“If we go and your mom thinks it’s okay, I’ll teach you.”
Gratitude slipped through her. She looked up at Reese, saw the caring in his eyes, and a warm feeling expanded inside her. From that moment on, Kenzie thought the day had somehow seemed brighter.
She couldn’t help thinking how different Reese was from Lee. How he actually seemed to take an interest in her son. It scared her to think how deeply she was getting involved with him. She knew what Reese was like, that odds were he’d get bored with her and move on. She told herself she could handle it when the time came.
Friday morning slipped away, drifted into afternoon. The sun was out, the September air still warm after last night’s rain.
“Why don’t you two go for a swim?” Gran suggested. “Weather’s nice today.”
Seated at the kitchen table, Griff looked up and his features brightened. “Could we, Mom?”
She smiled, thinking it was a good idea. “I don’t see why not.” Griff started for the stairs to change, Kenzie close behind him when the doorbell rang. She turned to the door, checked the peephole, and her stomach knotted.
Griff continued up the stairs while Kenzie opened the door. “Detective Ford. I’m surprised to see you.” She didn’t invite him in. She had no idea what he wanted but it couldn’t be good.
“I’ve got a couple of questions I need to ask. They won’t take long.”
She had seen him at the funeral yesterday, standing at the back of the crowd. Griff had recognized him from a news broadcast on TV and wanted to ask him about his progress on the murder case. Fortunately, the detective was gone by the time the service was over.
“What do you want to know?”
A cynical smile curved his mouth. He’d be a good-looking man if he weren’t always scowling, trying to prove her guilty of murder.
“Turns out you’re quite a good shot, Kenzie. You never mentioned your shooting skills. You didn’t tell us your father belonged to the Dallas Trap Shooting Club. Or that the two of you went there together often. Why, you’ve even won trophies.”
Her heart was pounding. She wished Reese were there. “I told you my father taught me to shoot.”
“You said you bought the pistol for self-defense. You didn’t say you were a crack marksman.”
She lifted her chin. “Do I need to call my attorney?” It was what Nate Temple would advise her to say.
“What happened the night of the murder? Reese says you were with him but we both know that isn’t true. Did you go to your ex-husband’s house in order to kill him, or did the two of you get into an argument and things just got out of hand? Maybe you were frightened. After the beatings he gave you, maybe you just reacted. Or you were concerned for Griff’s safety. If that’s what happened—”
“That isn’t what happened. No matter what he did to me, I don’t believe Lee would ever have hurt his son, and I was nowhere near Lee’s house the night he was killed. I think you had better leave, Detective.”
“You might want to think about Reese. I know the two of you are involved. Giving false evidence, interfering in a police investigation—he could be facing some very serious charges.”
“Please leave.”
Ford took a step back and handed her a business card, which she accepted with a trembling hand. “If you change your mind, give me a call.”
The detective walked out of the house. Kenzie closed the door and leaned against it.
“Mom?” Griff stood at the bottom of the stairs, dressed and ready for a swim. “Was that the detective who was on TV? He’s the one trying to find Dad’s killer.”
“That’s right.”
“He...he doesn’t think you did it, does he?”
Oh, God. “He’s just doing his job, honey. The police ask everyone questions. I wasn’t anywhere near your dad’s house that night.”
She saw the fear in his eyes as he walked toward her. “If the cops think you did it, they could arrest you.”
She drew him in for a hug. “They aren’t going to arrest me, sweetheart. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Griff pulled away. “We’ve got to help them find the bad guy, Mom. If we find the killer, you won’t have to worry about the cops. Maybe we could get Reese to help.”
The worry in his face made her eyes sting. It wasn’t fair that a child his age should be afraid of losing his other parent, too.
