Page 81 of Nowhere to Hide
FORTY-ONE
6:05 PM
Sandra pulled into the driveway at Davenport Manor, spotting Eric’s car. He’d beat her there, and she couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around him and give him a huge hug. That, and more later on, just for being the man he was. Today must have placed him in a tough spot more than once. His loyalty to the brotherhood ran deep.
She reached over for her messenger bag on the passenger seat. Her mind drifted to the letter inside from April Clark. Someone from Sandra’s past. Today, she’d had enough of peering backward, even if it was through Ryan’s lens.
She locked up her vehicle and entered the house. The smell of baked potatoes and grilled meat had her inhaling deeply and her stomach growling. The burger she’d eaten hours ago was long gone.
“I’m here,” she called out and set her bag on a bench in the entry.
“Sandra, we’re so happy you made it.” Dana was the first to the front door, but Eric wasn’t far behind.
“Liv here?” she asked.
Eric nodded. “She is, and so is Avery.”
“Those two are inseparable.” As she said that, she thought of how the same thing had basically been said of Dale Kramer and Timothy Hanson. Just hopefully the girls’ closeness didn’t include harboring any dark secrets.
“Dinner is almost ready,” Dana told her. “You want me to get a drink for you?”
“I’ll get one for myself in a bit. Thanks.”
Dana walked away, never above pitching in, even when she wasn’t on the clock tonight. She didn’t even need to serve the meal. The groceries, the prep, the cooking, and the cleanup were all being covered by the catering company they’d hired.
Eric hugged and kissed Sandra. She closed her eyes while they embraced and left them that way until he pulled back. She wanted to soak in as much of him as possible.
“Quite the day,” he said.
“You could say that. Honestly, I felt for Ryan, living all those years not knowing who his father was, or the truth about his mother’s death. Speaking of Ryan, have you heard about how his interview is going? Did he request a lawyer?”
“He was waiting for a lawyer last I heard. One provided by legal aid.”
She didn’t say as much, but it was unjust how his other blood relatives had more money than they could spend in several lifetimes while Ryan struggled. There was no fairness or balance in life though. “I assume you heard about Kramer’s NDA?” She recalled Coleman had asked Moore to pass that along.
“I did, Officer Moore called to tell me, and I plan on using the knowledge if it comes down to it. What was your read on the guy?”
“I wrangled his signature out of him, remember? He’s holding something back. I think he came to the scene more to protect himself than give any help to the Hansons.”
“I get the same feeling just hearing about how close the two men were.”
“From the way you’re talking, you haven’t brought him in for questioning yet?”
“No. A guy like that, you only get one shot. I don’t want to spook him into hiding. I want to build a case against him first.”
“Which could be strengthened depending on what you find out tomorrow at the car rental.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, Officer Moore was a tremendous asset today. Do you know her well?”
“A bit. Enough to gather she has a rep for being a solid cop. Coleman even let it slip she proved herself ready for the next step in her career today. Guess she’s already passed the detective’s exam and has the necessary qualifications, so who knows…?”
Sandra could certainly see Moore as a detective. She possessed the tenacity to cultivate some strong leads today. “What do you say? Should we join everyone else? I don’t want to ruin our evening by talking about the case the whole night.” She took a few steps when Olivia came toward her with Avery at her heels.
“Mom.” Olivia hugged Sandra and kissed her cheek.
“I was wondering where you were.”
