She shook her head at him as she lifted his shirt. “Stop.”
With the bandage peeled back, she assessed his wound. “It doesn’t look too bad. Okay, if it doesn’t get any worse tonight, we’ll wait.”
“It’ll be fine,” he said as she covered his incision site again. “Do you think Dad did it?”
Before she could answer, Alex knocked on the door, sticking his head inside. “Sunshine, do you have a minute?”
“I do.”
“Awesome. Everything okay there, Junior G?”
“Couldn’t be better,” he answered as Sierra slid under Alex’s arm and entered.
“Sorry, Julia,” she said with an eye roll, “but I couldn’t stop him from butting in.”
“It’s okay, we were finished. Sierra, keep an eye on him, please. If he has any trouble, fever, more pain, call an ambulance.”
“You can count on me, step-mommy! Now, sit back and relax, Kyle. You’re going tolovethis movie.”
He groaned as he slouched in his pillows.
Julia left them behind for their sibling time and stepped into the hall with Alex. “What’s up?”
“What’s up is the Iron Lady took a header off her balcony.”
“I know. And the police think it’s suspicious.” Julia pressed her palm against her forehead.
“No kidding. I can see why.”
She flicked her gaze to him, her eyebrows pinching. “What do you mean?”
He tilted his head down the hall. “Come with me. There’s something you need to see.”
She followed Alex, her mind racing, piecing together fragments of everything that happened in the last few hours. Each step took her deeper into a labyrinth where the truth was hidden in the shadows. She glanced at her phone, finding nothing from Mitchell yet.
Alex pushed open his door and motioned for her to precede him. He swung the door shut behind them and skirted around her to plop in his chair. His fingers deftly whisked across the keys as he brought up a video.
Julia leaned closer over his shoulder. “Is that Lydia’s apartment?”
“It is,” he answered. “The moment I heard the news about the Supreme Witch, I checked her building for any cameras. I found several, including one with a view of her door. Don’t worry, I already pulled all the footage off their servers. No one will see this but us.”
Julia’s heart thudded and her stomach twisted into a knot as she stared at the screen. She licked her lips, her features pinching. “Alex, I can explain.”
“Explain what?” he asked.
“I…she was…”
Julia bit her lower lip as she collapsed against the desk, tears shining in her eyes.
“Kid…I know you were there.”
Julia’s eyes met his, her lips tugging into a grimace.
“I also know you weren’t the last one there. So, if she was alive when you left, you’re not the killer.”
Her eyebrows knitted as she flicked her gaze back to the screen.
“Watch and learn, kid.” Alex’s thumb smacked the space bar and the video played at double-speed. He tapped the key again as a face appeared on the camera. “First, the Junior G-man arrives.”
