Page 78 of Among the Innocent

“Thank you,” she said and left the room.

Dalton sank onto one of the chairs and put his head in his hands. “God, I need you. I don’t know what to do next.”

He was trying so hard to stay strong, but there was so much coming at them that it was difficult to see the next move clearly. He exhaled wearily. Leah, Marge, and this entire community were counting on him to keep them safe. But what if he couldn’t? Slowly pushing to his feet, Dalton decided to make a pot of coffee because he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon.

Afterward, he returned to the room where he’d slept, set hissteaming mug aside, and pulled out his laptop. He wanted to know more about Jonathan Stephens. According to what little was available on the internet, Stephens had been married for nine years. He owned an insurance business and was by all accounts a pillar of the community.

Dalton typed a message to Sugar. He hoped Justine could settle the matter for him.

A few seconds later, his phone rang.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.” Dalton realized it was almost midnight.

“Oh no, I can’t sleep. All I can think about is what happened.”

He felt the same way. “Did Justine have a chance to look at the photo of Jonathan Stephens?”

Sugar sighed into the phone. “She did, and she’s never seen the guy. It’s not the man she was seeing.”

His heart sank. “That’s what Leah said as well.” Dalton wasn’t even sure why he felt the need to ask Justine. He hadn’t really expected a different answer.

“Is there anything new with the case?” Sugar asked.

Dalton hated having to tell Sugar about the attack on Leah but reluctantly filled her in.

“Is she okay? I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been.”

“She’s fine. Both she and Marge are pretty shaken up.”

Sugar made a clicking sound with her tongue. “We need this guy off the streets before he can hurt anyone else.”

“Amen to that. Call if you need anything.”

Someone entered the room. Dalton turned and saw Leah. After everything she’d gone through, did she even realize how strong and beautiful she was? “How’s Marge?” he asked while clearing his throat.

“Upset. Still refusing to leave her home.”

“I’m sorry. I sent Ethan back to the station but Sam and the two deputies are still outside. They’ll stay through the night and then I’ll make other arrangements to ensure there are people with her at all times.”

Leah smiled wearily. “I appreciate that.”

Her smile stirred something deep inside. Something he couldn’t quite put a name to.

“What are you working on now?” She pointed to the laptop.

He struggled to bring his focus back to the case. “Stephens’s phone records came in.” He had them pulled up on his laptop. “According to the sheriff, the wife said he received a call from a friend several days ago.” He scrolled through the report. “I don’t see the number for the killer’s burner phone.” The sheriff had made notes on the numbers that belonged to the family.

“Just calls to and from his wife and his parents. And to his office.” Leah sounded discouraged. “If his friend called for help, he didn’t use this phone.”

“Maybe he called Stephen’s work number.”

“It’s possible.” Leah sighed wearily.

“Do you mind if we talk about Marge for a second?” he said quietly.

Leah sat beside him. “Of course not. What do you want to know?”

“I’ve been thinking about her claim of having a child. Do you think there’s a chance she was remembering correctly?”

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