by Brenda Novak
“What about the items in that duffel bag?”
“Bad news there, too. The lab came back with the results of all the DNA testing. There’s no genetic material on any of those items.”
“None? Isn’t that a little odd in and of itself? If Gordon handled those things—the knife, in particular—they should’ve found his DNA at least. No DNA indicates he must’ve cleaned it.”
“I asked Sullivan the same thing. He said they needed at least one item from that duffel bag to establish a firm connection to one or more of the victims, and it didn’t happen. Instead of being the strong forensic evidence we all expected, the rape kit is now as circumstantial as everything else, and circumstantial evidence isn’t what they need to get a conviction.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gavin said.
She wiped her palms on her cutoffs as she’d been doing all evening. “I wish I was.”
“They don’t have anything else on him?”
“Meredith Caine swears she recognizes his voice from the attack, but human memory is notoriously unreliable. She can’t ID him visually, since he was wearing a mask, and the DA won’t go with voice recognition alone.”
“If the charges are dropped, he gets out, goes free, can do whatever he wants.”
She said nothing.
“This is terrible,” he said.
“That’s why he went silent after I mentioned Emma Ventnor. He knows he probably won’t need a defense, and he doesn’t want to make the mistake of saying anything that could get him in trouble on an entirely different case. No doubt he’s told Dorothy to leave me alone, too. He only sent me that letter because he couldn’t help letting me know I shouldn’t have sided against him, that he’ll soon be back in the power seat.”
“And he could think a letter through, make sure it was safe.”
“Yes.”
“Wow.” Gavin rested his hands on his lean hips.
Savanna frowned. “See what I mean?”
“Does Sullivan still want you to go to Utah?”
“I was supposed to leave tomorrow morning but just put it off by a week.”
“What for?”
“If I’m only going to have one shot at this, I need more time to prepare. I’m thinking I should send a letter or two, establish a more positive dialogue with Gordon. Maybe even put some money on his books. I’ll have the strongest hand to play if I make him feel as though I’m interested in staying together.”
Gavin didn’t look as though he particularly liked the idea. “What will that do?”
“It’ll make him feel he has something to lose if he can’t convince me that he had nothing to do with Emma Ventnor’s disappearance.”
“But you’ve already asked him about Emma.”
“I’m going to say the police have some new evidence tying him to the case. That just when I believed he was innocent, of everything, they came to me with...something. I can’t decide what.”
“You’re going to bluff.”
“Absolutely. If the police don’t come up with new evidence, everything will rest on my visit to the jail. I have to get him to say something incriminating.”
“Now that he thinks he’s getting out, it’ll be even harder. But at least he won’t find it strange that you’re suddenly coming to visit. I was worried that would work against you.” Gavin took the letter and read through it. “This opens you up to reconciliation, so when you write him back and give him some money, he might buy it,” he added when he was done.
“I believe he raped those women, Gavin. I believe he’ll hurt others, if he can. Since I didn’t stick by his side, he might even hurt me.”
Gavin tossed the letter on the coffee table and sat back down. “You’ll have to use everything you know about him, exploit his tiniest weakness. You realize that? It won’t be easy. What happens if doubts creep in?”
“And what if I do my best and it still doesn’t work?” That was what really frightened her. “What if he gets out in a few weeks? He’ll come here. I know he will. He might even try to take the kids.”
Gavin rubbed his face with both hands. “Shit.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I told you I’m not in a good situation.”
He got up and walked over so he could pull her into his arms. It felt wonderful just to be that close to him again. She’d been so upset all evening, so scared of what might happen. She’d escaped Nephi, thought she’d escaped the whole situation—for the most part. Now everything had been turned on its head. How could all the evidence that’d been so compelling be too weak to get the job done?
Would Gordon show up at her door in a few short weeks?
He would if he had the chance. And what would that do to Branson and Alia?
“Don’t worry.” Gavin gave her a soft kiss on the neck. “We’ve got seven days. We’ll figure it out.”
She pulled back to look him in the face. “Are you sure you don’t want to run for the hills? I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
She rested her cheek against his chest. “Please tell me they won’t let him out.”
“Somehow, we’ll make sure of it,” he said, but she knew he was only trying to comfort her. He had no way of keeping that promise.
It was all on her.
25
Heather wrung her hands as she paced back and forth in her living room. After what Gavin had said yesterday, she’d barely made it through school today. She hadn’t felt like teaching, had almost called in sick again, or left after lunch. She would have, except the principal and other teachers were beginning to complain about her lack of commitment. She feared she’d put her job in jeopardy if she didn’t stay until the usual time, and she couldn’t allow any more of her life to fall apart. The people she worked with didn’t understand that she had serious problems. Her whole future stood in the balance. She’d thought Gavin might reconsider what he’d said yesterday and call or text, ask her not to go back to Scott, as she’d threatened. But she hadn’t heard from him. Why? She knew what kind of father he hoped to be. They’d talked about it before. And, as far as he was concerned, she was carrying his child.
