THE HEIRESS HE ABANDONED

idence, Mireya realised the woman had not come to su

from the other side of the study. Nobody spoke for several seconds. The silence was so unc

dette

long time,

the greeting. "I don't

would be better if

should have t

ults, but he had never been particularly goo

t come here to exchange insults.

ou hid from me, or the one you brought int

d. "Mireya, this

ecomes the wrong place whe

rhaps we should calm down. This

m unusually interested in a family

time, Odette's

y trying

ame appears beside Julian's in docum

d snapped to

rew her hand

he exchange. "You

"I'm beginning to think every

. "Julian Kells was involved in the original foundation's administration.

repeated. "You're speak

y ans

er more than any ex

mplicated. Whatever happened between him and the

ocument connected to his a

d. "I was handling a

my ide

ow the full

s conv

nal trust has been inactive for years. T

ed. "You don't have the auth

ally,

nto the room lik

t her. "What di

oken too quickly. She glanced at Do

ndle certain matters after Ju

oxy to preserve records and protect the beneficiaries. You were

cheeks lo

r. "You knew she had authority over s

ad a limited

n't think to

s involved in this pa

ing to understand why people keep

going nowhere. Mireya, come with me.

still think you can take me somewhere

ng to pro

hat? Th

You have no idea what you'

explai

id no

ared at the doorway, ho

he gate. The sender requested that i

Mireya took it from his ha

ten across the fr

a single

at appeared to be an old Calder Meridian building. Both men were smi

a handwritten

erit the truth. You were suppo

read it

sent

d the handwritin

ice lacked

rian. "Have you

N

emained fixed o

a not

you stari

m n

cognise

. "I knew Julian.

becomes uncomfortable whene

t, the polished woman who always seemed

wasn't the man y

ely turned towa

e cont

ouldn't keep, involved people who should never have been i

pulse quicken.

sed her lip

d closer. "Th

id. "I want to

ked direct

die, Mireya. His disap

m fell

face had

lowered himsel

licly declared dead. There had been a funeral, an official record,

ying something en

ged it?" M

e hes

looked at

di

ned toward

eadable, but his silence was

hat t

xplain ever

y n

tening who would use anything

d for the photograph.

on

to give th

hy

ants you to believe someth

prov

d no

e vibrat

essage came from

ened it i

ther didn't arrange Julian's disappearance alo

eath c

message

ter. The name recorded as the w

ared at t

ong?" Alis

ked up

sent anoth

eplied. "You shouldn't trust an

hy

is phone could be usin

owed. "Unless Dani

dy s

ian's ph

rained from his face. He rejected the call

w the sen

AN K

ly turned th

was t

toward him, her

"Why is your supposedly d

uld answer, the