Closing Books

by Grace, Trisha

  “Was the person searching for something or was he just trying to trash her house?”

  Dan wrapped his arm over her shoulders. “Get the photo and we’ll leave.” He looked over his shoulders as she crossed over all the mess and headed straight to the whiteboard, which was now lying on the floor.

  Most of the information on the board had been torn off, but the picture was still taped to the middle of it.

  She pulled it off the board, and put it into her wallet as she returned to Dan. Taking a peek of her phone, she said, “Let’s go shopping!”

  Initially, Dan was worried about Evelyn’s reaction to seeing all the baby’s toys, but she was all smiles in the shops and was completely oblivion to how out of place the two of them were among the pregnant women and families.

  He was thankful that they were out of the first store in less than five minutes. Apparently, the toys in the stores were not good enough because the materials weren’t organic.

  At the second store, after Evelyn had confirmed that all the toys were made from organic materials, she went around the shop, picked up every bunny she could find, and commented on how cute it was.

  She didn’t allow him to stay quiet either.

  Every now and then, she would pick up two similar toys and ask him which was nicer.

  He was sure the right answer wasn’t the one he had in mind—they looked the same to him. He didn’t think that a slight difference in the nose or eyes would make a great deal of difference. What would a baby know anyway? A toy is a toy.

  Still, Dan bent forward and examined the two bunnies.

  After years of experience with his mother and Joanne, he’d learned that by delaying time, he could wait for the woman to reveal the choice she was leaning toward. Then, an agreement was all that would be required of him.

  He did that a couple of times and got away with it. So, when Evelyn picked up another two similar bunnies and asked him the same question, he did the same thing.

  He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “Hmm…”

  “I think this is cuter.”

  “Yeah, I think so, too.” He flashed a grin when Evelyn frowned at him.

  “Really? Why do you say that?” She blinked, feigning ignorance.

  “Because I trust your judgment.”

  “You think a placating remark will get you out of it?”

  His smile broadened as his arm looped around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry, they all seem the same to me. Why do you keep picking bunnies anyway? I like that bear.”

  “But look at its ears. It’s so soft and snuggly,” she said while her fingers skimmed down the rabbit’s ears.

  “Are you buying it for yourself or for Kate’s baby?”

  Evelyn glowered at him and pulled the teddy bear from the shelf. “We’ll get both.”

  “Can we go back for dinner now?”

  “No. I can’t go back; I’m going to blab to everyone. What if she isn’t pregnant? I don’t want to embarrass her.”

  “You told me.”

  “You don’t count. She tells Tyler everything I tell her, too. We need to have dinner elsewhere.”

  He shook his head indulgently and wondered if Evelyn or Kate would be more disappointed if it was a false alarm.

  During dinner, Evelyn’s eyes flickered toward the phone every other second. She couldn’t stop talking about how the study room would make a wonderful nursery, and how she could make a special crib for the baby.

  He reached over and took her hand, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of it, while she continued describing the crib she’d make in detail.

  Seeing the smile and her glow of excitement, it was as if Evelyn was going to be the mother.

  He couldn’t help wondering what sort of mother Evelyn would be. Based on how she was behaving, she would probably spend way too much money on way too many toys.

  “You'll have to set me up with your wood guy again.”

  “Organic wood?”

  He laughed when she saw her sudden pause and her eyes moving to the side as she thought about the question.

  She didn't have to think long. Her phone rang, and she snatched it off the table. “So?” She paused for a moment, then screamed, “Oh, congrats! I'm so excited. I bought her a toy already. Two, actually. Yup. Okay, I'll see you back at the mansion. All right, bye.”

  “It could be a him,” Dan said as he gestured for one of the waiters. Getting a waiter’s attentions wasn’t difficult. Evelyn hadn’t been mindful of the decibel she was talking in, so everyone in the restaurant was already staring at them.

  All the way back to the mansion, the smile was plastered on Evelyn’s face. She wanted to let Kate break the news to everyone back home, but knew she wouldn’t be able to contain her thrill. So, instead of heading inside, they sat in the car and waited for Tyler and Kate to get back.

  Tyler had barely stopped the car when Evelyn went jumping out and running over to Kate.

  “Congrats.” He walked over just as the ladies finally broke their hug.

  “Thank you,” Kate said, her grin equally wide.

  Evelyn took the bag that he was holding. “Look at what we bought!”

  Kate laughed, and the admiration of how adorable the soft toys were continued for a few minutes until Kate said, “Look what he bought.”

  She moved over to the trunk of the car and opened it. Within it, there were at least ten boxes of shoes.

  “What’s that for?”

  “He’s forbidding me from wearing heels, and since I don’t have anything that’s completely flat, tada!” Kate looked down at her feet and wriggled her toes. “I have this style in three different colors.”

  “And I was afraid that Eve was being a little too excited,” Dan said when he saw the boxes of shoes.

  Dan and Tyler took all the bags in while Evelyn told Kate about the crib she’d make for her baby. They left the boxes in the living room and headed toward the kitchen.

  “I’d appreciate it if you guys could inform me that you’re going out on a double date. Look at all the food.”

