Page 44 of Crosshairs

Linc echoed her greeting, and Drew took out his phone and quickly became absorbed in it.

Mr. Cool Teen. Except he gripped his phone a little too tightly, and the muscle in his jaw worked a little too fast, spoiling the effect. The boy was probably the football captain—he just had that look. Had Hannah been his only girlfriend? Since the girl had been three months pregnant, she hoped so. Had Drew even known? The side door opened again, and Austin stepped into the room followed by his father, Jack. She swallowed her surprise.

Drew sat to attention as Ainsley and Linc stood and shook hands with both lawyers.

“I didn’t expect you,” Ainsley said to the older man.

“Drew is my grandson, and I’m very involved in his life,” Jack said.

Meaning he was here to make sure no one railroaded the boy. She sat in her chair and turned to Austin. “Good to see you again.”

“Been a while,” Austin said. His father pulled out the captain’s chair at the end of the table and sat down while Austin sat to his left. “Didn’t I hear you were backup for one of the top gospel groups?”

“Briefly,” she said. Heat rose in her cheeks in the silence that followed.

“Nice office,” Linc said, filling the void.

She pretended to take in the furnishings and then curved her lips in what she hoped didn’t look like a grimace. “Whoever decorated has great taste.”

“Thank you,” Jack said, “but I’m sure you’re not here to admire my son’s office. What can we do for you?”

Ainsley had made it plain over the phone what she wanted. “I’d like to ask Drew a few questions.”

At the mention of his name, the teenager’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “W-what about?”

“Hannah Dyson.” She took out her phone. “Do you mind if I record this?” she asked Austin.

“Feel free. I plan to record it as well.” Austin set his phone on the table.

Once Ainsley had the recorder app turned on, she shifted her gaze to Drew. A light sheen of perspiration dotted his unblemished forehead. Somehow he’d missed the teen acne curse. “What was your relationship with Hannah?”

He darted a glance toward his dad, then shrugged. “We, uh, hung out sometimes.”

“Does that mean you dated?”

Drew looked at her like she’d grown a second nose. “No.”

She’d heard that teen dating wasn’t like it’d been when she was that age. “What did you do when you hung out?”

“We’d grab something to eat, maybe meet for a movie, that kind of thing.”

Sounded like dating to her. At the end of the table, Austin stiffened, and Ainsley turned to him. “Were you aware they were hanging out together?”

“Actually, no. Drew wasn’t supposed to be going out, period. He was grounded until summer school was over.”

“Hannah was helping me with math,” Drew said defensively.

Austin made no pretense of believing his son. “Just how was she helping you?”

“Uh, we were studying together. At the library.”

“Were you studying together at Rocky Springs Monday night? And Tuesday night?” Ainsley asked.

The boy’s eyes widened. “How did—”

Jack cleared his throat. “Are you accusing my grandson of murdering the girl?”

She held the senior attorney’s gaze. “No. Just trying to get a picture of what happened those two nights.”

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