Chapter Eight #2
Next was Liam’s office. He took a beat before entering, checking his anger at the door. At least, any traces of it. He was glad for the chance. As soon as he walked through the door, all eyes were on him.
All eyes that were awake.
Clem was fast asleep against Blake, both sitting on the love seat against the far wall.
Price was cleaning up food wrappers from their fast-food supper.
Not that the adults had eaten all that much.
Clem, however, had stopped crying at the sight of chicken nuggets.
Liam wasn’t experienced with little kids, but he thought that was less of an age thing and more of a comfort thing.
She’d just been through a lot and had been scared and confused.
Just like the woman currently giving him a wide-eyed stare.
Liam lowered his voice and motioned to the door.
“If you’re ready, I’ll take you two home now.”
Blake looked like she wanted to ask every question she had right then and there, but Clem shifted against her. That look turned to acceptance.
“I just finished my statement, so we’re good to go.”
She started to stand. It was an effort with the sleeping girl in her arms. The same sight had met him when he had finally been able to check on them after Ray and Chase were dealt with. Clem was glued to her aunt and her aunt wasn’t complaining.
That didn’t mean she didn’t need help.
Liam stood in front of them and leaned over, arms outstretched.
“Let me carry her to the truck,” he said.
Blake was quick to decline.
“It’s okay. I can—”
Liam fixed her with a level stare and interrupted with an excuse.
“I need your hands free so you can set up the car seat,” he said. “So help me out and let me carry her.”
Blake was exhausted. He could see it in every part of her face. He could also hear it in her relenting.
“Okay. If you don’t mind.”
He didn’t, and soon the three of them were walking slowly out to the parking lot. Lightning forked in the distance and the breeze had taken on some moisture. Still, the world was quiet around them.
They didn’t disturb that silence.
Blake set up the baby seat in the back seat of his truck while Liam moved slightly side to side. Clem kept sleeping, warm against his chest. She didn’t wake when he transferred her into the seat and stayed just as asleep as he started driving.
It was only after Blake had finished giving directions to her home that Liam repeated what Darius had told him about the McClennan cousins. Blake was as unimpressed with their answer as he was.
“We could have been seriously hurt, or worse, and that’s all they’re saying?” She actually snarled. “Do they not realize how serious this is? My sister died the same way, for goodness sake. And this time her child was in the car.”
The parallel wasn’t lost on him.
“We’re talking to them again tomorrow, first thing,” he said. “Don’t worry. Whether they thought you were someone else or not, they’re definitely about to learn a hard lesson.”
Blake nodded. A few moments later she sighed.
“I should have just told you about my conversation with Cassandra at the café this morning instead of dragging it out,” she said. “But I guess I got that feeling again and wanted to make it last as long as I could.”
Liam didn’t take his eyes off the road but inclined his head a little at that.
“That feeling?”
Out of his periphery, he could see her tap the upper part of her chest.
“Working a case, chasing justice, that kind of feeling,” she answered.
“I’ve been out of the game for half a year, and sometimes it feels like a whole life slipped away in between.
Still, dragging out your investigation into a girl who died just to play pseudo sheriff again was cruel of me. I’m sorry.”
Liam hadn’t expected that. Much like the panic in her voice earlier, the sheer defeat that he heard in her words caught him off guard. The walls that Blake Bennet must have had around her dropped away for the second time that night.
He didn’t like that she had to do it alone.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” he said.
“I’m sure Cassandra told you about what happened with Missy and how the case is closed—and that I closed it—but now can’t let it go.
The truth is, I’ve been going off only one thing that doesn’t add up and a gut feeling.
I shouldn’t have pulled you into that. We both know how dangerous it can be to become obsessed over a case. ”
But that didn’t mean he was going to let Missy’s death go. Not until he was sure no one else had been involved. He wasn’t going to admit that to the woman sitting next to him though. Blake had been through enough.
Her hair shifted in his periphery as she nodded.
Once again, he could see how tired she was. Her next words even came out in an air of quiet.
“They talked about whipped cream, laptop brands, and the weather. That was the long and short of it. Cassandra said Missy left after that.” Blake laughed quietly.
It had no humor in it. “This whole night could have been avoided if I’d said that earlier.
No muss, no ‘plowing through a field and terrifying my poor niece’ fuss. ”
Liam should have consoled her once again. Reassured her that none of what had happened was her fault.
Yet he had gotten hung up on something.
“They talked about laptop brands?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm. Missy had hers at the counter and Cassandra was asking how she liked it since she needed to buy a new one and is notoriously bad at all technology. Missy was nice enough to answer.”
Liam didn’t respond.
The sound of Blake shifting in her seat had him guess that she had turned toward him.
“Why? Is there something there?”
Liam shook his head.
“There was nothing there.”
Blake sighed out long.
“There was nothing there,” she repeated, like the topic was done.
But for Liam it had just started.
“No,” he said. “I mean we never found a laptop with Missy or with her belongings. There was nothing there.”
This time he did glance at his passenger. Light from the approaching intersection showed him an expression that was all thoughtful.
“Then what happened to it between the café and the bridge?”
Liam didn’t know, but he sure was going to try to find out.