  “Ooh, Ty and I only ate a little. I’m really hungry.” Kate sat on her usual seat, bringing a smile back onto Marianne’s face.

  Tyler weaved his fingers into Kate’s hair and ran them down her back.

  “They have news!” Evelyn said as they settled into their seats.

  Tyler grinned at Kate. “Kate is expecting.”

  Dan laughed when he saw the contrast in reaction. Evelyn was clearly waiting for everyone to erupt into some sort of cheer so that she could share her joy, but everyone else around the table appeared to be waiting for Tyler to continue speaking.

  “That’s the end of the sentence. She’s expecting. The end,” Evelyn added impatiently.

  “Oh my God! Really? Oh, Kate.” Marianne went over and hugged her.

  “Marianne, you’re choking her,” Tyler said, prying Marianne from his wife.

  “How far along are you?” Joseph asked.

  Marianne ignored Tyler. She picked up Kate’s plate and took a little of everything on the table. “I know you can’t eat when all the food gets piled up. You have your vitamins? Give them to me, I’ll sort it out for you so you won’t have to worry about that.”

  “Five weeks,” Kate said as she took the plate from Marianne.

  By the time Marianne was done fussing over her, Joseph had helped Ryan over, and both gave her a hug. They had barely put their arms around her when Tyler pulled them apart, telling them not to suffocate her.

  “Oh, we can go shopping for books that you can read up on. You love to be prepared,” Evelyn said.

  Kate chuckled, then leaned into Tyler’s arm. “He’s already ordered a Kindle for me, and we’ve bought over a dozen books.”

  “Why don’t you just read it on the iPad?” Ryan asked.

  Kate took in a deep breath and said, “Someone says I shouldn’t strain my eyes.”

  Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Good luck in surv
iving him for the next nine months.”

  Chapter Twenty One

  Over the past week, the conversations around the dining table mainly revolved around two topics, the cases that Lydia was investigating and Kate’s pregnancy.

  When Evelyn found out that Kate was pregnant, she began having second thoughts about the investigation. It wasn’t the right time to fight a battle, not when the other party had already attempted to kill them once.

  Evelyn wanted to get David Morgan and make him pay for his crimes, but she wasn’t willing to do it at the cost of Kate getting hurt.

  Kate, however, was quick to shoot down her concerns, telling her that they simply had to be more careful and that she didn’t want to be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.

  Marianne hadn’t said much. As always, she always supported them no matter what she thought. She had only one rule about the whole investigation, meals would only be served around the dining table. She was insistent that no matter what they were doing, no matter how close they thought they were to solving the case, they were to put the case aside and sit down for proper meals.

  “How do you do it?” Evelyn suddenly turned to Ryan and asked as everyone headed up the stairs after dinner.

  Ryan looked up from the iPad in his hand. “Do what?”

  Evelyn tipped her chin forward, gesturing at the iPad. “You see all this at work all the time, but you are still so…so happy.”

  “I’m not the one who set the fires. I do my best whenever I get to the scene, and I don’t give up unless I’ve no choice. But beyond that, there’s nothing I can do. I’m not God, I don’t try to take up God’s responsibility,” Ryan said.

  Smiling, Evelyn continued up the stairs, not saying anything else.

  “I like to focus on the fact that I’m still alive and I’m still in a position to help someone,” Ryan added. “Like you are. I know what you’ve been through is horrible, but now, you found strength to help someone else.”

  Evelyn grunted softly.

  “You know we’re all in this because you want to help those girls. And if we do help someone, either dead or alive, it’s because of you.”

  Dan watched as Evelyn’s smile grew into a grin.

  Walking behind them, he smiled and shook his head. No wonder Ryan didn’t have many friends outside their group.

  He had always found it strange that for someone as gregarious at Ryan to have so little friends. Now, Dan knew why. Ryan was just too friendly with everyone.

  If he hadn’t known how loyal Ryan was as a friend, he would start getting worried.

  Ryan returned his focus onto his iPad as they entered the study.

  Everyone had been pitching in wherever they could.

  Ryan looked through the photos from the fire repeatedly, hoping he could find something that had been missed.

  Kate put her organization skills to use, sorting out all the information, categorizing it, and placing it in the right files. Together with Tyler, being the fastest readers among them, they included a short summary of everything they had read and synchronized it with the rest of their iPads so that the rest of them could just refer to the summarized versions.

  Tyler’s computer guy was either some sort of miracle or extremely creepy. Ben had managed to dig up email correspondence, online purchases, and even tracked the websites that David Morgan had been accessing. He even set up some sort of script or program that would inform him whenever any news of the Morgans hit the internet.

  Dan didn’t quite believe that everything Ben was doing was legal, but Mr. Sawyer seemed to have questioned Ben in detail and hadn’t brought up any objections.

  The bulk of their investigation centered on the rape cases, and Lydia was adamant that David Morgan’s wife might hold the key.

  Dan didn’t think that a wife would help outsiders take down their husbands, but Ben had discovered some scandals regarding a possible divorce, and the address that Lydia had written in her records showed that Melissa Rose was no longer staying in the same house as David Morgan.

