"Herman, don''t let your emotions call the shots," Jason said, concern etched on
his face. "The enemy''s lurking in the shadows while you''re out in the open. How
are you supposed to fight back? We could be dealing with someone you''d never
even imagine."
Jason had spent more than a few nights puzzling over how Anastasia could''ve
ended up on the wrong side of someone so dangerous. With her background and
temperament, it just didn''t add up.
Whoever was behind this wasn''t just ruthless-they were obsessed with
destroying Anastasia. What could possibly drive someone to set such an
borate trap?
Herman, for his part, was stilling up empty. He''d reyed every grudge and
every old feud in his mind, but no one fit. No one seemed capable of this level of
malice.
"If we follow the trail from Ben''s death, the person pulling the strings will show
themselves eventually," Herman said, his voice sharp as ice. "When they do, I''ll
make sure they pay-a real eye for an eye."
Jason opened his mouth to reply but paused, noticing something different in
Herman''s demeanor. "Did you get your memory back?" he asked quietly.
Herman nodded, his gaze heavy. "Yeah. The night Anastasia got hurt, it all came
back."
Jason let out a slow breath. Anastasia had waited so long for this, for Herman to
remember-but it had to happen under the worst circumstances.
He took a sip of tea, trying to gather his thoughts. Then Herman spoke up again.
"Do we know who imed Julie''s body after she died? Is there any way to check
that?"
"Julie''s body? Wasn''t it Devin who took care of that?" Jason frowned. He hadn''t
paid much attention-after the case was closed, Julie died in prison, and he''d
always assumed Devin had handled it.
"No," Herman said, shaking his head. "Anastasia had Nelson look into it. The
person who imed Julie''s body used a fake ID. The name was made up-
doesn''t even exist."
So the real person behind it never
showed up; they must have sent
someone else. Herman had even
asked Dailey to quietly question the
prison staff. The only thing they
remembered was that the person
who picked up the body was around
forty, with forgettable features and a
fake name.
If Devin had sent someone, why go to all the trouble?
Herman was starting to wonder if Anastasia''s troubles were tangled up with Julie.
Devin didn''t have the guts or the pull to destroy Anastasia. Who would go this far
for Julie? Herman couldn''t figure it out.
He''d already checked everyone Julie knew when she was alive, and nothing
suspicious had turned up. Joseph wouldn''t go against him just for Julie''s sake,
either.
Jason frowned, thinking hard.
"Prison''s supposed to be strict about
these things. They always check IDs.
How did someone just waltz in with
a fake and take the body? Unless...
maybe someone on the inside was
paid off. Brown Corporation went
under, and people in the prison
might''ve started looking out for
themselves. Plus, everyone knew
Julie was sick-nobody wanted to
catch anything. Maybe they were
just happy to get rid of her and didn''t
look too closely."
"Nothing happens without leaving a trace. There''s a clue somewhere," Herman
said, tapping his finger on his cup. "Ben was the one who signed the paperwork
for Julie''s release. Now our two leads are crossing."
Jason stared at his tea. This was getting messier by the minute.
"Herman, you need to prepare
yourself," he said quietly. "I can''t be
sure my transfer to Einsberg had
anything to do with Anastasia''s
case, but if it did, we''re in real
trouble. Whoever''s behind this is
even more powerful than Mr.
Taylor-and he practically runs
Riverdale''s police force."
If the person they were up against had that kind of reach, there was no telling
what might happen next.
Herman''s expression hardened, his eyes cold. "Whoever hurt Anastasia should be
ready for payback."
Jason could only sigh. No matter how much he tried to warn him, Herman was
determined to do whatever it took for Anastasia.
As a cop, Jason wasn''t afraid of powerful people-but he didn''t want to see the
Salstrom family get caught in the crossfire.