Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4) novel Chapter 56

Trina stared at her.

“I-I thought you were Undent?”

“I am,” Natalia said.

“She’s as close to being a Viperian as any Undent can be,” Tia said. “The only thing she can’t do is envenomate.”

“I’ve never seen one…“

“Survive?” Tia said.

Trina nodded.

“Uri did a good job,” Tia said.

“Who...who does Alfie think is going to make him happy?” Cora said.

She sniffed and coughed to clear her throat.

“We can’t say. Like any legal system we can’t convict until there’s a trial,” Tia said. “We’re still gathering evidence.”

Cora suddenly looked very tired.

“I-I thought he was finally coming around. I was trying so hard to please him,” Cora said.

She sniffed and daintily blew her nose.

“Cora, we need your help,” Tia said.

She sounded as if she was choosing her words carefully.

“I tried so hard. This is devastating...” she said.

More tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m always here for you,” Trina said, leaning forward.

“You are such a good woman,” Cora said.

“Cora, we really need your help. We need to follow somethings through to see who the guilty parties really are. It’s possible that Alfie is just a tool. Just like they wanted to use you. We have to make sure before we start assigning guilt.”

Cora looked up from her tissue.

“Don’t turn your back on him yet,” Tia said. “We could be wrong in our suspicions.”

Natalia recognized the tactic that Tia was using, working on Cora’s emotions.

“What do I do?”

“You must act like you normally do. Go back to work. Go home. Continue to pretend you’re going on the trip. Don’t tell Alfie anything.”

“We can stay busy in your room. You don’t even have to face him,” Trina said. “It’s pretty much how it’s been the last week anyway. I’ll bring your dinner up.”

“He’s so busy with his work and things,” Cora said.

Natalia wanted to tell her to stop making excuses for him, but she held her tongue.

“Tomorrow, let him take the luggage to the ship like he wants. But you are not to go to the jail. You stay home. Trina, you make sure she stays home. If you can get more people to stay with you two, the better.”

Trina nodded.

The limo pulled into the parking lot for the boat landing. Natalia could see that there were now cars and trucks on the ice. There were a lot more fishing shanties. A sign was now up showing the ice thickness at eight point five inches. There was also a snow fence positioned around the curling sheets to protect them.

“You are a very strong woman, Cora,” Tia said. “You work wonders with so many people. You need to take that strength and hold strong.”

Trina nodded in affirmation.

They sat in silence for a long time before Cora spoke.

“I need to act as if everything will happen. Tomorrow I work half the day, then go home to make sure everything is ready. Alfie and Trina will load the car, and he will take the luggage to the ship.”

“Whose car is he using?” Tia said.

“He said he would borrow one of the Council men's cars. He didn’t say which one. He’ll take that to the ship… to the loading terminal… whatever it’s called. Then I’ll take our car to the jail. It would sit there until we returned. That’s as safe as our garage. P-plus, I think he believes Trina drives it and if it’s at the jail, then she won’t have access to it. He hates it when anyone else drives our car.”

“I’ve always had a friend drive me on errands,” Trina said. “I’ve only driven your car once, and you were with me.”

“Can you do this?” Tia said.

Cora took a deep breath and nodded.

“With Trina’s help, I can pull this off.”

“Thank you, that makes one less person I have to protect,” Natalia said.

Cora looked at her strangely.

“You?”

“Women protect women,” Natalia said. “We want to end this with no one hurt and the troublemakers in jail. This is affecting more than just you.”

“There were rumors that Uri stole the money and because of that there have been a lot of people against him. The police have been harassing him. The sanguine tea shortage was actually aimed at him and Nattie,” Tia said.

“And has he been cleared?”

“Yes,” Tia said. “He’s tracked. Were you aware that the tracking system went down? Uri made sure others tracked him just for protection.”

Cora nodded.

“I had forgotten that he is one of the tracked persons.”

“I am, too,” Natalia said. “Does Alfie track you?”

At first, Cora looked affronted at such an idea, then her eyes opened wide as if a thought had hit her.

“He did give me a new bracelet a few weeks back. Always wanted to see me wear it. Oh my word. I just packed it in my bag this morning as a precaution. It’s not wise to show too much jewelry on a ship.”

She pulled out her phone.

“I have access to the tracking system,” she said. “I never really looked at it. It’s not really what I need to do for my job, but my department gave it to me anyway.”

She fumbled through the app on her phone. Finally, she pulled up a screen. She froze, staring.

“What?” Tia and Natalia said at the same time.

“I-I see a blip at the house. It’s identified as me.”

She looked up in astonishment, then her eyes narrowed.

“Why that dirty little shyster,” she said. “Trina, we have work to do. Take me back to the courthouse. I’ll finish my day early. We have some repacking to do. If he’s going to load up my luggage, I certainly don’t want to send anything that I want to lose. Fill the suitcases with garbage. That little rat.”

Tia smiled over Cora’s head at Natalia.

‘Courthouse, Bonnie,’ Tia said.

The limo moved.

“I’ll get started the moment I get home,” Trina said while she looked at Natalia. “Can you spare Mag or Zena?”

“Of course. I’ll text them.”

Natalia texted Mag. She received an immediate reply.

“Mag said she would come over with Kate. Kate has the car, you see. We only need one maid, and Zena does most of the cooking anyway.”

Trina smiled.

“We’ll make it into a bit of a party,” Trina said to Cora.

Cora pulled a mirror out of her purse. She dabbed her eyes and reapplied lipstick.

“A walk in the cold will cause any swelling to vanish,” Tia said in a soft voice.

Cora nodded.

They dropped her off at the courthouse. Cora seemed very focused.

“Thank you, Trina,” Tia said. “I’m counting on you to keep things together.”

“With Mag around, we’ll do fine. Alfie’s a bit of a sourpuss anyway and will stay in his office.”

They dropped off Trina and the limo headed to the bank. Tia leaned back.

“Oh, my word,” Tia said, looking relieved. “That could have been disastrous.”

“I know I couldn’t have done this without you,” Natalia said.

“You did wonderful. You might be a good candidate for the Council. The first Undent.”

“I believe the only openings will be for men. You need to take Sherri’s place permanently. With Grazie handling the children, you have the time.”

Tia looked thoughtful. Natalia couldn’t tell if they were good thoughts or not.

The limo pulled up to the bank.

‘Thanks, Bonnie,’ Natalia said.

Tia walked with her to the entrance.

“That’s why everyone likes you,” Tia said. “You’re polite and you thank everyone.”

“Maids and limo drivers are still human,” she said.

Tia laughed.

“That’s why I like you, too. Have a good day, Nattie.”

Natalia walked up the stairs. She was relieved that the ladies in her department were doing their jobs without supervision. In her office, she took off her coat and put on her work shoes, then toured around the office, stopping to talk to everyone and see how they were doing, and not just about work.

She felt as if she had just finished and finally got to her office, when Uri arrived.

“Lunch,” he said.

“I feel like I just got to work.”

“You still have to eat.”

She changed shoes, and he helped her put her coat on. They took the elevator down. The limo was waiting.

‘Bonnie, we’re running you ragged today,’ Natalia said.

‘My job,’ she said.

“We owe her a raise,” she said.

Uri smiled.

“If I paid her I would. Remember, she works for the Council. She is not our employee.”

“I’ll put in a recommendation through Tia.”