“I—I cried my eyes out over Ella again and again during grief group, and Nora held my hand and put her arm around me each time. She understands. She must understand.”
Hez guided her to a sofa, sat, and pulled her onto his lap. “Did she confess to stealing the file?”
“No, but she asked me not to investigate. She said I might get hurt.” Savannah inhaled. “She said I needed to trust her.”
Trust me—the motto of every untrustworthy person in the world. Including him. He’d asked her to trust him over the pictures, and she’d done it. He wished he was wrong about Nora, but he didn’t think so. “Her betrayal must be really hard, especially after Jess.”
Savannah stiffened and went silent for a moment. “No, Hez, you’re wrong. Hearing you say the wordbetrayalbrought it all into focus, and the one thing I know is that she’s never let me down. Besides, this is about Ella.” She fidgeted with her bracelet. “I don’t believe she would cover for Ella’s killers. She’s hiding something, but I’m sure she would be the first to accuse the murderer. I—I trust her.”
Just like Savannah trusted Jess—right up until the moment she stuck a knife in her back. Savannah didn’t have a great track record when it came to trusting Willard women, but now wasn’t the time to bring that up.
Hez sighed and mentally said goodbye to the fifteen thousand Savannah blew on Nora’s bail—and bit his tongue about that too. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight, especially when he had his own bad news to deliver.
“Ella’s killers may have struck again.” He told her about his conversation with Hope and the bugs he discovered in Andersen’s office and the Justice Chamber.
She gasped. “You think Michael was listening when you persuaded Erik to talk to Hope? And then murdered him before he could testify?”
Hez nodded. “I can’t believe I never thought to search for bugs earlier. I knew Michael and the Willard kids hadbeen in Connor Hall and in the Justice Chamber itself, but it somehow never occurred to me that they might have left something behind.” He tapped his left temple. “Some people never completely recover after a craniotomy. Maybe I’ve permanently lost a step.”
She gave him a tender kiss and stroked his hair. “I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re the smartest man I know—even though you are.”
“I’m not smarter than Michael Willard. Without Andersen’s testimony, Hope doesn’t have a basis for an arrest warrant. And if Andersen doesn’t revoke his consent to Michael’s adoption of Simon, we’ll have a hard time stopping it. A really hard time.”
Her fingers stilled in his hair. “What are our chances?”
“Close to zero,” he admitted. “I let you down. Worse, I let Simon down.”
“I’m scared for our boy. What will Michael do to him?”
Fear gripped Hez’s heart with iron talons. “He’s a cold-blooded killer, and I think he murdered Simon’s birth father. And that PI we hired for the first hearing reported that Michael was physically abusive to family members. If he hurts Simon...”
Savannah shivered. “I’m not just worried about him physically harming Simon. Michael corrupts everyone around him. Look at Jess, his brother David, his nephews Deke and Tommy and Little Joe, the other Willards who are dead or behind bars after those smuggling raids. And those are only the ones we know about. I’ll bet there are more.”
“And he’s hard at work on the next generation. Simon gushes about how much fun he has with his cousins at ‘Pawpaw’s place.’ He idolizes that sociopath. I so much want to go overthere and get Simon and take him someplace safe—to protect him. But I know I’d be doing the opposite. Michael’s court case would get even stronger, and there could even be bloodshed.” Hez closed his eyes. “This is like those nightmares I have about Ella. I know she’s drowning, but there’s nothing I can do to save her.”
Savannah took his hand in both of hers. “You’re wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is something we can do: Pray for Simon. We don’t have the power to protect Simon, but God does, and he works through our prayers. Especially when we pray together.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s pray for our boy right now.” She bowed her head.
Hez blinked. She was right. God could protect Simon despite Hez’s repeated failings. This wasn’t all on him. A weight lifted from his heart as he inclined his head. He cleared his throat and began, “Lord, we thank you that you love Simon and hold him in the palm of your hand. He faces great danger, but not too great for you. Keep him safe, Lord, please.”
Chapter 30
The foyer of Legare Hall would soon be finished. Savannah stood in the grand entrance with its rounded dome ceiling soaring overhead. She had cut out some of the needlessly ostentatious—and expensive—flourishes in her father’s plans, and the classic grace of the space shone through. The beautiful room with its refurbished mahogany floors and exquisite moldings was everything she’d dreamed it would be. She had big plans for the hall and smiled as she envisioned rolling out its name and purpose once the entire building was completed.
The contractor called out to her, and she went to join him outside by the southern magnolia tree on the lawn. The tree’s white blooms filled the air with fragrance. “It’s beautiful, Sergie. Well done. Where is the issue on the facade you called about?” With Sergie’s attention to detail, there couldn’t be much of a problem.
He pointed to the roof. “We haven’t discussed guttering. With the style of the building, I’d suggest copper, but it’s very expensive. There are a few options that look like copper but don’t cost as much. See what you think.” He pulled samples from a bag. “We have copper-coated, which still has the same appearance. And here’s zinc. Copper penny aluminum wouldbe the least expensive option, and from down here it would look like the real thing. All of these would be suitable.”
She studied her choices and turned to stare at the building. The hall had sat here for twenty years falling into ruin. Did she want to skimp now on this magnificent facade? No. No, she did not. “Let’s do the real thing.”
His faded blue eyes smiled with relief. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll get it ordered.”
“Thank you.” Over his shoulder she spotted Hez coming her way, and she lifted her hand in greeting and walked a few steps to meet him.
He kissed her before taking her hand and beginning the walk back to her office in the May sunshine. “I talked to the prison this morning and asked to see Francois Dubois. ‘Franky’ turned down a meeting. I wasn’t surprised. I did a little digging before I called, and there are several Willards in prison with him. If it got out that he met with me, he’d likely have a fatal ‘accident.’” Hez made air quotes with his fingers. “But I had to try. The Willard clan being on-site likely explains Martine’s note and Michael’s hold over her. If she doesn’t cooperate, her father really is a ‘dead man walking.’ It would be just a matter of time before one of the Willards took him out.”
