Chapter 32

I flew into Portland on a very foggy morning, leaving behind sunny Florida, my cat in Benedetta's hands, and a spotless condo since I'd spent the day before my trip thoroughly cleaning. I'd hoped I would hear from Gabe before I left but didn't.

I had called the photo agency in Portland and spoken to Hannah, the assigned photographer. We arranged to meet and decided it would be fine not to make sleeping reservations. "It will be an adventure. Kind of exciting," she promised.

My kind of woman, I thought.

I packed a light suitcase with boots, jeans, layering shirts, and, on a whim, Joséphine's amber pendant.

After a bumpy flight from Pensacola to Denver and an even more turbulent one to Portland, the plane slit through a thick layer of rain-laden, gray clouds, which re-closed, unperturbed, above us, and landed on wet concrete. My stomach felt so queasy I imagined my intestines wrought like clothes after a final spin cycle.