Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace (Dexter) novel Chapter 359

"Right from the get-go, I knew he was on edge, keeping everyone at arm's length. And now, it looks like he's on a cleaning spree, silencing one after the other..." Hailey murmured under her breath, her voice barely above a whisper.

The veins on her neck stood out, a testament to the fury she was struggling to contain.

"Six o'clock, at Shore Dine. Meet me there, we'll discuss new terms. If you're a no-show, don't say I didn't warn you," Hailey threw down her ultimatum before driving off.

Once her car disappeared around the corner, I dashed to the dumpster, rummaging through it for the envelope Colin had discarded earlier. It contained photos that Melody had brought over.

Despite Colin having torn them to shreds, I managed to piece them back together.

The photos captured secret meetings between Foebe and Damian, and Foebe taking a homeless kid to meet a stranger.

But no, not a stranger.

After piecing the photos back together as best as I could, my breath hitched.

The man Foebe took the homeless kid to see was the second victim in the string of murders, rumored to be involved in some import-export business.

Considering Hailey's ominous words, it seemed Foebe was far from the simple figure I had imagined.

...

Six o'clock rolled around.

I arrived early at Shore Dine, and Hailey was already there, seemingly waiting.

Hailey was the epitome of a powerhouse, a figure my mother had often spoken about, saying the Fitzgerald family was practically carried on her shoulders alone. Her husband, Dexter’s father, might as well have been a ghost for all his presence in their lives.

Hailey was also a figure of sympathy; her marriage was one of absence, with Mr. Fitzgerald rarely home after Dexter's birth. In all my years with the Fitzgerald family, I could count on one hand the times I’d seen her husband.

"How much is Damian paying you to play Phoebe Caldwell, to worm your way close to Caleb, to coax him into selling the Langley Group, destroying the Langley family in the process?" Hailey asked coolly. "Are we, the Fitzgerald family, next on your list?"

I was taken aback, not by the accusation but by the weight of her words. She believed I was Damian’s pawn, sent to infiltrate the lives of Caleb and Dexter.