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“Again, trying to eat my lunch.” But Faith’s usual joking tone had disappeared.
“Do you have a lawyer?” the detective asked.
Faith didn’t break eye contact. “The shelter and charity have lawyers.”
The detective’s smile deepened. “Good.”
“Wait a second.” Jessa struggled to make sense of the conversation and to keep Faith firmly out of it. “You’re saying Ellie and Darren came into the police station together?”
The detective nodded. “Yes.”
“They couldn’t stand in the same courthouse together.” When the detective didn’t say anything, Jessa tried again. “He’s pressuring her to make up these lies. He has to be.”
Nothing else made sense. Darren had crashed into Ellie’s car. Maybe that was a message that he would do anything to win. A warning, and Ellie had heeded it. She was too worried about Curtis not to listen to it.
Jessa tried to make the detective understand. “Faith can explain this better than I can, but this is how these cases go. It’s about control. Ellie is doing what Darren wants because he’s convinced her he has power over her. He might be threatening her behind the scenes.”
The detective stood there, not saying anything for a few minutes. “This is a courtesy call. I wanted you to know the case is moving, but not in the direction you expected.”
The pressure ratcheted up. Jessa could feel the walls caving in around her. If the professionals who saw cases like this couldn’t stop Darren’s games, no one could. “Please tell me you see through this bullshit.”
“If either of you would like to make a statement, sooner would be good. You’re already on the defensive.” The detective handed Faith a card and dropped a second one on the corner of Jessa’s desk.
Jessa couldn’t take much more. “Please leave.”
“In these situations, the first to talk wins.” The detective opened the door. “Enjoy your lunch.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gabby
Gabby entered the near-empty coffeehouse a few blocks from the National Portrait Gallery and went straight to the table at the back. She didn’t stop for a drink or say hello. Today was about one thing—making Rob Greene back down.
Rob moved a stack of folders off the table and shoved them into his bag as she got closer. He waited until she’d almost gotten to the table to stand up. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
“I’m here to warn you.” She didn’t bother to lower her voice. Only a few people lingered thanks to the off-morning hour, but she knew more would pile in the closer they got to lunchtime. She planned to be gone by then. “Don’t go near my daughter again.”
“They got to her.” He shook his head. “This is what I feared.”
“Nothey. You.” She ignored the comment. “And do you hear me? Stop your games. Never again.”
“They came after you. Just as I predicted. Do you see it now?”
“Stop talking in circles.”
Since yesterday’s big family reveal, and after hours of not being able to get any response from Kennedy except a terse “she’s fine” text from Liam, Gabby was out of patience. She didn’t have much in the way of understanding or mercy either. The man in front of her had screwed with her family, she was certain about that, and he was going to stop, or she was going to cause a scene that would make everyone forget about his invented news sources.
“Whatever happened is a message for you. Subtle but firm. They want you to know they can find out about the secrets you thought you had buried. That they can get to you and the people you care about.” Rob took out a lined yellow legal pad, as if he was going to take notes on this mess.
They, they, they.She wasn’t buying the idea of some secret cabal turning her life upside down. “You did this.”
Some of the feral excitement that had flowed around him at the mention of a possible conspiracy faded. Now he looked concerned. “What exactly happened?”
He dared to sound confused, which cleared the haze off her growing rage. “Pretend ignorance doesn’t suit you. I’m talking about the note you sent to my daughter.”
“Please sit down.” He used his foot to push out the chair across from him.
The few people in the place, including the innocent barista, started looking a little twitchy about her hovering over the table, so she sat. “Fine.”
