Mr. Masters doesn’t say anything else, so I clear my throat. “And your update?”
He waits like he’s unsure whether to really tell me the rest. “I believe your father might have hidden something in our offices, but I haven’t found it yet, and I’m not sure what it was.”
“He hid something? Like what? Why do you think that?” I glance over at Jordan, but he looks as confused as I feel.
“It’s half a hunch and half based on old memories.” Mr. Masters’s voice has dropped down low, like he’s telling us an important secret. “I remember him staring at a wall panel when we were in his office during a meeting once. And when I came back later, he was pushing around the corners of it—like he was trying to get it to move.”
“Well, have you checked that panel?” I ask as my mind tries to sort out what this could mean.
“It’s been almost thirteen years since that happened. I didn’t even think about it until recently—”
I cut him off. “How could you have never thought of it before now?”
He gives an exasperated sigh. “Miss Riley, have you forgotten that I’m a criminal defense attorney? If I start snooping without my clients’ permission around every case, it’s just as likely that I might find something incriminating to my clients as something that could help them. Sometimes it’s smarter to forget details like this one.”
“Oh.” This brings me up short. “So why are you looking into it now?”
His voice softens. “You need the truth. You deserve it. And I’m going to give it to you if I can.”
I’m filled with gratitude. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. It’s been so long now that I’m not certain I remember which side of the room he was on, let alone the specific panel,” Mr. Masters says, sounding frustrated. “To make it plain: I’m working on it and hope to have answers soon. Even if I find this hidden panel, though, it could be anything—from a key to solving this case to a journal of his escapades with his mistresses, or something much worse that we wish we hadn’t found. In any case, it could help us find the truth that you’re after.”
I feel ill at that last thought and don’t speak.
“I’m sorry to be so blunt, Miss Riley, but I thought you’d want to know.” Masters listens for a response even though he didn’t technically ask a question.
“Thank you, Mr. Masters. Apparently my father had far more secrets than I gave him credit for,” I murmur quietly, keeping my eyes glued to the road in front of me. “Please let me know if you find anything. Good luck with the panel.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, and I need a favor.” I bite my lip, hoping that he’ll say yes.
“Such as?”
“Can you call Polunsky right now and have them leave a one-day pass at the front desk for me to bring in a visitor?”
He’s quiet for several seconds, and then he starts laughing. “Oh, Miss Riley, after what we did to him on Wednesday, are you sure you want to go in there and start a ruckus like this plan is bound to do?”
I glance over at Jordan, who is staring out the window, his jaw clenched.
“I’ve seen him when he’s prepared, and I’ve seen him with you. Now I want to catch him off guard a bit.” I try to make my voice sound as sure as I want to be.
“Well, showing up with Vega’s son ought to do it.” He laughs one last time. “I’ll call the jail as soon as we’re off the phone.”
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” Masters doesn’t hang up. His voice muffles a bit and it sounds like he’s moving. “But be careful, young lady. Something about this whole mess is crooked as a barrel of snakes.”
Before I can say a word, he jumps in with his final advice. “Do me a favor. Don’t trust anyone.” And the line goes dead.
30
THE VISITING ROOM AT POLUNSKY is no more than eight feet long, but I can’t hold still. If anyone had asked me an hour ago who was more nervous for this visit, I would’ve said Jordan, but on the drive it’s like all the anxiety seeped out of him and found its way into me. Jordan sits at the table, his hands clasped in front of him, looking totally relaxed.
Only a few twitches from him hint at the truth. His hands clasp so tight that the skin beneath his fingers stands out white next to the rest of his olive complexion.
We tried several times during the drive out here to come up with a plan for our visit. What questions did we want to ask? What should we do? How do we best convince him to answer?