“After three days.”
“If he’d waived his rights no cop was going to beg him to call an attorney. All they cared about was closing their case.” No hint of apology softened dark eyes. “That was their job.”
“Their job was to serve justice.”
His gaze cut like shards of glass. “My father was a great cop. And from what I’ve read about Jeb he was an accident waiting to happen.”
Another cop had said the exact words about her brother once. Anger ripped at her good humor and she smacked her hand on the counter, regretting it the instant it triggered jolts of pain up her arm. For a moment, she struggled to catch her breath. “See it’s that kind of attitude I’m worried about. That kind of attitude will get my DNA tests delayed or lost.”
“You calling me a liar?” He was as calm as a hurricane’s eye.
“You are loyal to the job and your family. I think you’d protect them at all costs.”
“I don’t lie. Can you say the same?”
She ignored the barb. “When my brother was arrested he asked me to lie for him. I didn’t lie for him, and I’ve regretted it every day since.”
“You were right not to lie.”
Rachel traced her eyebrow. “Really? You make it sound black-and-white. Easy. One lie would have solved so much.”
“If you’d lied you’d not be here now. You’d have been arrested and you’d never have gotten that law degree.”
The oven dinged and he pulled out the cooked pizza, which he cut into four slices. He removed a white plate from the open shelving above the counter and served up her food.
She lifted her slice, pausing as it neared her lips. “You’re not eating.”
“No. Already ate supper. But you need to eat so I can give you your pill. I’ll lock up on my way out.”
Pill. She didn’t want to take meds or have her mind in a fog. Luke had lived that way for the last decade of his life. But the night would be long and she’d sleep little without help. And she needed to be sharp tomorrow.
She bit into the pizza, quickly realizing she was far hungrier than she first thought. He sipped his water as she ate the first slice and then half of the second. When she pushed her plate away, he pulled the meds from his pocket and doled out two pink pills into her palm.
“You are taking them.”
She curled her fingers over the pills. “Is it always an order with you?”
“Is it always a major discussion with you?”
She shook her head. “Not this time. I can admit when I’m wrong. The nurse was right. Whatever she gave me at the hospital is wearing off fast.” She swallowed the pills and chased them with water. “Let me give you back your shirt before I pass out.”
“Keep it for now,” he said.
“No, that’s not right.” She eased off the stool and reached for the shirt buttons. Her good hand shook as she fumbled with the buttons.
He moved around the counter and brushed her hand away. “Send it along later.”
Pain throbbed and she glanced at the clock wondering when the meds would take effect. “Fine.”
In the main room he glanced toward the staircase that stretched to a darkened second floor. “Can you make it that far?”
Yeah. Sure. Maybe. “I’m a champ. I’ll be fine.” She moved toward the front door. “I’ll walk you out and set the alarm.”
He moved to the front door, opened it, and stopped. “You sure you’ll be all right here tonight?”
The space behind her felt vast and empty and suddenly filled with dark shadows. But it wasn’t her nature to borrow trouble when it filled her plate. “I’ll be fine. Really.”
“I’m going to have patrols stepped up in your area for a while. And I’m calling your partner.”
“Thanks.”
He stepped outside. “Glad to help.”
Feelings of gratitude triggered a vulnerability that left her brittle and wishing he’d stay. Sentiment wasn’t her style. Must be the drugs. “Don’t forget my DNA tests. I’ll be calling you soon.”
Detective Morgan laughed. “Be surprised if you didn’t.”
Lexis shrugged her shoulders working the kinked muscles free as she rose and moved to the coffeepot filled with black dregs.
She poured the sludge into the cup, sniffed it, and grimaced. As much as she liked to drink coffee and flaunted a cast-iron stomach, even she had standards. She took the glass carafe, rinsed it out at the sink, and refilled it with fresh water. After dumping and refilling coffee grounds, she clicked the machine on and moved to a small fridge. Inside, she found two slices of yesterday’s pizza.
Working her neck from side to side again she glanced back at the letters Rachel had left with her. Beside them were Annie’s lyrics.
She’d gone over the letters again and again and her first instinct had been that the letters were authentic. The shapes of the letters were consistent: a deeply grooved looping O. A flourish and tail on the A’s. Spacing between the letters, words, and lines were consistent.
Initially she’d thought this job was a slam dunk, but as she moved through the letters doubts bothered her. She couldn’t voice the niggling worries that kept her from calling Rachel with a confirmation.
She paced back and forth staring at the letters. “What is it about you, Annie, that is such a puzzle? Who were you?”
Picking up her phone, she called Rachel. The call went to voice mail and she left a quick promise to call tomorrow.
As she closed the phone, a loud bang outside had Lexis turning toward her door. She wasn’t expecting clients or guests this late at night. Naturally suspicious, she reached for the loaded thirty-eight she kept in the top drawer of her desk.
She moved to the door and looked through the peephole. No one was outside. She shoved out a breath and wondered if the raccoons had gotten into her garbage again. She’d just bought those new cans that were supposed to be critter-proof and it annoyed her that the same lingering pest problem had returned.
Gun at her side, she moved out the front door around the side of the house toward the cans. She was tempted to shoot the damn animal, which last week had ripped through her trash bags and spread debris around her land. But as she moved toward the cans, she realized that they were undisturbed. She hesitated, raising her gun again. If it wasn’t the raccoons, then what the hell had made that noise?
As she turned to retreat back toward the house she heard the rustle of leaves and then a swish through the air. Milliseconds later a blunt hard object smashed into her gun hand. The pain paralyzed her arm and her fingers twitched. The gun fell to the ground. Grabbing her hand, she tensed, ready to fight when a second blow caught her on the side of her head. Stunned, her cry sounded distant, more animal than human. She’d never felt such pain.
Lexis staggered and dropped to her knees.