Chapter 27
The Hughes Villa was dark as a cave.
Did she really sleep this early?
Raymond flicked on the wall lamp, his face like ice as he strolled in.
This was way off from what he pictured.
He thought Margaret would be like the old days, baking a cake and chilling on the couch, waiting for him to come back and dig in.
He glanced at the couch, her favorite recliner was empty.
He quickly noticed the thermos he got for Margaret was gone.
He headed to the bedroom, which was also pitch black, and the door was wide open.
The bed was made up, not a wrinkle in sight.
Raymond then checked the walk-in closet and saw her favorite backpack was gone, along with her toothbrush, toothpaste, and the coat and sweater she always wore.
Did she bail?
Raymond, still stone-faced, paced to the living room sofa, plopped down, and yanked off his leather gloves. "I want her location in ten minutes!"
Alvin grabbed his phone and stepped out to the balcony to make a call, his voice low and flat, probably from hanging around Raymond too much.
Raymond picked up his phone, found Margaret's number, and dialed.
At that moment, Margaret had just boarded a plane and was sitting in an economy class seat.
She took off her backpack and placed it on her lap.
Ashley, who was tailing her, was also sitting not far away.
Margaret's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was Raymond calling.
This was the first time in a year he had called her!
Margaret thought she was tripping. She rubbed her eyes, but the name on the screen was still his.
Why was he calling her, especially on his birthday?.
He probably hadn't had enough fun messing with her and wanted to use his birthday to give her more grief.
Margaret had been super drained lately, especially with Marlon's issue and her being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer.
She wasn't into self-torture and didn't want to stay so low.
She lowered her lashes, hung up without a word, and then turned off her phone.
She planned to take a good nap once the plane took off.
Not far away, Ashley snapped a pic of the plane ticket and sent it to Sarah. Sarah's call came through. "Are you sure she's heading to Ironwood Lane?"
Ashley lowered her voice, covering the phone's receiver as she asked, "Yeah, I'm on the plane with her. Ms. Martinez, what's the next move?"
Sarah stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the villa, taking the call. Ironwood Lane was Raymond's hometown.
Why would Margaret head to Raymond's hometown out of the blue?
Could it be that she had found out her secret?
"Ms. Martinez, you there? The plane's about to take off; I gotta turn off my phone." Ashley's anxious voice came through the phone.
Sarah gritted her teeth, her eyes fierce. "Then make sure she doesn't come back!"
Ashley gasped, not expecting Sarah to want to off Margaret, "Ms. Martinez, I'm just tailing her for you. If Mr. Howard finds out, it'll be a huge mess."
Killing someone meant prison time.
She just wanted to get back at Margaret and find another gig; she didn't want to end up in jail.
Sarah said, "Raymond hates her guts. If she dies, Raymond won't dig into it."
When Raymond was with Sarah, he was always distracted and still hadn't slept with her. She suspected he had gone soft on Margaret.
If Margaret found out her secret, she would be finished. Raymond would definitely take her down himself!
Sarah had no way out.
Ashley was stunned. "But that's not right."
Sarah hung up. Ashley couldn't wrap her head around why Raymond, who hated Margaret, would fire her and throw coffee in her face for Margaret.
Which of Sarah's words were true?
Sarah: [When you make your move, be quick and clean. I'll handle the aftermath and give you a fat stack to disappear. But if you call the cops or chicken out, I'll rat you out to Raymond. You know what Raymond can do, so think hard!]
Ashley stared at the message, dumbfounded.
She just realized she was trapped with no way out.
Margaret heard someone making a call but couldn't catch the details, only hearing the name Ms. Martinez.
Margaret was super wary and sensitive to anyone with the last name Martinez.
She turned to look at Ashley.
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