by Debra Webb
Maddie jumped up. “I want fireflies!” She rushed to the nearest tree, looked all around it before moving on to a bush.
Jess wasn’t going to push her to talk. The psychiatrist assigned to her case had that responsibility.
For a while longer, Jess watched Maddie romp around the yard in search of the elusive fireflies. It wasn’t quite dark enough for them to come out. Which reminded Jess, as enjoyable as this visit was, it was time to go. Sylvia was waiting for her.
After rounding up Maddie and ushering her toward the patio, Jess promised, “I’ll come see you again soon.”
“I made you a pit’chure,” Maddie announced as they entered the kitchen.
She released Jess’s hand and skipped away. Jess smiled. Watching Maddie made her feel more relaxed than she had in weeks. Was that more of those pregnancy hormones? Did children become more desirable to women who were expecting? Whatever the case, Jess was glad for it.
“She’s a lovely child.”
Jess turned to the woman who was orchestrating the pots and pans on the stovetop. Whatever they were having for dinner, it smelled incredible. Nicole Green was clearly a multi-talented woman with endless patience.
“She is,” Jess agreed.
“The last three days she’s been like a flower opening to the sun,” Nicole added, smiling. “I’ve enjoyed being a part of the transition. You’d never know anything bad had happened if not for the nightmares she has every single night.”
All those warm, fuzzy feelings Jess had experienced moments ago disappeared. The nightmares would haunt Maddie on some level for the rest of her life. There were so many more transitions to come for this child.
“There’s a hearing next Friday,” Nicole was saying, drawing Jess from the worrisome thoughts. “The first step in the process of settling Maddie in a home. There are no remaining relatives to reach out to so...”
Maddie reappeared, ending the discussion. Nicole didn’t need to say the rest. Jess knew what would happen next.
“For you.” Maddie held another masterpiece she’d made. “I ‘membered him in my dream.”
Puzzled, Jess studied the drawing. A black box of a car with wheels that weren’t so round filled the center of the green construction paper. Next to the car was a stick figure with strands of black hair. Jess crouched down to Maddie’s eye level. “I’m not sure I know him.”
Maddie held the drawing closer to Jess as if she needed to have a better look. “He gived Mommy pit’chures of you.”
Black car...? Someone with pictures. Flashes of memory—looking in her rearview mirror and seeing that gun aimed at her, finding the flowers on Lori’s car, him watching from a distance over and over again, Dan receiving packets of photos. The dark-haired man. The same man who’d picked up Amanda at that club and taken her to Spears. The same one Amanda had sworn she didn’t know.
“Maybe if you tell me his name I’ll remember him.”
Maddie shrugged, looked uncertain. “I can’t member.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Jess smiled, forcing away the visible tension. “So I can keep this?”
The uncertainty vanished and the little girl nodded enthusiastically.
“Thank you, Maddie.”
Maddie walked Jess to the door. When they’d exchanged goodbyes and Jess was out the door, she felt bereft. Finding good parents for Maddie would be crucial. Someone who could look beyond her past.
Someone who would love and cherish her rather than send her away like they had Jess and Lil... over and over.
Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, 7:45 p.m.
Jess wanted to kick something. Gant would not see reason. She’d wanted to see Amanda again to press her about the dark-haired man and Eli Mooney. Gant adamantly refused to allow her access. Gant had insisted that Chief Black would question her tomorrow.
And he would get nothing. Dammit.
“I’ll take it from here, Lieutenant Hayes,” Sylvia announced as she stripped off her gloves.
Hayes exchanged a look with Jess who was as confused as he was, but then she’d been preoccupied.
Sylvia stripped off the paper lab coat. “I’ve taken the specimen I need, Lieutenant. You can turn the rest over to BPD’s evidence lab. I’m taking Chief Harris home.”
