Free Deception by John Altman

soft glow.
    After finding a liter of Evian, Jackie came back to the bedside. Hannah returned her head to the pillow without opening the bottle. Her eyes moved to the digital clock. It was twenty minutes past eight. But did that mean morning or night?
    Jackie was looking at her pityingly. She reached out and smoothed a strand of hair off Hannah’s forehead. “Did you manage to sleep at all?”
    Hannah didn’t answer. The hand on her brow felt cool, soothing, almost matronly.
    â€œWe’re all a little shook up,” Jackie said. “You more than anyone, I bet …”
    It was an understatement.
    In reality, Hannah hadn’t let herself shut down until the moment that the doctor had given her the shot. Until then she’d kept herself superficially together—all through the long wait on the tower platform, and all through the conversation with Jackie and the sleepy-eyed Turk, as she had described the incident to the best of her ability. Yet on the inside, where it counted, she had shut down right there on the third-story landing.
    Witnessing the murders had been enough trauma. Having the man-child come after her had been even worse. The three hours spent trapped on the platform, as they’d tried to figure out how to jury-rig a ladder to bring Hannah back down to earth, had been only the icing on the cake. She’d watched as the Epsteins’ bodies were covered with blankets and then laboriously removed from the prison tower. She’d kept watching, trapped, as the shakes had come and gone.
    â€œâ€¦ but you’ll be glad to know,” Jackie was saying, “everything’s been worked out now. I don’t know if you heard the announcement—but we’ve decided to skip the rest of our islands. We’re going straight to Istanbul.”
    â€œâ€˜Istanbul,’” Hannah repeated dully.
    â€œThe FBI spent the afternoon conducting a preliminary investigation on the island, and they’ve decided to let us go on ahead. In a case like this, jurisdiction is determined by the first port at which we dock following the incident. Of course, the incident took place at a port. But we put in a call to the head office, and they spoke with the State Department, and now everybody’s on the same page—the company, the FBI, the Greeks, and the Turks. We’ll go straight to Istanbul.” She paused. “Once we get there, Vicky, the FBI is going to want to interview you. Since you’re a witness.”
    Hannah kept her face blank. “Why not now?” she asked.
    Jackie picked an invisible speck of lint off her tan slacks.
    â€œWell,” she said. “It’s not clear just what’s happened. But evidently the Bureau is satisfied that there aren’t any more answers to be found on Methoni. And the Greeks would be just as happy not to have an incident like this, now, on their soil. They’ve put a lot of effort into breaking up this terrorist group, November 17, recently, and aren’t eager to have their international relationships complicated. We’re already in bed with the Turks, of course, so they’ve got to welcome us regardless. It’s a tragedy, what’s happened with the Epsteins. There’s no getting around that. But now we need to look ahead, and make things as easy as possible on the rest of us.”
    Hannah nodded.
    â€œI’ve discussed the situation with Chief Security Officer Yildirim. We both agree that the important thing now is for you to get some rest. So that once we do reach port, you’ll be ready to help as much as possible.”
    Hannah nodded again.
    â€œIt seems that Mr. Epstein was sort of an important person,” Jackie said. “Did you just meet him on the boat?”
    â€œYes—just on the boat.”
    Jackie gave Hannah a searching look. Then her face, once again, turned kindly and professionally blank.
    â€œWell. I just thought you ought to know the whole