Inside I found two things. Against the wall was a stack of empty boxes along with packing tape and labels. Everything I would need to remove all traces of myself from this place. I was done with hunting evil. I was ruined, worn out, damaged beyond fixing. Rudy disagreed, but I was the one who could look inside and see only wreckage and no clear path left to take.
The second item was on the bed. A file folder.
I opened it. Inside was a surveillance photo of a tall man with an austere face. Behind him was a sign advertising a tour of the Riviera dei Fiori. The River of Flowers. A tourist spot on the Italian Riviera. Someone had used a Sharpie to draw a black circle around the man’s face. Next to it was written: “Two days ago.”
I lifted the picture. Beneath it in the folder were my passport, plane tickets, a credit card with my name on it, and other useful documents.
The man in the picture was Conrad Veder.
I sat down on the edge of the bed. I held the photo in both hands and stared into the face of the man who had murdered Grace Courtland. Then I looked at the stack of empty boxes.
Church had left the decision up to me, though he’d given me everything I needed no matter which path I chose.