“I can ride to the lab with Hayes and then home,” Jess suggested. She wanted this day to be over. Two people had been murdered. God only knew if the fetus had really come from her mother. Maddie’s hearing was coming up. Gant was trying to close her out of the investigation. To top it all off, she still hadn’t heard from Buddy. Every time she called his cell, it went to voicemail. Surely, he’d connected with McPherson by now. Why hadn’t he given Jess an update?
“Dr. Baron, I’m—” Hayes began.
“Goodnight, Lieutenant.” Baron stood her ground.
Enough. “Go, Lieutenant,” Jess ordered, letting him off the hook. “I’ll be safe with Dr. Baron.”
The door to the autopsy room opened. “Am I late?”
Gina Coleman. What was going on here? This was beginning to look like a setup.
“See, Lieutenant,” Sylvia said smugly, “I even have backup.”
Hayes held his hands palms out. “I can see I’m outnumbered. So,” he gave a little salute, “goodnight, ladies.”
The door closed behind the lieutenant and Jess sighed. She’d really wanted to go home to Dan. They had a lot to talk about.
“Mmm-hmm,” Gina hummed. “I may prefer women, but that guy is hot.”
Sylvia shook her head as she peeled off her lab coat. “Too cocky for me. I’ve come to appreciate the more pliable of the species.”
“What’s going on, ladies?” Might as well get down to business. These two had something up their sleeves and Jess was, apparently, going to be an accomplice.
Gina, looking sleek and fashionable in a chic gold pantsuit that accentuated her dark looks, and Sylvia, the image of sophistication in her mint skirt and blouse, crossed their arms simultaneously. Jess had a bad feeling she was not going to like this.
“Katherine told us,” Sylvia announced.
Jess stopped the mental rant that automatically kicked off whenever Katherine, bless her heart, got on her nerves. She refused to allow anything the woman did or said to upset her ever again. She would have a good relationship with Dan’s mother if it killed her.
“Your secret is safe with us,” Gina assured her. “We won’t tell anyone.”
“You could have told us,” Sylvia countered. “Then again, I can see why you wouldn’t. At your age being knocked up is—”
“Hey,” Gina growled. “Be nice.”
For a couple of seconds the whole situation felt surreal. Here she was, with one of Dan’s ex-lovers and the sister of his second ex-wife. Jess would have laughed except she was too exhausted physically and emotionally. Whatever else these women were, they were her friends.
“At any rate,” Sylvia said, “we’ve decided that, all things considered, you need an intervention.”
Jess did laugh then. “I’m afraid you’re a little late.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Obviously, you’re far too focused on work to go shopping. You’ve been wearing the same four or five suits over and over for weeks.”
One, two, three, four... Jess inhaled a deep breath. “It’s true. I’ve been a little busy. By the time I’m through for the day most things are closed and I’m completely exhausted.”
“I hear you,” Gina tossed in. “The only available options at night are the malls. I hate the malls. That’s what tonight is about. We have friends who accommodate our busy schedules.”
The one time Jess had gone shopping since moving back to Birmingham was with Dan in a similar outing right after her room at the Howard Johnson and all her things were destroyed. A friend of his mother who owned a designer shop had opened up after hours for them. Felt like a lifetime ago.
“I should call Dan.” Jess was late as it was and she really wanted to hear his voice.
&nbs
p; “Already done.” Sylvia reached for her purse and her keys. “I hope you brought your credit card, Harris.”
Jess produced a smile. “I guess we’re going shopping.”
With Sylvia on one side and Gina on the other, they were off.
“So what does it feel like?”
Startled by the question, Jess considered the best way to answer Gina’s question. “Mostly it’s exhausting and... a little terrifying.”
“She’s going to feel fat,” Sylvia warned. “Fat and unattractive and used.”
Jess felt confident she should have a counter for that, but she wasn’t so sure Sylvia was entirely wrong.
“Then the kid will be born and everything will change,” Sylvia continued as if she’d had several of her own when she hadn’t produced the first child. Sylvia stopped and faced Jess. “This child will become your world. He or she will complete you in a way you won’t be able to explain.” Sylvia grinned. “Then you’ll hate all your friends who still have their figures and their freedom.”
