Chapter 277

“There is no time to waste,” I told Victor as we drove to his apartment for the evening. He had arranged for twenty-four-hour security for us there.

“I want to be sure of the plan,” Victor argued.

“The killer or killers will strike again soon. They are escalating,” I insisted. “Their next intended victim could be me. I’ll be much safer after the red wolves are caught.”

Victor drove into his garage. “You don’t believe one of the wolves was Martha? Without her, her accomplice may stop.”

“No,” Martha didn’t have enough of a grasp on reality to be the leader. “Her family kept her locked in that house with a nurse because they couldn’t keep her under control any other way.”

“And they wouldn’t let her out to wander the streets and risk her telling anyone the family secrets,” I added.

We climbed out of the Lamborghini and followed Moose upstairs. Bert and Jayden guarded our flank.

The apartment was free of intruders, and we relaxed in the living room while we planned our capture of the killers.

“Who do you think we are up against?” Jayden asked. “Could it be all of the Archers?”

“I suspect Pat is involved, and perhaps Andrew.” I sat on Victor’s new couch and folded my legs beneath me. “And I can’t rule out Amanda being involved somehow.”

“Okay, we need a trap that will capture two or more perpetrators,” Victor said. “Where should we set the trap?”

“The garage downstairs would offer plenty of places for an armed team to assemble and hide,” Moose suggested.

“Yeah,” Bert agreed. “You need a place where you have the most control.”

“I agree,” Jayden said. “Daisy, your part in this plan is to lure them to the garage.”

“How?” I asked. I was nervous, but I badly wanted the red wolves unmasked and behind bars.

“You must be assertive enough to stir them up. Make them angry enough to come at you immediately,” Jayden replied. “Ask them questions that make them uncomfortable. Or you could tell them you have evidence that you’re giving to the police.”

Victor leaped to his feet and began to pace the room.“I don’t like it. What if they try to hurt her before she gets here to the garage?”

Daisy won’t be alone,” Jayden assured him. “But they will think she is. She will be surrounded by men they don’t know in front and behind her car.”

“What part do I have in all this?” Victor asked. “I feel useless while my beloved fiancée risks her life.”

Victor wasn’t the only one who was afraid for my safety. I would feel better having him nearby throughout this ordeal.

“Why couldn’t Victor be hiding in my car?” I asked. “He could be covered with shopping bags or something while I go into the Archer mansion and make them mad.”

Jayden thought about my suggestion for a moment, but the look on Victor’s face told him he had already made up his mind.

“Yes, you can hide in the back of Daisy’s car,” Jayden said. “I hope we can spring the trap before Daisy gets out of the car, but I like you being there in case they get inside with her somehow.”

Victor stopped pacing. His relief at being with me during this dangerous mission was apparent in his body language and expression.

“I’ll try different ways to completely conceal myself from view,” Victor assured him. “My presence in the car must stay a secret until I’m needed.”

“Victor being inside the car may work to our advantage,” I said. “They will think I’m alone. He will be another unwanted surprise for the killers.”

“Now, when do we put our plan into motion?” Jayden said.

“After the funeral services for Martha,” I suggested. “They should all be home and feeling satisfied with themselves. My intruding on them with my ‘proof’ at such a time will anger them.”

“Daisy is correct,” Jayden proclaimed. “When is Martha Archer’s funeral?”

I checked the local obituaries with my phone. “It’s the day after tomorrow at one in the afternoon, but it’s private.”

“That’s good,” Jayden said. “They should all be back at Archer Manor by teatime. Victor, we need several good men we can trust by then.”

“Bert and I will hide in the garage and ambush them,” Moose said. He was eager to settle the score with the wolf who lured him into the closet.

Victor clapped him on the back. “You and Bert are welcome to be in our corner.”

“Besides you two, I’ll choose six others from the association to help us. Two to follow Daisy, two to watch the back of the apartment in case any of them escape the garage, and two more for the ambush inside the garage.”

It’s a good plan,” Jayden said.

The men left, and Victor and I had a pleasant evening alone. I made dinner before we snuggled on the couch to watch a movie.

Then we went to bed and made love before falling asleep in each other’s arms. My last thought before I surrendered to sleep was a prayer for the Goddess to let me stay this happy.

After a light breakfast the following day, Jayden took me to a gym that specialized in various forms of self-defense.

Kickboxing fascinated me from the start. By the time my first class ended, I knew I had found a new hobby I would enjoy. The instructor advised me to take the class three times a week and to practice daily.

On our way to Jayden’s car after class, he was notified that Andrew was in the process of moving into Archer Manor.

“It seems like they are closing ranks,” Jayden mused.

“Why would he move in with the people he swore he hated?” I agreed. “Something stranger than I thought is going on at Lycan Square. I want to talk to him.”

“Only if I go with you,” Jayden insisted. “We don’t have the trap ready yet.”

“I just want to talk to Andrew,” I assured him. “We will take flowers and a condolence card for the grieving family. I’m sure Amelia will appreciate the thought even if no one else does.”

“That sounds okay,” Jayden agreed. “But what do you hope to accomplish with this mission?”

“Amy was so happy to have a relationship with her biological father, yet there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that Andrew lied to me and was involved in Deidre’s disappearance,” I explained.

I sighed deeply. “I’m hoping to find out that he wasn’t lying about his love for Deirdre. It means a lot to my best friend.”

“I get that,” Jayden said. “Let’s go talk to Andrew.”

Archer Manor was quiet when Jayden parked in front of it on Lycan Square. The hulking ancient structure seemed to scowl at us as we walked onto the front porch and rang the bell.

“They must be receiving a lot of condolence cards,” Jayden said as he juggled a large flower arrangement in his hands. “Their mailbox is full.”

I picked up two magazines that must have fallen out of the packed mailbox and considered wedging them inside the box. But the butler, Alfred, opened the door and startled me into dropping them.

“We came to offer our condolences to the family,” I said. “Is Andrew available for us to speak to for a moment?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Wilson, but no one in the family is accepting visitors at this difficult time,” Alfred said. “However, I will tell them that you called on them.”

“I took the flowers from Jayden and gave them to the butler along with the card. “And give them these flowers with our deepest condolences on their loss.”

“Thank you, Miss Wilson,” Alfred said politely. “Good day.” He closed the door with his foot, and I heard him retreating from behind the closed door.

I turned to leave before remembering the magazines I dropped. I knelt and picked them up. Maybe I could fold them and tuck them into the front door handle.

That would be better than leaving them lying on the porch floor for someone to slide on.

One was too thick to fold well. I turned it over to see the magazine title, and my heart stuttered. It was a hacker magazine addressed to A. Archer!

It must be Andrew’s magazine.

I felt so gullible. Has the killer been Andrew all along?