Artemio remained in the darkness of his room, seated motionless beside the window.
A parabolic microphone was aimed precisely toward Leonard's backyard, its sensitive receiver capturing every conversation that carried through the night.
He listened.
Most of the conversation was meaningless to him—casual remarks, laughter, the clinking of dinnerware. But whenever Madeline's voice drifted through the receiver, the corner of his lips curled upward.
Sweet as ever.
He adjusted the device, trying to isolate Lara's voice from the others.
But Lara barely said anything of consequence.
She spoke mostly about Amelia's book and the upcoming film shoot. Nothing about her past. Nothing about her plans. Nothing that gave him the information he needed.
Logan, however, talked enough for everyone.
He entertained the family with jokes about his recent investigations, occasionally drawing laughter from the others.
Artemio listened carefully.
Logan never mentioned the kidnapping directly.
