The girl’s knees gave out as she stood. Lance scooped her into his arms and carried her out to the Jeep. He called her mother on the way to the emergency room. A nurse escorted Jamie into the triage bay while Lance and Tony headed for the waiting room.
Vanessa Lewis hurried through the sliding door. Her face was streaked with tears and fear. “Where is she? Is she all right?”
Lance stood. “The nurse took her back. I’m sure they’ll let you in.”
Vanessa gave her name at the counter.
“I can’t believe I let a monster near my child.” She dug in her pocket for a tissue. “He was so nice.”
“He’s an experienced predator,” Lance said. “This was not his first time. He knew what he was doing.”
The electronic door opened and a scrub-clad nurse called, “Mrs. Lewis?”
So did Lance. But it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Both Jamie and her mom would need time and professional help if they were going to get through this together.
Chapter Forty-Four
Two days later
Lance went into the office late Friday morning after stopping to check on his mom. Sharp was on the phone. The dog was curled up in a bed in the corner. Lance waved as he passed the doorway. Then he settled at the card table in his office and stared at the single file in front of him: his father’s case.
He still hadn’t opened it. Yes, he wanted to know what had happened to his dad, but if Sharp hadn’t found any clues in twenty-three years, what were the chances any existed?
What were the chances that Lance would get sucked into a past that he’d thought he’d made peace with? He also considered the effect any digging into the past would have on his mom.
The front door opened and closed. Morgan walked past his doorway. Surprise pulled Lance to his feet. He hadn’t seen her since he’d dropped her at her house Tuesday night.
The dog bolted from Sharp’s office to greet her, and Lance wanted to do the same. He listened to her talk to the dog in a ridiculous high-pitched voice.
“What a pretty girl you are. Did Sharp give you a bath?”
The patter of dog toenails on hardwood followed Morgan’s footsteps down the hall.
Lance went to the war room. She was clearing the board and filing the evidence from Nick’s case. Instead of a suit, she wore jeans, a black sweater, and a pair of brown boots on her feet. A silk scarf in gray and turquoise was artfully knotted around her throat. The bandage on her arm peeked out from the hem of her sleeve. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were clear and blue and beautiful as always.
She was still talking to the dog. “Look at your new collar and tags.”
The dog sat at her feet and listened with a cocked head. The collar around her neck was purple, and a hot-pink dog tag stamped with the name “ROCKET” hung from its metal loop.
What would Morgan do now? With the charges against Nick dropped, she didn’t need to play defense attorney anymore. He was going to miss seeing her every day, but it was probably for the best. If they worked closely together, she would be too hard to resist.
He leaned on the doorjamb. “How’s the arm?”
She turned. “Itchy but otherwise fine.” She pulled the photos of suspects out from under their magnets and put them in the box.
“Can I help?” He started at the opposite end of the board. “What are you going to do with all this stuff?”
“Keep it for now, I guess.” Morgan paused, a picture of the crime scene dangled from her hand. “I’ll decide when I hear from Bryce.”
“No word from the DA yet?”
“No.” Morgan scratched at the edge of her bandage. “I was hoping he would make an official announcement before Nick gets discharged from the hospital. I don’t want any more incidents with the neighbors.”
“Do you expect any?”
“Who knows? I have no idea why it is taking so long to file charges against Emerson. Without a formal arrest and press release, people will still think Nick is guilty.”
Her phone rang, and she read the display. “It’s Bryce.”
She took the call. A confused line formed over the bridge of her nose as she listened. Lance could hear Bryce’s voice but couldn’t make out the words.
“All right. Thanks for calling, Bryce.” She set the phone down, her face pale. “The DNA results came in.”
“And?” Sharp said from the doorway.
“They’re inconclusive.” She crossed her arms. “Normally, we expect the probability of paternity to be either 99%, which means you’ve accurately identified the biological father of a child, or 0%, which would mean Jacob is definitely not a paternal match, but Tessa’s baby was 26% match with Jacob Emerson.”
Lance leaned on the wall as the truth hit him. “Because Jacob and the baby were half-siblings. Phillip was the father.”
“It’s disturbing on so many levels,” Morgan said, reaching down to stroke the dog’s head. The dog leaned on her shins.
“Like father, like son,” Sharp said. “Considering what his father did, it’s no shock that Jacob has no respect for women.”
“Yes.” Morgan shivered. “These families knew each other . . . were friends. They spent time together. Tessa even spent the night a few times when her grandfather had a heart attack several years ago. She was about twelve when Phillip started to molest her.”
Sharp rapped a knuckle on the wall. “I’d like to shoot him myself.”
Morgan continued. “The police conducted a thorough search of the Emerson house. In the back of Phillip’s office closet, they found a box that contained photos of Tessa and what the police believe to be a lock of her hair. Bryce said the photos went back six years, to when Tessa’s parents died and she came to live with her grandparents. Phillip has been charged with Tessa’s rape and murder. Bryce says they’ll make a public statement later today. So Nick is in the clear.”
“The fallout should prove to be interesting for the mayor’s reelection campaign,” Sharp added. “But then, you reap what you sow.”
“The DA’s office and the police chief are scrambling for a spin on this,” Morgan said. “My guess is that the mayor will distance himself from both of them. But I doubt he has enough time before the election to make up for this disaster.”
“I thought he might fire Horner and let him take all the blame,” Sharp said.
Lance shrugged. “That still might happen. We’ll just have to wait and see. What is the DA going to do with Jacob?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think he can do anything to Jacob. Without a victim to testify, the case is dead in the water. But I have more news,” Morgan said. “I spoke to the sheriff this morning. They were able to track the deposit that hit Menendez’s wife’s bank account. You’ll never guess who arranged for the money transfer.”
“Tessa’s grandfather?” Lance guessed.
Morgan shook her head. “Her grandmother. When confronted, she also admitted to nailing that cow heart to my door. The sheriff’s department arrested her this morning.”