Page 11 of For Rage

"You two may want to watch your backs," he said icily. "People who ask too many questions sometimes end up in trouble."

Morgan turned around, her eyes narrowing. "Is that a threat, Mr. Alba?" she asked.

Jim shrugged. "Take it as you will. I'm just an ordinary man who lost his wife."

He slammed the door behind them.

Morgan and Derik left the house, the tension palpable between them. It was bold, brazen, to threaten two FBI agents like that, as vague as it might be. There was something off about him, something that didn't quite add up. As they got back into the car, her thoughts turned to the bruises on Grace's arms. Were they a sign of domestic abuse or something else entirely? And what about Jim's strange behavior? He seemed too calm for someone who just lost his wife. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but there were still too many gaps.

"What was that all about?" Derik asked once they were inside the car.

"I don't know," Morgan replied, still thinking over the encounter. "But I don't trust him. Something about him just doesn't add up."

"I agree," Derik said. "But we need more evidence before we can make any accusations.He'll be bringing in a lawyer, so we better have a case."

"I think he's lying," Morgan said. "Did you notice how calm he was the whole time? And he didn't seem to care about his wife's death at all."

"I noticed," Derik replied. "But that doesn't necessarily mean he's guilty."

"I know," Morgan said. "But something about him just doesn't sit right with me."

"So, what now?"

Morgan stared out at Jim's house. Through the curtains, he peered out at them, glowering, before he pulled them shut. It was odd that his wife was dead, and the first thing he did was send his daughter away. It occurred to Morgan that even if Jim wouldn't talk—they could still get dirt on him and Grace's marriage.

And their child's babysitter could be just who they needed to talk to.

CHAPTER FIVE

The babysitter, a young woman named Lisa, lived in a small apartment complex on the other side of town. As they walked up to her door, Morgan felt a sense of unease. Something about the whole situation didn't sit right with her, and Jim's calm demeanor had left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't imagine how fun it had been for Grace to be married to a man who could be that cold. She wondered why Grace stayed, or why she'd fallen for him in the first place. There were so many things about her that Morgan—that no one—would ever understand about Grace Alba.

But the babysitter might be able to provide some window into the married couple’s lives.

Lisa answered the door, looking surprised to see them. She was a perky young woman, no older than twenty, with blonde hair in a high ponytail.

Morgan and Derik flashed their badges, and Lisa's eyebrows went up.

"O-oh, my," Lisa said. "Is this about what happened to—" She cut herself off, glancing behind her into the apartment. Morgan could see Milly, the eight-year-old girl, watching cartoons on the couch. Right; Jim had mentioned that Milly didn't know yet.

"It's about Grace, yes," Morgan said. "Can we come in?"

Lisa hesitated before stepping aside to let them in. Milly looked over, and the innocent look on the girl's face broke Morgan's heart. It reminded her of when she got home from prison and saw her dog, Skunk, for the first time in years. His big, innocent eyes, that still knew her, had no idea of the hell she'd gone through.

"Milly, you stay here, okay?" Lisa said. "I'm going to talk to the nice people in my bedroom."

Milly nodded, happy to keep watching TV.

Lisa led them into a bedroom and closed the door. Morgan noticed that Lisa's hands were shaking.

"Is everything okay?" Derik asked.

Lisa took a deep breath. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never talked to the FBI before, and it's so awful what happened to Grace ... when Jim told me, I was beside myself, but I'm trying to keep it together for Milly's sake. She'll be devastated when she finally finds out."

"We understand," Morgan said, trying to put Lisa at ease. "Can you tell us about Jim and Grace's relationship? Did they have any issues?"

Lisa hesitated. "I don't know if I should be talking about this. It's not really my place."

"We're trying to piece together what happened to Grace," Derik said. "Anything you can tell us could be helpful."

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