Page 94 of Necessary Evil

Chapter 21

Lucy didn’t want to talk to Travis, so she left as soon as she gave her statement to the police on the scene. It would be just like him to show up and see if she was all right. And of course she wasn’t all right. Jenny had been murdered, and someone left a fake note saying it was because she was pining over that asshat Sentinel. The police were going to rule it a suicide unless she could come up with better proof than a grammatical error in the suicide note.

On her way to Evan’s bar, she called her brother. She was going to wait for him to come back, but if he had been trying to call Jenny, he would already be worried because she hadn’t picked up or returned his call.

“Hey, sis,” her brother said. He sounded relaxed and happy. Lucy hated that she was about to ruin that for him.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“In my hotel on the boardwalk. I’m up a thousand dollars.”

“I’ve got some bad news.”

“It’s not your boyfriend, is it? He’s bad news, Lucy. I mean, the guy’s name is Evil.”

Not this again.

“Jenny’s dead,” she blurted out.

“What? What did you say?”

“I’m so sorry.”

“What happened?”

“The police are still investigating.” She was going to wait to tell him until after the autopsy results. If it did turn out to have been a suicide, she didn’t want Bobby to feel guilty about it. But if the medical examiner found bruises, marks from restraints, or other evidence that indicated murder, then the case would be handled differently.

“What are they investigating?” he asked.

He was angry—she could hear it in his voice. She wished she could have been there to tell him this in person. “Is someone there with you?” As much as she hoped he wasn’t shacking up with another girl, she’d rather he wasn’t alone.

“Why? Are the cops trying to test my alibi?”

Lucy stared at her phone. “What? No. I was worried about you. Why do you think you need an alibi?”

“You said she was murdered. I figured the next thing they would do was pin it on me.”

“I didn’t say she was murdered. Look, I know this is hard. I loved her too. She was a friend. But no one is going to charge you with a murder when you weren’t even in the state at the time.”

“Not with my history. Tell that to those assholes in California.”

He had a point. “You haven’t been charged,” she reminded him.

“Whatever. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

“Wait—” she began. But he had already hung up.

If she hadn’t known better, Lucy would have said he sounded guilty. It could just be the stress of the situation, especially after what he had just gone through with the police about the California murders. On the other hand, what if Bobby was guilty? Her stomach lurched. She couldn’t start thinking about this now. She wasn’t a prosecutor. She didn’t want to prove her brother was guilty. Her job was to defend him.

But what if he did it?

Lucy pulled to the side of the road and cried. She couldn’t think about that until the evidence was presented to her. Right now there was no evidence to support a conviction. And until there was, rehashing what-ifs wouldn’t do anyone any good.

She made it to the parking lot of The Blue Line and sat there for a moment to wipe her face and repair her makeup. She didn’t relish telling Evan the story, but Sentinel should hear it from a friend. When she walked in, she was surprised to find the SOBs downstairs. There was almost a palpable feel of danger in the air, and for a second she got cold feet. Luckily, Evan got up and met her halfway, before she lost her nerve and fled back to her car. He took her into his arms and held her tight.

“I’m sorry about Jenny,” he said.

“How did you know?” Relief made her sag against him. She wouldn’t have to relive it all again.

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