“Wow,” he said, shaking his head as if he’d just taken a punch to the jaw.

Avery stood with her hands on her hips, her breasts covered only by her bra. She stared unblinking for a moment, then walked back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. It was a full minute before she heard Walt’s voice.

“Hey,” he said through the door. “What’s going on?”

The last time he was in her hotel room, the bed had been covered with Victoria’s manuscripts. This morning, it was covered with the photos of Walt following her. She wanted him to see them. She wanted him to know that she knew.

“Avery,” he said again. “She was set up. Someone planted Victoria’s blood at the crime scene. And her urine. I have the evidence to prove it. The blood came from a . . . Do you use cotton tampons, by the way? Because if you do, you have to stop right away.”

Avery stood on the other side of the door, thoroughly confused. She wanted to answer him. She wanted to ask what it was he had discovered about Victoria, but she stopped herself from speaking. The Victoria Ford story had taken a backseat to her most pressing issue. More than anything, she wanted him to see the photos that were laid out on the bed. Eventually, she heard Walt close the hotel door. She listened to his footsteps as he walked into the room. She imagined him staring at the photos. It was another minute before she heard him back outside the bathroom.

“Hey,” he said in a quiet voice. “We need to talk.”

She pulled the door open. “No shit.”

Avery walked past him. Walt followed but she made sure to stand on the other side of the bed so that the photos of him were between them. She raised a finger but paused before she spoke, gathering her thoughts and words.

“Did you sleep with me to get information about my family?”

“No,” Walt said with some force. “I slept with you because—”

She held up an opened palm to stop him from saying more. It worked.

“Was the story about Meghan even true?”

“Every word of it.”

“You promise me?”

“On my life.”

“Good. Then I need your help.”

Walt paused for a moment. “With what?”

Avery swallowed hard. “My father.”

PART V - The Long Game

PART V

The Long Game

CHAPTER 59 - Manhattan, NY Thursday, July 8, 2021

CHAPTER 59

Manhattan, NY Thursday, July 8, 2021