One Book in the Grave: A Bibliophile Mystery

trusted me,” she said, rubbing her face wearily. “I don’t understand why you didn’t say anything when little Jake was kidnapped or when my mother was hurt.”
     
    “I was scared to death, Emily,” he said, clutching her hand. “I was on the edge and not thinking straight. I have no other excuses.”
     
    “Well, I hate those people for destroying you that way,” she said fiercely. “I hope I never run into this Solomon character, because he might not survive my wrath.”
     
    “I feel the same way,” I said, fuming all over again after hearing Max repeat the story. “But I just realized that you may be more vulnerable to Solomon now than you ever were before.”
     
    “Why?” she asked.
     
    “Because he’s so much more desperate now,” I said, looking at Derek for backup. “Three years ago, harassing Max might have been a lark for him, something he could well have done to impress Angelica. But now, whether he killed her or not, he’s all alone, with only his twisted imagination to fuel his actions. I’ll bet he’s slowly losing whatever he has left of his rational mind.”
     
    “To do what he did to that woman,” Emily said, shaking her head in disbelief as she considered everythingwe’d told her. “Not just killing her, but dressing her up and shipping her to you, Brooklyn? I would say he’s completely lost his mind.”
     
    “And that scares me to death,” Max said, glancing at the other two men. “We’ve got to go after this guy.”
     
    Emily gripped Max’s hand tightly. “Maybe I’m lucky I didn’t know all this before. I’m not sure how I would’ve dealt with the threats.”
     
    “I’m glad you understand why I did what I did,” Max said, and laid his head on Emily’s shoulder.
     
    “Oh, I still haven’t forgiven you,” she said quickly. “But I might be willing to accept that I really was in danger all those years ago.”
     
    Later, over pizza and salad, we all came to the conclusion that since the body was delivered to my apartment, Solomon had obviously discovered that Max was staying here.
     
    “I suggest we leave immediately after we finish dining,” Derek said.
     
    “But where will we go this time?” I asked.
     
    He pushed his plate away and took hold of his wineglass. “Since it seems Solomon will find us wherever we go, we might as well return to Dharma, where we can keep an eye on the enemy.”
     
    “Yes, good idea,” Max said decisively.
     
    “But we can’t go back to Jackson’s house,” I said.
     
    “I know a place.”
     
    We all turned and stared at Gabriel.
     
    “Nobody will find you there,” he said, and held up his hand in a pledge. “Guaranteed.”
     
    “Is it big enough for three or four of us?” I asked.
     
    “Plenty big and fully stocked.”
     
    I had more questions, but he flashed me that raised-eyebrow look of his, so I let it go. For now, anyway.
     
    “I’m coming with you,” Emily insisted. “I still have my suitcase in the car.”
     
    “I won’t go without you,” Max said, taking her hand in his. “Never again.”
     

Chapter 22
     
    It took us a while to pack up our things. This time I knew how the days would go, so I brought some books to read and some pretty blue yarn from China’s shop that I’d promised myself I would knit into a scarf. I included my travel set of bookbinding tools and supplies as well as
Beauty
. I would need some distractions to get me through the long days without Derek. Since he and Gabriel would be out there shadowing Solomon, I knew I would need plenty of work to fill up my time.
    We planned our next moves carefully. If anyone had been watching my apartment building, all they would have seen was me in my nondescript Prius, leaving my garage somewhere around ten o’clock that night, ostensibly for a pizza-and–ice cream run.
     
    Two hours earlier, they also might have seen Derek and Gabriel driving off in their own much-flashier cars, looking for all the world as though they were going off to their respective offices or homes.
     
    In reality, Gabriel headed for Dharma to set things up at the house we’d be staying in. Derek, on the other hand, took a scenic drive around the city, in and out of different neighborhoods and up and down the steepest hills he could find. When he was certain he hadn’t been followed, he doubled back toward my place, parked a few blocks away, and stealthily made his way into my building.
     
    Emily’s car remained in my security