Page 60 of Guess Again
She found a bench near the water, took a seat, and pretended to scroll through her phone while she looked for anyone who might have followed her. She saw no one. Finally, she stepped back onto the walking path and made her way to a Little Free Library. The stand looked like a large birdhouse. The triangular structure was perched on an oak pole and housed a variety of free books for anyone to take.
She walked to the library stand and opened the door. From her purse she retrieved a paperback novel and set it on the shelf. In one swift motion she removed the envelope she had placed between the book’s pages and secured it with tape to the inside of the library, fastening it to the ceiling. She perused the collection of books, finally settling on a Danielle Steel novel. She made sure the envelope was flat and secure against the ceiling.
Satisfied, she closed the door to the Little Free Library and walked back to the bench with her romance novel. She read the first three chapters while watching the park. When she was sure no one had followed her, she headed back through the woods to her Range Rover.
She put the address into the GPS and settled in for the five and a half-hour drive north to Ashland. The town was near Lake Superior and the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. There, just east of town, she’d find Lake Morikawa. Francis told her there were only eight homes on the expansive lake. One of them belonged to an elderly couple named Hugh and Ruth Winchester.
She was due to visit the Winchesters later that night. Although, they weren’t expecting her. It was better for everyone that she arrive unannounced.
CHAPTER 57
Boscobel, Wisconsin Thursday, July 31, 2025
FRANCIS WAS SITTING ON HIS BED IN THE WINDOWLESS CELL WHENthe buzzer rang, indicating that his door was about to be opened. This was the formal way prison guards entered his cell, not the way Andre Monroe did late at night. Since early summer, the head guard had been sneaking into Francis’s cell and offering a continuous flow of news on Ethan Hall’s investigation into Callie Jones, and updates on the latest developments with the Portia Vail case. In exchange, Francis gave Andre Monroe what he wanted. Refusing Mr. Monroe would bring a beating that Francis could not chance. An extended stint in the infirmary would disrupt his plans, so Francis had succumbed to Andre Monroe’s demands. Today, though, something else was happening.
“Kneel in the corner,” a guard yelled through the intercom system.
Francis stood from his bunk.
“Face the wall and place your hands behind your back.”
Francis knelt in the corner, placed his forehead against the wall, and extended his hands behind him. Guards entered and cuffed his hands before lifting him off his knees. When he turned around, Andre Monroe was in his face.
“You’ve been summoned, Francis.”
Francis stayed silent. An image from two nights earlier flashed in his mind of Andre Monroe with his pants to his knees grunting as he stood over Francis.
“The shrink wants a word. Probably worried that you’re going to kill yourself.”
The head guard leaned closer.
“Do you want to kill yourself, Francis?”
Francis stared past him and did not answer.
Andre Monroe’s voice took on that of a child. “Do you need to talk to someone about your feelings?”
No answer.
“Get him out of here,” Andre said.
The two guards on Francis’s arms led him out of the cell. As he passed through the threshold, Francis knew Ethan Hall had started the transfer process. He had three more days in this hellhole.
CHAPTER 58
Lake Morikawa, Wisconsin Thursday, July 31, 2025
THE LONG SUMMER DAY WAS COMING TO AN END BY THE TIME SHEreached Lake Morikawa. The horizon glowed with a cherry dusk. Clouds hung over the lake, their undersides burning with a blood-red tone. She couldn’t help but think it was appropriate for what was about to happen.
She drove around the north side of the lake and started her way down the east edge. She found the driveway belonging to Hugh and Ruth Winchester and pulled in. A rest stop thirty minutes earlier assured that her legs were fresh after the long drive. The couple was elderly, but she still needed to be nimble. She was taking nothing for granted this late in the game. Mistakes needed to be avoided at all costs.
Stepping out of the car, she checked her purse for the knife. The closest neighbor was a long way off, but she couldn’t risk using her Sig Sauer for fear that the shots would be heard. The knife would be messier and more work, but safer in the long run. She walked to the front door and rang the bell. A moment later, Ruth Winchester answered.
“May I help you?” the elderly woman asked.
“Yes. My name is Eugenia Morgan, and I’m hopelessly lost. I’m trying to find my way into town, but my navigation system isn’t working, and, for the life of me, I can’t make my way out of this area.”
“Oh,” Ruth said with a nod, “it can be confusing. And cellular service, or satellite signals, whatever makes those maps work, is always spotty around these parts. Let me get my husband. He’ll be able to explain the route into town.”
