and he reached out and covered her hand with his. She started to pull away, but he touched the scar with one finger, and she watched him trace it.
“We’ll get the truth, Avery. I promise.”
She wanted to curl her hand in his as she had done with Hank’s when she was small. Wanted to bury herself against him and hold on to him forever.
But she had to stand on her own.
* * *
J AXON AND A VERY stopped at the receptionist desk, where he introduced himself and Avery and asked to speak to Lois Thacker. He’d already looked her up and learned she was a beat cop and covered a section of town known for hookers, addicts and the homeless.
“She and her partner, Bain Whitefeather, are on patrol now.”
“Can you call her and ask her to meet us?” Jaxon said.
The woman nodded, made the call, then hung up. “She said to meet her at the Cactus Coffee Shop.”
“Thanks.” He and Avery walked back outside to his SUV, and he plugged the name of the coffee shop into his GPS. Fifteen minutes later, they parked in front of the small corner café with the big cactus in front. A patrol car sat next to the sign, a Native American cop inside on the radio.
When they entered, he spotted a female in uniform already seated with coffee in a booth. She was probably in her mid-thirties, with dirty blond hair, a sharp angled face and short wide hands. She was slightly overweight, wore no makeup and her curly hair was cropped short.
“Do you want something?” he asked Avery.
“Just plain coffee.”
He ordered them each a cup, and then they walked over to Lois. He flashed his badge and identified himself.
Avery extended her hand. “I’m Avery Tierney. Thank you for meeting us, Lois.”
The cop’s gray eyes flickered with recognition. “You’re Hank Tierney’s sister?”
Avery nodded, her body tense. “His execution is coming up, and I’m trying to stop it.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Lois rubbed her hand over the baton at her waist. “I thought he did it. In fact, I was tempted to send him a thank-you note. Can’t believe they convicted him in the first place.”
“I agree,” Avery said.
Jaxon adjusted his Stetson. “We now have reason to believe he didn’t murder Mulligan, that his confession was false.”
Lois pursed her thick lips. “False? Only time that happens is when a suspect is coerced or covering for someone else.” Her gaze latched on to Avery. “That it? He covered for you?”
“Yes, because he thought I stabbed Wade Mulligan, but I didn’t.”
“We think that someone else came into the house that night and killed Mulligan,” Jaxon explained. “So we’re talking to everyone associated with the Mulligan family.”
“The old lady hated him,” Lois admitted. “But she was scared to death of him, too. I can’t imagine her having the guts to stab him.” She shrugged. “Although from what I’ve seen on the streets, you never know about people. She could have had it planned and sneaked in and offed him.”
“How long did you live with the Mulligans?” Jaxon asked.
Lois scowled and then took a swig of her coffee. “About a year. I was thirteen at the time.”
Jaxon’s pulse spiked. “Thirteen. Were any other kids there when you lived in the house?”
Anger tightened the lines on Lois’s face. “Yeah. A little girl named Dotty.”
“What happened when you were at the house?” Jaxon asked.
Lois clenched the coffee cup so tightly coffee spilled over. “Joleen drank a lot, passed out almost every night.”
Avery cleared her throat. “And Wade?”
Lois looked up at Avery, pain mingling with rage. “He used to come in my room. Used me. Hit me. Did whatever he wanted while Joleen lay passed out in the other room.”
“Did you ever tell anyone?” he asked.
She rubbed a hand down her coffee cup. “Not at first. I tried to fight him off, but I was a scrawny thing back then. Didn’t do any good.”
“So he continued?” Avery said.
Lois nodded. “But one night when he was
“We’ll get the truth, Avery. I promise.”
She wanted to curl her hand in his as she had done with Hank’s when she was small. Wanted to bury herself against him and hold on to him forever.
But she had to stand on her own.
* * *
J AXON AND A VERY stopped at the receptionist desk, where he introduced himself and Avery and asked to speak to Lois Thacker. He’d already looked her up and learned she was a beat cop and covered a section of town known for hookers, addicts and the homeless.
“She and her partner, Bain Whitefeather, are on patrol now.”
“Can you call her and ask her to meet us?” Jaxon said.
The woman nodded, made the call, then hung up. “She said to meet her at the Cactus Coffee Shop.”
“Thanks.” He and Avery walked back outside to his SUV, and he plugged the name of the coffee shop into his GPS. Fifteen minutes later, they parked in front of the small corner café with the big cactus in front. A patrol car sat next to the sign, a Native American cop inside on the radio.
When they entered, he spotted a female in uniform already seated with coffee in a booth. She was probably in her mid-thirties, with dirty blond hair, a sharp angled face and short wide hands. She was slightly overweight, wore no makeup and her curly hair was cropped short.
“Do you want something?” he asked Avery.
“Just plain coffee.”
He ordered them each a cup, and then they walked over to Lois. He flashed his badge and identified himself.
Avery extended her hand. “I’m Avery Tierney. Thank you for meeting us, Lois.”
The cop’s gray eyes flickered with recognition. “You’re Hank Tierney’s sister?”
Avery nodded, her body tense. “His execution is coming up, and I’m trying to stop it.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Lois rubbed her hand over the baton at her waist. “I thought he did it. In fact, I was tempted to send him a thank-you note. Can’t believe they convicted him in the first place.”
“I agree,” Avery said.
Jaxon adjusted his Stetson. “We now have reason to believe he didn’t murder Mulligan, that his confession was false.”
Lois pursed her thick lips. “False? Only time that happens is when a suspect is coerced or covering for someone else.” Her gaze latched on to Avery. “That it? He covered for you?”
“Yes, because he thought I stabbed Wade Mulligan, but I didn’t.”
“We think that someone else came into the house that night and killed Mulligan,” Jaxon explained. “So we’re talking to everyone associated with the Mulligan family.”
“The old lady hated him,” Lois admitted. “But she was scared to death of him, too. I can’t imagine her having the guts to stab him.” She shrugged. “Although from what I’ve seen on the streets, you never know about people. She could have had it planned and sneaked in and offed him.”
“How long did you live with the Mulligans?” Jaxon asked.
Lois scowled and then took a swig of her coffee. “About a year. I was thirteen at the time.”
Jaxon’s pulse spiked. “Thirteen. Were any other kids there when you lived in the house?”
Anger tightened the lines on Lois’s face. “Yeah. A little girl named Dotty.”
“What happened when you were at the house?” Jaxon asked.
Lois clenched the coffee cup so tightly coffee spilled over. “Joleen drank a lot, passed out almost every night.”
Avery cleared her throat. “And Wade?”
Lois looked up at Avery, pain mingling with rage. “He used to come in my room. Used me. Hit me. Did whatever he wanted while Joleen lay passed out in the other room.”
“Did you ever tell anyone?” he asked.
She rubbed a hand down her coffee cup. “Not at first. I tried to fight him off, but I was a scrawny thing back then. Didn’t do any good.”
“So he continued?” Avery said.
Lois nodded. “But one night when he was
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