Page 13 of False Evidence

Lee’s expression was tense. No surprise there, but still, JT’s heart squeezed at the idea there might be news he didn’t want to hear.

He raised a brow, and Lee gave a sharp shake of his head. “Alexandra knows better than to call us. As soon as the cops figure out we’ve got Gemma, they’ll have us under surveillance.”

“Your phones are unhackable.”

Lee gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. He was a computer and cell phone security expert and used encryption that spy agencies envied.

“Alexandra doesn’t have my burner number. She has the same one the cops will track down, and half the battle of protecting a phone is keeping the number secret. They might not be able to listen in on my calls, but they can subpoena my call log.”

“You got a burner you can give me?”

Lee reached into his pocket and handed over the phone. “Already configured. Password is six digits. Month, day, year your dad married my mom.”

JT nodded and unlocked the phone, seeing Lee’s burner number was programmed in.

“I won’t keep my burner handy,” Lee said. “I don’t want the cops to find it if they manage to get a warrant to search here. Leave a generic voice message, and I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

JT tucked the phone in his pocket as the door to the house opened and Erica stepped out. She looked even more worried than Lee.

His friendship with Erica had been strained for the last seven years, but for the most part, they got along. He had no doubt the woman held a grudge, but she loved Lee too much to let her feelings toward JT interfere with Lee and JT’s relationship.

She really was an excellent person and awonderful partner for Lee.

Tonight, she surprised him by giving him a fierce hug, and as he held her, he wasn’t sure if the hug was for her or for him, but either way, he needed it.

When she released him and stepped back, she swiped at her eyes.

Erica didn’t cry. At least, she never had in front of him. And sure as hell, he’d given her cause to cry more than once.

But then, he wasn’t a crier either, and his eyes had burned from the moment Lex’s situation sank in.

“Thank you for taking Gemma.”

“Of course,” he said, as if he didn’t believe it was a terrible solution.

He wanted to ask her again what Lex had said on the phone about the cop, but he knew she’d been going over every moment in her mind ever since the BOLO went out. She’d told him what she knew already.

“Let’s make sure the car seat is properly installed.” She opened the rear side door and then turned to him in surprise. “You already installed it.”

“Check the latches. I’m not sure if I did it right.” He’d used the built-in anchors. Not something he’d ever thought he’d need when he bought the Lexus last year.

He preferred driving the Lotus, but it lacked a backseat. Alexandra had asked him if he bought the car after she’d canceled the wedding because it was a car that would never, ever transport a child, and he’d admitted that was part of it.

“So, Gemma is big enough that she can face forward in the seat, which is good because then you’ll be able to check on her with the rearview mirror.”

“Won’t it freak her out to see some strange man driving the car?”

“Hopefully, she’ll sleep for most of the drive. But also, she’ll freak out no matter what. Strange car. No mom. And she’s used to facing front.”

Erica reached in and unclipped the seat, then flipped it around, locking down the three tethers. Once she was done, she said, “Okay, do you know how to set up the portable crib?”

He nodded. “They had one on display in the store, so I played with it until I got it figured out.”

What he really needed was diaper-changing lessons, but he’d have to learn on the job there. No way would he wake a baby just to practice wiping her bottom.

Erica returned to the house to grab a diaper bag. She placed it in the back and inspected the baby food he’d purchased. He’d even gotten a baby-food grinder, because Erica said Gemma only had her front teeth and all solid food needed to be turned to mush. Cheerios were allowed, but that was as solid as it could get.

“This looks good. She has milk in a bottle at bedtime. The rest of the time, she drinks from a sippy cup. For the new ones you bought, you’ll need to sterilize them, but I’ve put the bottle she used tonight in the diaper bag; that will get you started. Keep it in the front seat. If she wakes and is fussy, you can give it to her. It’s mostly water with a small amount of apple juice.”

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