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“I know you,” I said. “I see you. You would never hurt anyone on purpose. Especially children, Lena. You did not do this.”
The tears welled up again, and she let them spill over silently.
“We’re going to talk to Charlie and figure it out. I’m going to figure out who’s done this, and we’re going to fix it. But no matter what, I’ve got you, okay?” I pulled her to my chest and kept her there. “You can let go, I’ve got you.”
She did let go; sobs wrenched from her body out of a place so deep it made me ache. Her fingers dug into my shirt, clinging to me, the only anchor she had, and I didn’t let her go—not even for a fucking second—while she cried.
Chapter 23
Jude
I left Lena to get dressed when I heard Charlie pull up outside and went out to meet him. He was a good man, but he took his job seriously, and right now, his face was grave.
He sighed as he approached. “You know I wish I didn’t have to be here.”
“I know.”
“I won’t lie, though. This is serious. I’ve had parents at the police station, screaming about pressing charges. After the pies, and I heard something about some cookies? It’s starting to look intentional.”
Crossing my arms, I stared at him. “Or someone has been very careful to make it look that way.”
Charlie held up his hands. “I know Lena, and I can’t imagine her doing this, but I still have to do my job and follow wherever this leads. Unfortunately, it leads straight to her right now.”
“Yeah.” I gestured to the stairs. “She’s changing, and she’ll be down in a second.”
In the living room, Charlie sat in the armchair facing the couch, and he looked so out of place I could have laughed if this wasn’t so serious. The police uniform and Lena’s decor didn’t mix.
“Hi, Charlie.” Lena appeared at the bend in the stairs, and I took her hand as she came down and led her to the couch. She needed to answer the questions, but I was going to hold her while she did it. Even without words, I wanted her to know I was with her one hundred percent.
“Lena.” The police chief leaned forward on his knees. “I’m sorry about this.”
“Probably not as much as I am,” she said as she settled on the couch and let me pull her back against me with an arm around her waist.
It made him smile. He pulled out a small notebook and a pen. “Probably not, no. But I do need to ask you questions, and I want to say up front that I know you, and despite that, I have to ask everything. It’s not meant to be offensive.”
“I understand.”
He asked her to walk him through the process of making and delivering the cupcakes, which she did. Everything from how she and Evie tested each ingredient, to dropping them off and setting them up next to the hot chocolate display.
That perked my interest. “Allison was there?”
Lena nodded. “They hired her for it. Evie was bummed we hadn’t been asked to do both, but I thought it was a good mix. She was nice. Made cupcakes with us before we left. She was with Ben, and he made a cupcake too.”
“The mechanic?” Charlie asked. “Did you see them eat those cupcakes?”
Lena shook her head. “Yes, the mechanic. They’re dating now, from what I gather. And no, I didn’t watch them eat them. Allison said she was going to stash them for later in the evening. Their display had to be monitored.”
The story then brought us to her own sickness.
“Honestly,” Charlie said, “the fact that you were sick, and Evelyn was sick, is a point in your favor. It doesn’t seem likely you’d poison yourself on purpose.”
There were plenty of psychopaths who would do just that in order to throw someone like Charlie off the trail, but I kept the thought to myself.
“However, three of the kids are still in the hospital, and they’re no closer to finding out what it is. No conclusive tests yet.”
Lena shuddered. “I’m sorry.”
“Was it for insurance money? After the business with the Pearson farm, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
