“We don’t know that your dad was bad as well, Bianca.” Jakob squeezed my hand.
“Mrs. Renee said they were all bad.” Pain rippled through me. “What could my father have done, Jakob? I don’t know why or how he could have been involved in all of this.”
“It could be a trick, Bianca. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe they want you to doubt your father and yourself.”
“Why did my dad leave me that letter? What was he hoping I’d figure out?” My voice cracked as my emotions overcame me. “I always thought my parents had the perfect marriage and it was stopped short by my mother’s accident. But what if all that was a lie? What if they never had a perfect love and a perfect life?” I put my face in my hands.
“It’ll be okay, Bianca. We’ll get to the bottom of everything, I promise you. We won’t stop until we have all the answers.” Jakob held me close to him, but all I could keep thinking was Is this something I really want to know? What had my father been involved with? What had gone on all those years ago between Bradley, London, and Maxwell? Somehow I had a feeling that Rosie was just the tip of the iceberg.
“Hey, Blake, it’s me,” I said into the phone, trying to sound casual as Jakob drove us back to Manhattan.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“We have more information.” I paused. “It’s about Rosie.”
“Okay.” His voice was short at the mention of my friend.
“We think she might be the daughter of the attorney Larry Renee.”
“No way!” Blake’s voice sounded positively giddy and I frowned.
“That’s not something to be happy about.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“We think that Larry Renee is actually Maxwell.”
“Maxwell of Bradley, London, and Maxwell?”
“Yes.” I could feel Jakob’s eyes on me, but I didn’t turn to face him. I was confused and upset, and all I wanted was to be alone to think by myself in a hot bath.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“We want you to find any links between Rosie and Larry. Also, see if you can find any connection between Larry and Maxwell.”
“And ask him to check out Mrs. Maxwell as well,” Jakob intervened. “She obviously seems to have a role if she was threatening Mrs. Renee.”
“Yeah, see if you can find out anything about Rosie’s mom.” I shook my head in annoyance. “I can’t believe I never pushed to meet her. We’ve been friends for all these years, yet I never even really knew who she was.”
“You know, I always thought something was off with her,” Blake said matter-of-factly. “I don’t know why you never saw it.”
“There’s a lot of things I don’t seem to see.”
“That’s true,” Blake said quietly.
I blushed. “So that’s it.” I made to end the conversation. “Can you check today?”
“Yeah, I’ll head out to the library now. Though I think I’ll go to NYU’s campus.”
“You can get into the library without a student ID?”
“I can get in anywhere.” He laughed. “Do you want to meet up tonight? Maybe we can discuss what I find over dinner.”
“Dinner sounds great.” I nodded and heard Jakob clearing his throat. I looked over at him and he had an eyebrow raised. “Jakob and I would love to join you for dinner.”
“Great.” Blake sounded disappointed. “I’ll call you tonight with a place to meet. And don’t worry, Bianca, if there’s something to be found, I’ll find it.”
“Thanks, Blake. And good luck.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it.” Blake chuckled. “Do you think the Romans had the greatest empire in all of civilization due to luck?”
“I think the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Greeks, and the Mayans would all beg to differ with your statement.”
“Touché. I’m sure they would.” Blake laughed. “Don’t worry, I got this.”
“Just be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me, Bianca. Napoléon once said, ‘I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one and when to be the other.’?” Blake paused. “And while I may not be a politician, I know how to play many different roles to get the information I need.”
“Good luck, my friend. I’ve missed you and your random quotes.”
“I’ve missed you too, Bianca. I’m glad to be able to help you with this. Stay safe and I’ll see you and lover boy at dinner later tonight.”
I turned to Jakob after I hung up. “I want you to drop me off at my apartment. I want to pick up some of my stuff to take back to your place. I didn’t take enough with me.”
“That’s fine. I’ll help you pack.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I want to take my time, see what I think I’m going to need for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be fine. I’ll come to your place once I’m done, and then we can go over everything while Blake does his research.”
“Take a cab on the way back then. I don’t want you taking the subway.”
“That’s fine.”
“Do you have enough money?”