“How would you know?” Gina demanded.
“Thank you,” Jess said to Gina.
“My ex’s second wife told me.”
“Not to speak ill of the dead,” Jess had solved the poor woman’s murder, “why would she say something like that to you?” After all, she had stolen Sylvia’s husband of ten years, and then produced the first and only child for said husband.
Sylvia shrugged. “I asked. She gave my husband the one thing I refused to give him. I wanted to know what the big deal was.”
A comfortable silence settled around them after Sylvia’s odd announcement. They were all three just a little damaged and different. Maybe that was the reason they were so good at their work and made such good friends.
Jess had decided that a woman needed good friends.
The Juice, 10:30 p.m.
Jess could hardly keep her eyes open. Too many designer bags to count filled the trunk of Sylvia’s Lexus. Jess was now ready for the next couple of months. They had dined on salads with vitamins and nutrient filled juice smoothies with no dessert, unless you counted the organic sweet potato chips.
If she were lucky there was chocolate at home. She would need some before this night was over. She had to admit the evening had been interesting. Besides gaining a new wardrobe, she’d learned that the trial date for Gina’s sister had been set. According to Gina, Juliette’s attorney believed she would be sentenced to probation for her part in the death of a fellow graduating high school senior ten years earlier. Contrary to popular thinking, tragedy struck the lives of the wealthy the same as it did everyone else.
Jess had spent the past hour spilling her guts to these two women. Maybe there was something in the juice, she couldn’t be sure. Whatever the case, she’d told them about the photo of her father, about Amanda, and the message from Spears. And, then she’d shared the details about the ...fetus. Jess closed her eyes. Not simply a fetus, a baby. Spears was insinuating her mother had been pregnant when she died.
There had never been any doubt in her mind that he would use her pregnancy against her if he found out. Dammit. How the hell had he found out?
“Today was tough,” Sylvia announced. “I’ll have some answers for you as quickly as possible.”
“I really appreciate it.”
Gina glanced around. The small cafe was mostly empty. “I’ve been talking to my contacts.”
Jess leaned toward her, uncaring that Sylvia obviously knew already that Jess had asked Gina for help. “And?”
“Mayor Pratt is spearheading the anti-Dan campaign. He’s been calling in all his markers with the city council and prodding the movers and shakers in Birmingham. He wants Dan out. Now.”
Jess sagged back against her seat. “We’ve pretty much established the mayor’s motives already.”
“What about Dority?” Sylvia asked. “How does she fit into this?”
“Dan and I haven’t figured that one out yet,” Jess admitted.
Gina leaned forward and spoke for their ears only. “I tried to interview Meredith Dority. She won’t talk to me. She won’t talk to anyone.”
“Daddy spoke to Joe,” Sylvia assured Jess. “He warned him that he’d better be able to back up whatever he starts or he would wish he’d never set this nasty business in motion. Joe Pratt didn’t reach the office of mayor alone. Daddy cautioned him to remember that.”
Emotion tightening around her again, Jess greatly appreciated Dan’s friends—her friends—helping. “Dority coming forward now, after all these years reeks of coercion.”
“My guess is,” Gina confided, “Pratt has something on her. He’s bound to have something. She was his assistant for fifteen years.”
Sylvia made a derisive sound. “That’s what we do—most of us anyway. Those with power keep secrets, particularly about those we might one day need. We watch for missteps so we can use those mistakes to our advantage. It’s ugly, but to some power is all that’s important.”
“I’m staying on Dority,” Gina promised. “I will get the truth out of her or, at the very least, a story.”
Good reporters were relentless and Gina was the best.
By the time the ladies were ready to call it a night, the shopping spree had made a sizeable dent in Jess’s credit card. Though she’d enjoyed the company and actually had a nice time, she needed to see Dan.
