James couldn’t shake the thought as he limped down the hall towards her room. The doctor had pleaded with him to stay and rest, but he felt obliged to tell her the truth. To warn her of Alistair’s motives and the potential involvement of his business partner, Maximilian, in the events of the last few days. She had the right to know.
As James walked down the hall, the cool breeze from the hospital air-conditioning shot straight through the blue surgical shirt and trousers the doctor had given him moments before James discharged himself. The clear plastic bag with his bloodstained clothes swung with the rhythm of his stride. James stopped as he saw the room number on the white door ahead of him. He patted his phone through the side pocket of the blue cotton trousers. The door was ajar.
Through the narrow gap between the door and the frame, James watched Maximilian lean in and embrace Elizabeth.
She pushed him back and glared at him.
Maximilian hung his head. ‘I’m sorry. I was never going to hurt you with those pliers. But I needed you to believe I was, so you would give me the information about where you hid the pieces. Alistair was clearly after them too, which meant the investor was getting desperate.’
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. ‘Why didn’t you set me free?’
‘Are you serious?’ Maximilian waved his arm in the air. ‘That would make everything worse. I had planned on coming back for you after I had all the pieces. But James got to you first. I don’t know why Alistair didn’t kill you all. Especially after what he did to Pippa.’ Maximilian’s eyes glazed over as his voice broke.
‘Sorry, I thought it was you all along. I really misjudged you,’ she said as Maximilian adjusted his posture and sat on the edge of her bed.
‘It shocked me to discover that Alistair had kidnapped you. But, now that I’ve had a chance to think, it doesn’t surprise me,’ Maximilian said in a rehearsed tone.
Elizabeth hung her head. ‘You mean because of the domestic violence order?’ She sobbed. ‘I swear I was drunk. I didn’t mean to hurt him, and I’m trying to stop drinking.’
Maximilian grimaced. ‘You believe you were violent towards Alistair?’
‘Yes,’ she sobbed. ‘Alistair kept it to himself. I think he was embarrassed.’
Maximilian’s mouth hung open. ‘Sure, you have a bit of a temper and you’re bossy, but you were never violent towards Alistair. It was the other way around.’
Elizabeth shook her head. ‘No, it was me.’
‘I was there that day. Yes, you have an issue with alcohol. But that started after your miscarriage. During a function, you caught Alistair flirting with someone, and you had a huge fight. After everyone left, I could hear you both screaming upstairs. When I heard a loud bang, I came upstairs to find that Alistair had thrown you against the wall.’ Maximilian grabbed her hand. ‘That’s why the main bedroom was renovated.’
‘But there’s a DVO out against me.’
Maximilian sighed. ‘There’s no DVO. And you believed him because your memory is hazy and probably fractured. Due to the alcohol and trauma you’ve experienced. He’s the one with the issues with violence.’
‘But he had bruises. And so did I.’
‘Ever heard of a theatre bruise kit? Alistair has one. He did theatre at university, remember?’
Elizabeth stared off into the distance. ‘What about the other woman? Who was she?’
‘I was surprised when Alistair kidnapped Valentine, James’s girlfriend. He kept a close eye on James when he showed up at the crime scene and then the estate.’ Maximilian grabbed her hands.
‘You knew about his girlfriend?’ Elizabeth moved closer and looked into Maximilian’s eyes.
James slumped against the wall for support and clutched his leg. A tear trickled down his cheek. James’s hands trembled as he pulled out his smartphone. He brushed his finger along the screen and hit the camera icon, then he tapped the large red record button and continued to listen to the conversation.
‘Yes, but I have my reasons. Our American investor has been holding my parents hostage for over fourteen months. I have to do that guy’s bidding.’
‘I realise that.’ Elizabeth placed her hand on his chest and created a distance between them. ‘That’s why I hid the pieces of the sword during the excavation stage. That’s why the NMA doesn’t know about the full sword, just the biggest piece. I was worried that your insistence on bringing that man on board would put my professional reputation at risk. And, I thought, you might deliver the sword to him, even if it was to get your parents back. I’m sorry. But I never imagined that his involvement would cause Pippa’s death.’
Maximilian shook his head. ‘That’s a bit overdramatic. How could you possibly know that?’
‘I could tell the American wanted to add the sword to his personal collection. I knew it’s more than just “a love of history,” as he put it.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me all of this?’
‘How could I trust you?’ Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at Maximilian. ‘You have a terrible reputation. And what about the Egypt incident? Everyone thinks you’re a tomb raider.’
‘We’ll figure this out. I’ll get my parents back and give this guy what he wants, and find the sword that Alistair hid.’ Maximilian took a deep breath.
‘It won’t work out that way. Whatever you do, it will never be enough.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.’
‘Really?’ Elizabeth glared at him with her big brown eyes.
‘Yes, I’m sure the investor will pull a few strings and get Alistair off the hook.’
‘James will never accept that.’ Elizabeth settled back against the elevated mattress and grabbed Maximilian’s left hand. ‘I don’t know James well, but he seems determined and not the type to let something like this slide. He will not forgive Alistair for this. Or you, if he suspects you’re involved. And besides, I’m not sure if I want to see Alistair get away with this. He murdered Pippa.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Maximilian kissed Elizabeth on the forehead.
Elizabeth pulled away. ‘How can you stand by Alistair after all of this? After Pippa and Excalibur. You’ve worked hard to find that sword, just like I did.’
Maximilian sighed. ‘He’s like a brother to me. He stood by me when no one else would.’
Elizabeth looked away. ‘Don’t you care about Pippa?’
‘I was dating Pippa for well over a year. She was the first person to find out about my parents. She was super supportive.’ Maximilian turned and stared out the window. ‘I told her not to get involved several times. But Pippa thought if she stole the sword, she could swap it in exchange for my parents.’
‘And how do you know that?’
‘It was an idea she came up with a couple of months ago. I told her it was too risky, and that she should leave it be.’ Maximilian sighed. ‘At first, I thought she had listened. You know the rest. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.’
James took a silent deep breath as he tapped the record button and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He couldn’t bear to listen to their conversation any longer. It was too painful. If he had stayed out of it and let Anwar charge her with Pippa’s murder, then Valentine would have been at home in Paris with her parents and avoided the entire kidnapping. James’s chest tightened as he wondered where Valentine was at this moment.
Would she return to Paris? Was there any hope of changing her mind or getting to say goodbye? His heart raced as he pushed away from the wall and walked down the hall. He couldn’t bear to witness the reunion a second longer. With every stride down the hallway and away from Elizabeth’s room, the more he wanted revenge. A pit formed in the depths of his stomach as he contemplated his next move.