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I swallowed, thinking of all the pressure I was going to be under. “So what do I tell them, then? You know they won’t be satisfied by a refusal.”
“No, I’m guessing they won’t be. But I have a suggestion for getting the cops to back off.”
“And what’s that?” I struggled with my sudden irritation, not wanting to go off at him because I was under all this stress. I knew he didn’t mean to add to it.
“Tell the police that their choice is to either leave well enough alone, or you’ll end up telling every news service in town about their negligence. After all, I did in two days what they couldn’t in a year.”
Just his saying that made me want to check on Michelle again. “That brushes really close to blackmail,” I protested softly, but he just snorted.
“Blackmail? I suppose, except that they genuinely deserve it. But at this point, any attempt they make at covering their asses—which is the only reason they would come talk to you in the firstplace—will only end up making them look worse. They can try threatening you, but you haven’t broken the law, and if the press does its job, you’ll soon have the whole city’s support.”
That whole concept astonished me just as much as the idea that criminals might help me, or the first moment I saw my donation amounts creeping up into the six figures. It was so strange, thinking about having influence over others. A touch of celebrity, a bit of power, and from what? Being the mother who never gave up on her baby? Who did what any mother should do?
“I get what you’re saying. Chances are they’ll send Alan again. He’s the one who was handling the case when they sent me that letter.”
“Which letter?”
“That they were suspending the investigation. Lack of evidence.”
“I see.” He scowled. “That’s your ex?”
“Yeah, that jackass. He probably loved watching the brass send me that letter.”
He downed the rest of his mug of tea. “Probably. He sounds like human trash.”
“Human trash with enough of a veneer of respectability that he fooled me for a while.” But now I was free of him, and I didn’t feel like cursing myself because of his wrong actions and bad motives.
“I see. Well, then you shouldn’t feel bad at all about threatening to expose his incompetence.”
“I guess I shouldn’t.” I laughed weakly and he chuckled along with me.
“Good, good. You must be willing to play the game with these people. They will play chicken with you, see how much they have to do to intimidate you. But because you have done nothing wrong, and they have, there will be no teeth to their threats.”
I hesitated. “If you’re sure.” I felt cold inside. I wanted him to hold me. He stayed near, but he didn’t even touch me. “I just wish…”
“Wish everyone would mind their own business so we can focus on helping our—your child recover?”
I heard the slip and lifted an eyebrow slightly. He was still getting used to the idea of being a father. I could hardly blame him for it.
“Yeah. Yeah, that exactly. I shouldn’t even have to think about anything else right now but her…and you. But that’s just not how things work.”
“You’ll figure it out,” he reassured, going to freshen our tea. “I’ll help you.”
“I don’t know what I would have done without you on this,” I told him when he returned.
“Glad I was able to help. I just wish I’d known sooner what was going on.” I saw the regret in his eyes, and wondered how it was for him—to discover he was hired to rescue his own child, to know he was a father suddenly, four years later. And under these circumstances.
“The Ivanovs…did they give any excuse for what they did to her? To us?”
For a moment, something flashed in his eyes, something so dark and terrible that I flinched. Only then did I realize that in his own way, he was as angry over this as I was.
“No. I didn’t give him a chance to speak. I didn’t have to question him, I’d already hacked his computer. I have all his contacts, everyone he was working with. With but one exception it’s all family, and the exception was the one who’s connected. It’s not a lot of people. Or, fortunately, a lot of kids.”
“If their old bosses end up killing them for what they were up to, I won’t shed a tear,” I said with sudden vehemence.
“Oh, they won’t live, my dear,” he said smoothly, sending a faint chill up my back. “I promise you, the streets have their own justice. And it is harsher than the legal system, and longer in its reach.”
I didn’t know what worried me more, that he was so sure of that, or that I felt better for hearing it.
