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Mitch was told her room number as soon as he walked in. If Lachlan wasn’t mistaken, the nursing staff treated Mitch a little like royalty. Lachlan was grateful for that, because it meant they didn’t waste any time waiting around for directions.
He followed Mitch—who seemed to know exactly where he was going—down the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, and Mitch peered in. He looked back to Lachlan. “She’s asleep. I’m going to the operating rooms to wait for an update on Louise and Jim. I suggest you wait here,” he said, although Lachlan seriously doubted it was a suggestion, but rather an order.
Lachlan didn’t mind, though—he had no intention of seeing Jim until he could question him. He nodded.
“Keep your phone handy,” Mitch said before walking off.
Lachlan stepped into the room, his shoulders relaxing when he saw Bethenny asleep on the bed. She looked comfortable and wasn’t hooked to any monitors. He thought they’d kept her only as a precaution, not because she actually needed to be admitted.
He took a seat in the chair in the corner of the room and stretched out his legs. He folded his arms over his chest and rested his head against the wall.
He was grateful. Grateful she was safe. Grateful Eden’s case had been resolved. Grateful her killer would face life in prison for what he’d done.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, thanking God for sorting out the mess that had been his life. Eventually, he closed his eyes, settling into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in years.
His phone vibrated and Lachlan startled upright, immediately regretting it. Bethenny stirred, but she didn’t wake. Only then did he release the breath he’d been holding and remember what had startled him. He looked at his phone, his eyes widening when he realized he’d slept through the entire night and some of the morning... in a chair in the corner of her hospital room. He needed coffee and a shower.
He opened the text message from Mitch:Jim is awake and will be ready to be interviewed in two hours. Let me know if you’re good to go.
Lachlan stood. He was ready now, but he’d really love to freshen up first. He needed to be at his best for that interrogation.
He looked to Bethenny, resisting the urge to kiss her goodbye in case he woke her.
Lachlan was showered and fueled by a strong cup of coffee when he walked toward the hospital room that would act as an interrogation room. He and his brother-in-law had a lot to talk about.
Two officers sat guard outside.
“Unlock the door, please,” Mitch said to them before turning to Lachlan. “You can take control, but I’m not leaving the room. One strike and you’re out,” he warned, raising one eyebrow.
Lachlan felt like a schoolboy being warned. “Understood,” he said.
As he walked through the door into the hospital room, he felt a strange sense of calm. Maybe Mitch was rubbing off on him.
Or maybe he was no longer running from his past. Although running was the easier option, anytime he delayed or refused to do something he knew he should do, a cloud of anxiety hovered over him. And he could never outrun that cloud—God knows he’d tried.
Lachlan laid his eyes on the person he’d once called a brother. He sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his right arm in a sling. He looked weak and pathetic—like the man he really was.
Jim’s face was sullen and pale, but Lachlan didn’t feel a sliver of sympathy for him—not after what he’d done.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Lachlan said, his tone casual as he stood opposite Jim.
Jim’s lips turned into a snarl.
“You should’ve left the past in the past, and you’d be a free man now. Wasn’t it enough to kill my wife, Jim? Why did you need to try and frame me? What were you trying to achieve?” Lachlan asked, leaning forward, getting in the face of his brother-in-law.
Jim lunged at him, reaching for his neck, but Lachlan didn’t step back. He leaned forward and grabbed Jim’s hospital gown, balling it in his fist. He pulled him close so there were mere inches between their faces.
“You let me believe she was having an affair,” Lachlan continued, his voice like a growl. “I sat with you many nights, grieving my dead wife, thinking she’d had an affair, and you knew all along it wasn’t true. It was you she was emailing! It wasn’t an affair—you roped her into a job, didn’t you? Blackmailed her, probably. And when it got too dangerous, or when she thought I would find out, she pulled back from the job, but that embarrassed you, didn’t it? It embarrassed you, and then she knew too much, so you killed her, you son of a bitch!” he said, pushing Jim away.
He was unsteady on his feet and stumbled back onto the bed, almost ending up on the floor.
“Lachlan,” Mitch warned.
“You killed her, and then you went home to her sister and played happy family,” Lachlan said, his words like acid in his mouth. “You don’t deserve to live! She was innocent!”
Jim’s jaw clenched. “She asked for something to do. She was bored at home because her husband was always away, unable to be contacted. She came to me, asking if I had any work.”
Lachlan looked away, gritting his teeth. “I don’t believe that. What did you get her to do?” When Jim didn’t answer, he repeated the question, the tone of his voice menacing. “Whatdid you get her to do?”
