Justine Davis - Operation Reunion

Quinn was silent for a moment. “And did he ever again?”

“No. He did not even go near her. Ever.”

“I see,” Quinn said with what sounded like amusement and understanding. “So, is this Rod still around?”

“Yeah. And he’s been in trouble a few times. Breaking into houses and stealing cash.”

“Sounds promising. Did the police look at him?”

“They did,” he admitted. “But he gave them an alibi they believed.”

Quinn didn’t miss the inference. “But you didn’t?”

“The alibi was that he was with another kid. One he used to harass. Unmercifully. Really harsh stuff. But the kid swore Rod was with him. The cops bought it, figured the kid had no reason not to but every reason to finger Rod if he could.”

“But?”

“After that, the harassment stopped.”

“So you think he made a deal with the kid?”

Dane shrugged. “Couldn’t prove it, but it seemed…coincidental, to say the least.”

“We’ll check him out,” Quinn said.

“What the hell can you do that the cops can’t?”

“We have resources. And sources. Time. The manpower. And we have an open mind about Chad’s guilt.”

“What if you come to believe he’s guilty?”

“Then we’ll tell Kayla just that. Gently but honestly. Hayley’s good at that.”

A memory of the couple as they’d stood together this morning in the park shot through his mind. Quinn had constantly been touching Hayley, and vice versa. Little brushes, a touch on the arm, brushing back an errant strand of hair. Even when they were clearly focused on something else, they were still touching, even if it was as simple as standing so close their arms touched. Not quite joined at the hip, but close.

Dane recognized it because he and Kayla were the same way.

Pain jabbed through him, knotting his gut. He and Kayla had been the same way.

“Can you really do this? Can you put an end to this one way or another?”

He didn’t care that he sounded angry. And he knew quite well he wasn’t asking the real question. Asking that would sound more pitiful than he was willing to sound before a man like Quinn Foxworth.

“We can. And we have people who will help Kayla deal with whatever we find.”

His confidence was bracing. Dane had spent so long being unable to do anything, about Kayla or her obsession, that he’d slid into unfamiliar territory—hopelessness.

If what he’d learned today was true, these people were the best and brightest at what they did. If they couldn’t find Chad, maybe Kayla would finally admit it was over, maybe she would finally move on.

Maybe he’d moved his things a bit too soon. He tried not to let hope rise too far. But it was one last shot, the last chance for them, and he couldn’t say no.

Kayla tried to tamp down her excitement as she hurriedly made her bank deposit. She wouldn’t have stopped at all if her mortgage payment wasn’t set to go out in three days. But Hayley was gracious about the errand, waiting in her car, and as soon as Kayla was done here, they’d be on their way to what Hayley called the Foxworth building.

After a friendly goodbye to the teller, who happened to be her neighbor’s niece, Kayla stuffed her deposit receipt into her purse as she groped for her keys and the fob that would unlock her car door. At the same time, she tried to shoulder the heavy glass door of the bank open.

The door suddenly swung open. “Hey, pretty lady,” a familiar voice said, “let me get that for you.”

She looked up into the face of Chad’s best friend.

“Hi, Troy.” Troy Reid gave her a wide smile as he held the door for her. “How are you?” she asked.

Troy had been part of the fabric of her life ever since they’d moved here and he and Chad had become fast friends. Her parents had both liked him, and she suspected they’d secretly hoped some of his charm and friendly manner—and his politeness with adults—would rub off on her brother.

He shrugged. “Things are pretty grim here. I’m thinking of leaving soon.”

Kayla felt a surge of empathy. “I understand.”

“I admire you, Kayla. It takes courage to stay in the place that has so many ugly memories.”

“I’m in a different house, different neighborhood. That helps. But this is home for me. You always wanted to get out of here.”

“And I did, for a while,” he said with a wry smile.

“Did I ever tell you how wonderful I thought it was that you came back to take care of your mom after your dad died?”

“Yes,” he said, then with a smile added, “but you could tell me again.”

“It was.”

She meant it. It wasn’t just guilt that made her say it; she hadn’t made it to Troy’s dad’s funeral. It had been less than a month after the murders, and she just hadn’t been able to face it. Troy understood, had been more than kind about it—something she’d always appreciated.

“But not wonderful enough to pry you away from Dane.”

She was sure, after all this time, the irritation in his voice was feigned. His laugh a split-second later proved it. And Dane was not a subject she wanted to discuss just now.

“So, you’ll be leaving again now?” she asked hurriedly. “Nothing really holding you, if you want to leave, I mean, with both your folks gone.”

Well, that was tactful, she thought. Teach her to dodge without thinking.

“And my best friend,” Troy said. “Don’t forget that.”

Kayla blinked. As if she could forget. But until it had come together like this, she hadn’t quite realized just how many losses Troy had suffered. As many, in fact, as she had, albeit not in such an ugly way.

“You know, I still don’t believe it,” he said. “I know what the police think, and he ran and all, but I still can’t believe Chad really did it.”

The words, from someone who knew Chad almost as well as she did, were balm to her battered spirit.

“Thank you,” she said fervently.

He studied her for a moment. Then, gently, he asked, “You still don’t believe it either, do you?”

“No. No, I don’t. Chad couldn’t. Wouldn’t.”

“I agree.” He sighed. “I’d have been trying to prove it myself, if it hadn’t been for my dad, then my mom getting sick.”

“I know you would,” she said.

“Are you still looking for him?”

She nodded. “And I have some help this time. Some people from the Foxworth Foundation.”

He blinked. “Who are they?”

“They specialize in helping people when no one else will. Especially with what they call lost causes.”

“Never heard of them. Are you sure they’re legit? I wouldn’t want you getting taken.”

You and Dane, she thought. “Thanks for worrying,” she said.

Troy reached out and touched her shoulder comfortingly. “If there’s anything I can do,” he said.

“They may want to talk to you, since you were Chad’s best friend.”

“Send them around. I’ll be happy to talk to them.”

“Thank you, Troy.”

She felt much better now, she thought when Troy had gotten into his car and gone. He had that knack. And knowing she wasn’t the only believer in Chad’s innocence helped.

If only Dane felt the same way.

“You really don’t know where your brother is?”

Kayla looked at the woman across the table from her. Hayley shook her head. “No. But Walker is just a born wanderer, I’m afraid. I know he loves me, and I love him, but he just has this need to see what’s over the next mountain. And eventually, he always calls.” She smiled then. “But now it feels like I have a ton of siblings. Everybody at Foxworth seems to think I need looking out for.”

Kayla couldn’t help smiling at her tone of mock grievance. “Is that good or bad?”