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She stepped away. “You know I do. For Jason’s mental health if for no other reason. Dr. Barth agrees.” Gesturing toward the lounge chairs she said, “Can we stay out here a few minutes? It’s such a perfect evening. I think I want to soak it up.”
Trey followed and sat on a lounge next to her.
“How is Jason?” she asked. She pulled a large comb from a pocket in the robe and used it to untangle her wet hair. “Any problems putting him down?”
“Out of nowhere, he told me he loved me,” Trey said. “On a day filled with loss, he decided to forgive me.”
“Kids are amazingly resilient,” she said. “They can recover from all kinds of trauma.”
“Like you did?” Trey asked.
She paused combing and looked out over the pool. “My childhood was way different than Jason’s.”
“Your mom had a drug problem, didn’t she? That’s how you recognized it in Maria.”
“Yes, a bad one. She couldn’t keep a job because of her addiction, so often resorted to the world’s oldest profession.”
“Where was your dad?”
She shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Did your mom give you that burn mark on your shoulder?”
“No.” Kelly swung her gaze back to his. “She never harmed me, but couldn’t stand up to a man who wanted to. Mr. Roy Brown.” She spat out the name.
“Did he rape you?” Trey asked, holding his breath for the answer.
“Oh, he tried, but it didn’t go that far.” She shook her head.
Trey reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers. He wanted to know everything about Kelly. But did she trust him enough to confide in him?
She didn’t say anything for a moment as she stared at the lit pool, its water now calm. “My mom was working as a maid in a no-tell motel, and I was in a room doing my homework when Roy came in high on something really nasty. Whatever it was made him super strong. I couldn’t get away from him, but screamed my fool head off and got lucky. A police officer intervened, Officer Ricardo Morales, who became my savior in more ways than one.”
“How so?”
“Ricardo was a dinosaur, a few years from retirement, and took an interest in me and my mom. He couldn’t stop Roy from killing her a few months later,” Kelly said bitterly, “but he watched over me in the system, made sure my foster homes weren’t abusive.”
“You said he moved to Daytona Beach?”
“He’s in an assisted living facility near where his own kids live. He’s got dementia. I used to visit him every now and then, but he no longer remembers me.”
“I’m sorry.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Thanks. Ricardo is one reason I became a cop.”
“You love being a police officer, don’t you?”
“I really do. I’m totally jazzed that Ballard invited me along on the takedown of Adam.” She stared at her comb. “My lieutenant cleared it even though I’m riding a desk these days.”
“You’re on desk duty?” he demanded. “Why?” Kelly would hate desk duty.
She sighed and looked out over the pool. “Because one of the tabloids suggested I’m a dirty cop.”
Trey went still. “Based on what?”
“Because I’m living here.”
He stared at her. “Surely your superior officer doesn’t buy into that nonsense.”
“Maybe not, but Internal Affairs opened an investigation.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “We’ve got a lot going on.”
Stunned, Trey dropped her hand. Kelly was under investigation because she’d agreed to remain in his home, and that was on him. “Is there anything I can—”
“No!” She pointed the comb at him. “Stay out of my career, Trey. If you try to pull strings, you’ll only make it worse.”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands in surrender. She must not have heard about Joe Schwartz’s press release where Wentworth Industries denied any romance between himself and one Officer Kelly Jenkins. Would she consider that interfering?
“Anyway, this op in Homestead in a few hours will be the real deal,” she said. “Maria claims Adam’s house is like an armory, loaded with guns, even an assault rifle.”