  If there were already discord between them, it would be so much easier to convince her to take their side.

  Everyone thought it was a good idea to pay Melissa Rose a visit. The only problem was the who factor.

  Lydia had noted that Melissa Rose was unwilling to talk and seemed frightened. Knowing this, Kate wanted to speak to Melissa Rose alone, or with Evelyn. But Tyler refused to let Kate and Evelyn go on their own. He wasn’t even willing to wait outside in the car, insisting that he be right by their side.

  When such situations occurred, Kate usually turned to Marianne for help, but this time no one was on her side, not even Evelyn.

  That resulted in an impasse, so until Kate could find another solution, Melissa Rose would be left alone.

  The main conclusion they’d drawn, something that they’d already guessed, was that David Morgan had alibis for most of the cases, most of them being quite questionable.

  “Damn. Look at this.” Joseph stood with the iPad in his hand and moved over to Dan. “I knew there was something about the bruises, I just couldn’t figure out what it was.”

  Dan peered over at the picture on the screen, a closeup on one of the murdered victims.

  “Do you see it?”

  Dan continued staring at the picture. All he saw was a huge patch of bruise.

  “There’s a strange bruise pattern along the neck of all the murdered victims,” Joseph said, his finger pointing to different parts of the bruises. “Do you see it?”

  No, he couldn’t. Dan had no idea what Joseph was talking about.

  Joseph probably saw the blank expression on his face because he jumped into a detailed explanation, where Dan simply nodded away.

  Caught up in his excitement over the new find, Joseph turned to Evelyn. He flipped through the photos, pointing to the marks on the necks, again diving into all the details.

  Even with his finger directing the eyes, there was no way she’d missed the horrors of the picture.

  After all this time, Dan had learned Evelyn’s sign of distress.

  Most people had obvious reactions when they got uncomfortable or frightened. For Evelyn, her lack of expression was the sign. Sometimes, she’d hide behind a smile, but there would always be a moment where she would draw in a slow, deep breath and her face would go blank.

  When he saw the same impassiveness on her face, Dan strode over, putting himself between Joseph and Evelyn. He mouthed ‘enough’ to Joseph before turning to Evelyn. “You want to go for a walk?”

  Evelyn jumped at the chance to get some fresh air.

  The only walk they took was from the study room to the door. Once they were out of the mansion, Dan sat on the porch.

  Evelyn still hadn’t gotten used to the woods and, no matter the time of day, she wouldn’t enjoy a stroll through it. Since the mansion was surrounded by nothing but trees, there wasn’t anywhere they could go.

  “You all right?” Dan asked the moment Evelyn settled beside him.

  Her head dropped against his shoulders, and he shifted to put his arms around her, pulling her closer.

  “Yes. It’s just the pictures.”

  “I know. I’ll talk to Joe about it later.”

  Evelyn chuckled softly, shaking her head. “There’s no need for that. I’m sure he got the point.”

  He was still going to do it anyway.

  Though Evelyn appreciated all their help with the Amy issue, she didn’t like people helping her out with everything. He understood it was the need to hold on to her independence, to remind herself that she was no longer the young girl who couldn’t protect or take care of herself.

  Her willingness to move in with him in order to give him peace of mind was already a huge compromise, so he was careful not to overstep.

  Still, it couldn’t hurt if she didn’t find out about it.

  “So, have you told Kate about changing the study room into a nursery?”

  The change in topic imm
ediately got her smiling. “Yes. Tyler has no problem with it. It’s actually Kate who’s having a bit of problem with letting go of some of the things in the room. I believe she spent a lot of time in that room with Tyler’s grandfather.”

  “You’d think he was her grandfather.”

  “In a way, he was. He was kind to both her grandmother and her, and she’s the type who doesn’t forget any bit of kindness shown toward her.

  “I’m thinking of taking the desk apart and using it to make the crib. That way, she’s not giving up the furniture; it’ll become a part of the new room.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’m sure she’d love it.”

  “And Dan.” She paused, spinning the phone in her hand. “There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want to speak with Melissa Rose, alone. I’m sure Kate will be fine with it after some persuasion.”

  Dan frowned. The word ‘no’ was already at the tip of his tongue, but he managed to keep his lips sealed.

  She was no longer the cryptic person who did things because she thought it was right, regardless of what others thought. She’d thought things through, taking his feelings into consideration, before speaking to him about helping Lydia. She must have thought this through as well.

  “You can drive me there, but I want to speak to her alone. I can call you on the phone and leave it on the line while I go in. That way, you’ll hear everything, and if I get into trouble, you’ll only be a few steps away.”

  The corner of his lips crept upward. “Thank you.”

  It was her turn to frown. “For what?”

  “For compromising.”

  “It was really Kate’s idea, just that you’re not Tyler, I know you’ll let me do it if you know that’s what I want.”

  He considered the situation and the risk involved.

  “Dan, I’ve been learning self-defense from Tyler and have been practicing with Joseph. I’m not saying that I’m an expert, but I’m pretty sure I can handle a woman for a few minutes.”

  “What if there are others in the house?”