Page 64 of Rebels and Roses

It was Jane’s turn to interrupt.

“Okay, I remember. I still can’t believe we did that. Someone could have walked in on us.”

“We were careful,” Cooper whispered, leaning forward. “And quiet.”

It hadn’t been easy either. When her orgasm hit her, she’d wanted to scream with pleasure.

“Wait,” she said, just realizing what he’d said. “You talked to your dad about me?”

“It’s a long, boring story,” Cooper replied. “Just suffice it to say that he got some wild idea that Fiona and I might reconcile. I quickly let him know that it was never going to happen.”

“He must really like her.”

Would Joel Winslow ever like Jane? Did she even care? She wasn’t the type to run after the approval of people, but this was Cooper’s parent. Her mom and dad would adore Cooper, butthen most did. He was a charming bastard who could make even the most sour eventually smile.

“He doesn’t like anyone,” Cooper said. “He just thinks he can control her. Now let’s get back to our trip to Chicago. Do you need to talk to Lucy first?”

“I don’t have many hours scheduled for the next few weeks. I was planning to use the extra time to study.”

“Can you study in the car on the way? I’d like you to go with me, but I understand if you can’t.”

It wouldn’t be ideal, but she’d learned to study at the oddest places and times. It came in handy. Besides, she did truly want to go. She wasn’t as convinced as Cooper that there might be something not quite right about Tom’s death, but he made a decent argument. She was curious to find out more.

Was Tom’s death a tragic and terrible accident? Or was there far more to what had happened?

This trip might just be a wild goose chase.

16

Cooper, along with Jane, had decided to stop by the sheriff’s station to let Finn know that they were planning a trip to Chicago to talk to Tom’s other girlfriend. While the case might be officially closed, he wanted to keep Finn in the loop of their activities.

The receptionist sent them straight back to Finn’s office, where they found the sheriff looking far less happy than usual.

“The world is going to hell in a handbasket,” Finn declared before they had a chance to say anything. He’d closed the door to this office so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Are you here because you heard the news?”

“The news? What news?” Jane asked. “We were at Tate’s eating lunch.”

“Maybe the gossip hasn’t made it there yet,” Finn growled, scraping his fingers through his hair so that it stood on end. He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and handed it to Cooper. “Let me tell you about it. As next of kin, Fiona filled out the paperwork so that we could release Tom’s body to her and her parents. It should have been straightforward, but not anymore.”

Cooper quickly perused the contents, but then went back to the top to read it more carefully.

“What does it say?” Jane asked, reading over his shoulder.

“I think it says that Finn can’t release the body yet. To anyone.”

“That’s right,” the sheriff replied. “It’s a court order. Erica went to a judge this morning and got an injunction. She’s pregnant, and she’s claiming that the baby is the real closest next of kin. Not Fiona or the parents. Frankly, this is a mess. Your ex-wife isn’t backing down either. She’s livid. She’s getting a lawyer to fight this and is demanding a paternity test. Erica is digging her heels in, saying the baby is definitely Tom’s and that she’ll take the test anytime and anywhere. She knows who the father is.”

Jane’s eyes were wide with shock, and Cooper wasn’t much better. This was the last thing he’d expected to hear today.

“It explains why Tom would try and get clean,” Jane said. “He wanted to get off drugs for the baby.”

“That’s a reasonable assumption,” Cooper replied. “Although Erica said that Tom had been clean for six months. How far along can she be? She’s not showing.”

“Not all women show in the same way,” Finn said with a shrug.

Jane tapped the paper in Cooper’s hand.

“If Tom quit drugs before Erica got pregnant, it sounds like they might have planned it.”

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