Harp was composed now, back to her confident self. “It wasn’t easy. I made it to Vegas on what I took from the Pinks. Got a job, went to school at night, and learned about computers. I worked my way up at a big casino as their tech person. I thought I’d pulled it off. But one day I was on the strip, and I saw someone I thought I recognized, someone who worked for Cross. He didn’t see me, but I was spooked. I quit my job and fled to Atlantic City. There, I met a man who was a lot older than me and I married him. For the first time I felt reasonably safe from Cross.”

“I searched your background. I never found that you were married.”

“Because his name wasn’t Harp. I was so freaked that for a while I was even agoraphobic. After he died, he left me a boatload of money. I used it to buy a new identity. And by hacking, I removed as much of my past from the public record as possible. I discovered that I had a talent for hacking. It was more out of a need for self-preservation because it was how I kept tabs on Cross.”

“Wait.” Tess stopped her, something Bass told her about catching Cross clicking. They’d been tipped off to all the porn on his computer by an unnamed source. “Were you by chance the anonymous tip that tripped Cross up?”

A faint smile showed. “Well, he was a sloppy man. It was only after he died that I truly felt alive. But in keeping up with what Cross was doing, I also found out what Beck was doing. He wasn’t nearly as sloppy as Cross. And he had Ice working for him. He really scared me. That was why I came here, to live off the grid. I was afraid because I knew Beck was worse than Cross.”

She leaned back against the couch, closed her eyes, and stretched, raising her arms in the air. “Oh, wow, is it really over now?”

Tess stood. “It’s over. He can’t worm his way out of this one.”

Oliver stepped close. Tess could see that his brow was furrowed with worry.

“Do you think he was telling the truth about the bomb?”

Hands on her hips, Tess shook her head. “I don’t know. All we can do is wait and see.”

Oliver brought a hand to his face as if he were going to scratch his stitches and then changed his mind.

“What is it?” Tess asked.

“I just remembered our conversation, a while ago. We spoke of Beck and evil and God’s forgiveness. I have a confession to make.”

“Oh?”