Page 21 of I’ll Be Watching You

“That I don’t know why or who, but I just thought now that maybe they don’t actually know who killed Dr. Klein.”

“Why go to prison for a ghost?” he muttered.

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it.” I sat up, turning to face him. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“So you’ve said.”

He reached out, fingers brushing my face. I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand. His warmth steadied me.

But when I opened my eyes again, the dark outside the window looked deeper, the shadows heavier. Somewhere in that darkness was a truth my father had traded his freedom for. Not only his freedom and life, but my mom’s happiness and security. Our whole family had suffered because of his lie.

And someone was willing to kill again to keep the truth buried.

Chapter Seven

Ava Angelhart

At ten thirty that night, Ava set the alarm then got ready for bed. Restless, she double-checked every door and window and stared at the alarm panel’s blinking red light, indicating that it was working. They had always taken precautions because of her job, but she had never seriously been threatened more than the occasional rantings of a convicted felon. But now, she didn’t know if any of the protections—the secure windows, the alarm system, the firearm in her nightstand drawer—would help.

It was late when she lay in bed and closed her eyes, her arm outstretched to where her husband should have been. She thought of Liz and her heart twisted. Someone had killed the nurse and Ava didn’t know if the police would ever find the person who did it.

Or the people responsible for this damn conspiracy.

She must have dozed off, because her cell phone startled her awake. Her lights were still on, but her clock read 1:47 a.m.

The number was unknown. Her heart lurched. This was it. The threat. And she didn’t know what to do.

She answered.

“H-hello?” She tried to sound strong, but she was shaking.

“Ava, it’s Cooper.”

She sat up, her body creaking, feeling older than she ever had.

“Cooper? How—”

“I borrowed a phone from my cellmate. It’s okay, but I need to be quick.”

She suppressed her first instinct to admonish him about breaking the rules. Staying on his best behavior gave him a very small chance of being released a couple years early. Breaking the rules could take away his visitor privileges.

“What’s wrong?” she asked instead.

“Tony, the head guard on my block, heard the warden talking on the phone about me. He doesn’t have any details, but the warden seemed upset. Tony went out of his way to tell me even though he was off duty. You need to talk to Rita, see if she can find out what’s going on.”

Rita, Ava’s sister, was Cooper’s lawyer of record.

“I’ll call her. Margo and I are coming to see you first thing in the morning.”

“Tony said you were on the list. This is about Margo’s visit today, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Who did she tell about Liz?”

“No one, as far as I know. Just me. Sweetheart, please, we have to tell her everything.”

“It’s too dangerous.”