The Row(68)

The guard starts toward the garbage and Daddy moves to take it back. “Please, no.”

“Against the wall, inmate,” the guard growls. This time he holds the picture up in front of Daddy’s face and then rips it in half. My heart suddenly feels the same rip.

Jordan grabs my hand on the table, squeezing it in an effort to comfort me, but when I see Daddy’s gaze focus on the motion, I immediately push his hand away. The fierce and protective anger in my father’s expression is something I’ve never seen before. For the first time ever, I’m a little glad that he’s wearing handcuffs and am nervous for the guard to remove them.

The guard finally eases up, spins Daddy back around with his back against the wall, and gets right up in his face. “Don’t—touch—the—guards.”

Daddy lowers his eyes, looking completely submissive. It works to mollify the guard and he pulls his key out to unlock the cuffs. When he’s free, Daddy steps toward me and gently reaches for a hug. After the look he gave us when Jordan grabbed my hand, I’m nervous, but with the guard still watching, I go for it.

Once I’m in his arms, Daddy whispers in my ear, “What do you think you’re doing?”

I don’t know how to answer yet, so I just move back toward the table. As soon as we’re seated, the guard exits, closing the door behind him. I see him throw Daddy’s picture of us into the garbage outside. I can’t help but wonder if, by bringing Jordan to this visit, I might be doing something similar to my actual relationship with my father.

Shoving aside that awful thought and the guilt that comes with it, I sit awkwardly beside Jordan and across from Daddy. They stare at each other openly, Daddy with obvious malevolence, Jordan with something bordering on defiance.

This is going downhill even quicker than I’d thought.

“So, I guess I don’t need to introduce you two…” I give a sputtering laugh.

“It’s nice to see you again so soon, sweetheart, but when they told me I had two visitors today, I’d been hoping your mother had come,” Daddy mutters, looking only at me. Apparently his next option for dealing with this is to pretend Jordan isn’t here.

“She isn’t feeling well.” I cut myself off before I end up spitting out anything less true.

Instead, I try to ease into the discussion we need to have. It was the entire reason that Jordan came with me, after all. “Jordan is trying to help us.” I phrase it in the best way I can, hoping maybe Daddy will soften a bit with this knowledge.

He looks directly at Jordan with clear skepticism. “He is, huh?”

Jordan responds before I get a chance. “He is trying to help Riley.”

I hurry on before he can say anything that will be harder to defend. “Yes, he is. I’ve been trying to understand what happened back then, Daddy.” Then I lower my voice and go on. “Jordan came with me to see Mr. Masters. We found out some information about the newest murder.”

“That’s … interesting.” Daddy’s eyebrows shoot up and he leans back in his chair. His eyes dart back and forth between Jordan and me as though he’s trying to figure out this situation. It’s clear that he thinks Jordan got the info from his dad, and I decide not to correct him.

“Yes,” I continue with more confidence, and let a little of the anger I’ve been feeling lately show through. “Now, I need to know if you were with Stacia on the night of one of the murders—and don’t try to tell me that she left early because I know there are times when she stays late but clocks out early. I’ve asked the security guard if she’s in the office in the past and he says she clocked out, but when I call her cell, she tells me she’s still there. Were you together on the night of Hillary’s murder? I know you were having affairs with both of them. Were you with Stacia when Hillary was killed?”

Daddy’s mouth literally drops open and his eyes are completely focused on me now. “W-why are you even reading about the case or looking into all of this, Riley? I told you not to do that.”

“That doesn’t matter, Daddy. You stole that option away from me when you told me … what you did.” I glance at the back of the guard through the door, but Daddy’s eyes widen and go directly to Jordan. He stares straight back at Daddy, making zero attempt to hide the fact that he knows exactly what we’re talking about.

“You told him?” Daddy’s pitch drops and he glares at me. “You foolish, foolish girl.”

“And I told him that you said it was a lie and why you said you did it.” I straighten up my spine and scowl in return. “You’re the one who put me in this situation, Daddy. Jordan is just trying to help me find a way out of it.”

Daddy is silent, but he continues to glower from Jordan to me and back. Jordan looks like he really doesn’t want to be here, but I can tell from one glance that he wouldn’t leave me even if I asked him to.

“He didn’t answer your question.” Jordan’s voice is low and deliberately quiet, but it draws a growl from Daddy anyway.

And I’m tired of my father treating me like I’m the only one around here who can be questioned. “This visit isn’t about what I’m doing now, though, it’s about what you did back then. And he’s right: you never answered me.” I fold my arms and rest them on the table. “Were you with Stacia?”