On the screen were the photos that animal of a professor had taken of me all those years ago.
Jesse stared at me, his expression dark.
"If you don't tell me where Edith is, I'll send these to your father. Let him see what a fine daughter he raised. Let him see how filthy she really was."
Every drop of blood in my body went cold. My heart seized like a fist had closed around it.
"Don't... Jesse, please, don't send them..."
My father's health was so fragile. A shock like that could kill him.
I lunged for the phone like a woman possessed. In the struggle, I saw Jesse's thumb hit send.
Jesse froze too.
He stared at the screen. Delivered. The color drained from his face.
He scrambled to recall the message, to delete it, fumbling so badly he could barely dial his assistant's number.
"Go! Get to the hospital! Take the phone from Lucretia's father! NOW!"
That was when Michael burst through the door.
"Jesse! Found her! Edith bought a plane ticket overseas. She went on vacation. Her phone had no signal before, she just turned it back on!"
Dead silence.
Jesse stood rigid. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a crack.
He looked at me. Panic and regret tangled behind his eyes.