The chief’s eyes narrow. “Marvin’s been coverin’ your caseload for over a week, Stone. He’s good people.”
“Maybe he is, Chief, but Grace is my wife. And I don’t want him anywhere near her case. Understood?”
The chief’s mouth flattens, and for a beat he looks like he’s about to bite AJ’s head clean off.
“You don’t get to pick who works what case, Stone. That’s my call. But”—his gaze lands on me, then shifts back to AJ—”I hear you. Loud and clear.”
Nate pushes off the wall and clears his throat. “Chief, Captain Vern with APD is here.”
I glance over my shoulder. An older man in dress blues strides down the hall like he owns the place. “Harris, you and I are gonna have words when the cameras are all gone. This is APD’s case. Always has been.”
“You had your shot three years ago,” Harris snaps. “You pissed it down the drain. You don’t get to do it again.”
The APD captain turns his glare on me, and I suck in a sharp breath. “Mrs. Stone, we need you to come in?—”
“No.” AJ’s voice is practically a snarl. “You don’t get to touch her. She’s been through enough. APD gets to stand behind her while she faces the press, but that’s as close as you get to her ever again.”
Nate makes a show of checking his watch. “Press is waiting. Save the pissing contest for later.”
The chief, his jaw tight and hands balled into fists, leads the way. Nate only a step behind him. The APD captain and Jasper bring up the rear. AJ’s twin keeps accidentally bumping into the guy, and I think the captain just called him a cretin under his breath.
We stop in front of a set of double doors. “Wait here,” Harris orders. He and Captain Vern march through the doors first. For the brief moment they’re open, the loud buzz from the reporters sends my heart into my throat.
AJ’s arm tightens, as if he knows I’m close to unraveling. Jasper cracks one of the doors open so we can hear what’s going on.
“Almost three years ago, Grace Stone, the wife of Captain AJ Stone, disappeared while running on the Butler trail by Lady Bird Lake. Austin PD and the Department of Public Safety investigated the case for months, but no trace of Mrs. Stone was ever found. Until nine days ago.”
“That’s our cue,” AJ murmurs softly, and Nate holds the door open for us.
With Belle and my husband at my side, I manage to shuffle up the two steps and onto a raised platform without tripping. Half a dozen microphones line the podium. The constant click of camera shutters is almost overwhelming. Bright lights glare overhead. My headache returns with a sudden vengeance, and I sway until AJ steadies me.
Chief Harris and Captain Vern move off to one side of the platform, while Nate stands on the other, close to the double doors.
For a moment, I search the crowd, seeking out the handful of people—besides AJ—who can anchor me if I panic. Emi’s right up front, her press badge hanging from a lanyard around her neck.
Connor and Isabel are in the fourth row, and Jasper ambles down the center aisle to take a seat next to them. In the very back, I find Parker, who gives me a little nod of encouragement.
AJ clears his throat. “When Grace disappeared, I started runnin’ the Butler trail every weekend. Never really knew why, ‘cept it was the only thing that let me feel close to her. A week ago Saturday, when I got to the spot where her water bottle and phone were found, she was standin’ there. Disoriented, barefoot, wearin’ a white dress stained with her blood. And she had no memory of me, her life, or even her name.”
Half a dozen reporters shout questions at once. I flinch, curling closer to AJ. Belle’s low growl rumbles against my leg.
“My wife’s been through hell,” he snaps. “Show her some goddamn respect.”
The shouts fade to dull whispers, and AJ nods. “I’m fixin’ to tell you the rest, and then Grace’ll take a few questions.”
AJ sticks to the fabricated story. The truth that’s not the truth, but not entirely a lie either.
After he tells the reporters that only small fragments of my memories have returned, he presses a kiss to the top of my head. “We waited to come forward until Grace was strong enough to take questions and face a room full of people she doesn’t know. Don’t make her regret showin’ up here today.”
AJ takes a step back, but I can still feel the heat of him behind me. Still smell his aftershave. Still feel his hand brush mine.
Belle stands up, pressing against my legs, and letting me lean on her through her harness.
“Grace?” Emi’s polished, confident voice carries over the din in the room. “Emmylou Marsh with Channel Five News. Can you tell us how you’re feeling today?”
My throat tightens, but we rehearsed this, and I grab onto the lifeline she offers me. “Tired. A little…overwhelmed. But grateful. To be here. To be alive. To be back home with my husband who never stopped looking for me.”
Emi’s gentle smile gives me a tiny boost of confidence.
