Page 104 of Fracture

“Neither do I. Where do you want to meet?”

“Do you remember where we met last time?”

Lorelei drew a breath and closed her eyes. She saw flowers, big red ones. Water ran by, not too fast but steady. There was a building, glass. Like a greenhouse or conservatory. Lorelei knew the place. “Yes. I know where we met.”

“Two hours,” the woman said, then hung up the phone without another word.

Lorelei sucked in a breath and lowered the phone. She kept her eyes closed and replayed the conversations with the woman. The one that just ended, then the one they had when Lorelei was at the wedding.

“I need your help. That case you’re working on. I have information for you, but someone’s been following me.”

“Can you get to our usual spot? I can meet you in an hour.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You’ll be there, right?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Lorelei hung up and headed for the exit. Mackenzie and Dawn stopped her and asked where she was going. She knew the informant. They’d met before. It was safe.

Lorelei went to the hotel where she’d been staying. She changed out of the dress she wore to the wedding, swapping the satin and heels for jeans and sneakers.

Meeting an informant alone was something she’d done a million times. She didn’t need backup for it. She was fine alone. Even though this meeting was more important than any other one she’d ever had in her career.

Lorelei parked her car and walked down the path toward the large glass building. The dome seemed to sparkle in the black of night, the inhabitants sleeping. A cluster of trees in front hid a bench that was perfect for quiet conversations. It had become a spot Lorelei used for meeting informants more than once.

The woman crept out of the dark when Lorelei arrived. Her jeans and black shirt made her almost invisible until she moved.

“Were you followed?” the woman asked.

Lorelei shook her head. “Were you?”

“I don’t think so. Not tonight.”

“Who’s been following you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen the same vehicle parked outside work three nights in a row. And it was down the street from my apartment before that.”

“What kind of vehicle was it?”

“A black SUV. Tinted windows and black roof racks.”

Lorelei fought the eye roll that ached to come out. Black SUVs were a dime a dozen and could have been a different one every time. “How do you know they were following you?”

“When I would leave, the SUV would follow me.”

Lorelei nodded. That was something. But the informant was paranoid and frequently thought someone was after her, even though Lorelei had never found any evidence of it.

“You said you had information for me?”

The woman nodded. “There’s a house down the street from my apartment. One of those women who was on the news was there. Edie something.”

“Edie Warren?” Lorelei asked.