Page 115 of Dead Man's List

Emma bit her lip. “I heard you and Pop McK talking.”

Kit frowned. They’d been talking about Veronica Fitzgeraldand how she and Connor needed the money drop locations. “What did you hear, Em?”

“That you would make a deal with someone named Veronica. I didn’t mean to listen. I just wanted some cookies because we were studying and—” She dropped her head into her hands and started to cry again.

“So I assume you told this to Rita?” Kit asked, trying to string the events together.

Emma nodded miserably. “We tell each other everything. And then today…when she heard about Drummond…” She looked up, her face blotchy from crying. “You won’t let him be free, will you? Please, Kit.Please.”

“I will not make a deal with Drummond,” Kit said firmly. “But I can see how Rita might think we would.” She might have hoped that Rita would have trusted her more, but Rita was still a traumatized child. Kit remembered exactly how that felt. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Listening in wasn’t great, but you didn’t mean to. And as for Pop, we will make sure he sees the very best doctors.”

Her lungs wanted to freeze at the thought of losing Harlan, but she’d deal with that later. “They will not send you away, Emma. I know it’s hard, but have a little faith. You’ll see. I did so much worse and they never once even discussed sending me away.”

Emma’s nod was jerky. “Really?”

“Really.” She reached across the table and squeezed Emma’s hand. “Someday I’ll tell you all about it, but let’s get Rita back to okay first. Come on. Is everyone upstairs?”

“Yeah. Mom won’t leave Pop, and Akiko is guarding our bedroom door in case Rita tries to run again. She already had to grab her once and push her back into our room. That’s when Pop called you.”

“Well, someone should have called me right away.”

“We know you’re busy,” Emma said.

“Never too busy for you guys.” Kit tipped up Emma’s chin just as Sam had done hers minutes before. “Now dry your eyes and follow me.” She met Sam’s gaze. “Come with us?”

“Of course,” Sam said.

The three of them climbed the stairs to find Mom, Pop, and Akiko camped out in the hallway. Someone had brought out some folding chairs and her parents were seated in them.

Akiko stood at the bedroom door in a soldier’s stance, her grim expression softening when she saw Kit. “Hey, you.”

Kit smiled at her sister. “Hey, yourself. I hear you’re a bouncer today.”

Akiko shrugged. “Fisherwoman, chef extraordinaire, bouncer. I can do it all.” She glanced at their parents from the corner of her eye. “Add father wrangler to the list.”

Kit turned her focus to Harlan, who was rolling his eyes. “I’m fine.”

His color looked normal, Kit thought. She’d been standing next to her former partner Baz when he’d had a heart attack at a crime scene, and she didn’t think she’d ever forget what he’d looked like.

Harlan looked like himself. A tired version, but himself nonetheless. She bent to give him a hug. “Why didn’t you call me sooner, Pop?”

“Because I knew you’d be trying every trick in your book to keep Drummond from getting out of going to trial. I needed you to be working.” He looked over her shoulder to where Sam stood on the stairs. “Thank you for explaining everything to Kit.”

“I was happy to help,” Sam said.

Kit looked over her shoulder at him. He really was happy to help. She wondered if he knew exactly how extraordinary hewas. “You always do,” she said, then kissed Harlan’s forehead. “You, Pop, are seeing a doctor as soon as I get Rita straightened out.”

He rolled his eyes again. “I know.”

“I already told him,” Betsy said. Her face was also pale, but Kit thought that might be from fright.

Kit gave her a hug as well. “I’ll do my best to fix this. I’m sorry that Rita jumped to the wrong conclusion, but I get it.”

“I knew you would,” Betsy said. “Go on. Tiffany is in there with her, along with the dogs. There might be room for you, but there might not. It’s pretty tight.”

Kit chuckled. “Sam? Join me?”

He came the rest of the way up the stairs. “You can handle this yourself. You don’t need me.”

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