazardous, but I push the car as fast as I dare. Water splashes up from the wheels of other vehicles, momentarily blinding me as I navigate through the downpour.
All this time, we’ve been watching the wrong person. All this time, while we’ve been focused on Joshua and his suspicious behavior, the real threat was right in front of us. My jaw clenches.
I just hope I’m not too late.