Page 23 of Seven

“Great. I’ll give her a call.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I reached over and gave her another hug. “I’ll be just down the hall. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you, sweetheart.”

I waited until she disappeared into her room, then I went back to check in on Ford. As I’d hoped, he was still fast asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I went across the hall and slept in Rooks’ room. I’d finally gotten settled when I heard Mom crying across the hall. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go to her and give her comfort, but something told me she needed the time alone.

So, I gave it some time, and eventually, the crying stopped. She went to sleep and I did the same. The next morning, we slept in and took our time getting ready to go back to the police station. While we wanted to help in any way we could, it was hard to relive everything.

We both just wanted a moment to collect ourselves and prepare for Dad’s funeral, but that wasn’t going to be possible until this investigation was behind us. That thought weighed on my mind as I helped Ford gather his things and walked him over to the neighbor’s house. Once I was sure he had everything he needed, I went and joined Mom in the car.

“You ready?”

“No, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be.”

“It won’t be that bad. You’ll see.”

I wished so much that I could take this all away and make things better for her, but we were stuck. We had to see this thing through, so I started the car and pulled out of the drive. We hadn’t been driving long when I noticed the same black Mercedes trailing behind us. My chest tightened as I glanced over my shoulder for a better look. There was no doubt that it was the same car, so I pressed the gas, quickly picking upspeed. I thought I might lose them, but the car stayed with us, shadowing every turn.

“Mom,” I said, my voice sharp with panic, “The Mercedes is back.”

“What?” She turned to look but stayed quiet, her expression tense. “Are you sure it’s the same car?”

“I’m pretty sure. It looks just like it.”

“What do you think they want?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out.”

Just as the police station was coming into view, the Mercedes suddenly veered off down a side street, and in a blink, it had disappeared from view. I didn’t slow down until we were in the parking lot, but even then, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. “I think they’re gone.”

“Should we mention something to the detective?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was nothing.”

“You’re probably right. Let’s just see how today goes, and if we see it again...”

“We’ll tell him.”

I nodded, and once we were parked, Mom and I went into the station. I let the girl at the front desk know we were there, and then we went to have a seat in the waiting area. I couldn’t imagine being more uncomfortable. We were surrounded by strangers, and the plastic chair beneath me creaked every time I shifted.

My mother sat next to me. Her back was stiff, and she was clutching her designer purse like she was afraid someone would snatch it. She hadn’t said much since we got here, just an occasional, clipped comment about how long this was taking or how "inappropriate" it was to keep us waiting.

I wasn’t really listening, though.

I was too busy wishing I was anywhere but there. Every time the door opened, my breath would catch, and I would wait forsomeone to call out my name or deliver the news I wasn’t ready to hear. I glanced at my mother again. She looked composed as ever, but the way her jaw clenched told me she wasn’t as calm as she wanted me to believe.

It seemed like we’d been waiting for hours before Detective Joyner came and took us back to his office. He asked about Ford, and when I explained the situation, he agreed to come by the apartment to see him. Once we had that sorted, he asked me more of the questions he’d asked the night before. But his questions for Mom took a different direction.

His brows furrowed as he asked her, “Are you aware that your husband was leading a merger between the city and the Conistone firm?”

“No. Tom didn’t discuss his business dealings with me.”

“So, he never mentioned any concerns or issues he might’ve been dealing with?”

“I’m afraid not.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you think this merger has something to his murder?”

“We were hoping you could answer that.”

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