Sheryl Nantus - Family Pride

That at least was the honest truth.

“Sorry.” I couldn’t add anything else.

Attersley sighed and turned away to make a phone call. I visualized the kid at the hotel’s front desk freaking out as police swarmed over the cheap flop and he had to stop texting.

I could tell by the detective’s frantic gesturing that he was coming in for quite a bit of heat himself from his superiors. This was a public relations nightmare and it could only get worse before it got better.

Attersley’s attention came back to me, scathing and unyielding as he hung up. “Uniforms are on the way to verify your statement.” He gave a weary sigh. “Did you ever think about calling it in? Never thought we might want to know this little bit of information? We’ve got men and women running around trying to find this baby and sucking up time and money that could have been rerouted elsewhere.”

“Sorry.” It sounded weaker the second time.

“You could be charged with kidnapping,” Attersley snapped. “All the good works and wishes might not be enough to keep you out of trouble this time.”

“I think not.” A pudgy, slightly overweight woman emerged from the crowd. She wore a light blue blouse and jeans, a laminated identification card hanging from the lanyard around her neck. The clipboard in her hands held a good inch’s worth of paperwork.

“And you are?” Attersley spit out. I couldn’t blame the man for being short-tempered, he’d had a hell of a past few days.

“Denise Farnsworth.” She stuck her hand out. “Social Services.”

I risked a glance at Jess. She didn’t look at me.

“And you are here because—”

“Liam Callendar was placed in our care early this morning and the AMBER Alert canceled.” Her face was a perfect mask of innocence. “I guess you didn’t get the memo.”

If Hank could have snorted smoke, he would have.

“What?”

Denise gave him a wide smile. “The baby was registered as a ward of the court today. Thus, no kidnapping and/or violation of the law.”

I sniffed the air.

Family.

Hank rolled his eyes. “Of course. Anything else I should be informed of?”

“No.” Denise looked at her clipboard and tore off a page from the pile. “Here’s the paperwork. Whatever else you may find to charge Ms. Desjardin with, it won’t be kidnapping.”

I felt dizzy and not just from the rip in my arm.

My family was curling around me, covering for me.

I couldn’t even claim it was because of Felis business. The only Felis involved in this mess was me, an outcast.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Crying wasn’t an option, not here and now.

“Okay.” Hank scanned the pink carbon copy before tucking it into his pocket. “Thank you.”

Denise nodded at me before walking over to Jess. The two women exchanged a fast look before falling silent.

“Who killed Keith Shaw?” Attersley asked.

“I killed him,” Bernadette uttered from where she sat on the couch. She hadn’t said a word since Attersley had arrived with the uniforms and paramedics. Her right eye was swollen and bruised from Jess’s punch. The scratches on her throat didn’t require bandages but the black-and-blue marks weren’t going to disappear quickly.

“You.” The disbelief in Attersley’s voice matched my own feelings.

“I paid Shaw to kill Molly Callendar. I killed him afterward to cover my tracks.”

Attersley put up a finger. “Do you want a lawyer? I’ve already given you your notice and you have the right to stay silent. You don’t have to say another word about this matter until we get to the station and you have legal representation.”

Bernadette nodded. “I understand completely and wish to continue my statement. Shaw called me and told me where he was staying. I stabbed him.”

“With what?” Attersley pressed on.

“A knife.” A wan smile appeared. “I threw it away. You’ll never find it.”

My head was spinning. There was no way for the prosecution to prove she did it and no way for her high-priced lawyer to prove she didn’t do it, thanks to these statements.

“Why didn’t you take the baby right there? Why did you leave Liam alone?” Attersley pressed onward.

Bernadette paused and I could almost see the internal wheels spinning to create a story. “I left the room to dispose of the knife. I was worried about carrying the baby and the diaper bag and the knife all together and I needed to get rid of it right away.” She smiled. “I took it outside and threw it into the sewer.”

She was weaving the perfect story and I couldn’t stop her.

“When I came back into the hotel I saw Brandon and Rebecca in the lobby. I couldn’t approach them and instead watched them go into Shaw’s room and find Liam. When I saw them leave with the baby I had no reason to stay there. So I went home and got my weapon.” She bowed her head. “I asked where my husband was and his assistant told me he was here, meeting Rebecca and Brandon. I came here in order to force them to give me the baby.” Her gaze flickered around the room, unfocused and wild. “I thought he’d be here. All they had to do was hand him over.” She rolled her attention back to the detective. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted my baby.”

I bit down on my lower lip. The only way she’d know about Shaw being killed would be if she came to the hotel after we’d left—and now she was taking the blame because she was worried about Bran taking the hit for the murder.

She wanted to protect her son, save his reputation.

I was pretty sure she didn’t care about mine.

Attersley looked at me. He wasn’t buying this any more than I was but he was bound by the law to follow procedure and her confession would stand at least for the time being.

“Where did you meet Keith Shaw?”

Bernadette smiled. “I met him at Second Chance, Second Life—one of our charities. He is—was quite photogenic.” A wistful look came into her eyes. “I hated having to kill him. So hard to get good help these days.”

For a second I believed she’d actually killed Shaw. She had, at least in her mind.

Attersley shot me a warning look. Whether he believed her or not was irrelevant. She would be in for psychiatric assessment the minute she got to the station.

“Bernadette Hanover, I’m placing you under arrest for assault...” he droned on as he gestured for her to stand up, pulling handcuffs free from one pocket.

Michael Hanover didn’t look at his wife as the detective repeated his previous warning and went through the litany of offenses.

Attersley pointed at each of us in turn. “Mr. Hanover, I need you to go with me to the station. You,” he barked at Bran, “I’ll see at the hospital along with Rebecca. After you receive the medical all-clear you’ll be going back to the station for further questioning.” The unspoken question of arresting us before, after or during the hospital visit hung in the air.

His eyes lingered on Jess for a second. “I don’t believe we’ve properly been introduced. You are...”

“Jess Hammersmythe.” She shook his hand with the usual bone-crushing grip. I had to give it to Hank, he never flinched. “I’m a family friend of Reb’s.”

“Ah. Funny she never mentioned you before.” The wariness in his voice was tempered with exhaustion.

“Guess it never came up,” she replied.

The two of them ignored me, busy with their own private joust.

“And how did you get involved with this mess?” Attersley swept his hand outward, encompassing the living room filled with medics, cops and suspects.

“Reb asked me to take care of the little one here while she continued to search for Callendar’s killer. I called Ms. Farnsworth and dropped off the child early this morning.”