Outside the café, Sylvia hit the key fob disarming the security system on her car and unlocking the doors. A BPD cruiser waited behind the Lexus. For the first time since this started, Jess was acutely aware of how much she appreciated the backup.
As they walked the short distance down the block to the parked car, Jess thought of all the times she and Dan, as teenagers, had strolled this street. Coffee shops and martini bars were all the rage now. Back then, the establishments hadn’t been quite so sophisticated. Dance clubs and pool halls had dotted the blocks.
“Do you have a due date?” Sylvia wanted to know.
“April twentieth.”
“We’ll have to plan a baby shower,” Gina said with the smile that captivated her audience on a regular basis.
Jess laughed. “I think maybe the wedding should come first.”
“Don’t be old-fashioned.” Sylvia blew off the idea. “Just because you and Dan aren’t married yet doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the fact that you’re pregnant. That’s a big deal.” She made a face. “In fact, it’s a huge deal.”
“I certainly didn’t have a baby penciled in on my calendar,” Jess admitted. “We still have to figure out the house situation.”
“I know a really good realtor,” Gina said.
“I think Dan and his mother have the—”
“Are you all right?”
A man’s voice had all three women looking behind them.
Meredith Dority and a man Jess didn’t recognize had exited the Bean House coffee shop. Dority stared at Jess, her face horror-stricken. To Jess’s knowledge she’d never met the woman in person.
The man looked from Dority to Jess and back. “We should go, Meredith.”
Meredith shook her head, her attention still fixed on Jess.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Sylvia suggested.
Jess wanted to. She really did, but something about the way Dority stared at her kept her feet glued to the ground.
“I didn’t know,” Dority pleaded as if asking for Jess’s forgiveness.
Her friend or boyfriend, whatever he was, took Dority by the arm and started urging her in the other direction. “Don’t say anything else, Meredith.”
“The truth would be nice,” Gina called out behind the two.
Dority glanced back one last time as the man Jess now presumed to be her attorney steered her away. The pain on her face was something Jess wouldn’t soon forget. Meredith Dority hadn’t known that Jess was pregnant. Of course, she hadn’t. Hardly anyone did. Learning that news had distressed her somehow.
There was only one motive for that sort of reaction..
. guilt.
9911 Conroy Road, 11:20 p.m.
Dan hauled the last of the shopping bags inside and locked up. “Sylvia said to tell you goodnight.” He armed the security system.
“Umm-hmm.” For a moment, Jess stared at him. He’d met her at Sylvia’s car wearing nothing but those old sweatpants that hung low on his hips. As ready to collapse as she was, she could stand here all night and do nothing except look at him. Her feet argued the point. She kicked off her shoes and sighed at the sheer bliss of feeling the cool floor beneath her aching feet.
Dan pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Tell me about what happened in Scottsboro.”
She didn’t ask what he’d heard already and who’d told him, she closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. If only she could forget today. Sylvia and Gina had kept her distracted for a while, but now the horrifying discoveries of the day were back, taunting her.
“For one thing Gant exiled me from the Spears investigation.” It wasn’t the first time her former boss had kicked her off the case, but that didn’t make her like it this time any better than she had the last time. A big breath shuddered out of her. “Sheriff Foster located the owner of the car Spears used to send me a message.”
She told him about Mooney and his shop of horrors. Keeping her emotions at bay proved particularly difficult as she shared the part about the baby in the jar and how her mother may have been pregnant making the child—a boy—her brother. Confounded tears rolled down her cheeks anyway. She couldn’t hope to stop them.
Before she realized he’d moved, Dan swooped her up into his arms. “Enough talking. I’m taking you to bed.”
Dan settled her onto her feet next to the bed and began removing her clothes. He kissed her tears away. She’d never in her life been so emotional. This pregnancy was turning her into a blubbering fool.
She opened her mouth to apologize for falling apart, but all she could do was stare at the gorgeous man attending to her so gently. His muscled chest and strong arms made her ache desperately for him.
