Because Maria had never been part of Dr. Manning’s endgame in the first place?
In Colin’s mind, the answers began to tumble fast, clarity emerging… the name on the letterhead and why it seemed so familiar… why Maria’s place had been trashed… how Lester had known about Carmen’s birthday… the real meaning behind the words that had been painted in the bedroom…
You will know how it feels…
Dropping the glass, Colin burst from the kitchen, through the living room, and down the short hallway into Maria’s bedroom. He located her bags and spotted her laptop in her tote bag. Grabbing it, he flipped up the lid, thinking, No, no, no… please God, let me be wrong about this…
He opened the search program and typed in the name of the foundation that had awarded Serena’s scholarship… wanted to see it… prayed for it to come up…
No website displayed; just a notice saying the site had been taken down and that the domain name was available.
No, no, no…
He typed in Avery Manning’s name and recognized the same links he’d perused after he and Maria had met with Margolis the first time. He remembered the link that had included Avery Manning’s photograph, and clicked on it even as he rushed back to the living room. Looking up, he spotted Carmen, but not Felix.
“Carmen!” he shouted, hoping she’d be able to understand what he was about to say.
Relatives turned his way, alarmed. Colin ignored them. Ignored Carmen’s sudden expression of fright. From the corner of his eye, he saw the back slider opening, Maria about to enter.
By then, he’d reached Carmen. He held up the computer and was pointing to the photograph.
“Do you recognize him?” Colin said, talking loud and fast. Fear now building to panic. “Is this the man who came to the house for dinner? Is this the director of the foundation?”
Carmen began shaking her head. “No sé… No entiendo… Habla más despacio, por favor.”
“What’s going on?” Maria cried. “What are you doing, Colin? You’re scaring her!”
“It’s him!” Colin shouted.
“Who?” Maria yelled, his fear contagious. “What’s happening?” By then, Felix had come rushing through the slider, too, followed by Evan and Lily, more relatives…
“Look at him!” Colin said to Carmen, pointing to the photograph, lowering his voice, trying and failing to sound calm. “Look at the photo! The director! Is this him? Is this who came to your house for dinner?”
“?Mira la foto, Mamá!” Maria translated, moving next to her. “?Es ésto el director de la fundación? ?Quién vino a la casa para la cena?”
Carmen’s eyes swiveled in terror between Colin and Maria before she leaned in to scrutinize the photo on the screen. After a moment, she began nodding quickly.
“?Sí!” Carmen said, seemingly on the verge of tears. “Charles Alexander! ?él es el director! ?él estaba aquí en la casa!”
“Colin!” Maria yelled, grabbing his arm. He turned, his panicked gaze on her.
“Where’s Serena?” he demanded. “Where is she?”
“At the interview, you know that… What’s wrong?”
“Where’s the interview? Where’s it taking place?”
“I don’t know. I guess at the foundation’s office…”
“Where’s the office?” Colin shouted.
“Downtown… on the waterfront,” Maria stammered. “The older commercial area, not the historic district. Tell me what’s happening!”
Abandoned buildings, Colin thought. Foreclosed buildings. Fire… Thoughts falling as fast as shuffling cards… Dr. Manning no longer caring whether he could get to Maria… Maria needing to know how it feels… Because it wasn’t only about making Maria experience Cassie’s terror, it was about punishing Maria, making her feel the same way Dr. Manning and Lester felt after someone they loved had been murdered.
Oh, God…
“Call the police!” Colin shouted. “Call 911!”