Read Online Blood Will Tell by Dana Stabenow - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dana Stabenow
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rest of the walk Johnny was just a boy playing tag with a dog and a friend.
They arrived back at the townhouse at ten-thirty, red faced and breathless. Jack greeted them at the door with a scowl. "We're going to be late. Get upstairs and into the shower. I've got a clean shirt and your good jacket laid out on your bed. Hop to it."
Johnny disappeared up the stairs and Jack transferred his scowl to Kate.
"Where the hell were you?" "I told you we were going for a walk," she said mildly, shrugging out of her coat. "Relax, Jack. Court's not in session until one o'clock, and didn't your attorney tell you the trial might be delayed a few days anyway, if the one the judge was trying on Friday dragged over?"
He shook his head. "Ganepole just called, she says today's the day." He went into the living room. Kate went into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee before following.
He was pacing back and forth in front of the picture window, hands alternately fussing with his unnaturally slicked- down hair and the knot of his tie. Kate found a seat out of the way and drank coffee. "Do you need me in court today?"
He shook his head without looking at her. "Ganepole says the testimony of the current girlfriend is too easily discredited."
"So you won't need me at all?" Kate said, relieved.
"I don't know. I don't think so. Not unless things really get ugly and we have to throw everything we've got at her. Jane, I mean."
"She wants sole custody, right?"
He nodded, pacing.
"She won't get it, Jack. She can't stop you seeing him. You're his father, and you haven't done anything wrong." He paused long enough to shoot Kate an impatient, angry look. Again, she saw through to the fear beneath. "Jane is vicious, malicious and entirely without scruple."
Kate couldn't have put it better herself.
"Who knows what she's going to say once she gets on the witness stand?
She's a good liar, Kate, the best." "Not the best," Kate said. "Johnny has never believed anything she said about you."
His brow lightened. "That's true." He stopped pacing. "That is true." He sat down next to her and rubbed his palms over the creases in his pant legs.
In ten years Kate had never seen him in anything other than blue jeans.
The suit had stretched out of shape at the shoulders from hanging so long unused in the closet. Probably where the horizontal creases in the legs came from as well. The tie, a nauseous shade of lime green, she recognized from his court appearances. The judge undoubtedly would, too.
She put a hand over his. "Jack. Relax. You're not going to do Johnny any good if you get yourself all worked up. Jane is at her best on the attack. Don't let her make you scared. And don't let her make you mad.
Tell the truth, and keep telling it. Wear her down with it."
She found herself caught in a rough embrace, his face buried between her shoulder and her neck. "I'm scared, Kate. I'm scared to death. She says she wants to move to Tucson, be near her mother. I'll never see him then." Kate pressed her cheek to his and stroked his head, one eye on the mug of coffee she still held in her left hand, trying to keep it from spilling down his back. His hands gripped her, hard, once, before he let her go. His laugh was a little shaky around the edges. "Sorry. I must really be shook."
"Don't be." "Which one?" he said with an attempt at a smile. "Sorry, or shook?"
She cupped his cheek in a brief caress. "Either."
He leaned forward as if to kiss her and the phone rang. He swore and got up to answer. "If it's Ganepole with a delay, I'll--hello? Oh, hello, Ekaterina. Yes, she's right here. Hang on." He handed the telephone to Kate.
"Hello, emaa," Kate said. "No, I've been up for hours. Johnny and Mutt and I just came back from a walk. I'm sorry, what were you saying?" A pause. "What?"
At the window, Jack became aware of a change in Kate's silence and turned to look at her. She stood with the telephone to her ear, coffee mug forgotten in her left hand, all
They arrived back at the townhouse at ten-thirty, red faced and breathless. Jack greeted them at the door with a scowl. "We're going to be late. Get upstairs and into the shower. I've got a clean shirt and your good jacket laid out on your bed. Hop to it."
Johnny disappeared up the stairs and Jack transferred his scowl to Kate.
"Where the hell were you?" "I told you we were going for a walk," she said mildly, shrugging out of her coat. "Relax, Jack. Court's not in session until one o'clock, and didn't your attorney tell you the trial might be delayed a few days anyway, if the one the judge was trying on Friday dragged over?"
He shook his head. "Ganepole just called, she says today's the day." He went into the living room. Kate went into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee before following.
He was pacing back and forth in front of the picture window, hands alternately fussing with his unnaturally slicked- down hair and the knot of his tie. Kate found a seat out of the way and drank coffee. "Do you need me in court today?"
He shook his head without looking at her. "Ganepole says the testimony of the current girlfriend is too easily discredited."
"So you won't need me at all?" Kate said, relieved.
"I don't know. I don't think so. Not unless things really get ugly and we have to throw everything we've got at her. Jane, I mean."
"She wants sole custody, right?"
He nodded, pacing.
"She won't get it, Jack. She can't stop you seeing him. You're his father, and you haven't done anything wrong." He paused long enough to shoot Kate an impatient, angry look. Again, she saw through to the fear beneath. "Jane is vicious, malicious and entirely without scruple."
Kate couldn't have put it better herself.
"Who knows what she's going to say once she gets on the witness stand?
She's a good liar, Kate, the best." "Not the best," Kate said. "Johnny has never believed anything she said about you."
His brow lightened. "That's true." He stopped pacing. "That is true." He sat down next to her and rubbed his palms over the creases in his pant legs.
In ten years Kate had never seen him in anything other than blue jeans.
The suit had stretched out of shape at the shoulders from hanging so long unused in the closet. Probably where the horizontal creases in the legs came from as well. The tie, a nauseous shade of lime green, she recognized from his court appearances. The judge undoubtedly would, too.
She put a hand over his. "Jack. Relax. You're not going to do Johnny any good if you get yourself all worked up. Jane is at her best on the attack. Don't let her make you scared. And don't let her make you mad.
Tell the truth, and keep telling it. Wear her down with it."
She found herself caught in a rough embrace, his face buried between her shoulder and her neck. "I'm scared, Kate. I'm scared to death. She says she wants to move to Tucson, be near her mother. I'll never see him then." Kate pressed her cheek to his and stroked his head, one eye on the mug of coffee she still held in her left hand, trying to keep it from spilling down his back. His hands gripped her, hard, once, before he let her go. His laugh was a little shaky around the edges. "Sorry. I must really be shook."
"Don't be." "Which one?" he said with an attempt at a smile. "Sorry, or shook?"
She cupped his cheek in a brief caress. "Either."
He leaned forward as if to kiss her and the phone rang. He swore and got up to answer. "If it's Ganepole with a delay, I'll--hello? Oh, hello, Ekaterina. Yes, she's right here. Hang on." He handed the telephone to Kate.
"Hello, emaa," Kate said. "No, I've been up for hours. Johnny and Mutt and I just came back from a walk. I'm sorry, what were you saying?" A pause. "What?"
At the window, Jack became aware of a change in Kate's silence and turned to look at her. She stood with the telephone to her ear, coffee mug forgotten in her left hand, all
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