Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
Josie turned at the same time Gretchen did and watched as a small blonde woman and her nine-year-old daughter made their way down the road toward them.
“She wanted to see you,” said Josie.
Turner swore and pushed his hands through his hair again. “That’s not why I gave you my phone.”
“Zara called. You told her it was okay to talk to me,” Josie pointed out.
“It’s dangerous for her to be here, Quinn. You don’t understand. Emmer—”
“Annette has eyes on Emmer,” Josie said.
Josie wasn’t sure what she expected when Zara and Penny reached them. A joyful reunion between them and Turner? Hugs? Some evidence of affection? But all they did was stand a few feet from one another, smiling awkwardly. Penny clung to her mother’s waist, keeping one eye on Turner.
Josie made eye contact with Gretchen and could tell she was noticing the same thing.
Given that Gretchen believed that Turner had cheated on his wife, Josie could practically hear her thoughts: Turner and Zara were maintaining their distance to make sure they didn’t look like two people who’d had an affair.
They were trying too hard to pretend it never happened.
All Josie saw were two people who’d formed a very unusual bond that had fostered affection and mutual respect. Nothing more.
Zara’s blue eyes were soft with sympathy. “I know you don’t want us to risk our location, but I wanted to see that you were holding up.”
Josie hadn’t wanted to blindside Turner, but Zara had been insistent.
It wasn’t until she said that besides Dani and Cassidy, she was the closest thing Turner had to family or friends, that Josie had agreed to help her see him.
Now, she took a moment to study the woman that Dustin Emmer had spent almost ten years obsessing over.
Zara was beautiful, that was undeniable.
Small and delicate. Her hair was blonde, styled in a pixie cut.
Her simple blue sundress showcased smooth tan skin. Penny wore a similar dress.
“I’m fine, Z,” Turner said.
Zara’s laugh was sweet and soft with a hint of skepticism. “You’re not fine, Kyle, and it’s okay not to be fine. Remember? That’s what you told me.”
Josie could tell by the way Turner stiffened, eyes darting around like he’d been trapped, that his panic was ramping up again. Before she could say anything to lighten things up, Gretchen said, “Wow, Turner. Your jackass persona is taking a hit today.”
Penny’s blonde hair was long and braided. She tugged at the plait, bringing the end to her mouth. “She said a bad word.”
Gretchen smiled at Penny. “Sorry about that.”
Turner knelt down to Penny’s level and put his fist out. “How are you doing, Pen?”
The girl detached from her mother so she could give Turner a proper fist bump, and that was when Josie saw the burn scars that licked from beneath the back of her sundress to the nape of her neck. She missed Penny’s answer while she tried to keep her reaction from showing.
Tearing her gaze away from the marred skin, Josie found Gretchen staring directly at her, face pale. Discreetly, they walked off, letting Zara and Penny speak with Turner privately. Josie knew he would never admit it, but the visit had had a calming effect on him. At least for now.
Once Zara and Penny were gone, Turner said, “Quinn, remember when I said Penny’s dad wasn’t in the picture?
He tried to kill them. Followed Z to a bank parking lot and set their car on fire with both of them inside.
His own daughter. Luckily, he died instead.
Dumbass was in such a hurry he got gasoline all over himself.
Burned while Zara got Penny out and ran away. ”
Josie thought about the cigarette burns on the inside of his bicep as well as the others he might be hiding. Turner understood what it meant to be hurt at your most vulnerable. Stripped down to nothing. Powerless. Worse than powerless.
The thing with Zara was never about Zara at all.
Maybe it was a little bit, but mostly it was about getting little Penny out of harm’s way.
Her own father had tried to kill her. Had left his indelible mark on her precious skin.
It wasn’t fair that he’d been replaced by another, more unpredictable predator in Dustin Emmer.
Gretchen must have had the same thoughts. She stared up at Turner, her face pinched, like she was trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.
But they were losing time. The visit was over. Zara and Penny were safe, and Turner had recovered from his panic attack. There was still so much to do.
“Turner,” Josie said. “We didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier, but do you remember Griffin Holt? Ever heard his name?”
Gretchen pulled up Griffin’s driver’s license photo and showed it to Turner. “He looks familiar but no, I don’t remember him. Never heard of him before.”
Josie could see Turner’s mind working as he stared at the photo.
Griffin Holt might have his wife and daughter.
Right now. At this moment. If they were still alive.
Griffin Holt might have been the one who hurt Cassidy.
Put that cut on her cheek. He knew as well as they did that the wheels of justice turned slowly.
If they wanted to make sure Holt paid for whatever crimes he’d committed, then they had to do things right.
That meant they couldn’t make any mistakes.
There would be no rushing into his house, demanding to know whether he had them.
No breaking into his house to look for them.
Connections had to be made first. They needed probable cause for search warrants.
Turner yanked at his beard again. Josie could practically see his thoughts in a bubble over his head.
Every minute they spent trying to stay within the confines of the law was another minute his family might be suffering at Griffin Holt’s hands.
Another minute that could be the difference between life and death.
Josie touched his upper arm. “Turner.”
It took a few pokes with her finger before he looked down at her.
“We’re working on it.”
He swallowed, drumming his fingers against his outer thigh.
“Do not go over there. Do not get involved,” Josie said sternly. Of all her colleagues, Turner was the most impulsive. The least likely to care about the impact of his actions, and now that his world was on the line, she wasn’t sure she trusted him to stay away from Griffin Holt.
Turner said, “Do I seem like the kind of guy who gives a shit about his career when his wife and kid are on the line?”
“No,” Gretchen piped up. “But you seem like the kind of guy who would care about not fucking up the case against their abductor when we finally nail him. You go over there and start a fight, and you could jeopardize the entire thing. This asshole could go free and never pay for what he’s done.”
His eye tic was back. “Fine, but you need to bring this guy in and get a search warrant for his house yesterday.”