Her pregnancy should’ve made all the difference, should’ve brought them together again.
So why hadn’t he called? Was he spending time with his new neighbor? Did he like Savanna that much?
He had to, or he wouldn’t be letting things stand as they were...
That thought caused the worst kind of panic Heather had ever experienced. How could it be that just when she’d decided to quit messing around and make him step up and commit, Savanna Whoever She Was moved into town? And not just into town, right next to Gavin?
“It’s sheer bad luck, bad timing...a bad joke.” How was she going to gain control of the situation again?
Her phone dinged, indicating she had an incoming text.
Please let it be Gavin, she prayed. But it wasn’t Gavin; it was Scott. She’d been texting him, telling him that she was sorry for everything she’d put him through, acting as sweet as she possibly could. She hadn’t indicated she wanted to get back together. She’d stopped short of that for two reasons. If she came off too desperate, Scott would hold all the power, which wouldn’t bode well in the end. And she didn’t really want to get back with him, not if there was any chance Gavin would reconsider. Still, she had to extinguish Scott’s anger, in case she needed him later. She was beginning to fear she’d wind up a single mother, and that fear only grew worse when she read Scott’s text. Fuck off.
The panic churning in her gut burned until she thought she might scream. Don’t do it. Don’t freak out. Everything will be okay. She didn’t need Scott. Who did he think he was? Somehow, Gavin would come around. He’d said he wasn’t ruling her out. He was just hoping to explore the attr
action he felt to his neighbor, and why not? He deserved to have a little fun before they settled down. Gavin hadn’t been with anyone since she got with Scott. Chances were it wouldn’t go anywhere. He was meant to be with her; she’d known it for years.
She still had his baby, which was a powerful bargaining chip.
If it really was his baby...
“God, help me.” The child had to be Gavin’s. If it was Scott’s, her life would be far worse. Scott could be so vengeful. Unless she forced the issue, he wouldn’t even pay her child support.
Her phone went off again; her mother was calling.
She silenced the ringtone. She couldn’t deal with her parents, not on top of everything else. Ever since they learned she was pregnant, they’d been hounding her about what she was going to do.
Another text came in. No surprise—it was from her mother. Apparently, Vickie refused to be denied.
Why won’t you pick up? You’re not fooling me. You have that phone in your hand 24/7.
With a sigh, Heather forced herself to call back. Vickie would only be more difficult to deal with if she put it off. She shouldn’t have told her parents about the baby, but she’d been trying to put as much pressure on Gavin as she could, and she thought making the announcement official would finally convince him to get serious about their future together.
“Sorry, Mom,” she said when Vickie answered. “I was in the bathroom.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she lied. “Just tired. Had a hard day at school.”
“What was hard about school?”
Showing up was hard, especially when she wanted to be anywhere else. “Teaching isn’t as easy as it seems.”
Ignoring that, her mother launched into what she considered important these days. “Have you talked to Gavin?”
Heather winced. “Not today. Why?”
“Why do you think? We’re wondering when we should schedule the wedding. We need to pick a date before you start to show, and the church is getting booked up.”
“I realize that you’re feeling some pressure.” What did she think Heather was feeling? “But we’re...we’re thinking of getting married after the baby’s born.”
“What?” her mother squawked. “Why?”
“Gavin says there’s no reason to rush and...I agree.” She hated that she’d said the last two words so softly, but she’d always found it difficult to stand up to the gale-force wind that was her mother’s will.
“What are you talking about? There’s every reason to rush. Do you want your child to be born a bastard? Doesn’t Gavin care whether his child carries his name?”
She’d thought he did. But he’d broken things off instead of setting a date. “He’s not particularly religious, Mom.”
“But you are, and so are we. He should have some respect for our beliefs.”
She was far less religious than her mother believed. She just couldn’t admit that, either. “Mom, please. Don’t start. My life is difficult enough right now. We have to give him some time to adjust. I was with Scott the past two months. Gavin’s the type that...that’s responsible and kind, but he needs...he needs to come to terms with the sudden change and the shock.”
There was a slight pause. Then she said, with more suspicion than Heather cared to hear, “Are you sure it isn’t Scott’s baby?”
The tears that’d been burning behind Heather’s eyes for most of the day welled up. It could be Gavin’s child. She’d gone off birth control a week before they broke up. But she couldn’t admit that. It was, however, part of the reason she’d freaked out when his ex-girlfriend came to town and wanted to spend some time with him. She’d felt she might already be pregnant and they should be beyond that. “We’d better hope not,” she said simply.
“What does that mean?” her mother demanded.
“It’s over between Scott and me. When...when I went back to Gavin, that was it.”
