Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Timothy stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his movements crisp and sharp.

"What did you just say?"

"My little sister has a pink birthmark on her chest. It's kind of private my family's never talked about it outside. But I want to use your data analysis to help find her, so I'm telling you now. It's heart-shaped."

Timothy's dark eyes grew even more inscrutable, shadows flickering in their depths.

He felt his heart pounding, more forcefully than usual.

His voice trembled ever so slightly. "Left side or right?"

"Upper left. My mother says it's about the size of a pinky finger. No idea if it'll grow

as she does. If your data turns up anyone with a heart-shaped pink birthmark in

that spot, pull their files for me. I'll send someone to check it out."

Timothy's long, elegant fingers curled into a fist.

A faint ringing sounded in his ears; he barely registered the rest of Vince's words.

Could it be Jessica?

Timothy's lips set in a tight, cold line.

He didn't speak for a long while.

"Timothy, are you listening?"

"I am."

know how it is: if you'd taken the contract, it would've put a dent in the Zimmerman Group's renewable energy business. I had no choice. I'm sorry. My mom doesn't have much time left, and she misses

not holding it against you. It's just business—a

and social ties tangled up in ways outsiders could never understand. With things moving so fast, it was hard not

ground, what was to stop everyone else from trying the same thing? How could anyone

keep an eye out for

"I will."

go. You're still recovering-don't stay up late. Get

pack of cigarettes on the table and

drifted from his lips and

was just overthinking

youngest hadn't disappeared, she'd be twenty-six this

Jessica was twenty-seven.

birthmark-two people with identical ones

the same faint blue

coincidences like that didn't

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

age-he clung to that

in his chest seemed

and found Jessica leaning

"Something you need?"

held out her hand, rubbing her index and ring fingers together a silent demand for the money he

So persistent.