He realized then what Livvy was worried about. Maybe Franklin had fatheredher.
“Is Franklin’s DNA in the system?” Ethan came out and asked Grace.
“No,” she answered so quickly that it let Ethan know she’d already considered this possibility. “Not yet anyway. I asked for a DNA sample for elimination purposes. His lawyer said we’d need a court order, so I’m in the process of getting one. And I will get it,” she insisted.
She no doubt would. It was standard procedure in this type of investigation to be able to rule out any DNA and fingerprints present at a crime scene that could have inadvertently been left there by family members or others in the household.
“It could be telling that Franklin didn’t want to cough up his DNA,” Grace went on. “But it’s also possible that he was just being an uncooperative jerk who doesn’t care diddly about his sister’s murder being solved.”
Yes, either of those could be true.
“Moving on,” she continued a moment later. “I just learned that Anthony possibly knew our dead attacker, Hank Stover. It’s a thin connection, but it’s there. They lived in the same neighborhood when Anthony was in high school. Of course, Anthony claims he never met the man, so now we’re digging to find out if that’s a lie.”
Since Anthony hadn’t been truthful with them so far, that was a strong possibility. “So, Hank is definitely connected to Franklin and now possibly Anthony,” Ethan remarked. “Ditto for Vernice. I suspect she visited Chloe a lot more often than she admitted, and that means she could have crossed paths with Hank and his sister.”
“Totally agree,” Grace said. “None of our three suspects get gold stars for being upfront and honest. But lies can bedisproved, and that could lead to charges of obstruction and such. If I can arrest one of them, then that could give me some bargaining power. I want the SOB who killed Chloe put away before he or she strikes again.”
Ethan wanted the same thing. So far, the killer hadn’t come after Livvy, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t. Anyone who saw her at the police station could have guessed that she was stunned and upset, and that could lead to speculation that her memory was returning.
That could make a killer anxious to silence her for good.
“And that brings me to my final update about Sunny,” Grace said, yanking Ethan out of his thoughts. “Sunny’s still being released, though it won’t be until around six this evening since her doctor is waiting on some test results. I know the plan was for her to go to your place, but considering everything that’s going on with Livvy and you, I can arrange a safe house for her.”
“No,” Livvy said. “She can come here.”
Ethan wasn’t so sure that was a good idea because Livvy did indeed have a lot going on, but so did Sunny. It might ease some of the stress for Sunny if she was with people she had already met instead of staying with whomever would be assigned to her at a safe house.
“Yes, bring Sunny here,” he piped in.
“All right. Will do. And I’ll let you know if there are any other updates. In the meantime, keep digging,” Grace added before she said a quick goodbye and ended the call.
Ethan set his phone down and looked at Livvy. All of this was clearly taking a toll on her, so despite what she’d said earlier about falling apart if he touched her, he pulled her into his arms. She didn’t back away. Just the opposite. She came off the stool where she’d been sitting, and she pressed herself against him.
“I’m so tired of all of this. The memory gaps are making things much worse,” Livvy muttered. “In fact, if I could just remember, I might be able to say who the killer is.”
Maybe her mother’s killer, yes, but it was possible someone else had murdered Zadie and Chloe. So, getting her memory back might not give them what they needed to keep Sunny and her safe.
He eased away, met her gaze, and for some reason, he smiled. Despite everything, it warmed him to see her face. Livvy, his friend. That was first and foremost the basis of their relationship, and it had been that way for years. However, this extra level to it, this lovers’ pull, felt good, too. And yeah, it still caused some guilt, but Ethan could feel that cooling just as the attraction was heating up.
“When this investigation is over, maybe we can go on a date,” he suggested.
For a moment, she just looked stunned. Then, she smiled. “That’s the third thing on the agenda after we catch a killer. That long talk you wanted. The gender reveal. And now a date. I’d love to go out with you,” she tacked on.
Ethan’s next breath was one of relief, and he risked touching his mouth to hers. Just the slightest of kisses. No more. Because more was only going to land them in bed and not working on the investigation.
“All right,” she said, as if sensing they were about to go back into cop mode. “Back to Eden’s list. And by now, some of the reports might be in from the CSIs.”
“True, and I want to read the one from the spot where Sunny was attacked.” The CSIs had found some shoeprints, and Ethan was eager to find out if they matched Hank’s.
Or find out if they were dealing with someone else. Like Vernice or Anthony.
Livvy made a sound of agreement, and she pushed the rest of her salad aside and dragged over the laptop as she sat back on the barstool. “And I want to have another conversation with Sunny when she gets here. There’s a reason Sunny’s a target,” she said. “Maybe because the killer thinks Zadie said something to her, but it could be more than that. It could be something that Sunny heard or saw.”
Yeah, and that went right back to all their suspects.
Ethan grabbed his laptop, too, and he moved it next to Livvy’s so they could work the list. They’d barely gotten started on that, though, when he heard something he hadn’t been expecting.
A car engine.
