Keep Her Safe(134)

“Does your husband know about all this?” Noah asks softly.

Her eyes drift to a framed wedding portrait on the wall and a small smile touches her lips. “He was my lawyer. His firm did pro bono work and I was assigned to him. He started checking in on me, while I was in jail, to make sure I was getting all the help I needed. And after I got out, he helped me get a job and a place to live. One thing led to another. I still can’t believe that he would ever want to marry me.”

The man in the portrait is at least ten years older than her, his hair sparse on top, his chin sporting sagging skin. Next to Betsy—beaming and beautiful in an elegant white lace gown, her golden-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders—anyone would say the opposite is true.

“No one but Gale knows about my past. We lied to his family and our friends about how we met. While he may be open-minded, others aren’t, especially not in this neighborhood.”

“So, this man . . . are you sure there isn’t anything else you can remember about him?” Kristian pushes, once again giving her just enough time to prattle before gently reining her back in.

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.” There’s a pause. “But what does that night have to do with Abe’s death?”

“We’re not entirely sure yet.” He sets his card out next to my father’s. “If you think of anything else, please give me a call.” His steely gray gaze shifts to me. “Ready?”

“I . . . uh . . .” Now that we’ve found my aunt, I don’t want to leave. But I guess that’s the appropriate thing to do. Betsy will need time to process all this. I can’t blame her. She was picking weeds from her garden when we showed up, dragging with us a past that she hoped was dead and buried.

Betsy pulls a pad of paper from the fridge and scribbles down a phone number. “You know where I live. Here is my number.” She presses the page into my hand. “Please call me. And tell your mom I said hello.” She hesitates. “Maybe I could contact her, when she’s better.”

“She’d love that.”

“And maybe you could come over again another day, if you’re staying in Austin? It’d be nice . . . to have family of my own again.” Betsy gives me one of those small, tight-lipped smiles.

“I will. I’m not going anywhere.” I absently reach for Noah, my fingers grazing his bicep. He’s definitely stuck with me now.

It isn’t until we reach the massive two-story foyer that Betsy suddenly exclaims, “Wait! I do . . . yes, I do remember something.” She frowns, as if she’s trying to grasp a thought that’s flittering just out of reach in her memories. “The man . . . he walked with a limp.”





CHAPTER 58


Commander Jackie Marshall

May 4, 2003

I climb over the police tape and march forward into a circus show of flashing lights and people.

The last time I was at this seedy motel, it was to get Betsy out of Austin.

Now . . . I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I got woken up by a call from dispatch to tell me that an officer’s been shot and I needed to get out here.

Silas steps into my path.

That son of a bitch . . . I have nothing to say to him. I try to skirt him, but he grabs my arm. “Hold up, Jackie.” His eyes flash around us, checking to see who’s watching. “You can’t go in there.”

“The hell I can’t!” I try to shake his arm off me, but he squeezes tighter.

“Canning’s orders. Only a special team is allowed in there right now. They’re making me wait outside too, and I’m the damn DA!”

“You are not the DA, yet,” I grit through my teeth, adding quietly, “and you never will be if anyone finds out what you really are.” It was all I could do to keep from vomiting, walking up to that hotel room two weeks ago to find Abe facing off with none other than my brother, in a hotel room with a prostitute.

My by-the-book, righteous, this-side-of-the-law big brother. And not just any prostitute. A fifteen-year-old.

A fifteen-year-old who also happened to be Dina’s half-sister.

“God damn it, Jackie! I made a mistake! Don’t you dare act like you’ve never made one!” He tugs me farther back, into the shadows, away from prying ears. “She said she was twenty-one! I didn’t know how old she really was, and I sure as hell didn’t know who she was.”

“Oh come on! One look at that girl and I knew she had to be related to Dina.”

“Well, yes. She was a striking girl, but—”

I make a sound of disgust. “The fact that you’d cheat on Judy with a hooker! It would kill that sweet woman if she ever found out.”

Silas holds his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. That’s why Judy can never find out. My kids can never find out. It was a mistake. I made a terrible mistake.”

“And just how many ‘mistakes’ have you made?” I glare at him, daring him to lie to me.

He hesitates. “Twice. And only once with someone under eighteen.”

“How the hell would you know! You thought Betsy was twenty-one!”

“I’m never going to do it again, I swear, Jackie. It’s been difficult at home lately, and with work . . . I just needed to get some—”