They had tunnel vision.
Now?
Now Jim had a pattern of murders, strangulations like Carmen’s, matching the travel of Tracey Baldwin’s lacrosse career during college. If he could prove that Tripp was with her…
If he could get these cold cases reopened…
If.
M ATT DROVE him to the airport. The atmosphere was so tense, the air so thick, that Jim kept the window rolled down just so he could breathe.
“I’m going to take everything you have and lay it out,” Matt said as he pulled into the departures lane for LaGuardia Airport. “Time line, case files.”
“We need his schedule,” Jim murmured, rubbing damp hands on his pants. “His class schedule, attendance if we can get it.”
“I’ll get it.” Matt eased to the curb and put the SUV in park. He glanced over at Jim, who nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Remember what Liz said about talking to Tracey.”
A phone consultation with Matt’s dear friend Liz the shrink had produced an outline of information for talking to an abused woman. Whether or not Tripp ever used his fists, he’d most definitely used fear to keep Tracey in line—for who knew how long. Jim’s handling of Tracey’s trauma might be the difference between getting what he needed and leaving empty handed.
Start slow and easy.
Ask open-ended questions.
Let her tell the story in her own way.
Explore her options for getting her life back.
Most of all? Jim had to stay calm.
“You go, you talk to her, we give everything to the police in the first town where that girl died.” Matt’s jaw was tense as he laid out their agreement. Again. “Then this is done.”
Jim put his hand on the door handle. “We have to give them as much evidence as we can,” he argued quietly. “This has to stick.”
“You have no jurisdiction and this guy is fucking suing you. If this gets out, that lawsuit might not go away any time soon.”
Jim opened the door, grabbed his bag in his other hand. “It’s not going to get out.” He stepped out, then closed the door behind him. Jim leaned against the window, fully owning up to the anger on Matt’s face. “It’s not. Don’t worry.”
Matt didn’t look convinced, and as Jim walked into the terminal, he felt his friend’s eyes boring into the back of his head.
Chapter 11
“A RE YOU sure about this?”
Griffin stood in the foyer of his house, clutching Sadie against his chest. The toddler was currently trying to strip off his glasses, so he was dodging her like a prizefighter. She found this game hilarious.
“It’s a few days. She’ll be fine,” Griffin said soothingly. “You need this—you both do.”
Daisy looked like hell, a condition that Griffin couldn’t sit idly by for. Whatever rough spots in their past, Daisy was his friend, his sister, his family—and if he had to be a busybody to help her, so fucking what.
Which was exactly what he was going to say when everyone got on his case about it.
“I don’t know what’s wrong. He’s acting so weird,” Daisy said, rubbing her eyes. Nothing about this picture gave him any comfort. Daisy looked like hell in jeans and a T-shirt he suspected was Bennett’s. She’d driven up by herself with Sadie in the backseat—almost unheard-of behavior given Bennett’s overprotectiveness. The overnight bag she had carried in—well, Griffin was fighting to keep a calm face.
“And you are going to deal with it, whatever it is,” Griffin said softly. He let Sadie win the game and have his glasses; it gave him a chance to walk over to Daisy and pull her against his free side.
“Momma,” Sadie said, petting her head.
“Yes, Momma needs to go talk to Daddy, and we’re going to have so much fun,” Griffin said brightly, even as he felt Daisy’s tears against his shirt. “Can you say ‘bye, Momma! Love you!’”
Sadie didn’t quite get the game, but she smothered Daisy’s face with kisses and waved at her a few minutes later as Daisy pulled herself together at the open
Now?
Now Jim had a pattern of murders, strangulations like Carmen’s, matching the travel of Tracey Baldwin’s lacrosse career during college. If he could prove that Tripp was with her…
If he could get these cold cases reopened…
If.
M ATT DROVE him to the airport. The atmosphere was so tense, the air so thick, that Jim kept the window rolled down just so he could breathe.
“I’m going to take everything you have and lay it out,” Matt said as he pulled into the departures lane for LaGuardia Airport. “Time line, case files.”
“We need his schedule,” Jim murmured, rubbing damp hands on his pants. “His class schedule, attendance if we can get it.”
“I’ll get it.” Matt eased to the curb and put the SUV in park. He glanced over at Jim, who nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Remember what Liz said about talking to Tracey.”
A phone consultation with Matt’s dear friend Liz the shrink had produced an outline of information for talking to an abused woman. Whether or not Tripp ever used his fists, he’d most definitely used fear to keep Tracey in line—for who knew how long. Jim’s handling of Tracey’s trauma might be the difference between getting what he needed and leaving empty handed.
Start slow and easy.
Ask open-ended questions.
Let her tell the story in her own way.
Explore her options for getting her life back.
Most of all? Jim had to stay calm.
“You go, you talk to her, we give everything to the police in the first town where that girl died.” Matt’s jaw was tense as he laid out their agreement. Again. “Then this is done.”
Jim put his hand on the door handle. “We have to give them as much evidence as we can,” he argued quietly. “This has to stick.”
“You have no jurisdiction and this guy is fucking suing you. If this gets out, that lawsuit might not go away any time soon.”
Jim opened the door, grabbed his bag in his other hand. “It’s not going to get out.” He stepped out, then closed the door behind him. Jim leaned against the window, fully owning up to the anger on Matt’s face. “It’s not. Don’t worry.”
Matt didn’t look convinced, and as Jim walked into the terminal, he felt his friend’s eyes boring into the back of his head.
Chapter 11
“A RE YOU sure about this?”
Griffin stood in the foyer of his house, clutching Sadie against his chest. The toddler was currently trying to strip off his glasses, so he was dodging her like a prizefighter. She found this game hilarious.
“It’s a few days. She’ll be fine,” Griffin said soothingly. “You need this—you both do.”
Daisy looked like hell, a condition that Griffin couldn’t sit idly by for. Whatever rough spots in their past, Daisy was his friend, his sister, his family—and if he had to be a busybody to help her, so fucking what.
Which was exactly what he was going to say when everyone got on his case about it.
“I don’t know what’s wrong. He’s acting so weird,” Daisy said, rubbing her eyes. Nothing about this picture gave him any comfort. Daisy looked like hell in jeans and a T-shirt he suspected was Bennett’s. She’d driven up by herself with Sadie in the backseat—almost unheard-of behavior given Bennett’s overprotectiveness. The overnight bag she had carried in—well, Griffin was fighting to keep a calm face.
“And you are going to deal with it, whatever it is,” Griffin said softly. He let Sadie win the game and have his glasses; it gave him a chance to walk over to Daisy and pull her against his free side.
“Momma,” Sadie said, petting her head.
“Yes, Momma needs to go talk to Daddy, and we’re going to have so much fun,” Griffin said brightly, even as he felt Daisy’s tears against his shirt. “Can you say ‘bye, Momma! Love you!’”
Sadie didn’t quite get the game, but she smothered Daisy’s face with kisses and waved at her a few minutes later as Daisy pulled herself together at the open
Similar Books
