Page 105 of Lead Me On
“Of course,” she said, no longer sure what she wanted to talk about. “Do you need anything?”
“Mom brought me cigarettes. Maybe some books would be nice. I used to read that sci-fi stuff, remember?”
Yes, she did remember all of a sudden. When he’d been thirteen and he’d asked to spend the night at her place, and she’d said no as she always did. Jessie had thrown one of those books at the wall before slamming the door to his room.
Jane nodded. “I’ll ask around and see what’s popular now.”
“Great.”
Silence fell between them. A stupid silence, considering they had only a few minutes. But Jane didn’t know what to say.I’m sorry I never let you spend the night at my place?
“Hey!” Jessie said suddenly, a smile blooming over his face. “I heard they arrested someone for those murders!”
“Finally,” Jane said.
“Dude, that’s great. What a relief.”
“I suppose.”
“What’s not great about it?”
Jane watched him, looking into his eyes. The same big blue eyes he’d had as a sweet little boy. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t want to treat him like a kid, either. Not if she expected him to start acting like a man.
She straightened her shoulders. “He changed the locks on the homes of all three women after their purses were stolen.”
Jessie nodded.
“He kept copies of the new keys.”
“That’s devious, man.”
He didn’t get it, so Jane took a deep breath and said it as clearly as she could. “Jessie, if you hadn’t stolen Michelle Brown’s purse, she might still be alive.”
His face fell, crumpling into shock. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“I know, and the truth is, with or without you, there was a killer out there looking for his next victim. But your actions had real consequences. First of all, a person’s life can be ruined if they lose their rent money or the payment for their child’s day care. And even worse things, things you couldn’t imagine, like what happened to Michelle. I know you didn’t mean it, but… You didn’t mean it, but it still happened, Jessie.”
His gaze fell to the counter and he rubbed a hand over his eyes. She felt as if she’d just stuck a knife into his back, but it wasn’t about her. He needed to spend his time in jail thinking, and she wanted him to start at the right place. She wanted him to regret his old life, so he’d start a new one. Sometimes regret was a powerful force.
“I love you,” Jane said just as the warning chime sounded.
Jessie looked up, his eyes bright with tears. “I’m sorry about Michelle. And I’m sorry I let you and dad down. Mom, too. I really am.”
A tear slipped down her cheek when she nodded. “I’ll come see you again next week, okay?”
Her love life was one thing. She could give that up if she had to. But her family…she didn’t want to lose them again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“HEY, NICE FLOWERS!” Mr. Jennings said when he came out to grab the three-hole punch.
Jane tossed a glare toward the gorgeous bunch of multicolored tulips that had arrived at eleven. “Thanks.”
“Are they from Chase?”
“Mmm,” she hummed noncommittally. Yes, they were from Chase. They’d come complete with an adorable message. “You make my heart go boom. Love, Chase.”
Mr. Jennings disappeared back into his office, only to reappear seconds later. “Maybe I should send Lori some flowers. Do you think she’d like that?”
