Lena stepped closer and whispered, “Eleanor is asking for an attorney.”“That is her right.”
“She also asked whether Maya had opened the cane.”Elias turned toward the white cane resting against Maya’s leg.
Maya heard the shift in his breathing.“What?”
Elias crouched beside her.“Officer Ortiz says Eleanor asked if you had opened your cane.”
Maya frowned. “Opened it?”Elias looked at the handle.
The cane appeared ordinary at first glance, but the polished grip had a narrow seam Maya had never mentioned.“Where did you get this cane?”
“My granddaughter mailed it to me last week.”“What is her name?”
“Rachel Bennett.”Elias’s jaw tightened.
“Where does she work?”Maya smiled faintly.
“She said she had taken a new job in records management.”“Where?”
Maya’s face slowly lost color.“Eleanor’s company.”
The cabin noise seemed to vanish.Elias looked toward the cane again.
**What had appeared to be an act of random cruelty was suddenly beginning to look like something else entirely.**