Chapter 618

• The room fell into an uneasy, shivering silence, broken only by the distant wail of a siren on the street below.
• Evelyn huddled in a corner, clutching a thin, scratchy motel towel around her shoulders, her eyes darting toward her mother-in-law, who meticulously smoothed out the silk gowns.
• "We need to call her," Evelyn whispered, teeth chattering. "Maybe Tina didn’t run. Maybe she’s just hiding nearby, waiting for the dust to settle. If she has that emerald, we don’t have to sell… this."