Page 28 of False Evidence

Gemma held out the new toy for inspection, and Alexandra kissed it on the snout and welcomed Tee-Tee to the family.

“We need to talk,” JT said.

She nodded as she rose from the couch. Tears and introductions were over. She needed to know what was going on and share her story with Jay. “I think we need to get Raptor involved. Will they help me?”

He stood and cupped her cheek, then kissed her forehead. “They already are. If you’re anything like your daughter, you must be starving. Food first, then you can tell me everything.”

Alexandra was impressed with the supplies Jay had managed to get in the middle of the night. Enough groceries for him and a baby for several days, plus all the accessories a toddler needed.

Erica had given him a detailed list, and he’d gone above and beyond, right down to picking up a stuffed T-Rex that Gemma had fallen in love with.

And given the way her little girl looked at him, she figured Gemma was equally enamored of Uncle Tee.

It was wild. JT didn’t even like kids.

But damn, he’d come to Gemma’s rescue without hesitation.

Her heart squeezed. Never in a million years had she imagined JT spending a minute with her daughter, let alone changing diapers, feeding, and bathing her.

Now he cooked dinner while Alexandra moved the portable crib out of the shower and into the sauna attached to the primary bath for a quick dry. The thin mattress hadn’t gotten dirty in the mud, nor had it gone into the shower. It was clean and dry.

Gemma would be able to sleep in the crib tonight, although Alexandra was just as likely to pull her into bed with her. It was hard to imagine letting the girl be more than an arm’s reach away.

She adjusted the temperature of the sauna, then pulled the door tightly closed.

“Okay, squirt. Let’s go help Uncle Tee make dinner.”

Gemma picked up her dinosaur and panda, who had been having a gibberish conversation on the bathroom floor.

They left the bedroom and crossed the landing to the top of the stairs. One thing JT hadn’t gotten was a gate to block off the stairs. Gemma had only recently learned how to navigate stairs, and Alexandra was glad the upstairs of this house, built in the seventies, had wall-to-wall carpeting, including carpeted stairs and landing.

She considered carrying her down, but she needed to know if Gemma could do this. So she watched, ready to grab her if she stumbled as the girl turned and presented her backside to the world as she descended on all fours, one stuffed animal clutched in each hand while she pressed dino and panda into the carpet one slow step at a time.

When she reached the bottom, Gemma grinned with her achievement and praised her toys. “Good job, Panny Tee-Tee!”

Every moment felt extra intense as she watched the things her daughter could do after the constant fear and horror of the last days. The horror wasn’t gone. The fear might never leave her.

Her joy and relief in this moment was mixed with a huge dose of dread at the uncertainty of what faced her.

She’d do whatever it took to protect Gemma.

Raptor would help her.

Jaywould help her.

She’d been prepared to surrender if it was the only way to keep her girl safe, but knowing she had backup, she vowed to go down fighting.

ChapterTwelve

“We need to get word to Erica and Lee that you’re safe, but we can’t let them know you’re with me. It will be easier for them to face questioning if they’re telling the truth when they say they don’t know where you are.”

“How do we do that? If you call them, they’ll figure it out. Lee knows I’ve been here before. He could easily guess I know where the keys are hidden. We also don’t want any direct phone calls between you and them in case the police are monitoring Lee’s cell phone.”

JT couldn’t help but smile. “If there’s one person whose phone can’t be hacked, it’s Lee. But still, we need to be careful. Whoever killed Officer Williams might also be searching for you. I’m sure they hope you’ll be taken care of by an angry cop, but they won’t leave it to fate, because they can’t know if you saw them or not.”

“I didn’t, though. I don’t know if it was a man or woman, or even what kind of car they drove. I was too scared to take a chance at being seen. They had a deep voice, which made me think the person is male, but that’s hardly definitive.”

“I’m pretty sure Lee will dig into the dead officer’s background. Maybe he’ll find some connection between you and him that will make this make sense.”

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