28 Days(47)

“It bothers me about Fern and Tracy. I’m almost afraid of so much as talking to another woman.”

“I’m alive,” Saige added.

“I think you’re safe. It only seems to happen to women I’ve had, um”—he blushed—“you know with.” He cleared his throat.

“You had sex with Jocelyn?” Saige asked, shocked.

His brother’s wife!

“Fuck, no! She was Quinten’s wife for one thing.” Alex stood and ran his hands through his hair. “I never touched that woman.” He shuddered in revulsion. “Don’t get me wrong, she was one hell of a looker, until you got to know her, or got on her bad side, which I was always on.”

“Then maybe there isn’t a connection,” she commented, hopeful that the killer wasn’t targeting women Alex had slept with.

Alex shook his head. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think there is. I’m connected to Jocelyn through Quinten, and Fern and Tracy through sex. There has to be something, or someone, missing from all of this. It’s driving me crazy.”

Saige grabbed a cushion and wrapped her arms around it for comfort, her knees curled under her while she rested her head on another cushion. “I don’t know what to think anymore. But I do know that Quinten is innocent. He didn’t take me. I know that with every fiber of my being. And even though I don’t relish the thought, I wish that I dreamt more about my time in that shack. Maybe if I did, then I’d remember hearing or seeing something that could be added to Coulter’s report for the governor.”

“I don’t know why your dreams are centered around Quinten rather than the shack, but I think with Coulter’s report, and your new statement, Quinten will get a stay. The governor won’t be able to do anything else because if the execution goes ahead, the public will be in an uproar, and he’s up for reelection.” Alex didn’t look worried, he just looked annoyed more than anything.

“I hope you’re right,” Saige whispered.



* * *



7:30pm



* * *



Alex was angry and worried. There had to be a reason why the killer would take both Fern’s and Tracy’s lives mere hours after he’d been with them. That was no coincidence. Then why hadn’t he admitted that to Detective Robinson?

You know why.

He didn’t want Coulter’s investigation centering on him. Now that Quinten was close to being free of the crime, they would need to go looking for another murderer. And he was terrified that it would all fall back on him—the brother of a killer, leaving a trail of dead women behind him.

He dropped his ass to the foot of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. Exhaustion seeped through his body and he ached with it. For once, he felt real panic well in his gut for Quinten. Alex had always hated his brother being locked away, but now that time was running out, he had never felt so helpless.

Hearing a tap on his door, Alex froze, and heard it again.

Christina?

She was back and, with the mood he was in, he wasn’t sure it would be wise to have her in the same room as him. That didn’t stop him from walking the short distance to the door and letting her in.

Christina’s gaze slid over him, her eyes widening when she really looked. He had a feeling that she didn’t miss anything, which could be dangerous.

He rested against the closed door, his arms crossed in front of him. “To what do I owe the visit?”

Christina nervously paced, her fingers tugging together. “You were right.”

“About?”

She stopped and faced him before she closed her eyes and inhaled. Exhaling, she met his gaze. “After a few days in the hospital, I suspected that Saige had no memory of you or your brother. She wasn’t talking about anything or to anyone. Richard figured it out.”

Christina backed up and sat on the edge of the bed while he stayed by the door. He didn’t trust himself around her, and heaven knew what else she wanted to confess.

“A few days after Saige had been found, the sheriff and detective wanted a statement from her, but we put them off. She wasn’t talking…I hated how the witch hunt took off after Quinten. I wanted to help but didn’t know how.

“I saw the way he’d look at her. He loved Saige, and she him. I was jealous.” She shrugged and wiped at a tear. “No one had ever looked at me that way, but I never would have done anything to split them up. No matter what anyone thinks, including Saige, I love my stepdaughter, Alex.” She shuddered and Alex realized she was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

“I know what you think of me because of what I was like with you and Quinten, but the truth is, you and Richard are the only men that I’ve been intimate with since I married him. And it’s been a very long time since he and I have...”

His eyes snapped to hers in surprise, not believing a word she said.

“Hard to believe, huh?” She fidgeted. “Richard,” she hesitated, “isn’t the kind and loving husband, like he is the kind and loving father. My life isn’t what it seems and never has been.”

What was she saying? And did he believe her?

“When...when the sheriff took Saige’s statement after selecting Quinten’s photograph, I helped her through it. The evidence had already piled up against him by then.” Christina started to cry softly. “I’m sorry, Alex. So sorry. I want to help you get your brother free. The detective is in town and wants to talk to me, so perhaps he can take my statement and that will be enough to cast doubts over Quinten’s guilt.