Then he closed the door and turned to me.
“Nicole … are you trying to kill me?”
“What?”
I scanned him head to toe. The dark shadows carved under his eyes. The way his hair stuck up in odd directions, like he’d been running his hands through it for days straight. He looked worn thin. So, so tired.
“I’m just asking,” he said in a strained voice, “because you are literally putting me in the ground.” A long breath escaped him. “Please tell me that isn’t the suspect’s friend sitting in your living room.”
“It’s not.”
“Oh, so that’s not Mrs. Dustin then?”
“Well … it … is. But she isn’t thesuspect’sfriend. Her husband is.”
He bit his bottom lip, clearly swallowing a curse as he shook his head.
“Goddammit, Nicole.” His voice rose a little. “Your grandkids are freaking sleeping upstairs, and you bring the murderer’s friend’s family into your house—”
“My kids aren’t sleeping upstairs.”
His head jerked back, confusion flashing across his face.
“I took them to Amanda’s.”
His eyes widened like he was watching a horror movie.
“You … took your grandkids … to the victim’s widow?” His voice rose despite himself. “The State’s main witness against your daughter? The murdered man’s widow?”
He threw his hands up.
“I can’t believe this,” he snapped. “Does none of this seem like a bad idea to you? At all?” His hands flew up, then droppedhard against his legs with a dull thud. “The murderer’s friends are sitting in your living room, and your family is with the victim’s widow. You’re the suspect’s family, just in case you forgot.”
“Well,” I said quietly, “when you put it that way …”
He started pacing back and forth. “I can’t believe this.”
“I’m sorry.” The words rushed out of me fast. “Sam can’t stand Myers. And Billy hit her. Sam’s son, Henry, told his dad that Sam had talked to me on the playground. He told his dad I was the woman from the news. Gosh, kids are so observant. But now she has nowhere else to go.”
“You talked to her on the playground?” His head snapped up. “Have you lost your mind?”
“I don’t like any of this either,” I said, heat creeping up my neck. “But my family is slowly dying. Literally.” My fists balled. “I have to find the real killer myself because the AG would rather see my daughter dead than catch him. To get even for his rapist son.”
He didn’t answer. Didn’t agree. Didn’t disagree.
“What was I supposed to do?” My voice rose despite myself. “Just leave her there with Billy to beat her up in front of the kids?”
“Call 911.”
“Why would I call 911 when she didn’t? She wouldn’t have talked to the police. And without her agreeing to leave him, you and I both know she’d still be sitting in that trailer. And don’t act like you don’t know how domestic violence cases are handled when the police are called. They’d tell him to sleep in his truck for the night, then he’d be right back inside the next day.” I crossed my arms. “So, honestly, in all this madness, getting Sam and the kids away from that trash is the only good thing that has happened in weeks.” My gaze stayed on him. Steady. “And if you see it any other way, there’s the door.”
Nolan stopped pacing. His hands dragged through his hair. A loud breath pushed out of him, full of frustration. Then his gaze caught mine, and he nodded.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re the most stubborn person on this planet?”
My lips curled into a smile. “You should meet my grandson Dylan.”
“Rain check on that,” he said, returning a tired smile before the moment passed.
