Page 56 of Only Girl Alive

“Come here.” Clyde opened his arms.

It was the easiest invitation Eve had accepted in her life. She slid into his warm scent. He was her rock. She pulled away after several long moments.

“Thank you. That helped.”

He smiled gently with a flash of white teeth.

She squeezed his hand then sent the text to the team.

Eve shivered before they walked back inside. Hannah was out there somewhere. She was a danger to others. Even if someone did coerce her, she could kill again.

Twenty-Seven

They gathered in Clyde’s room a few minutes later and settled into chairs. Ray continued clicking away on his laptop.

Eve looked at the time. It was late but she decided to try Tamm’s cell anyway.

She picked up on the third ring.

“Are you okay?” were the first words out of her mouth.

“Much better,” Eve replied.

“That’s not good enough. You’re up late. Did you take a nap today?” Tamm was stubborn and Eve wouldn’t get anywhere without answering.

“Two hours and even nodded off for a short period before that. Bina and the guys have been watching me closely and they are right here with me. No headache this evening at all. Now can we get to the reason for my late-night call? I have a huge favor to ask.”

“You’ve got it. I’ve been worried about you and couldn’t sleep. I just boiled water for chamomile tea. I’ll change it to green for a caffeine boost.”

Now that she’d settled Tamm’s concerns, Eve got straight to the point.

“Judge Remki is still in the hospital and we haven’t heard from him. We need a judge to sign a warrant; one who is not involved with the church. Could you find out if there is anyone in the county we can trust? Contact info would be great, if such a person exists.”

“Give me thirty minutes and I’ll have someone for you.” Tamm ended the call.

Ray spoke before she could mention the next step they needed to take.

“The warrant is almost finished.” He didn’t look up.

Eve glanced around the room and her mind slid from the case for a moment. Bina was deep in thought, no gummy bears in sight. Collin stared at Ray, his attention far away. Clyde made furtive glances in her direction.

“How is everyone mentally?” she asked, and met each pair of eyes when they looked over.

“I’ll survive,” Bina said. “I’m running possibilities through my head and they all lead back to Hannah doing this on her own.”

“I can’t stop thinking about the twins,” Collin admitted. “This goes against human nature. Unless the evidence is planted, it rarely lies, but I don’t need to like it.”

“What are your feelings about the case?” Clyde asked her.

If they were sharing their thoughts, the least she could do was add hers.

“I’m on the same page as all of you, but my mind is going far past that. I want to take them down. I’ve wanted that for a long time.” She shrugged. “I don’t like the personal baggage I carry interfering with a case, but it’s time to admit it’s my driving force.”

They turned their full attention to Eve. She’d never admitted this out loud to them before.

“I’m on board with that,” Collin said. “If we can’t do it this time, we keep going and prove their corruption in the next one. I’m sick of them running us around in circles. If we don’t stop them, no one will.”

Bina searched her pocket and took out a gummy bear.

---