Page 411 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Addie nodded.

“Who do you think did it?” Mona’s question was soft, and for once without that tone of adolescence that crept into her words.

Addie shrugged. “That’s an excellent question, and I hope the police figure it out.”

Mona shifted. All of Addie’s cop instincts flared. She had to go about this gently, or the teen would shut down.

Carefully, Addie said, “Is there anything you want to talk about, Sis?”

Mona stared at the table. Ran her thumb nail back and forth across a grain in the wood.

“You can tell us anything. I want you to know that.” Addie paused. “I’m not a cop at this table. I’m more like your lawyer or your therapist. There’s a confidentiality clause.”

It might be a privilege that she needed Mona not to abuse, but that was a bridge they’d cross if they had to. All depended on what her little sister wanted to tell her.

Addie fought the temptation to keep talking. To apologize for being absent so much, try to convince Mona that things would change. Since Addie didn’t know how long she would be here, she couldn’t promise much. And she wasn’t about to spout abunch of stuff that sounded nice but would amount to lies. When their mother was an expert, the teen didn’t need more of that.

Addie wondered when the last time was that their mom had visited.

“I do need to tell you something.” Mona focused on Addie.

This was about her? “What is it?”

More thumb across the table. Addie was just about to prompt her when Mona spoke quietly. “It’s about Austin.”

Russ made a noise in his throat. He didn’t like the boyfriend.

Considering that guy was eight years older than the high schooler at the table, Addie was inclined to agree. She’d already planned to have a talk with Austin when the case was done.

Maybe it couldn’t wait.

Mona chewed on the words for a second. “He knows all about what happened. To you and Jake. Back in high school.” She stiffened in the chair.

“It’s okay.” Addie wasn’t going to jump on the girl. That would only cause Mona to shut down, and Addie didn’t need her sister to be gun-shy about talking to them.

Russ kept his mouth shut, thankfully. Addie knew well how he felt about the boyfriend. He was a little more trigger-happy with getting mad. But he’d cut his teeth on raising Addie.

As far as she was concerned, he’d done the best job he knew how. Raising Mona was something he’d done since early in her life, unlike having teenage Addie dropped on his doorstep for weeks or months at a time while her mom traveled around with her latest boyfriend.

Mona winced. “He’s kind of obsessed with what happened to you. He has newspaper clippings and photos. Stuff I don’t think he’s supposed to have. Like pictures of Becca, you know…after she was dead.”

Addie glanced at Russ. That wasn’t right. “Any idea where he got them from?”

Russ just lifted an eyebrow. He hadn’t gotten anywhere with the girl and was leaving this to Addie. Something she was grateful for.

“He wouldn’t say.” Mona shrugged one shoulder.

The coffee pot beeped now the carafe was full, but no one got up.

Mona shifted in her seat. “He’s weird about it. I don’t know why, but it’s like that’s all he thinks about. He’s supposed to be taking classes to finish his degree and he calls in sick to work all the time. He doesn’t even care he’ll probably get fired.”

Addie figured that was why Mona had so many days of missed school. The lure of a relationship was powerful, especially when you were seventeen and controlled by hormones. She knew that as well as anyone. She’d made those same mistakes.

Maybe it was in the blood they got from their mother.

Rather than assuming she’d learned from them, Addie was only willing to admit she’d pushed all that aside when she left for college. When she joined the FBI. The fling with Zimmerman had been the closest thing to a real relationship since Jake. And she’d hardly allowed her emotions to get involved.

Just every other part of her.

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