Read Online Like Father Like Daughter by Christina Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

as she had when I was little.
    Thinking of the old days, as I prepared myself for jail, reminded me of the first and only time I had visited Randy in prison.
     
    It was right after he had confessed. Mom had insisted, and since I was only sixteen at the time, I didn’t have much say in the matter. We sat across from him at an institutional steel table. Mom was calm and happy to see him, but I was nervous, uncomfortable, and unable to look up from my lap. Randy was smiling and trying to exude confidence, but I just couldn’t bring myself to look at him for more than a few seconds at a time. He kept trying to speak to me, but I just ignored him and looked either at my hands or out the window to the right. Mom kept trying to make small talk, as if we weren’t sitting in a maximum security prison, but I couldn’t bring myself to say one word to him. If I opened my mouth, I knew I would upset Mom, so I remained silent. I swore then and there I would never return to prison.
     
    I was so naïve back then.
     
    ***
     
    Dave and I arrived at the jail promptly at ten o’clock in the morning. Just as I had expected, there were news crews and reporters surrounding the square, red-brick building in the center of town, with black letters across the front that read ‘Jessamine County Detention Center.’ We sat in his car in the parking lot across from the jail. So far, no one had noticed our arrival.
    “Libby,” he began with a sigh. “There’s something I have to tell you. I’m sorry to tell you now, but I only found out this morning myself.”
    My heart started beating a mile a minute, and I could feel my pulse throbbing at my temples. What could possibly be worse than being five minutes away from surrendering myself to jail for a crime I—probably—didn’t commit?
    “What is it?” I asked hesitantly.
    “It’s about Ryan. Detective Dorne called me this morning. Apparently, he’s known for several days, and even presented this information to the grand jury, which explains a lot, quite frankly.”
    “What is it, Dave?” I looked at him and noticed for the first time how handsome he was, even though he was old enough to be my father. His hair was almost fully grey, and his skin was smooth and free of wrinkles, except for the worry lines that were evident around his deep blue eyes.
    “Ryan was having an affair. I’m sorry, Libby.”
    I laid my head back against the firm leather headrest of Dave’s black Lexus. An affair. Ryan was screwing somebody else. There was the motive they needed. This was why I had been indicted. But how could I not know?
    “How do they know for sure? I mean, I didn’t know. You have to believe me, Dave. I had no idea.”
    He held out his hand in an apparent effort to keep me from flipping out on him. “I believe you. I don’t think anyone knew, to be honest. But Detective Dorne figured it out after reviewing Ryan’s cell phone records and email history.”
    “Who is she?”
    “Her name is Lindsey Unser. Do you know her?”
    “No, I have no idea who that is.”
    I looked out the window at the place that quite possibly could be my home for the foreseeable future. The more I thought about it, the more things started to fall into place, like a puzzle missing that one stubborn piece you just can’t find. I thought of all the time Ryan spent in the bathroom “reading.” All the “extra hours” at work over the past year. The lull in our sex life. Of course he was having an affair. And I was too naïve to see it. Or too dumb. Or too ignorant. Or all of the above.
    “Well, as I’m sure you can imagine, in Detective Dorne’s mind, it’s all the motive he needs. He told the grand jury you found out about the affair and that’s why you killed him.”
    “But I didn’t know!”
    “I know, I know. And we’ll explain that to a jury if it comes to that, and we’ll point out there’s no evidence whatsoever that you had any idea about the affair. Libby, I’m very sorry to be the one to