IT WAS 9:30 P.M. WHEN THEY LEFT THE RUM HOUSE. THEIR NEXT DESTINATION was not discussed, but they headed back toward the Lowell. As they walked, they heard a pop behind them, turned, and saw the cascading streaks of an arching firework far off in the distance. The fireworks display was staged near the Brooklyn Bridge and set off from barges on the East River. A pinwheel rocketed into the sky and expanded into a burst of brightness. The subtle boom came a second later, delayed by having to travel halfway up the island of Manhattan to reach them. They stood quietly and watched for a minute. Walt felt Avery take his hand and intertwine her fingers with his. After a few minutes they turned and headed to Avery’s hotel.

When they reached the front entrance, Avery tugged and he followed her inside. The elevator deposited them on the eighth floor. Walt felt his shirt begin to stick to his back again, and preemptively blotted his forehead with the back of his hand. He followed Avery down the hallway and stood behind her as she unlocked the door. Following her through the entryway, he spotted the thin metal box on the edge of the coffee table. To him, it was as obvious as if another person were standing in the room waiting for them.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Avery said. “I’ll be right out.”

As soon as the bathroom door closed Walt exhaled, allowing his shoulders to relax and his chin to drop to his chest. He hurried over and grabbed the box. If he planned to plant the bugs, now would be the time to do it. It took him only a fraction of a second to decide against it. He would not allow Avery’s private conversations to be recorded. Jim Oliver could go to hell. He dropped the box into his pocket just as Avery walked from the bathroom.

He checked his watch. “You know what? I think I’m going to get going.”

Avery walked over to him and put her hands on his chest. She kissed his lips, and all the guilt and apprehension Walt had felt earlier in the night evaporated. He pulled her close so their hips touched, then he lifted her off her feet and carried her a few paces until they fell onto the bed. The pages of Victoria Ford’s manuscripts flew like confetti into the air. Neither noticed.

CHAPTER 51 - Manhattan, NY Monday, July 5, 2021

CHAPTER 51

Manhattan, NY Monday, July 5, 2021

THEY JOGGED THE TRAILS THROUGH CENTRAL PARK ON MONDAY morning. When they had woken thirty minutes earlier, the awkwardness from the previous morning was gone. Avery had felt no need to sneak out. Instead, she had leaned over his sleeping body and whispered in his ear.

“I need a run.”

Walt slivered an eye open. “Is that your way of making me leave?”