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I closed my eyes and rested my head next to hers.
We stayed like that for a while until her breathing softened. When the nurse returned, I slipped my hand from her clasp, and stepped away as she slept.
Pulling out a business card, I turned to the nurse. “Call me so we can set up a new place for her in the next few days.”
“Will do, Mr. Crawford. I’m really glad you came.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Before I left, I turned back to look at my aunt. Her face had a bit more color to it and a smile rested on her lips. It was the most beautiful I’d ever seen her look. And I smiled as I left her room.
23
Ryan
As I climbed into my car, my cell phone rang. It was the PI.
His voice boomed through the car speakers. “Mr. Crawford, I have some news to report.”
“That’s good to hear. Lay it on me.”
“Well, first, I found some history on the police officer you wanted me to look into. He has been written up a few times and the last one involved some sort of a domestic dispute with his wife. She left him two months ago.”
“He really is a piece of shit, isn’t he? I wonder if I should speak to his wife. Maybe she can give me something that would make Brennon turn on Rossi.”
“I’ll text you his wife’s new address. You may want to tread carefully there, sir. I find the wives of police officers are some of the toughest women I’ve met.”
“I appreciate the advice. Was there anything else?”
“Yes… uh… it’s regarding the other matter you had me look into a while ago. Mr. Crawford, I believe I found the man your mother had been corresponding with. He—”
“Not now. I can’t deal with that right now. I’ve got way too much on my plate with Laura, and I don’t need to deal with some man from the past.”
“I understand, sir. We can discuss it further when you are ready to hear it.”
I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready to hear the name of the man who had seduced my mother and betrayed my father. But it definitely wasn’t now. Perhaps when this was all over.
“I’ve texted you the wife’s address.”
My phone pinged.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up the phone and searched the address. I didn’t recognize the area, so I pulled over to the side of the road. Plugging the address into my phone’s GPS, I realized the woman had moved three hours away from her husband. The man sounded worse and worse. But it didn’t matter. I had no choice but to find her.
As I turned the car around to head in the GPS’s direction. I drove down city streets until they became county roads. The concrete buildings turned into wooden barns and the cold pavement into soft green grass.
I listened to the radio until the rock station went fuzzy and I had to change the channel. A sultry country voice crooned over the speakers and my shoulders fell back a little.
I was nearly at the house when another call rang through the car.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Ryan Crawford?”
“Yes, this is he. Who is this?”
“This is officer Cannon from the correctional facility. I’m calling to inform you that your client, Laura Stevens, was released.”
