Page 132 of Hard Evidence
His lawyer had said he’d be out in two days, and the extra twelve hours felt like a year.Maybe he would have been there for longer if another witness hadn’t come forward.A member of the public had seen Justin leaving Norquist Construction right after Amie drove off with an unidentified passenger, although Justin couldn’t for the life of him work out why anyone would have been hanging around by the gate.When Special Agent Rimer eventually showed up, she’d said they had a new suspect, so there was a glimmer of hope that someday, a man would pay for what he’d done to Amie.
A very faint glimmer.Justin’s lawyer also said the medical examiner had misplaced her body, and what exactly did that mean?How could they misplace a body?It wasn’t as if she could stroll out of the morgue.But that was a question for tomorrow.Tonight, he just wanted to get home to Jessie, assuming she hadn’t walked out on him the way Eliza did.
“Is Jessie still there?”As they turned into Greenway Park, Justin asked Brax the question he’d been avoiding.His old friend had come to give him a ride home, so at least someone still had his back.
“Yes, she’s still there.”
“But…?”
“But what?”
“It sounded like there was a ‘but’ coming.”Another squad car drove past, the third Justin had seen so far.“What’s with all the cops?”A groan escaped.“Tell me they didn’t tear my house apart again?”
“They didn’t.But there was a small incident on one of the jogging trails.”
“A small incident?Did those idiots with the cameras go out in the forest again?”
“Yes, but only after the…uh…shooting.”
Justin stiffened.“Shooting?What shooting?”
“Jessalyn’s fine, that’s the important thing.The lawyers are involved, and the police agree it was self-defence.”
“Self-defence?Are you telling meJessieshot someone?How?She doesn’t even own a gun.”
“As best we can ascertain, a visitor let the dog out of the yard, so Jessalyn took off after him.She ran into her ex-husband, and things went downhill from there.”
“Husband, not ex-husband.”Although Justin hoped to change that as soon as possible.
“Ex-husband.He’s in the morgue.”
What?How?
And was Justin supposed to be upset about that?
“What the fuck?”
“An as-yet-unidentified man tried to abduct Jessalyn and shot Ridge Packer in the process.She managed to escape, and he’s dead too.The dog is with the veterinarian.”
Justin’s pulse pounded, his head as well.He’d been gone for less than three days.How could so much happen in less than three days?
“How bad is it?The dog?”
“Not good,” Brax admitted.“Jerry airlifted him to the veterinary hospital, so he’s still alive, but he had a collapsed lung from the gunshot wound.”
Brax pulled into Justin’s driveway, and Justin jumped out of the car before it fully stopped.He just needed to find his girl.To see that she was okay.Dawson opened the front door, but Justin didn’t stop to chat.
“Jessie!”
She walked out of the kitchen and tried to smile, but that lasted two seconds before her face crumpled.Fuck.
“Are you okay?”she asked, her voice shaky.
“Isn’t that my question?”
“I… No, I’m not okay.”
Justin wrapped her up in a hug, and she sobbed against his shoulder.She wasn’t okay, and neither was he, but somehow they’d make it through this.Together.
