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“I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do,” I said, “but if you have ideas, I’m all ears.”
No one had an idea. Rick said, “Just don’t do anything tonight, okay? Give me a day or two to dig around, and between the three of us, we should be able to come up with something that doesn’t put your head on the chopping block.”
“Not tonight,” I agreed.
Rick got up to leave.
“Hold on,” I said and ran into my bedroom.
I retrieved a small, wrapped present I’d had for months. I was going to mail it to Sam for her graduation, but kept going back and forth on that, and now her graduation was in two days. Here, I had Jack as a buffer. I wasn’t usually timid about anything in my life, but the situation with Rick and his daughter and our fight three months ago had shifted things.
I handed Rick the purple-wrapped package—purple was Sam’s favorite color. He stared at it quizzically.
“For Sam. Her graduation. I got it a long time ago. It’s been in my closet.”
He put it down. “Why don’t you bring it to her? Graduation is Friday morning. We’re having a party Sunday afternoon at the house.”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. Damn, I hated feeling this way.
“Sam wants you to come.”
But did Rick? That was the million-dollar question. “We’ll see—just take the present, okay? And if I can come, I’ll be there.”
“Fair enough,” Rick said. He turned to Jack. “You’ll be there?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Great.”
The whole conversation was awkward and weird, and I just wanted Jack and Rick to leave.
“Jack, I’ll see you at Mom’s in the morning, okay? Wrap up your case with a pretty bow.” I smiled, though I couldn’t help but think if Jack hadn’t been here, where would Rick and I be right now? In bed? Or fighting?
Fifty-fifty.
Jack walked out with Rick, and I could breathe again.
Thursday
Forty-Eight
Tess Angelhart
Tess brought pastries over to her mom’s house early Thursday morning. “Is she awake?”
Her mom nodded, sipped her coffee. “I heard her, but she hasn’t come out yet.”
“Jack and Margo are on their way.” Tess poured her own mug of coffee, then sorted the sweets onto a plate she’d grabbed from the top shelf. When she was a teenager, she hated being the tallest girl in the family by far—sisters and cousins. Even her brother Nico was an inch shorter than her. Now? She’d grown into her gangly limbs and liked being able to use all the shelves in the kitchen.
She sat at the kitchen table with an apple fritter. “Did you talk to her?” She took a bite and savored the sugar.
“Yes. I’ll represent her during her interview with the police about the fire, but I don’t expect anything to come from it.” Ava sat down, selected a plain croissant with her manicured fingers. “She has a solid, verifiable alibi and I’ll shut down questioning if it veers too far off that path.”
Tess wouldn’t want to be a cop on the other side of the table from her mother. Ava Angelhart was a rare attorney who performed exceptionally well whether for the prosecution or the defense. If she believed in you, she was your greatest advocate.
“What do you think?” Tess asked.
“About the fire?”
