Chapter 37
Drake Estate
Carson held Elizabeth for a long while. Her mother was sleeping now, but she’d been a wreck when he had first arrived.
At least Elizabeth and Patricia had each other. He’d had no one when his family was murdered.
Except his uncle Max. He didn’t count on so many levels that it didn’t seem appropriate to bother the attempt. But he’d been there as best he could.
“What can I do?” Carson asked, certain there was something. Luttrell might be assigned to the case and Carson might be on administrative leave, but that wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he could. Luttrell wasn’t nearly as good as him. And Carson intended to prove it.
Somehow, all of this was tied together. Carson was determined to get to the truth.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Thank you. Just being here is enough.” She cuddled deeper into his arms.
Guilt poked him at the idea of what he and Baxter had done in that elevator. It felt almost as if he’d cheated on Elizabeth. More crazy notions. “Have you notified the rest of your family?”
“There really isn’t anyone. Dane is never home. Who knows what’s going on with him?”
If Elizabeth only knew.
Time to broach the question. “Where is Dane?”
Elizabeth lifted her gaze to Carson’s. “I don’t know.
He disappears like this all the time. And I just can’t deal with it right now.
” She squeezed her eyes shut and made a desperate sound.
“It’s been all over the news. Hundreds of our good friends have called.
Surely Dane has heard by now that Father is .
. . dead.” She rubbed at her temples. “For all I know my irresponsible brother could be drugged out somewhere unaware he’s even in this world. ”
“I’ll find him.” That would serve more than one purpose. Carson needed the truth. And Elizabeth needed her brother. Then again, with what Carson knew, Dane was only going to bring more heartache to his family.
“Will you bring him home when you do?” She dabbed at her nose with a tissue. “Mother needs him as badly as I do.”
The fresh wave of tears in her eyes tugged at Carson’s heart. “You have my word.”
She placed a chaste kiss on Carson’s cheek. Hugged him tightly. “I know you will, Carson. You’re the one person I can depend on right now.”
Self-disgust churned in his gut, made him sick. “Your father was there for me when I needed him most.” The possibility that Drake had concealed the truth about that night to protect his son twisted in Carson’s gut. But he didn’t know that for sure. Not yet.
Elizabeth blinked at the emotion brimming past her lashes. “But I wasn’t.” She wiped at her eyes. “They sent me away.” She closed her eyes and shook her head again. “I shouldn’t even be asking you to help me.”
“Of course you should. We’re like family.
” He swallowed back the bitter taste of deceit.
“I won’t let you down, Elizabeth.” Even as he said the words snippets of those moments in the elevator with Baxter flashed in his brain.
Good God, the information he was keeping from Elizabeth now .
. . what had he turned into? Where were his ethics? His vow to defend justice?
Elizabeth’s tearful farewell as he left ripped his heart to shreds. When had he become such a consummate liar?
It was one thing to distort the facts in the courtroom to win a case.
But this was Elizabeth.
He should have told her the truth.
But he couldn’t.
He couldn’t talk to anyone, couldn’t trust anyone . . .
Not until he had all the facts.
And maybe truth wasn’t always found by doing the right thing. Maybe sometimes you had to break the very laws you were supposed to uphold to ensure justice was served.