His phone started ringing. Tyler. Everyone at the bar was going crazy. Eric was getting ready to close up for the night, and screw the owner if he didn’t like it.
“There’s nothing any of you can do here, so tell him to stay open,” Quinn said. “It looks like someone attacked Jessica’s mom, but she’s breathing, and the medical personnel are here. So are the cops. Just tell Eric to ask Sharon to stay on. Jessica won’t be back tonight.”
He rang off and watched the scene unfold. Larue was trying to talk to Jessica, but she kept bursting into tears then hyperventilating. Danni was trying to help her and help Larue get through to her. She led Jessica to a couch and had her sit with her head between her legs, a paper bag ready for her to breathe into if necessary. One of the EMTs called out that they were ready for transport to the hospital. Jessica refused to let her mother go alone, but she also wouldn’t let go of Danni, so Larue was arranging for both of them to ride with Jessica’s mother.
Jessica suddenly leaped to her feet. “Wait! What about Craig? What should I do? I need to go with my mother, but I can’t just leave him here.”
“I’ve got him,” Natasha said. “No worries there, none at all.”
“What if...what if whoever did this comes back?”
“We’ll all go to Danni’s place, Jessica,” Quinn said. “Don’t worry. There will be lots of people there to protect Craig. He’ll be fine, believe me. You go with your mom. I’ll be at the hospital soon myself. Everyone will be all right. I promise.”
“Thank you,” Jessica breathed then turned and raced after the med techs and her mother.
Danni glanced quickly at Quinn. He nodded to her and was amazed at how easily they could read each other’s minds. He smiled as she followed Jessica.
He intended to join her at the hospital as soon as he finished talking with Larue.
“Not to be rude,” Larue told the others, “but find what you need for the kid, then get out of my already-compromised crime scene.”
Quinn dialed Bo Ray quickly to let him know what was happening and that more company was on the way.
Bo Ray asked him, “The kid walking?”
Quinn wondered for a moment what the hell that had to do with anything, then gave up and asked.
“I’ll get things out of the way he might get hurt on,” Bo Ray said.
“That makes sense, thanks.” Quinn said goodbye to Bo Ray and immediately called Billie, who picked up right away. He explained about Jessica’s mother and said none of them would be back. “Make sure you tell everyone not to leave alone—not under any circumstances.”
“I’ll get the word out, and I’ll make sure no one goes home alone,” Billie assured him.
By the time Quinn got off the phone, Natasha had found what she needed for Craig, and they were getting ready to go. As they were starting out, Quinn caught Father Ryan by the arm. “I think you’re safe right now, but keep the house locked up tight, and keep Wolf inside with you.”
“What about the band?” Natasha asked. “They’re still at the club.”
Larue overheard her and said, “I’ll send an officer to keep an eye on things there.”
After that it was just Quinn and the cops.
“He left her alive,” Larue said. “Assuming this was the killer, why the hell would he have done that? And the kid...the kid was just wandering the streets?”
“From what I’ve understood, Jez found him. Natasha knows half the neighborhood, so he figured she might know who he was, and they could get him home before his parents went crazy. But then Jessica saw him...and here we are,” Quinn said. He walked to the door. “Here’s what I think. The killer knocked on the door. Jessica’s mom answered it. He burst in and slammed her across the room. She fell. And then...”
“And then he stopped and left. I’m not sure he even came in,” Larue continued. “He turned around and left, and left the door open. Why?”
“He saw the boy,” Quinn said.
Larue shook his head. “With this guy’s disregard for human life, I’m amazed he didn’t just kill the woman and then the kid, too,” he said.
“No,” Quinn said with a certainty he couldn’t explain. “Seeing the boy freaked him out.”
“Why?” Larue asked. “If he knew Jessica, he knew she had a kid.”
“He didn’t know whose child,” Quinn said.
“What do you mean?”
“The kid. He’s Arnie’s. We knew that Arnie was hooked on someone. We should have realized it before. Jessica’s son is Arnie’s son, too. The killer finally thought of looking around Jessica’s house—except that he didn’t know the boy was Arnie’s, either. Not until tonight. I don’t know how he figured it out, but he did. I’d stake my life on it.”
Chapter 15
DANNI DIDN’T HAVE to ask Jessica anything.