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His plea touched her, and she reached across the table to take his hand. “Simon, your mum is a private person. You probably already know that about her, don’t you?” When he gave a jerky nod, she squeezed his fingers. “She’s always been that way. Until two days ago, I didn’t know about you. I think she loved you so much she wanted to hold you close to her heart without outside interference.”
He frowned and shook his head. “But she only came to see me five or six times a year. I don’t think she loves me at all. But if I’m living with her, it will be better.”
“I know she loves you. She’s been trying to protect you.”
“That’s mental. I’m ten now and big enough to take care of myself.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m learning jujitsu.”
She managed not to smile. “You’re getting bigger every day, but a mother always worries about her kid. Your mum thought you’d be safe and happy at the school.”
His chin jutted. “I’m never going back there. I want to be with my mum.” His grip on her fingers tightened. “And with you.”
“You will be. We’re flying to the U.S. on Monday.”
He cheered and she smiled. Warmth and love unfurled through her being. This boy felt like he’d always been part of her life, and her heart ached at the forlorn expression on his sweet face. How had Jess been with him? Warm and affectionate in ways she couldn’t be with other people? She’d been that way with Ella, and this boy was her own flesh and blood. So what accounted for Simon’s lonely eyes? Was it because his father was Erik, and Jess found it hard to forget that detail?
Savannah released his hand as the server approached to take their order for fish and chips. Her decision had been made for her. There was no choice but to take him back to Tupelo Grove.
Her phone vibrated, and Beckett’s face popped onto the screen.
You flew to England without telling me??!
The outrage in that terse message stiffened her spine. What made him think she had to answer to him in her personal life? Maybe it was time to extricate herself from their friendship. Because that was all it was ever going to be, and she couldn’t deal with his unmet expectations.
* * *
Hez wasn’t happy when Augusta Richards walked into the courtroom and sat in the front bench, immediately behind Hope Norcross. He also wasn’t surprised—she was the obvious choice to walk through the prosecution’s case. But he hoped to persuade her to take a fresh look at the case when he had enough evidence, so he had to be careful not to antagonize her on cross-examination.
The side door opened and Jess appeared, flanked by her entourage of guards. The guards sat in the front row a few feet from Ed. Jess took her place at the counsel table with Hez. She gave him a curt nod. “Any news on the burglar?” she whispered in his ear.
“No,” he whispered back. “The police don’t have any leads yet. The only evidence from the scene was a forced side door. No fingerprints, DNA, or anything like that. He also managed to avoid every security camera in the neighborhood. This guy was careful. He also left behind a lot of valuables. Any idea what he was after?”
“Have you heard from Savannah?”
Her evasion irritated him. If they’d had more time and hadn’t been in the middle of a courtroom, he would have pressed her to answer his question. “Nothing since we last spoke. She’s coming back tomorrow morning, so I—”
“All rise,” the bailiff said. They got to their feet as Judge Hopkins took the bench. Once the case had been called and the lawyers had made their appearances, the judge turned to Hope. “Is the state ready to call its first witness?”
Hope stepped up to the lectern and put a neat stack of notes on it. “Yes, Your Honor. The state calls Detective Augusta Richards.”
Richards took the stand and the clerk swore her in. The detective seemed unruffled. Her long legs didn’t jiggle or twitch, and her brown eyes held steady on Hope, waiting for her first question.
“Detective Richards, how long have you been a police officer?”
“Fourteen years.”
“How many murder cases have you investigated?”
“About two dozen.”
“Were you the lead investigator each time?”
Richards shook her head. “No, but I was the lead most of the time. Maybe twenty of those cases.”
“How did you become involved in investigating the murders of Ellison Abernathy and Peter Cardin?”
“Tupelo Grove University doesn’t have its own police force. They and the town of Nova Cambridge contract with Pelican Harbor for police services. I live in Nova Cambridge, so I generally handle calls from TGU. That’s what happened when Ms. Legare’s sister found Ellison Abernathy’s body.”
“And when she also found Peter Cardin’s body?”
