Hez nodded. “There shouldn’t be any hiccup to adopting him. And after today I think he won’t mind having his name changed to Webster. He saw Michael for who he really is.” Hez’s blue eyes hardened. “Michael threw Simon out of the truck, Savannah. Like an unwanted dog.”
Her eyes burned, and she planned to hug Simon and tell him how much she loved him. No ten-year-old should have to go through what he’d endured. She put her hand to her forehead,which had begun to throb in earnest. “Can I just get something for the pain? I don’t need to go to the hospital. There’s so much to do before the wedding.”
“Sorry, babe, you have to get checked out. We need to take some pictures of that beautiful head of yours and make sure you don’t collapse on me before you can say ‘I do.’ They’re coming to load you now, and I’ll wait at the hospital with Simon. The three of us can go back to the house when you’re released. Simon will get to sleep in his new room for the first time.”
Hez rose and his smile widened as the paramedics shouldered him out of the way. “It’s over, finally over, and the future is waiting.”
Tears filled her eyes and she nodded, unable to speak. God was good to have brought them through so much. She couldn’t wait to see what he would do next.
Hez raised his glass. “To stolen hours.”
Candlelight danced in Savannah’s eyes, bringing out the gold flecks. The purple-and-yellow bruise under her left eye drew a few curious stares, but she wore it like what it was: a badge of honor. She raised her glass and tapped it against his with a soft chime. “The sweetest kind.”
They’d slipped away to Billy’s Seafood Restaurant for a quiet date—and made a point of not telling anyone where they were. The craziness of the last few days had been overwhelming, and they craved a little quiet time just to connect. Will was staying at the house with Simon.
Hez sipped his citrus-infused sparkling water. Billy’s madeit themselves with fresh fruit and local spring water, and it was delicious. He could almost forget that it wasn’t champagne. “Every hour alone with you is sweet, babe.”
She rewarded him with a luminous smile. “We haven’t had many of those recently, have we?”
“Nope, but I intend to fix that as soon as possible. I can’t wait to carry you across the threshold of our new home and have you all to myself for a loooong time.”
“It’s very mutual.” She winked. “Poor Simon. If everything goes right, he’s going to get adopted and abandoned on the same day.” She took a sip from her glass. “I can’t believe the wedding is only two days away. I wonder how many messages will be waiting for us by the end of the evening.”
“I don’t want to think about it. Or about the legal loose ends I have to tie up before then.”
She dipped a morsel of bread in a little dish of spiced olive oil. “Is there any news?”
The server delivered their oyster appetizers before Hez could respond. He slid one into his mouth, savoring the salty meat. “Mmm. I always think these can’t be as good as I remember, and I’m always wrong.” He pulled out his phone and put it on the table. “I hate to do this—but now that you mention it, I’m waiting for a text from Scott confirming that the judge signed the adoption order. The guardian supported our new petition, so I don’t think the outcome is in doubt—but the timing might be. The judge is going on vacation tomorrow, and Scott is pulling in every favor he can to get this signed before His Honor leaves.”
“If it were anything else, I’d make you put that phone right back in your pocket.” She popped an oyster in her mouth, andhe took the opportunity to do the same. She gave him a slightly apprehensive look as she swallowed. “Have you heard from Hope or Augusta? You mentioned that they were going to execute a warrant at Michael’s home and office.”
He sighed. “I don’t want to ruin your appetite.”
She pressed her perfect lips together. “What did they find?”
“They found more traces of the explosive used to kill Jess. It was on the floor of his basement and a storage locker rented by his trucking company. They also found financial records from an offshore account that traced the Hornbrook blackmail payments to him.”
“So he really was behind that too. Why am I not surprised?” She studied Hez’s face. “Is there anything else?”
“There is.” He fiddled with his flatware. “They found a hidden safe that contained files on me, your dad, and you—surveillance pictures, papers that seem to have come from our trash, and other stuff.”
She shivered. “He had people watching us the whole time.”
“He did—including when I was taking a shower one night at the new house.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s how they knew about your birthmark!” She reached across the table and took his hand. “I’m doubly sorry I doubted you.”
“I would have doubted me too.” He put his other hand on hers. “There’s more. The file on Ella’s death was in that safe.”
She gripped his hand. “So he did kill her.”
“That’s what Hope thinks.”
“But why did he want the file on her death? There was nothing in there even hinting that she was murdered, was there?”
“There may have been clues that the police overlooked because everyone thought it was an accident, but—” He hesitated. “Sociopaths sometimes keep mementos or trophies from their crimes.”
She turned pale. “I feel sick.”
