Jordan responds before I get a chance. “He is trying to help Riley.”
I hurry on before he can say anything that will be harder to defend. “Yes, he is. I’ve been trying to understand what happened back then, Daddy.” Then I lower my voice and go on. “Jordan came with me to see Mr. Masters. We found out some information about the newest murder.”
“That’s … interesting.” Daddy’s eyebrows shoot up and he leans back in his chair. His eyes dart back and forth between Jordan and me as though he’s trying to figure out this situation. It’s clear that he thinks Jordan got the info from his dad, and I decide not to correct him.
“Yes,” I continue with more confidence, and let a little of the anger I’ve been feeling lately show through. “Now, I need to know if you were with Stacia on the night of one of the murders—and don’t try to tell me that she left early because I know there are times when she stays late but clocks out early. I’ve asked the security guard if she’s in the office in the past and he says she clocked out, but when I call her cell, she tells me she’s still there. Were you together on the night of Hillary’s murder? I know you were having affairs with both of them. Were you with Stacia when Hillary was killed?”
Daddy’s mouth literally drops open and his eyes are completely focused on me now. “W-why are you even reading about the case or looking into all of this, Riley? I told you not to do that.”
“That doesn’t matter, Daddy. You stole that option away from me when you told me … what you did.” I glance at the back of the guard through the door, but Daddy’s eyes widen and go directly to Jordan. He stares straight back at Daddy, making zero attempt to hide the fact that he knows exactly what we’re talking about.
“You told him?” Daddy’s pitch drops and he glares at me. “You foolish, foolish girl.”
“And I told him that you said it was a lie and why you said you did it.” I straighten up my spine and scowl in return. “You’re the one who put me in this situation, Daddy. Jordan is just trying to help me find a way out of it.”
Daddy is silent, but he continues to glower from Jordan to me and back. Jordan looks like he really doesn’t want to be here, but I can tell from one glance that he wouldn’t leave me even if I asked him to.
“He didn’t answer your question.” Jordan’s voice is low and deliberately quiet, but it draws a growl from Daddy anyway.
And I’m tired of my father treating me like I’m the only one around here who can be questioned. “This visit isn’t about what I’m doing now, though, it’s about what you did back then. And he’s right: you never answered me.” I fold my arms and rest them on the table. “Were you with Stacia?”
Daddy groans, and then his shoulders droop slightly. “I cheated on your mama because people make mistakes and I’m no better than that. I was mad at her for something and it felt like the only way I could make her hurt, too. It was stupid. I was stupid. That affair ended long ago, though, and the only reason I even see Stacia anymore is because I trust her to help me with this case. She’s smart, and she feels like our affair somehow landed me here. Don’t ever speak to her about this because she’d be horrified, but yes, I cheated, and I regret it.”
I feel slightly lighter somehow to finally be hearing what sounds like the truth. I push for more information. “Were you with her the night Hillary was killed?”
“No, I wasn’t.” Daddy hangs his head down and I feel my hope deflate. “I wish I had been just so I could’ve prevented all of this, but I wasn’t. I told them the truth when I said I have no alibi.”
“None?” I ask, feeling desperate. “Not for any of the murders?”
Daddy lifts his face and meets my eyes, his expression full of remorse and regret. “If I had, why wouldn’t I have used it back when I was arrested? Believe me, honey, I wish I had someone who could vouch for me. I wish I hadn’t spent so much time in my office alone.” He reaches his hand out and takes mine. “I wish I’d spent more time at home with you, with your mom.”
The room fills with a quiet sadness in the wake of his statement. I look over at Jordan and am hurt to see him still staring at my father with such skepticism. An intense urge to fix something, to make it better for my father, overwhelms me.
“It’s going to be okay.” He looks up at me, his eyes filled with nothing but despair. “There are many things with this new case that indicate it isn’t just a copycat. The killer knows too much for it to be that simple.”
Jordan’s skeptical look gets darker, but I ignore it, pushing forward. “We have Mr. Masters trying to help in any way he can. He thinks he may be able to find something else that could help. He’s going to look—”