“I’ll call my mom and get her to add him to the top of her list.”
“And I’ll go through the police reports again, but I don’t remember any mention of Haley’s ex-boyfriend.”
“Me either.” Lance put the Jeep in gear. “We learned one other thing in Piper’s interview. She has crazy knife skills.”
“She certainly does.”
His phone vibrated with a text. He picked it up and read the screen. “Sharp says they’re leaving the jail with Haley, and the place is crawling with reporters and protesters. He wants me at Eliza’s house to play bodyguard in case there’s trouble.”
“Protesters are there already?” Morgan used her phone to access a network news station’s website. “Oh, no. The case made the national news.” She turned up the volume.
“We’re outside the county jail, where a crowd has gathered to protest the release of Haley Powell on bail. Ms. Powell is being charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Noah Carter.” The reporter went on to relay the gory facts of the case. “Haley is the daughter of Eliza Powell, the owner of Wild, a hugely successful cosmetic company.”
The reporter detailed the evidence the police claimed to have and the wealth of Haley’s mother. He then approached a young man carrying an enlarged photo of Noah Carter. “Why are you here today?”
The young man shook his sign. “That crazy bitch butchered Noah. She shouldn’t be out on bail. We want justice.”
The feed went to a commercial. When the news returned, a different reporter stood on a rural street. The picture panned away from the reporter to an upshot of a house. Eliza’s house was a mansion, and the camera angle made the structure look even bigger and more imposing that it was. All glass and cedar, it perched on top of a foothill, no doubt commanding multimillion-dollar views.
The reporter said, “This is the Powell residence, where Haley Powell will be on house arrest until her trial for the murder of Noah Carter.”
When the segment ended, Morgan closed her laptop. “I don’t like the attention. Not one bit. They’re treating her like some sort of spoiled celebrity. We won’t be able to find a single juror who won’t walk into that courtroom with a predisposed opinion of Haley as a privileged rich girl who thinks she can get away with anything—even murder.”
“What do we do?” Lance asked.
“I don’t know yet. But I’d better think of something fast, or Haley will be found guilty before her case ever makes it to court.”
Lance’s phone buzzed again. “Let’s go. Sharp says Haley just received her first death threat.”
“With this amount of publicity, she’ll receive more of those before this is over.” Angry, Morgan jammed her notepad into her tote. “And thanks to the media, everyone now knows exactly where she lives.”
Chapter Fourteen
Peering out the front window of Eliza’s house, Sharp swallowed a curse. A throng of reporters gathered at the base of the long, steep driveway. News vans lined the gravel shoulder of the road. A tall wrought-iron fence enclosed the property, and an electronic gate barred the driveway entrance. Across the road from the media, protesters shouted and waved signs.
JUSTICE FOR NOAH.
KEEP KILLERS BEHIND BARS.
JUSTICE SHOULDN’T BE FOR SALE.
Eliza stepped up next to him. “I can’t believe there are so many people out there.”
“I was hoping they wouldn’t find your house so fast.” Sharp closed the blinds, blocking out the setting sun.
Eliza hugged her waist. “Will the gate keep them out?”
“Most of them will respect the gate.”
“Most?” She pivoted to face him.
“There’s always one.” He searched her face. “How are you holding up?”
She was strong, but Haley was her weakness.
“I’m trying not to think too far ahead. There are just too many horrible possibilities.” She shivered. “Part of me cannot believe the situation Haley is in. She was an easy baby and an easy kid. When other parents complained about their teenagers getting into trouble and being difficult, I counted my blessings.” Eliza pressed a fist to her mouth. “Someone must have framed her for this crime. She would never do anything so terrible. She simply isn’t capable.”
Sharp didn’t know Haley well, but he couldn’t believe any child of Ted’s would turn out to be a killer. He squeezed Eliza’s arm. “We’re going to see her through this.”
“Thank you.” Tears welled in Eliza’s eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
“That’s something you don’t have to waste a second thinking about. I’ll stick with Haley, no matter what.”
Eliza reached up to cup his jaw. “You were always such a good friend.”
Sharp covered her hand with his. “I wish I’d been there for you more over the years.”
“It was my choice to leave, Lincoln. You can’t blame yourself. I had to go. I couldn’t heal with reminders of Ted everywhere.”
“I was one of those reminders.”
Her sigh was long and deep, and she seemed to exhale sorrow. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You did what you had to do to survive. Haley was the most important consideration then. She still is.” Sharp meant every word, but sadness flared in his chest. He and Eliza shared a past and emotions only they could understand. Unfortunately, not all those feelings were healthy. Whatever remained between him and Eliza could be sorted out later. Today, he needed to focus on Haley. He dropped his hand and stepped out of her reach.
“I’m going to make coffee.” Eliza headed toward the back of the house.
Sharp followed her to the great room. The center island, a cream-colored slab of granite the size of an Escalade, divided the family room from the kitchen area. The floors were dark wood, the view spectacular.
Haley stood in the middle of the room, looking lost.
Sharp didn’t know how to comfort her any better than he did Eliza. He turned to the glass wall that faced the gorge behind the house. Below, a small patch of grass was enclosed with more wrought-iron fencing. At the rear of the yard, a bike lock secured a gate that opened to a hiking trail.
“What made you move out to the woods?”
“I was tired of the city.” Eliza scooped coffee grounds into a filter. “I love the clean air and the quiet. Being in the middle of nowhere was disconcerting at first, but the house was built with security in mind, and I had the alarm system upgraded. Now I can enjoy the solitude.”
“Do you like being alone?” Sharp asked.
“Very much so.” Eliza nodded. “I can be back in New York in a few hours, and I’m fond of traveling, but this has become home.”
She cast a worried frown at her daughter. “Haley, I’m going to make some dinner. Mac and cheese?”
“OK.” Haley hadn’t moved.
Eliza turned on the coffee machine and opened the refrigerator.
Haley lifted her foot and stared at the black monitor strapped around her ankle. “It’s heavier than I expected.”
“Whoever called it a bracelet obviously never wore one,” Sharp said.
Haley blinked at him as if coming out of a daze, and Sharp pictured a smiling infant, cooing and squealing, unaware that the people around her were mourning her father.
Eliza’s voice brought him back. “Would you like coffee?”
“No, thank you.” Sharp shook off the melancholy. He needed to be on his game. He’d promised Ted he’d look out for his family. The passage of years did not diminish his responsibility. “Do you have green tea?”
“I do. That’s what Haley drinks.” Eliza put a tea kettle on the stove, then took a foil pan from the freezer and slid it into the oven. “Do you want a cup, honey?”
The conversation seemed to pull Haley out of her daze.
Eliza gestured to an island stool. “Maybe you should drink some Gatorade?”
“You’re right.” Haley’s brow crinkled. “I’m probably dehydrated. I couldn’t drink out of that sink in the jail. The spigots were too low, and the water barely trickled out.”
How would she cope if she were sentenced to twenty-five years in prison? Sharp thought about the overwhelming amount of physical evidence against her, and his gut twisted.