Zoe leaned in and kissed her. She straightened and said, ‘Washington, can I have a word?’
‘Poe,’ Flynn croaked. ‘He prefers Poe.’
‘Poe, then, can I have a word?’ She gestured towards the guest room.
‘Of course.’
‘Jess, can you join us?’
Flynn’s sister nodded. So far she hadn’t said a word. Her distraught look changed to one of resolve.
After Zoe had gently shut the door, she turned and said, ‘Why did Edward Atkinson want to steal our baby?’
Poe shook his head. ‘Edward Atkinson didn’t want to steal your baby, Zoe.’
Both women frowned.
‘Explain,’ Jessica said.
‘Edward Atkinson’s dead,’ Poe explained. ‘Whoever the Curator is, and Tilly says she’ll ID him soon, he killed Atkinson and took his place on the island with the express purpose of luring Steph there.’
‘But how?’ Zoe said.
‘The how is easy. Montague Island is deserted during winter and he had the place to himself.’
‘His scars, though, how did he fool you all?’
‘Rigid collodion,’ Poe said. ‘It’s a readily available special effects liquid used in the film industry. It wrinkles any skin it’s applied to. With a bit of practice it’s not difficult to create a scarring effect. And underneath one of Atkinson’s burn masks …’
‘It was enough to fool everyone.’
Poe nodded.
‘But … but why?’
‘All I know is that … under duress, he admitted to being paid to remove Steph’s baby before it went full term. The details had been left to him and the Black Swan Challenge is how he chose to do it. It’s a variation of something he’s done before in the States.’
‘Human traffickers?’ Zoe asked. ‘Some fucked-up plan by someone who couldn’t conceive naturally?’
Poe shrugged. ‘Probably. He was to get further instructions when it was done.’
Jessica stared at him. ‘You don’t think that, though, do you?’
‘There are easier ways to steal a baby,’ he said. ‘I think this is personal. I think this wasn’t just about stealing a baby, this was also about punishing Steph.’
‘That fucking job of hers!’ Jessica growled.
Zoe’s hand went to her face.
‘Oh my God,’ she said. She slumped onto the guest room’s bed. Jessica sat down and held her. For a moment the two women drew strength from each other.
‘Right, I’m getting some private security up here,’ Jessica said. She tapped a number on her phone and held it to her head. ‘James, I need you to get me the name of a reputable private security firm. One of those that only hires ex-special forces, that type of thing.’
She listened.
‘No, I’m fine.’
She explained what she wanted and then listened for a bit longer.