Page 28 of One More Chance

The door opened, and another woman, a brunette, stepped in, holding the door open. “If you’d come this way.”

“Thank you, Tina.” Heather collected her things, slipping her notepad into a briefcase on the floor and effectively dismissing the two detectives. Such a power move.

Kenna managed not to smile because it would look too much like gloating.

The cops didn’t like being told the chat was over, but they didn’t argue either. When they were gone, Kenna and Heather went out into the hall.

Kenna asked, “Where did you guys stash Jax while we were talking?”

It probably would’ve looked too much like she felt she needed defending to have both an FBI agent and a lawyer in the room with her.

Heather said, “This way. I believe he’s speaking with Ms. Romeo.”

Kenna smelled coffee but didn’t know where it was coming from, and no one offered her a cup. Heather took her to a corner office one floor up with a slender woman at a desk out front, speaking on the phone.

Heather asked, “Is she in?”

The woman nodded, covering the phone with her hand. “You can go in,” she whispered. Then she said into the phone, “I’ve explained our position thoroughly.”

Heather opened the double doors into the office, and Kenna saw Jax was sitting at one end of a leather couch. Lisa Romeo sat on an armchair to the left, and both of them had mugs in hand.

He smiled when he spotted her. “How did it go?”

Kenna shrugged. “Not much I can say to help them, apart from convincing them to scratch me off their suspect list.” She slumped down on the couch right beside him, and he handed over his mug. She took a long drink from his coffee and handed it back.

“Keep it. It was for you.”

She smiled at him. “What are you guys talking about?”

Jax motioned to the lawyer. “Ms. Romeo was explaining about the disappearances of those two women being a federal matter.”

“Is it?” She glanced between them.

The lawyer, Lisa Romeo, seemed like she might be in charge of this whole operation if the size of her office was anything to go by. But who knew? Maybe all of their offices looked like this.

Ms. Romeo said, “Special Agent Jaxton’s access to the case, if it was under the jurisdiction of the FBI, would only be a benefit.”

“To whom?” Because these lawyers needed to explain whose side they were on before Jax would do them any favors.

“We’re all working toward the same end.”

Kenna had heard that speech before. “So we should work together? That’s usually not an arrangement that works out to my benefit.”

“You got Bruce out of it, didn’t you? And you met your mother.” She set her cup on an end table. “How is Zeyla doing?”

If these lawyers were actually part of the resistance, they probably knew more than she did about her cousin—sister—whatever she was. “Zeyla was moved to a long-term care facility so she can continue her recovery. Physical therapy, things likethat. I’m hoping we can get together in a few months when she’s on her feet.”

“How wonderful.”

It was impossible to tell if this woman was being sincere or not. “Did you ask me here so you could ambush me into making a statement to the police?”

“Of course not. That was simply a box we could easily check off. All part of the service.”

“Do you take pro bono cases?”

“Terri Fleming?”

How did she know exactly what Kenna had been thinking? Unless Taylor Newport at the reception desk had overheard and passed on the throwaway comment Kenna had made.

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