In the months since Todd disappeared, Lara continued to harbor suspicions that her mother knew more than she was telling. Now those suspicions were beginning to feel confirmed. “That painting could be worth millions.”

“Or it’s worthless.” Audrey dismissed Lara with her hand.

“Gaston doesn’t think so and he’s an art expert.”

“Then I’ll go to Paris with Gaston, not you.”

Lara inhaled, putting her hand on her hip and straightening her body. She decided the best approach was to say nothing.

After a good minute of silence, her mother finally spoke. “Say something.”

Lara shrugged. “I have nothing to add. As much as it pains me to tell you, Mother, you’ve kept things from me.” Her mother began to protest, but Lara put her hand up to stop her. “You’ll deny it, of course, but we both know it. I’m going to Paris. End of discussion. If this is about Gaston, I don’t need him to go with me. I can meet with Edward Binghampton Barrow the Fourth myself. It’s our family’s painting.”

Audrey’s nostrils flared. “What on earth have I kept from you? I… I told you that I don’t know—”

“Nothing,” said Lara, cutting her mother off sharply. “You’ve told me nothing.”

“Because there is nothing to tell, Lara,” said Audrey, taking a drink of her coffee, then setting the cup down on the counter with a thud. “You’re beginning to sound crazy.”

Audrey wasn’t manipulative. For her mother to keep something from her this long, and to protest this much, meant that Audrey was frightened. And for Audrey to be frightened, it had to be something big. Combining this hunch with what Shane Speer had said to her at the circus and what the man had confirmed last night, Lara thought she’d try to bluff. “I know that she’s trying to kill me.” She stared confidently into her mother’s eyes, not blinking.

Audrey nearly yelped, causing the dogs to lift their heads instantly. “Who told you?”

Lara’s knees went weak. While she thought she was being clever, she really hadn’t anticipated being correct. “The man at the circus.”

“What man at the circus?” Audrey’s eyes widened.

“The fortune-teller.” In exchange for information, Lara had promised Althacazur that she would not tell her mother about him. She thought it wise to keep that promise.

Her mother visibly relaxed. “Oh, my dear, you cannot possibly think that poor teenaged boy was correct about anything. Hell, he wasn’t even through puberty yet.”

But Lara’s bluff had worked. Someone was trying to kill her, and the comment about “the man” had upset her mother terribly. Lara just hadn’t mentioned the right man: Althacazur.