Transparency by Charles Royce (children's books read aloud txt) 📕

They knew he’d eventually be hoisted up for everyone to see.”

He sits up in the bed, mouth aghast. “I guess that’s justice?”

“Somebody wanted to make a statement.”

Josh zooms in again on what’s left of the man’s face. “Jesus Christ.”

“Honey, you know how I feel about that. You can say God, cunt-ass bitch, whore, motherfucking anything else, but you better leave my Jesus out of it. I am not even—” Tracy takes her phone back from Micah just as it rings. “Oh shit, here’s the surprise, here’s the surprise.”

She clicks the FaceTime button, then holds up Shawn’s face to Josh.

“How ya doin’, buddy?” Shawn says. “Whoa. You look like death.”

“He smells like death, he looks like shit,” Tracy adds.

“This is my surprise?” Josh asks, one eyebrow reaching for the sky.

“No, this is.” Shawn steps out of the picture to reveal Jenna. “Say hi, Jenna.”

“Hi, sweet baby,” Jenna says.

Josh grabs the sheets with his hands, pulls them tight. His face scrunches, his chest begins heaving in and out. He slumps his head.

“Oh, honey, it’s okay.” Jenna’s big brown eyes are staring right at him. “It’s all gonna be okay. Just let it out, shh, shh.”

Josh leans over, grabs a pillow, buries his head in it.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? The responsibility of the party, the shooting, all the confusion of trying to help me. This has been way harder than the Lennox breakup, hasn’t it?” Jenna asks.

He nods, brings the pillow down from his face. “I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you.”

“It’s okay. Really. They transferred me, a much nicer place. I’m awaiting trial now, potentially. It’s a long story, but Shawn has been helping me the past few weeks. We have so much to tell you.”

Shawn pulls the camera toward him. “Remember the six flash drives you got from Phish? Right before you slipped into your vegetative state, you went through the first one, sent me the information. Do you remember this?”

“Yes.” Josh wipes his face with his sheet.

“The extra videos with the time stamps really helped drive the investigation forward. Throw in some recent testimony from your Jenna here, and we have some compelling evidence to put the organization away. Or at least start to. The Feds are completely involved now. Actually I think they have been for a while, which is why Jenna’s trial was held up.”

“What about the architectural plans? The secret room?”

“Detective Penance looked at your plans, compared them to the newer ones.” Shawn shakes his head. “It was a bit of back and forth, but the warrant was finally issued. Just so happens the warrant came through the very morning Billy Donovan was found hanging for all of the Upper West Side to see. Once they ID’d him, the warrant was null and void. They didn’t get a new one.”

“Funny how that happened the same morning, isn’t it?” Jenna interjects.

“That’s not a coincidence,” Josh says.

“No, no, it’s not.” Shawn holds his camera out to show Jenna again. “Working on getting this girl a plea deal. With all the information you guys have uncovered in your vigilante investigations, the Feds have been willing to negotiate.”

“Josh, this is why we wanted to talk with you.” Jenna leans into the camera. “I need you, honey. The federal involvement is a blessing in the skies. Right, Shawn?”

Shawn brings the camera back to him. “Josh, buddy, I have the name and number of an agent. They want to know what’s on the other five flash drives, and the underscore folder that Phish couldn’t help you open on the SSD. They want you to work with them, help bring in more evidence.”

“No. Uh-uh. I’m done.”

“Josh, please,” Jenna pleads. “There’s too much evidence against me in Lennox’s case. Maybe those other flash drives can hook Ghost to West somehow, to show that he framed me for Lennox’s murder.”

“Speaking of Ghost …” Tracy turns the camera toward her. “You know how West pushed me off the Bastien Morrell story to focus on the Lily McGuire angle? Well, I’ve been looking into Bastien, to see if there’s anything there.”

“Please. You’ve been looking into Ghost because it’s a personal mission,” Josh says.

“His name is Bastien Morrell.” Tracy cuts her eyes to Josh. “Bastien Morrell was a former French Foreign Legionnaire from a Secret Ops division. He had extensive evasive training, forgery skills, chemistry expertise, not to mention some severe psychiatric issues. I’d say he had all the makings of someone James West would hire to kill Lennox. I’ve put in the request for Bastien’s psychiatric files, but I’m having to go through some bullshit channels.”

“Keep digging,” Shawn says. “Jenna’s got a tough road ahead of her.”

“Josh, you gotta help us,” Jenna says. “I love Tracy’s angle, but there’s got to be information in those flash drives. Maybe company chats about framing me. Something.”

Josh looks around the room, notices the pigsty he’s created around him. He looks back to Jenna.

“We’re all in this pretty deep, and we have to get out,” she says.

“Look.” Tracy moves the phone directly in front of his face. “One, two, me. Three people you know you can trust.”

He breathes in, lets the stale air fill his lungs. He exhales in submission.

He snaps his fingers, points at the underwear on the floor. “Give me those.”

“Get them yourself.” Tracy grabs a half-empty bottle of water with her free hand and has a seat back on the club chair, still pointing the phone at Josh.

Josh sighs, wraps the sheets around him, stands up, picks the underwear off the floor. Underneath the mounds of fabric engulfing him, he slips them on. “Who’s this agent, Shawn?”

“Her name is Agent Pillsbury,” he says.

“No, it’s not.” Josh looks sideways at Tracy, who spits out her water.

“She’s a little quirky, but she’s badass,” Shawn says. “I’m texting you her info.”

Josh hears a ding but has no idea where his phone is. “What the heck does Agent Pillsbury want me to do?”

“I don’t know. She’s very tight-lipped about it, but says she’s been working an Élan investigation for