Page 98 of I’ll Be Watching You

She didn’t blame the system for his guilty plea. It wasn’t the system that had threatened their family or killed Devin. But she did blame it for not asking the right questions. For taking Cooper’s confession at face value. For not being curious.

Of course, she used every tool she had at her disposal to ensure that Cooper’s case was handled swiftly. The county attorney trusted her. She didn’t have to put pressure on anyone, she only had to gently ask for expedited processing, to make it all easier on her family.

And they did.

Back then, she’d stayed quiet out of fear, afraid the wrong word would get Cooper killed, or make their family a target.

But now a woman was dead and two kids were left without a mother.

That, Ava realized, was on her and Cooper. Maybe they had made the wrong decision. When Margo was searching for answers, Ava had done everything to thwart her because she feared for Margo’s life. Her fear came out as anger and disapproval. But had Margo found the truth three and a half years ago, maybe Liz Swanson would be alive today.

Or maybe her daughter would be dead.

The coffee she’d filled up on earlier had settled uneasily in her stomach. She chewed a Tums, but doubted anything would help—not until she talked to her husband.

The door clicked open. Quincy stepped in, and Ava’s breath hitched.

“You have news,” she said. Not a question.

He nodded. “My boss talked to the US Attorney who made the transfer request. On Tuesday afternoon, the US Marshals received what they believe is a credible threat against Cooper’s life. The information came from a criminal informant inside Eyman. It’s sealed, no one but the judge has seen it. She apologized for not contacting Cooper’s attorney first, that was an oversight, but she felt they needed to act quickly.”

Ava’s chest tightened. “What threat? Who would want to hurt Cooper?” Her stomach sank even as she said it. “Whoever killed the nurse.”

“My guess,” Quincy said carefully, “is that whoever had Liz Swanson killed was worried Cooper might talk when he heard about the murder. The killer took her phone. He might know she called Margo after she discovered the missing medical records.”

Ava’s heart squeezed painfully. “Margo’s in danger.”

“Jack is sticking with her,” Quincy said, though the line in his jaw said he wasn’t fully convinced. Or maybe, as Ava feared, the killer would go after both Jack and Margo. Ava couldn’t imagine losing one child, but to lose two? What if she lost everyone?

“Hey,” Quincy said as if he could read her mind, “think this through. Margo didn’t get anything solid from Cooper. She was fishing. But he does know something, and whoever killed Devin Klein and Liz Swanson doesn’t want him talking. That’s why the marshals moved fast. He’s in solitary for his protection.”

“But the US Attorney doesn’t know who the threat was from or anything about the drug trial that is at the heart of this.”

“No,” Quincy said. “They don’t know why Cooper was threatened. However, they are investigating and have a suspect.”

“They know who made the threat?”

“No, but they believe they’ve identified the individual who may have been hired to kill him.”

Kill him. “Threat” was one thing, but “kill” made it all too real.

Quincy continued. “He’s a prisoner at Eyman and a shiv was found in his room. They have removed him from the general population and the AUSA and my boss are interviewing him in hopes of getting a name or a lead.”

There was some hope, she thought.

“Who contacted the authorities about the threat in the first place?” Ava asked.

“I don’t have the name. It was a criminal informant who reached out to his handler in the AUSA’s office, which is why it became a federal issue. This is ultimately a good thing, Ava. Cooper is safer here.”

Maybe, she thought. But why couldn’t she see him?

“What could Cooper know?” Ava asked. “If it would have helped him three years ago, we would’ve used it. He didn’t know who killed Devin then—all we knew was that our family was in danger if he didn’t confess.”

“He must know something,” Quincy said, “even if he doesn’t know why it’s important.”

“He was the person who found Devin’s body. That made him an easy person to frame.”

The door opened again. Rita stepped in, gave Ava a smile.