He wondered how the email got past the corporate spam filter, and would have junked it immediately if it hadn’t shown Cora as the sender. That was s...range, since she hadn’t been division leader long enough for her name and his to get linked in the usual phishing networks. Curious now, he opened the email.“I thought that would get your attention,” he read. “Don’t worry about the bottle, it’s in safe hands. But I expected more from you, so we’re going to have to change a few things. I hope you. ‘I’ve actually known Meredith for a lot longer than I have Brandon. We’ve gone to the same schools together since I was a fourth grader, when I moved into the area. I didn’t know her well, especially because she was in a lower grade than me, but you know how it is with people you’ve spent years with—you pick things up about them. I knew she was musically talented, I knew she got good grades—once we got into seventh grade she started vaulting into all the advanced classes, so I saw her more and. ”“Was that before or after she broke up with her boyfriend?” I asked.“I don’t know the timing, for sure.”“Do you know why they broke up?”“You’ll have to ask her,” Jessica replied.“I think you know. And you won’t say for the same reason you wouldn’t tell me that she talked to you or that she’s still a virgin. And I’m not sure that’s a reasonable question for me to ask her.”“He’s right, Jessica,” Kara said. “I think you should tell him.”Jessica paused for a moment, then answered.“He wanted to. ."She rushed to follow his long stride.Claude's home - nearly a mansion - was on the outskirts of the city, with acres and acres of unspoiled land surrounding it. He eschewed the modern fashions, furnished the house instead with replicas of the Victorian era. It had cost a fortune, and a second one to maintain it, with countless mechanical servants. Renee gazed about herself with undisguised awe."It's so big," she whispered. She set her bag down and wandered to the nearest bookshelf, reading.