The Loving Silence

Chapter 31

"We have covered that already, Mac. He is okay. Are we?" Lune asked.

"What do you mean?" Marcus frowned.

"Has she actually showed up for the meeting?"

Mica frowned as he gently took hold of the wheelchair as Lune placed it in front of the van, just before the others. "What do you mean?"

"He means to express his concern that this might be a trap after all. A way to end things once and for all. Are we so certain that it is not?" Bly clarified.

"There is no way to know for sure, I suppose." Mica mused, "But the other party - the actress - is to remain seen as innocent until proven guilty. Trap or sincere effort to make up for her sins, we must still give this meeting a proper chance. Give her a proper chance. We did not come all this way for naught. If there is a chance the boy will have his peace, then whatever risk the situation holds, is a risk I am willing to take."

"As am I. Good or bad, I want to hear what she has to say. I need to. I realise I am being selfish, but I cannot think of another way to act presently." Rue declared.

"Stop. You are not selfish and we all know that. That much has been clear since we met. You do not have it in you to spread such nonsense. I am not—"

But what he was not, the others did not get to hear. The phone in Mica's hand went off, and whoever was on the other line was calling from the girl's phone. He showed Jules the number and he mouthed "Answer". And so he did.

"Hello? Who am I speaking to?" Mica asked in a tone that was far more confident than he was currently feeling.

"It's me. There's been a change of plans."

"How so?"

"I can't make it to the meeting place in time. I'm afraid I will have to be a little late. Someone has been watching me since we last spoke, and I am worried it might be them. We can't be too careful, any of us. We cannot let them find us."

"By them, do you mean Cole and Nass?"

"Yes, naturally! The police did not catch them. Were you not aware of that? Adam must have helped them escape. And if they are with Adam, then all the more reason to tread lightly. God help us all."

"Who is Adam?" Lune whispered.

Jules shrugged. "Ask him" he whispered to Mica.

"Who is Adam?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

"If you are trying to insult me, it is not working. What are you talking about?"

She made an unintelligible noise and groaned. "I'll tell you everything when I get there. But in short, Adam is the man who pretended to be that other lawyer at your firm. The one that you had previously fired. Adam is almost as sick as Cole, and certainly as diabolical. Nass is the most sane one out of the three, but he is likely too self-preserving to stand up to the other two. The police do not know about Adam."

"Where did they find him? He is not an actual lawyer, is he?"

"No, of course not. He is no more a lawyer than I am that young man's relative's friend. But while I am an actual actress, Adam is merely a very talented and well-practiced liar. You cannot trust a word he says. And if it is to avoid getting caught or to make sure his lies are believed, there is no action he would not take. He does not feel things like most people do. In fact, he can't. It's like that part of him is out of order. He will never understand why his actions are bad, nor will he ever change. He can't."