“Look, I’m sitting on a fat stack of cash. I was planning on using that to fund these two movies, along with what the studio is throwing in. If it comes down to it, I’m not going to let that girl die over money. I know you two have means. Between the three of us, I’m pretty sure we can come up with that number.”
JD had more money than sense, and I had some good fortune of my own.
“That’s a nice gesture, but there’s no way to get that kind of cash in the time frame we need it,” I said. “You can’t pull millions out of the system without having every federal agency crawl up your ass.” I assured him, “We’ll do what it takes to get her back.”
Flynn gave a solemn nod. “I tell you, I thought we were in a pickle there for a minute,” he said, reflecting on the excitement. “Think those guys survived the gunfight?”
I shrugged. “Something tells me they’re not going to be too happy when the county destroys their crop.”
Flynn chuckled. “No, I suppose not.”
“You think Mickey’s full of it?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You think he knows where the money is, and he just wants an excuse not to hand it over?” I had to consider all possibilities.
“No. Mickey’s not like that,” Flynn assured, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. His face wrinkled as he thought. “I know they’ve had their issues, but that’s his daughter. He’d do anything for her. I know I’d sit in a jail cell and serve my daughter’s term for her if I could.” Flynn looked at Jack.
“I’d give my kingdom for my daughter. No question.”
We sat under the stars on the sky deck, unwinding for a bit before settling in for the evening. The remnants of adrenaline still lingered.
The next morning, I got a surprising call from the sheriff. “You’re not going to believe this.”
39
“Ikilled him,” Hailey said in the interrogation room, the pale lights casting a sickly pallor on her skin.
She jittered with nerves, and her eyes darted about. She wasn’t overly emotional. It was matter of fact. Somewhat detached.
JD and I sat across the table from her.
Hailey had walked into the station and turned herself in. No attorney. She waived her rights and agreed to talk.
“Why did you do it?” I asked.
Her jaw tightened, and her eyes bulged. Rage filled her face, incensed by the question. “Because he abused me!”
“How did you do it?”
“Don’t you already know?”
“I do. But I need you to walk me through it.”
She took a deep breath and composed herself. “I went to my father’s house, and I stabbed him.”
“How many times?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t count. A lot.”
“If you had to guess.”
“10, 20, maybe 30 times. It’s all kind of hazy. Something came over me. I wasn’t myself. I was just a passenger watching it all unfold.”
I shared a look with JD, then asked her, “How did you deal with Tiffany?”
“I should have killed her, too.”
