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Blake steeples his fingers in front of his chest. “My biggest concern right now is what will happen to your friend. I wouldn’t defend a client like her husband, but there are plenty of defense lawyers who will. Those are the individuals I’m most concerned about. They will do anything in their power to make the victim miserable,” he says, lowering his hands to his desk. “Unless there’s evidence her husband is a rotten cop, his police record could save him and do nothing to protect your friend.”
Jessica’s expression says none of this is news to her. It was how her husband got away with his abuse.
“I really thought I could help her escape him so she could start her life over.” Jess doesn’t look at Blake or me. She’s staring at her lap. “I knew it would be difficult, but I really believed I could help her. Like the resistance networks during the Second World War were able to get Jews out of the country to safety.”
Her gaze flicks up to Blake and then me. “I thought I could make a difference. I thought…I thought if it was possible during the war, I should be able to do the same for my friend and get her away from her husband.”
I bite my tongue so I don’t point out so many Jews were killed when they were caught hiding or fleeing from occupied countries. And the same for anyone who was caught helping them.
That’s one thing Hitler, Jess’s late husband, and Chief Wilson have in common. They were bullies. Psychopaths. They didn’t care who they hurt. They wanted control and they wanted to be the ones in power. And still do in Chief Wilson’s case.
Now, I have to make sure Jess doesn’t become his next target.
The woman he decides to get rid of.
The woman who might be his downfall.
“I can recommend a family lawyer,” Blake tells us. “She has worked a number of domestic abuse cases similar to your friend’s, but unfortunately, as good as Cassandra is, that doesn’t guarantee your friend will win custody of her daughter.”
And this leaves us right where we started.
Jess and I thank Blake for his help and return to my truck.
“Now what?” she asks. “I can’t just sit at home and do nothing to help Violet and Sophie.”
“You won’t have to. We’ll go back to the original plan of arranging for a series of safe houses. They won’t be able to stay in Maple Ridge once we get them away from Wilson. We’ll need to immediately get them out of Oregon.”
This time, we’ll need to be more prepared than Jess was the first time Violet and Sophie got away from Wilson.
This time, we won’t wait until they escape him before we do something to ensure they’re safe.
I steer my truck onto the lot for the large single-story, brick-and-glass building. Green fields stretch on either side of it, reaching as far as the horizon. The sky is deep blue with the midmorning sun.
“Bell Automotives?” Jess stares through the windshield at the building in front of us.
“Theresa didn’t have any luck convincing her father to change his mind about sponsoring the festival. If anyone could’ve done it, it would have been her. When that failed, I was desperate enough to believe Katelyn might be more successful, which is why I agreed to go to the wedding as her date.”
“Did she convince her father to sponsor the festival?” Jess asks, sounding pretty hopeful.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from either of them since the wedding. But I’m not sure she was ever planning to talk to him about it.”
Jess flashes me a sad smile. “Even though you went as her date to Theresa’s wedding?”
“Yes, even then. I’m not ready to write him off just yet. And since we’re in the neighborhood”—after driving back from seeing Blake in Eugene—“I thought I’d try once more to talk to him.”
“And if talking to him again doesn’t work?”
“Then it looks like I’ll have to go with Rose and Delores’s suggestion. The auction to win dates with hot single men,” I deadpan.
Jess laughs, the sweet, rich melody wrapping around me. “I’m sure those two and Samantha won’t complain.”
“I’m sure they won’t.” I chuckle.
“Any idea how you’re going to convince Anthony to change his mind?”
“Not a single one.” I reverse the truck into an empty stall.
We climb out of the front seats, and I take Jess’s hand. Now that we’re back together and I know all her truths, I have no intention of letting go of her again. Next time she gets nervous and tries to pause our relationship, I’ll get her to talk things through first.
