Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
After I hang up, I video call Charlotte and explain things all over again. But she’s not quite so easy to convince. She can smell a fishy story from a mile away, and she makes me promise to keep in touch with her weekly, no matter what. Guilt eats at me when she tells me how worried she’s been. But what’s even more concerning is that she went to the house to check on me, only to discover that Narcissa and the girls are gone.
They couldn’t possibly be out looking for me, could they?
I dismiss the idea as ridiculous, and as soon as I hang up with Charlotte, I try to call the manor. But true to Charlotte’s word, the phone just rings and goes to voicemail. It doesn’t make any sense, and the more I think about it, the more confused I get.
Narcissa doesn’t have any other family to speak of, so where would they go? It’s a question that disturbs me all the way through breakfast. But given that I don’t have any answers, I decide to put it aside for the time being and focus on what I need to do while I still have my phone.
Pulling up an incognito browser, I type Nerium Oleander into the search engine and wait for the results to pop up. After reading through the first few paragraphs, I conclude that it’s a flowering shrub, which only adds to my confusion. Why would Thorsen have this in a bottle? Is it some kind of a liquid concentrate? And what is he planning to do with it?
After searching through a few more articles, the answer sends a shiver down my spine. The oleander plant is known for its cardiotoxicity, and I suspect the concentration in that blue bottle is likely fatal. I don’t even know how to begin processing that information.
The first initial thought I have is that he must intend to use it on someone, but I quickly dismiss that as a crazy notion. Thorsen drugged me to bring me here, but there’s no way he would actually poison me. Or anyone else for that matter. But the alternative is something too dark to consider.
And then I recall that note in his calendar after he sends me home. Aokigahara Forest. When I first saw it, I thought he was going on a holiday. But what if it isn’t? What if it’s something so sinister, my mind can’t even admit the possibility?
“Thor?”
The phone in my hand clatters onto the table as I discover Calder standing in the entryway, and we both freeze.
“I was looking for Thor,” he says, his eyes darting away.
“He isn’t here.” I close out the browser on my phone and turn off the screen. “He said he had to go out this morning.”
Calder frowns. “There wasn’t anything on his schedule.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know where he went.”
We’re both quiet, and I think he’s just going to leave, which would probably be best. It’s more than awkward between us now, and from the awful look on his face, I’m guessing Thorsen still hasn’t spoken to him yet.
“You’re the girl from the ball in London,” he says finally. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I admit.
He walks around the table, opting to take a seat at the far end, away from me. “I should have known.”
“I should have told you when you didn’t recognize me,” I say. “Or asked Thorsen what he wanted that night. I just assumed…”
“You assumed his brother was giving you reliable information.” Calder shakes his head. “I swear, I never would have done anything if I’d known he felt that way. He’s never wanted anyone for himself. It just… it caught me off guard. I thought I was helping him with you.”
“I think he has it pretty well handled.”
“I get that now,” he says. “But he still hasn’t spoken to me. I’ve been calling and texting. We’ve never gone this long without talking.”
“I’m so sorry.” I focus on my plate, hating that the entire situation went down the way it did. “I never wanted to hurt him either.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time he’s heard that,” Calder remarks.
“If you want to accuse me of something, go ahead and say it,” I challenge him. “So far, I’ve done nothing to hurt him. My phone is right here, and you don’t see any media reports on him yet, do you?”
He studies me, trying to determine if I’m trustworthy, and then sighs. “Trust me when I say I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you have to understand how many people have taken advantage of him before. A lot of people seem trustworthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“I get it.” My tone softens. “I’ve seen the papers. And I know Thorsen isn’t the man they portray him to be.”
“You’re probably the first woman to say that who actually means it.” Calder smiles. “I can see why he likes you.”