Hadley & Grace(43)
The bag. The image of Herrick walking into the building flashes in his mind. She walked in carrying a bag, the same bag she carried from the hospital, so bulky it made it awkward for her to walk. Why would she need a bag to check on the uniform order? Herrick was there for the money, so the question is: Does Torelli believe the story she’s telling, or is it a lie?
“I couldn’t drive,” Torelli continues, “so Grace ditched her car and drove me to the hotel where my kids were. We were supposed to split up the next morning, but instead Grace drove me to the hospital, and that’s when your guys showed up, and the rest you know.”
He nods as if it all makes perfect sense. “Why didn’t she leave you at the hospital?”
Torelli shakes her head and lets out a heavy sigh. “I have no idea. She should have. None of this has anything to do with her.”
Bullshit, he thinks, and he wonders what Herrick has on Torelli to make her weave this story to protect her.
“Well, it does now,” Mark says.
Torelli’s head shakes harder. “It doesn’t!” she wails. “She was only trying to help us.”
“Hadley,” he says, his voice firm, “you need to listen to me. If you don’t turn yourself in, this is not going to end well. You need to think about your daughter.”
Torelli’s jaw slides out, and she doesn’t answer. Then, after a long time, she says, “What did Grace do? You said she has a record. For what?”
“She made some bad choices when she was young.”
“But it’s not like she killed someone?”
Mark remains silent, his heart pounding with guilt, hating himself for using Herrick’s past against her, but also knowing it might be his only chance of convincing Torelli to turn herself in.
Torelli looks up. “She killed someone?”
Herrick didn’t actually kill the girl. She died from pneumonia, and the charge was negligent homicide, but homicide nonetheless. He gives a small nod.
Torelli swallows, then looks back at her hands and shakes her head, either not believing him or choosing not to let the revelation change things.
“Hadley, a good lawyer, and you could walk away from this.”
Her hands twist in her lap, and he watches as a shadow of uncertainty crosses her face.
He tries to capitalize on it. “Grace is the one who pulled the trigger. The one who ordered me into the trunk. The one who drove me here.”
She looks up, her brow seamed, uncertain what he’s saying.
“Hadley, she’s the one with the record,” he says, keeping his eyes steady on hers.
He watches as slowly his meaning becomes clear, her eyes widening before turning dark and hard as stone, and he realizes his mistake.
“This isn’t Grace’s fault,” she hisses, a growl that reveals a tiger hidden beneath her kitten exterior. “The only reason Grace is here is because of me. She risked everything to help me.”
And just like that, the door of possibility slams closed.
Torelli returns to studying her hands, and Mark returns to contemplating his options, feeling infinitely worse for what he has done and wishing he had just waited for backup and that none of this were happening at all.
32
GRACE
They stop at Walmart to buy supplies. Grace loads up on formula and diapers and buys provisions to tide the agent over until Tuesday: water, food, blankets, a pillow, a flashlight, several magazines, and heavy-duty cable ties. The choice to take the agent with them was a risky one. It adds kidnapping to her list of crimes. But it’s also given them the best chance for escape. And truthfully, with all the other charges she’s facing, adding another felony to the list won’t make a difference. If she’s caught, she is going away for a very long time, long enough that Miles will be grown by the time she’s released, so getting out will no longer matter.
She can’t believe she is part of this. The thought sickens her. It’s as if her worst nightmare has come true, the past repeating, as if she is destined to be a criminal, no matter what.
As soon as she fired that gun, everything changed. Until that moment, she and Miles had had a shot at a new life. But now, her only chance to raise him is on the run, looking over her shoulder and hoping she never gets caught. So, while she feels bad for the agent, there was no choice. Taking him gave them the smallest advantage. The backup team would show up, and they’d be confused before panic set in. The agent and his car would be gone, and the van would be parked outside her and Hadley’s rooms.
Hunter had posted a sign on the lobby door that said, BACK IN AN HOUR, wisely disappearing to avoid getting involved after he’d called to warn her. Which meant that no one witnessed what happened. No one saw her shoot the gun or saw them drive off in the agent’s car. With luck, the backup team would assume the plan was still in place, that the agent was taking a break to relieve himself or to grab a bite to eat and that she and Hadley were still asleep in their rooms.
Only after precious time had passed would they realize something was wrong—the agent not returning their calls and the hotel too quiet.
“You okay?” Mattie says beside her.
“Huh? Yeah.” She forces a reassuring smile to her face as she tosses a package of socks into the shopping cart. She feels Mattie’s stress, and Skipper has been on the brink of losing it all morning.