Ian pressed two fingers to his temples and swallowed. “Is there anything else you can tell me, Mrs. Sullivan? I know it’s a long shot, but we’ve recently arrested a burglar who is believed to be connected to the case and Ms. Wilson’s…death.”
Ian heard the sound of papers being shuffled and a door opening and closing.
He rubbed his fingers in slow, circular motions.
“I did find something.” Mrs. Sullivan’s voice was breathless and anxious. “It says here the reason the judge was considering repealing the decision is because Mrs. Wilson had information about Mr. Taylor.”
Ian sat up straighter, and his free hand dropped to his side. “What kind of information?”
“It says she had evidence that Mr. Taylor should be disbarred and he wasn’t fit to practice law. According to the memo I have here, Ms. Wilson was going to use this information to get her daughter back.”
Ian’s ears were ringing again. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything you can remember?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Railings. I’ll be in touch if I find anything else.”
Once she hung up, Liam Taylor called him back, sounding frantic and eager. “Did you find anything?”
“I think so, but I’m going to have to do some more digging. Liam, I appreciate you helping me with this, but I don’t think you should be involved anymore. This is your grandpa we’re talking about.”
“And I want him to pay for what he’s done.”
“I don’t think your mom would like it if she knew about this.”
Liam exhaled. “You’re right, and it is a conflict of interest, but I can at least find you someone good to help. In the meantime, I can keep offering you legal advice, so why don’t you see what you can dig up, and we’ll touch base, okay?”
Guilt churned in the center of Ian’s stomach and stayed while he made a few more phone calls and skimmed through files. He was still feeling uneasy about going to Liam for help in the first place when Dean walked into the station with a plastic bag full of take-out containers. Ian pushed his chair back and stood up to offer his son a smile.
Dean gave him a quick hug and set the food down on his desk. “Am I interrupting anything? Sorry to just drop by.”
“You’re not interrupting anything, and you’re always welcome to stop by.”
“Mom’s been gone all day, so I thought you might be hungry.” Dean gestured to the food and lifted his gaze up to his dad’s. “Dad, is everything okay? Mom’s lost a lot of weight, and I know things haven’t been great between the two of you…”
Ian offered his son a tight smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, Son. Every couple goes through their share of ups and downs.”
Dean perched on the edge of Marissa’s desk. “Are you sure?”
Ian nodded and rifled through the plastic bag. “Absolutely. You have nothing to worry about.”
Except Ian had no idea if it was true.
Still, he did his best to engage Dean in conversation and keep the atmosphere light and easygoing until the end of his shift. Then Dean walked him to his car and drove off to meet up with some friends. When Ian stepped through the front door, Lucy was sitting alone on the back porch with a blanket draped over her shoulders and a mug of cold tea in her hands.
In spite of her protests, Ian took the mug out of her hands, set it down, and pulled her to him. He held her until her shoulders shook, and she began to cry. Then he stroked her back, pushed her hair away, and murmured into her ear.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy whispered into his neck. “None of this is your fault. I know I’ve been acting weird.”
Ian pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Lucy brought her head to rest in the crook of his neck. “I do, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
Ian exhaled. “That’s okay. We can talk whenever you’re ready.”
It didn’t matter Lucy wasn’t ready to open up to him yet.
He’d be here whenever she was because he didn’t want a future without her.
And if it meant scaling back on work to make her happy, he would.
