Page 33 of Mine to Save

“I wasn’t finished.” Dalton stepped in front of Trinity and placed both of his hands on her biceps. “I raised a child that wasn’t biologically mine, and while I was pretty sure of that fact when I made the decision to do it, he’s still my boy, even though his dad is back in the picture. No one can ever take that away from me, just like I can’t take the biology away from Steve. All that said, the two relationships are very different, and I feel bad for you that you never got the chance to know your biological father.”

She chuckled. She didn’t mean to, but it came out. “He killed someone.”

“I know. I read the transcript of his plea deal and his prison and parole reports. He made a mistake and paid a huge price for it.” Dalton pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I believe that he murdered sixteen more men. If he were my client, I’d be focusing on this sketch he made—and damn, he was talented.”

“I had no idea he could do that.” Her heart broke into a million pieces. Her father, Jeff, had chosen to give her up and let Ben adopt her. She was grateful for that. Ben had always been by her side, especially through the tough years. He’d taken the brunt of her anger and did so because he’d chosen to love her. He didn’t have to. She turned and faced Emmett and his mother. “Can I ask the two of you a question? And will you be totally honest?”

“Of course,” Emmett said. “I won’t lie to you.”

“Neither will I.” Rebecca nodded.

“If you believe my dad could be guilty, then why are we all here doing this?”

“As cops, we deal in facts and evidence,” Rebecca said. “There was enough evidence to arrest your father—which is what we would have done given the chance.”

“I would have stepped in and offered to defend him.” Dalton squeezed her shoulder. “There are too many questions that don’t have answers that fit neatly.”

“This is one of the few times where my ex-husband and I work well together.” Rebecca smiled. “The system is flawed.”

“Not to mention the corruption that exists,” Dalton said under his breath.

“Let’s not start on that argument.” Rebecca shook her head. “Because I can rattle off ten crooked lawyers off the top of my head.”

Dalton held up his hands and laughed. “Fair enough.”

Trinity rubbed her temples. “So, what do we do next? Because I feel like there is no hope of clearing my father’s name. Or…what is the point? He’s a homeless guy. Who cares?” She shook her head.

“We care,” Emmett said. “It’s why we’re sitting here with you right now.”

“Even if he did do it. We can’t have people like Robash swapping out real evidence with doctored information that we don’t even know is real.” Dalton tapped the files on the table. “Something bigger is going on here. I think we can all agree on that.”

“We can,” Rebecca said. “But what? Robash would have to be quite certain that Jeff was the killer. Because if he wasn’t, and more bodies started piling up, that would destroy her career.”

“So, what does she know that we don’t?” Emmett asked.

Trinity slumped into the chair, tears burning the corners of her eyes. “He must have done it.”

“Hey,” Emmett whispered. “We don’t know that, and we’re going to re-examine all the evidence.”

“We’re going to go over all the crime scenes,” Dalton said. “And I’m going to have my team talk to witnesses and treat this as if I were going to defend it in a court of law.”

“We’ll get the answers you need,” Emmett said.

“Why?” Trinity lifted her gaze, catching Emmett’s attention. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“It’s not just for you.” He took her hand. “Your father asked me to do something right before he was killed. I owe it to him.”

“I don’t like it when other law enforcement agencies fuck with me, my department, and especially my kids,” Rebecca said. “But I especially take it personally when a case isn’t wrapped up neatly on my watch. I can’t let this go. People died. It’s my job to protect the citizens of Lighthouse Cove. No offense, but it’s not only about you; it’s about everyone this case has touched.”

“As for me,” Dalton said, “everyone deserves a good defense. And everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Period.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.” Trinity squared her shoulders. Ben would likely remind her that tears didn’t make her weak; they only served to remind her that she was human. That she had emotions other than rage and that it could only be seen as a good thing.

Dalton glanced at his wrist. “It’s getting late. I’d better get going. I’ll be in touch in the morning.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Emmett reached his arm across the table.

“I’ll walk out with your father.” Rebecca leaned in and kissed Emmett’s cheek. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

---