“Gavin’s the one you love, anyway. You’ve chased him for years. And you said he was going to marry you. That’s true, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” she said. But he hadn’t called her since he told her he wanted to see someone else. And he didn’t call her for the rest of the week. By the time the weekend came and she had to check his website to see where he’d be performing instead of hearing it from him, she knew she had to do something—or she’d lose him for good.
* * *
Gavin had enjoyed the week. Every day when he came home from work, he joined Savanna, Branson and Alia for dinner, but he didn’t spend the night. Savanna didn’t want to make her children feel as though their father had already been replaced, and since Heather was pregnant, possibly with his child, Gavin felt he had to be more restrained and cautious than they’d been with such a whirlwind start. As difficult as it was, not sleeping with Savanna gave him the chance to be sure he was interested in her for the right reasons, that he wasn’t simply avoiding the situation with Heather. So they’d eat and play games with the kids while Branson and Alia were awake, and then they’d stay up talking until Gavin could finally convince himself to head home and go to bed—alone.
The crazy thing was, he looked forward to seeing Savanna each day like he’d never looked forward to seeing anyone else. Going without sex didn’t change anything, except make him want it that much more. He wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to hold out, but abstaining felt decent, right, considering the circumstances, so they were trying. In any case, they had plenty to distract them, since they also spent a great deal of time after the kids went to bed brainstorming her upcoming trip to Nephi.
Twice Gavin stood over Savanna’s shoulder, providing input and advice as she wrote Gordon. She also added a hundred dollars to Gordon’s “books” so he could buy more products at the commissary. Even if he didn’t need anything, he could trade items for better shoes, a newer jumpsuit, physical protection or other favors, which would make his stay in jail more comfortable. Those with money fared much better on the inside than those without.
Gavin could tell Savanna hated pretending she had any interest in her former partner. She couldn’t help wondering if she was sacrificing her integrity by deceiving him. At times, Gavin felt the same reluctance she did. But Allison March, the detective from the Emma Ventnor investigation, had reached out to encourage them. March said that not only was Gordon working nearby the day Emma went missing, he had no verifiable alibi—wasn’t at the mine—when it happened. He claimed he was getting lunch but couldn’t remember where he ate, and she hadn’t been able to find video footage of him or his vehicle at any of the fast-food restaurants or gas stations in the area.
“I can’t wait until it’s all over,” Savanna said as Gavin drove them both to his gig at a bar called Limelight in Santa Barbara on Friday night. They’d dropped the kids off at his mother’s house, since Aiyana had offered to babysit.
Gavin reached over to take Savanna’s hand. “Won’t be too much longer now.”
“What if we’re mistaken?” She turned to him with a worried expression. “What if Gordon’s innocent, like he claims? I would hate to wrong someone so terribly, especially him. I’m not in love with him anymore, haven’t been for a long time, but he is the father of my children. Hurting him means hurting them. And even if there wasn’t that connection, I don’t want to make his life any worse than it has to be. I don’t want to make anyone’s life worse than it has to be.”
“Because you have a conscience,” Gavin said. “From what the detectives are telling us, Gordon does not.”
“Do they know?” she asked.
“I can’t say they do with any certainty,” he replied. “But we’re only trying to make sure he wasn’t involved in Emma’s disappearance. You won’t be able to get information he doesn’t have, so if he didn’t do it, he’s safe.”
“T
hat’s what I keep telling myself. But he’s been claiming all along that the police are out to get him, and there have been plenty of examples of that type of thing happening to other people in the past. I’m scared that, when it comes right down to it, I’m doing this for the wrong reasons.”
He pressed the brake as he came up on a slower-moving vehicle. He finally had his truck back. It’d been repaired and Dorothy’s insurance had paid the bill, but Dorothy had maintained the strange silence that had started the night she so briefly showed up in Silver Springs, which continued to be both a relief and a curiosity to Savanna. “How could you be doing it for the wrong reasons?”
“Keeping him in jail serves my own purposes now. Our purposes, if we continue seeing each other. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, would rather he not be free to bother me, which I know he will if he has the chance.”
“You were going to Nephi even before we started officially seeing each other, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I keep telling myself that, too. It’d just be so much easier for us if he remained behind bars. That makes me feel guilty for doing what I can to keep him there.”
“If he’s been attacking women, he deserves to be locked up. You believe he attacked the three victims he’s being charged with raping, don’t you?”
“I do. And yet...I can’t be one hundred percent. That bothers me.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “At the end of the day, you have to be able to live with yourself, Savanna. So play it by ear when you’re with him. Weigh what the police have found against what you know of him and his character, what he says and what you think of his current behavior. That’s all you can do, right? Make an educated guess.”
“The stakes are so high. I hate to base everything on a guess. But you’re right—that’s all I can do.”
“If he gets out, we’ll deal with it as best we can.”
