“I couldn’t stay. So I decided to take one last gamble so I could get out of here. I broke into Jeremiah’s office with a crowbar while they were at church,” she explains.
I picture in my mind’s eye her with a crowbar in her hands, forcing his door open, then rifling through drawers, eventually finding what she needed and then having to fight her way past him to lock herself away in the storm shelter. Although my respect for her increases tenfold, my burning need to tune Jeremiah up skyrockets.
“They caught me when I was trying to leave and Jeremiah lost his mind when he realized what I was holding,” she continues. “I couldn’t get to my car, so I ran for the cellar,” she says. “Jeremiah was furious and chased me down trying to get it back.”
I step closer and reach out one hand to rub her back. “I know this is hard but tell us the rest.”
She pulls out a stack of printed correspondence between Jeremiah and the attorney. “Jeremiah knew about the will before Granny Ellie died. He requested a copy from her attorney and knew I was the sole heir.”
I glance towards the living room where Jeremiah kneels, spine rigid, eyes burning holes into the floor, and think to myself that his days on Earth will be few if I have anything to say about it.
Siege comments, “There’s a lot of information here. What else did you find?”
Looking sick and a little grief-stricken, she slides a printed order across the table, creased from being gripped too tight. “He ordered potassium chloride a week before she died. I remember you telling me about how dangerous it was when we delivered the meds to Mr. Sanchez. That a prescribed dose is fine but take too much and it can cause a heart attack.”
I curse under my breath. I knew the Elliots were trouble, but having it confirmed that they’d kill their mother, and try and hunt Natalie down to get to the inheritance makes my blood boil.
By now her hands are shaking as she reaches into an envelope and pulls out a folded sheet of paper.
The handwriting is shaky and looks like it was written by someone old and frail, but I wait for her to explain.
“Granny Ellie wrote this,” Natalie says quietly. “I think she realized what they were doing and intended on giving it to me the night she died.”
I skim the lines, feeling sadder with every word. The old lady suspected him because he asked her for money and she refused. He was angry and talked about getting it anyway when she died, so what was the difference. She was afraid he might learn about her will and knew that she and Natalie were in danger. The letter said that if she died, then Natalie had to run and contact her attorney. She must have slipped the letter under her mattress, intending on giving it to Natalie, but David or Jeremiah had gotten to her first.
Natalie leans into me without even realizing she’s doing it. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.
Siege looks down at the multitude of evidence and nods as he reads Granny Ellie’s note. Pulling out his phone, he walks off. I can still hear him say, “Yeah, she found the evidence. Send units.”
When she turns around in my arms, I give her a big bear hug, lifting her off her feet. Her arms come up around my neck and she hugs me back, rubbing her cheek against mine. It’s a sweet gesture that hits me right in the feels.
“You did it, darlin’,” I murmur in her ear. “You came looking for proof and I’ll be damned if you didn’t find it.”
When I set her down again, she gestures to all the evidence sprawled out across the table. “I found a lot more than that. Jeremiah has been keeping tabs on my foster parents and kept evidence on all the ways they grifted the system. I think there might be enough here to interest the police instead of just CPS.”
“It serves them right. You did good work here.” Even as I speak, we can hear sirens drawing closer in the distance.
I glance into the living room again. The three assholes I’d love to smack around a bit are still on their fuckin’ knees looking all kinds of forlorn. Somehow, I manage to let go of the idea that I’m gonna get the chance to be hands-on with them.
“Damn, that was quick. Siege must have had the cops on standby.”
Natalie and I stay put. She begins organizing her evidence into neat little stacks so it will be easy for the police to see what they’ve got. Me? I stay close to make sure nobody bothers her. She’s my old lady now and protecting her and my unborn child is my primary responsibility in life and I ain’t gonna let nothin’ or nobody stand in my way.
By the time Rigs hands off the three of them to the cops, the foster mother is sobbing into her hands while her husband is just walking beside her looking shocked at how this nice Sunday turned into such a shit show for them. Jeremiah stares straight ahead because he’s a cold-hearted bastard.
I keep my eyes on Natalie, and for the first time in three and a half weeks, I have the satisfaction of knowing we’re about to be able to put this whole miserable mess behind us once and for all.
Law enforcement officers swarm the place. Then the detectives show up and clear them out. They spend a couple of hours taking statements from Natalie, then gathering up, logging, and tagging the evidence she gave them. I’ve never been prouder of her than I am in this moment. She’s a force of fuckin’ nature and after this she’ll be all mine.
By the time the detectives are finished with us and we can leave, I can see that Natalie is dead on her feet. I suspect it’s more from the stress of being here in the thick of things than not being able to sleep. I strap her duffel onto the back of my bike, and she slides in between me and her duffel. We take off for parts unknown. We’ll probably stop at the nearest motel, order in, and turn in early. I want nothing more than to get back to Las Salinas, but she’s had a traumatic day and needs her rest.
Chapter 18
Natalie
Today we’re visiting Mr. Holloway, Granny Ellie’s attorney. He’s an older gentleman with white hair and horn-rimmed glasses that make his eyes look gigantic. His conference room looks like it was last decorated in the eighties.
I sit on one side of a long table with Bear beside me, his thigh pressed lightly against mine beneath the table. Bear is polite, quiet, and attentive but lets me conduct my own business with Mr. Holloway.
