Page 100 of I’ll Be Watching You

“Okay,” she said and looked at Rita. “I just want him safe. That’s a good plan.”

“I’ll do everything I can to make it happen,” Rita said.

“I still want to see him.”

“Of course,” Rita said. “I already put in the request, but I’ll talk to the assistant warden again, see if we can expedite. Sit tight.”

She left and Ava let out a long sigh and sank back into the chair.

Quincy squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll update Jack. They need these names to compare to their list, and I’ll steer them onto the money trail. Are you okay here alone for a few minutes?”

“Yes. Go. Remind Jack that I’m worried and he needs to be doubly careful.”

“I’ll tell him.” Quincy left her alone again in the small dingy waiting room.

She put her head down on the table and forced herself to relax. Deep breaths. In. Out. She closed her eyes.

The door opened. She must have dozed off for a minute.

It was Rita. She stood with a short, trim older man with close-cropped hair. “Ava, this is Assistant Warden Waddell. He’ll take you to see Cooper.”

Cooper looked as tired as she felt, but when he saw her, his green eyes lit up and her heart soared.

She hugged him tightly.

They were in a small room reserved for conversations between lawyers and prisoners. No guard, though there was a camera in the corner. Waddell had read Cooper’s file and told Ava that everyone understood this was an unusual situation and they wanted Cooper safe and protected while he was here.

She was grateful.

Ava sat across from Cooper and squeezed his hands before reluctantly pulling away.

“I have been frantic,” Ava said.

“You know why I was transferred,” he said.

“Now I do. But no one knew anything on Wednesday. Margo and I went to the prison to talk to you, and you had been moved. I thought for certain it was to keep you from talking, but the real reason is far more terrifying. If the AUSA hadn’t received the warning, if they hadn’t taken it seriously—”

“Shh,” he said. “I’ve been treated well, and solitary isn’t too bad, at least for a few days. They gave me a Bible, and this afternoon the guard said he’ll bring a cart of books from the library. I’ll keep my mind engaged.”

“Our children know about the threats.”

“Rita told me.”

“They’ve already learned so much. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to prove you confessed under duress, but if they find the killer, if they—”

“I’m not going to think about what might happen. I don’t regret our decision, Ava. At the time, we didn’t have another choice. I really believe they would have killed someone we love.”

“Me too,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m worried about all of them, but I can’t stop them. We need to help. You gave Rita some names, but is there anything else you remember?”

“The names I gave Rita are the people who either knew or suspected that Devin was going to blow the whistle on the trial.”

“Tess and Luisa learned that Willa Blankenship is Mildred Maddox’s niece. They have worked together in the past.”

Cooper frowned. “Niece? They were related?”

“You didn’t know?”

He shook his head. “Is it important?”