The light bulb went on in her head. “Without the knife that had his prints, they had no evidence against him.” She lost focus, staring at nothing as it all fell into place. “She stole the evidence from here. No one would have suspected anything if she just walked into the office. They’d think she was visiting her dad. She knows everyone here. They wouldn’t bat an eye if she was walking around talking to everyone she knows.”
Jase smacked his hand on the desk. “And that’s how she got away with murder and made sure Neil didn’t go down for it either.”
“Except she didn’t steal back the drugs they found in his closet.” She pinned Jase in her gaze. “Why’d she let him go down for that?”
“I think because he loved you and wouldn’t leave you for her.” He shrugged. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But they were having a baby together.”
“She didn’t know that at the time.”
Lucky thought about it. “Right, she found out after Neil was in prison.” That really hit her. “I bet she was upset that he wasn’t there for her. She played it off at the time that she didn’t want the father involved at all. But I think secretly she was kicking herself for not getting him off on all the charges so he could be with her.”
She thought about what he said in her memory. “He wants to see his daughter. He’s still covering for Desiree because she won’t let him see Krystal. With his rap sheet, no way he’d get visitation. Not unsupervised. Especially with the murders of three people hanging over his head.”
She sat back and stared off into space. “Holy fuck. She got away with everything. She sat there consoling me about my family. She told me how lucky I was to have someone who would go to such lengths to keep me safe.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “She was talking aboutherself. She wanted me to be grateful. She kept saying whoever killed them did me a favor!”
She slammed her hand down on the chair arm. “Fucking bitch!”
They’d kept their conversation low, not wanting to disturb the officers working around them. Now, every head turned in her direction. But she only saw one person. The one standing in his office, looking right at her, guilt and shame in his eyes.
Sheriff Bob Collins.
She stood so abruptly her chair tipped back and hit the cubicle wall.
Hawk tugged on her hand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to get some answers.”
“I’ll come with you.” He didn’t let her go.
She finally took her eyes off her target and met Hawk’s worried gaze. “He won’t talk if either of you come with me. He’s got too much to lose if he does. He’ll protect her like he’s been doingsince the day she was born. He can’t help himself, even if he knows who and what she is.”
“What if he decides to silence you before you can out his daughter?”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take, because I don’t believe he’d go that far. He always told me I was like a second daughter to him.” She rolled her eyes.Who let’s a daughter be abused?“He said I tempered Desiree. My friendship with her gave her stability, especially after her mother died. I was the one who held Desiree’s hand through the funeral. I was always her best friend, even if she wasn’t mine.” A tear slipped down her cheek.
Hawk brushed it away with his thumb. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“Seconds before you found me in that ravine, I truly thought I was at my lowest point, and I didn’t even know that it was my best friend who’d dropped me down that hill.” A flash of memory came back, but it was Hawk who made it all too real.
“No, Desiree. Don’t.” Hawk pulled her into his chest. “You say it over and over again in your sleep.” He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “I want to kill her.”
“Whoa, buddy. Let’s just keep that to yourself.” Jase looked around the room, making sure no one else had heard.
“I didn’t know how truly alone I was when you found me.” This time, she swiped the tears away. “I can’t lose you,” she whispered, trying to get the words out for him to hear and understand how necessary he was to her.
“You’ll never lose me. Ever.”
She hugged him as hard as she could. “I desperately need you to mean that.”
“I do. A thousand percent. You’re never getting rid of me.”
“Okay,” she choked out. “But I need you to let me go so I can do what I have to do. I need the whole truth.”
Hawk didn’t let loose his hold around her shoulders for a good ten seconds, and even then, he simply pushed back enough to kiss her on the forehead. “I wish I could do this for you.”
“I can do it because I know I have you to come back to when I’m done.”
