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Back Vortex Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

“Jordan never played lacrosse again but he did graduate, probably went to some Ivy League college, no doubt, which is what the great majority of Bennington students do. I heard he’s fine now, lives in Montpelier, runs his family’s chain of restaurants.” He paused a moment, pointed to the photo. “You think this man is Alex? Why do you care? Why would anyone care?”

Mia shrugged. “Just a bit of interest, that’s all. Since you knew him very well for four years I thought I’d ask.”

“It could be Alex, but Ms. Briscoe, you should show this to Alex, not me.” He straightened in his chair, suddenly stiff, his eyes narrowed. “Wait. Why did you show me that photo? Why does it matter if Alex Harrington tore his earlobe? Surely an injury that minor can’t be important to your article.”

Mia gave him a fat smile. “A friend of his showed me the photo, name of Benny Holmes, said he’d been to a great party with Alex, celebrating something, he couldn’t remember, someone took this photo and he’d kept it. Before I used it, I wanted to be sure it was really Alex.”

Wiliker was getting suspicious. She couldn’t blame him, she’d gotten too heavy-handed. But she’d gotten what she wanted. Time to pack up her tent and go home. Mia tucked her tablet back in her messenger bag, slipped her cell into her coat pocket, and rose. She quickly pulled on her coat. “I won’t take any more of your time. Thank you, Coach Wiliker, you’ve added depth, some fine details I’ll be able to use in my article. When I see Alex, I’ll tell him I spoke with you, tell him how fondly you remember him.”

That bit of praise unbent him enough to shake her hand.

Mia was back on the road and headed to New York City a few minutes later. Now she could keep her promise to Pilar Kaplan, the administrative assistant she’d spoken to at Harvard when she had stopped there to talk to Alex’s professors. No need to give her name out to anyone as a witness. Pilar had been quite sure it was Alex in the picture, claimed she recognized his old bracelet, said he never took it off. Now Mia knew Alex Harrington’s earlobe had been torn by a lacrosse stick when he was sixteen.

You didn’t get it fixed until much later, right, Alex? Why? Was it when you took charge of your family’s business in New York? She could find the doctor who repaired his earlobe if he denied it, and Tommy Maitland could get the police report on Teresa Jacobs, the girl who went missing at Bennington, just as Serena did at the Delta Rho Phi rave.

27

Olivia

Safe House

Wednesday evening