Mike put his truck in gear and started down the rutted, snow-covered road. ‘That way you don’t have to explain anything to Rita.’
‘Exactly.’ Not that his wife asked too many questions. He never gave her any reason to. His businesses never spilled over into his home life. And they wouldn’t start now.
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Saturday 19 December, 5.25 P.M.
Mallory’s statement was basically a series of nods, head shakes, and monosyllabic responses to Adam’s questions. Trip had been right. Mallory was numb, her eyes vacant in an alarming way.
She’d trailed off mid-interview, staring into space. He’d called her name a little too loudly to get her attention, and she’d flinched as if he’d struck her.
He glanced at Meredith, who sat next to Mallory, holding her hand. She appeared calm. Serene even. But she wasn’t. There was a pinch to the side of her mouth that was rarely visible. He wondered how often Meredith really was serene and how often she masked her true emotions.
He wished she’d look at him, but she hadn’t met his eyes since he’d entered the small office where she and Mallory had been waiting with Wendi and Colby.
‘I’m going to stop now,’ he told Meredith quietly. ‘She’s been through enough.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice a bare whisper. The sag of her shoulders was infinitesimal. He’d have missed it had he not been watching.
What else had he missed when he hadn’t been watching her?
He looked to Wendi and Colby, who leaned against the closed office door, Wendi’s head pillowed on Colby’s beefy upper arm. ‘Take Mallory home. I’ll come by Mariposa House tomorrow and try again.’ The only point on which Mallory had been clear was that she’d never seen the young man before. Everything else had been disjointed or had gone completely unanswered.
‘I hope Mallory doesn’t regress,’ Colby murmured after Wendi walked her out, arm wound protectively around the girl’s waist. ‘She’s come so far.’
‘I hope so too,’ Adam replied. ‘But if she does, Mariposa is the best place for her.’
Colby’s nod was proud. ‘Wendi will make sure she’s taken care of and I’ll keep them all safe.’
‘You’re going to stay there? In the house?’ Adam was surprised. ‘Is that allowed?’ Wendi always made sure any male volunteers were not working anywhere they might cause the girls discomfort and that included shooing them out before the girls sat down to dinner. That, like no swearing and no booze, was a house rule.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Colby said gruffly. ‘If I can’t stay in the house, I’ll sleep in my truck or in a tent in the yard. Nobody’s getting in that house on my watch.’
‘There’s snow on the ground,’ Meredith protested. ‘You can’t sleep in a tent.’
Colby turned to Meredith. ‘I’ve slept on snow before. There’s also a shed on the property. I can set up a cot out there if I have to.’
‘Thank you,’ she said earnestly. ‘I’ll worry a lot less knowing you’re there.’
‘And where will you be?’ Adam asked her.
Her back visibly stiffened. ‘In my home.’
Hell no. Just . . . dammit. ‘Who’s going to watch over you?’ Adam demanded. ‘You were the target, after all.’
She flinched and even Colby winced. Way to go, Kimble. Kick her while she’s down.
‘Kendra’s coming to stay with me tonight,’ she said. ‘As soon as she’s off duty.’
‘That’s hours from now – hours you’ll be alone.’
‘She won’t be alone,’ Colby said with satisfaction. ‘Diesel Kennedy is currently waiting in your driveway, Meredith. He’ll stay with you until Kendra is able to get to your place. Faith has already rearranged the schedule at your office. She’ll take the clients that can’t skip a session. The others have been told you’re taking a few days off. You’ll have someone staying with you 24/7 until this is resolved.’
‘Who?’ Adam asked sharply. ‘Who is “someone”?’
‘Everyone,’ Colby answered, unperturbed. ‘Faith’s contacted all the ladies in their breakfast group and the wine club. Between them and their respective husbands, boyfriends, partners, whatever? You’re covered for the next week.’
Meredith’s circle of friends had circled the wagons, protecting her. And I’m not included in that group, Adam admitted. Which was entirely his own fault. He had no right to guard her. He had no rights at all. But he could have had them. He could have been a member of her circle. He could have been the one she depended on, leaned on, but he’d fucked it all up. Him and his goddamned bottle. It was a hard reality to accept.
But she called me today. Me. It wasn’t too late. Not yet.
‘I’m so tired, I’m not even going to fight the babysitter brigade,’ she said, and, despite being tired, she stood fluidly, at ease on those ridiculously high heels that made her legs far too sexy. She started for the door, maintaining eye contact with Colby.
Not with me. She wasn’t being mean or rude. Adam understood that. She was simply at her emotional breaking point. And I’m about to push her farther.
‘Meredith, wait. I have a few more questions. Just another minute or two.’
She nodded reluctantly, lowering herself to the sofa as elegantly as she’d risen. ‘All right,’ she said, but she held on to her handbag with a white-knuckled grip.
‘You were seated by the window.’ The coincidence of which was bothering him. ‘Had you requested the window?’
Her russet eyebrows scrunched. ‘Yes,’ she said slowly. She stared at her hands for a moment before looking back up. Still not meeting his eyes. Her gaze was fixed somewhere over his shoulder. ‘I called ahead to reserve the window table, the day Mallory asked if I’d take her to register for GED classes. I wanted her to have . . .’ Her voice trembled. ‘A perfect day,’ she whispered. She swallowed hard, and when she spoke again, it was firmly. ‘But I was told they didn’t reserve specific tables anymore. We’d have to take whatever was open at the time of our reservation.’
‘Yet the table was available when you came in.’
She nodded, frowning. ‘Yes. I figured we were just lucky.’
‘Maybe,’ Adam allowed. ‘But we need to make sure. Who knew you were taking Mallory to Buon Cibo?’
Meredith faltered. ‘The others. My friends.’
‘The breakfast group,’ Adam supplied. Meredith gathered the women together once a month for breakfast at her cousin Bailey’s house – Wendi, Kendra, Faith, and Scarlett Bishop, who was another member of the CPD/FBI joint task force – plus a few others, including Adam’s own cousin, Dani. Every woman was trustworthy. Every one would protect Meredith with her life, Adam was sure of it. ‘Who else?’
‘Um . . . I don’t know. Maybe the other girls at Mariposa House.’
Adam’s gaze flicked to Colby’s. ‘I’ll have to talk to them.’
Colby nodded. ‘I’ll have Wendi get them ready. When? It’ll be time for them to go to sleep in a few hours. We don’t want to disrupt their routine any more than we have to.’
Adam knew he had several more hours here and at the crime scene across the street. ‘I’ll probably come out there tomorrow morning, but I’ll call you either way.’ He turned back to Meredith. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly, ‘but I have to ask you again for the names of anyone who’s stalked you recently.’
Her jaw tightened. ‘I told you. I can’t tell you anything about the people who just happen to be running around the high school track at the same time I do every morning at five a.m., or just happen to be shopping for veggies at my local Kroger on Saturday mornings, or just happen to catch my eye across the crowd after Sunday mass at St Germaine’s for the last three weeks.’
He frowned. She’d used the same words that morning. The same, exact— Shit. Understanding hit him like a brick. She was telling him where to search. And when and for whom. He’d bet that all three of those places had surveillance cameras. ‘Oh,’ he said, feeling foolish. ‘Got it.’