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Elliot grabbed Alana, holding her flailing arms and leading her away from her mother. Kay reached for Alexandria, but before she could grab her arm, the woman lunged at Kay, trying to slap her across the face. Kay dodged the blow and caught Alexandria’s wrist, then slapped the handcuffs on it.
“That’s exactly what’s putting you in jail for life, Mrs. Keaney, this kind of blow you were just aiming at me,” Kay said, taking the woman outside. “That’s how Jenna landed at the bottom of Wildfire Ridge, isn’t it? Was it because the boys didn’t finish her off like you’d hoped?”
“Lawyer,” Alexandria hissed at her, trying to free herself from Kay’s grip.
“Yeah, you’ll get one, don’t worry. I think you knew from your daughter’s messages that Nick was starting to like Jenna. I believe you read Alana’s notes to Nick, where she was telling him he couldn’t date anyone else but her, with specific reference to Jenna and a certain time when they chatted at school a little longer than your daughter would’ve liked. That was last March, right before the smear campaign against Jenna started.”
Kay paused for a moment. Alana was staring at her slack-jawed, perplexed, but her focus was on Alexandria, who had turned deathly pale. “I guess, in your warped mind, it was okay for Nick to be with your daughter, but no one else, huh? I also believe you found out that Alana was instigating those boys to go after her, and you went up there on the ridge to make sure they did a good, thorough job.”
“You went through my messages?” Alana shouted. “You read my stuff? You fucking bitch! Dad was right, you’re a whore. I never want to see you again,” she spat between sobs. “How could you do this to me?”
“Any responsible parent follows their kid’s online activities,” Elliot said, a tinge of humor coloring his voice. “Very few take matters as far as your mother has. That’s a first for me.” He opened the door and led Alana to the deputies waiting in the driveway. “I have to meet this Nick fellow. He seems to know how to get to a lady’s heart.”
Kay swallowed a chuckle, then looked at her partner. He’d just turned over Alana to Deputy Hobbs, who was reading her rights before loading her into his vehicle. Her partner’s face was back to normal, but when their eyes locked, he blushed again. It would be a while before he’d forget he had showed her another man’s dick pic.
Deputy Farrell took Alexandria from Kay. She was still struggling to break free.
“Separate vehicles,” Kay instructed. “Separate cells too.” Then she looked at Alexandria’s feet, wondering. “What size shoes do you wear?”
“Lawyer,” Alexandria snapped. “That’s all I’m saying.”
“She’s about a size eight,” Farrell replied. “Why?”
“After you load her, see if you can find an athletic pair of shoes size eight in their house. Pack them and tag them, and bring them in. I bet they match the footprints we found at the scene.”
“Will do,” Denise Farrell replied, putting her hand on Alexandria’s head as she loaded her into her SUV.
Kay looked at Alexandria with curiosity. She’d had it all. A perfect house, a beautiful daughter, no worries about making ends meet financially. Good health and good looks. Still, she’d thrown everything away with both hands the moment she’d slept with her daughter’s boyfriend.
Then her thoughts went to Jenna. Probably she hadn’t even been looking in Nick’s direction. She’d loved Tim. There was no mention of Nick in her diary. She’d been bullied, raped, and killed for nothing, for a figment of Alana’s imagination. And everyone around Jenna had ganged up on her, quick to rip her to shreds.
Kay straightened her back and filled her lungs with fresh air loaded with the scent of Monterey cypress. Elliot came to her, rubbing his hands together, satisfied.
“Guess what? They found traces of Rohypnol on a jacket Gaskell left behind in his Jeep. We nailed him for Jenna’s rape.”
She grinned widely. “When did you call for backup?” she asked.
“After I saw the phone transcripts. I replied to Farrell’s email and asked for two units. I knew it was gonna be like herding cats, collaring those two.” He shifted his weight from one foot to another, seeming undecided about something. “Hey, I need your help,” he eventually said. “I’m having a hard time with someone.”
FIFTY-TWO
RIGHTS
“What’s going on?” Kay asked, as soon as Elliot set the SUV in motion.
Elliot didn’t speak at once. He looked into the distance, seemingly lost in thought as if trying to figure out what he should share. “For a few days, now, I’ve been distrusted and treated as if I’m a liar.” He flashed a quick glance in her direction, then focused on the road. He took the ramp to the highway slower than he usually did. “I lie to perps during interrogations like we all do, but that’s not it. The stuff I’m talking about is personal.”
Kay frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about when people no longer look me in the eye, as if my word isn’t worth a tin can of buzzard bait. It’s people I trust and appreciate, whose opinion matters to me, and they don’t find it in their hearts to tell me what’s wrong. I might be dumber than a cart of river boulders and maybe I’m missing something, but I sure as hell don’t lie.”
He drove past the exit for her house, but she didn’t say anything, preoccupied with his words. “Who’s giving you a hard time? Is it someone we work with?”
He shot her another quick glance. “It’s you.”
Her breath caught. “Oh.” She barely whispered the word, more like mouthed it. He was right, though. He was an intelligent cop with great instincts, and he was bound to figure it out at some point. She should’ve seen it coming. He deserved better than what she’d dished lately. Much better. But being open with him meant showing her feelings, and she wasn’t ready for that.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I should’ve—”
