Page 95 of Rough Fantasy

“On our relationship?”

Zee rolled his eyes. “No, on the attack. Maura seems very adamant that it was someone else outside of the Petersen case.”

“You know when you’re scared the adrenaline is pumping through you that you can mistake things. The voice could have been anything and she could have heard Irish.”

“We’ll need to make some calls, check out things in our past just in case,” Zee said.

“Okay. And we agree. We don’t let her out of our sight.”

Even if she doesn’t like it.

forty-one

In the ten days since they returned from Hawaii, Maura had yet to talk about the attack. It worried Zeke on so many different levels. Worse, she was barely talking to anyone. She was talking at them, but not to them. And she had cut off Rory and him. Rory was off licking his wounds being an ass and Zeke was left to try and piece it all together.

His phone buzzed and he rolled his eyes when he saw the 808 area code.

“Yes, Conner?”

“Wrong, this is Jillian.”

“Oh, sorry, Jillian. How are things going there?”

“Well, living with a grizzly has been so much fun the last few days. How’s our girl?”

“Our?”

“I guess I should say your, but she never mentions you when I call. In fact, she never talks at all.”

“That’s the problem. She’s not talking to anyone.”

There was a pause. “That’s not good with most people but it is a disaster with Maura.” She sighed. “Maybe we should make a trip.”

That bothered him. Conner was barely talking to him except about business and to check up on Maura. Other than that, they weren’t talking at all.

“I don’t know if that would help or shut her down more.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Have you talked to her about the attack?”

“Yes. Well, I tried. She refuses to accept that this might have anything to do with the Columbians and the Petersen trial.”

“And Conner said they can’t find anything on that. Even Jennifer can’t get an answer from anyone. It’s odd how that has all shut down.”

“So, the last time we talked about it was two days ago and now she refuses to discuss it.”

That was the nicest way of saying it. She had screamed at them. He didn’t know how to deal with that. She didn’t do things like that, and she didn’t just walk away and ignore people she cared about.

“Have you and Rory looked into anything else. I know the mule I live with isn’t ready to do that, but have you guys found anything?”

“No, because nothing else makes sense. Rory and I have a past, but our past transgressions are mostly dead and the rest are in prison.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The guys we put away got life sentences.”

She waited a beat. “So, how are you doing?”

The concern in her voice touched him. He didn’t know her that well, but what little contact he’d had with her had told Zeke that she was a caring woman. She let everyone think that she was a ball breaker but when she cared about someone, she was very giving.

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