I placed a hand on his arm. “Is there anything you can do for her?”
He slowly shook his head. “Not anymore. Kara Belmont is taking over. And it’s unusual for the AG’s office to be this involved—unless it’s a high-profile case.”
“A high-profile case?”
He nodded. “We have so many murders and missing-persons cases. The Nabb family must be really important to get this much attention from the AG’s office.”
“I didn’t know Zach’s family was important. I know they’re prominent real-estate developers, but powerful?”
“Where there’s a lot of money, political donations are usually on the table. Especially with real estate. Developers are always trying to push zoning laws and building codes, get things rewritten for them. And from what I can tell, they seem dead certain it was your daughter who did this.”
Silence. Again.
I gently squeezed his arm. “I better go. You take care of yourself, James. And thank you for your kindness.”
He stood with me, staying close in case I lost my balance again. “I’ll walk you out.”
“No. If it’s okay, I’d like to be alone for a bit.”
He managed a sad smile.
I returned the smile. And for a moment, I didn’t see that tall, young detective in front of me. I saw little Noodle. The skinny boy who’d once been a head shorter than everyone else. With his too-large backpack and crooked teeth. But he was a man now. Fighting for others. Surviving the kind of childhood most kids don’t walk away from.
“Thank you again,” I said and turned to leave.
His hand caught my arm. Not rough, but I could feel the urgency in his grip.
My eyes jumped to his hand. Then up to his face.
“Do you know who the attorney general is?” he asked.
I shrugged. “No.”
“You might want to look into that.”
“Why? Who is it?”
He stared at me for a long second. Something unreadable in his face.
“You’ll see,” he said. “I hope it’s nothing, but there’s a chance I’m not the only part of your past that’s catching up with you, Mrs. Kolter.”
My mouth opened, but before I could ask what he meant, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, and his whole expression changed.
“I gotta take this.” He answered the call. “Hello?” A pause. “Shit. All right. I’ll be right there.”
He hung up.
“I have to go. Good luck, Mrs. Kolter.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, watching him rush down the hallway.
Then, suddenly, I felt lost again. Sad. Angry. Afraid. Numb.
The kids would have a meltdown when I came home without their mom. And Brian … oh God, Brian. He would spiral without Lacey. And Amanda. Where the hell was she? I was sure someone had already told her lies about Lacey.
I wanted to sit. To collapse again. My legs were still wobbly, and my blood pressure was probably too high.
