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“It’s not being cowardly, Verity, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just standing up in court against your father is brave enough.”
“I know, but I don’t want to leave. My sister wants to be here, in New York, and I’m not going to abandon her.”
His brows drew together in a frown. “So she left Tony’s with you?”
“No. She refused. Is there anything we can do about that? She’s still a minor. She’s only seventeen.”
“When does she turn eighteen?”
I didn’t want to admit to this, but I figured he could find out easily enough. “Two days from now.”
“So she’ll be eighteen in two days?” he clarified.
I nodded.
He exhaled a sigh. “There’s not much we can do, Verity. I’m sorry. We could go in there and drag her out against her will, but in two days she’s within her right to just walk back in there, if that’s what she wants.”
I’d known that was what he was going to say. As far as police allocations of budget went, I didn’t think hauling an almost eighteen-year-old out of a house was going to be high on their list of priorities. Seventeen-year-olds ran away from home all the time, and it wasn’t even as though we had a real home for her to run from.
“I’ll pass on this new number to the prosecutor,” he continued. “I expect she’ll have been concerned if she’s been trying to get hold of you and can’t.”
“Sorry about that. It was kind of unavoidable.”
I wondered if he would say anything about a shooting at the house. Had the gunfire been reported by someone nearby? Would the men killed there have been reported to anyone as dead or missing? No police had come to Harvey’s apartment yet, so I figured no one had reported his body. I guessed Tony the Hound had a way of making bodies disappear, and anyone who lived around him knew better than to pick up the phone and call the police if they heard anything suspicious going down. I imagined bad things happened to anyone who tried to complain about Tony.
“You okay?” Detective Caraway asked, leaning in slightly so he could look into my face.
I straightened and forced a smile. “Yes, fine. I just want this all to be over.”
“I understand. Verity, have you thought about what you’re going to do when it is over?”
I shook my head. “No, not really.”
“You can go back into Witness Protection. I know things won’t be safe for you in the city, even if your father is locked up for a very long time.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think my sister will go.”
“You don’t have to live everything according to Nicole. She’s almost eighteen, and will be eighteen after the trial. You’re both adults and free to do as you want.”
“Yes, but I’m all she has.”
Was that what I meant to say? Or was the truth of it that she was all I had?
He gave a brief nod. “I understand. Just remember the offer is there if you need it.”
“I will.”
I stood from the desk and my mind swam, causing me to stumble slightly. I was feeling weak and lightheaded from not eating for the past … how long had it been? Twenty-four hours?
The detective jumped from his chair and quickly navigated the desk to catch me by the arm.
He looked down at me with a frown. “I’m not happy about letting you walk out like this, Verity. Please, let me drive you to a hotel, at least.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, I promise. I just haven’t eaten all day.”
“So let me take you for something to eat.”
I felt a spark there, as though he might have been hoping for something more. I shook my head. “I have a friend waiting for me. We’re grabbing takeout as soon as I finish up here, I promise.”
