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Authors: Danielle Steel
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do this for his sister. Jack hadn’t realized they were twins until he read her birth date on the paperwork the Iowa police had sent him. Iowa was Charlie’s home state, although he had moved to New York years before.
“All right, all right. But if it gets to be too much for you, I’ll let you out. Or take you off it, if you get too stressed.”
“I’m not too stressed,” Charlie said calmly. “I’ve never hated someone so much in my life. That’s different.” Jack nodded, hoping he was doing the right thing, and remembering Charlie smashing Quentin’s face into the pavement and breaking his nose the night they arrested him.
“I’m leaving you on the case, but I don’t want you alone with him for interrogation, and I don’t want you in his face, or him in yours. Is that clear?” Charlie nodded. “That’s a little too much for your nerves and mine. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Charlie left his office then, having to digest the information he had suspected for months but never known for sure. Luke Quentin had raped and strangled his twin sister. He waited until he got home, to lie on his bed and burst into tears. It was early days yet, and they had a long way to go, but the case was taking a toll on all of them, in one way or another, and it was going to get a lot worse.
Chapter 5
The rest of January flew by, and Alexa was swamped at the office. They got a match on Quentin on five victims in Pennsylvania, and one they hadn’t even known about in Kentucky. With the women in Iowa and Illinois, they had thirteen rape and murder victims now. The charges were incorporated into their case, by agreement with the other states, and it was in the press all over the country.
Alexa had made a brief statement to the media, but otherwise declined to comment. She didn’t want to do or say anything wrong. The case was just too important. And there were at least a dozen more victims in question, in a variety of states where he had traveled. It had turned into a national story, and Alexa was constantly meeting with detectives from other states. Jack was gathering information, and Alexa was already busy preparing for the trial. Finally, in early February, Alexa had time for a quiet dinner with her mother after work.
“You look tired,” her mother said, looking worried.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I only have three months till the trial.” She was up till three in the morning every night, reading case law and making notes.
“Well, just don’t wear yourself out totally. How’s Savannah? Has she heard anything from the schools yet?”
“Not till March or April,” Alexa answered with a sigh. “She’s going skiing with her father next week. If he shows up. Most of the time, he flakes on her. He’ll probably do it again,” Alexa said with a look of irritation. She hated his disappointing Savannah, who always forgave him. It was enough that he had hurt her.
“Maybe he won’t flake this time,” Muriel said quietly. “I hope not.”
“Why?” Alexa asked, looking exasperated. She hated her ex-husband, everything he stood for, and everything he’d done to them. He had banished them from his life, out of weakness. It had been easier for him to give in to his mother and ex-wife than to stand by them. She loathed the worm he had turned out to be. “Why do you hope he won’t flake?” Alexa asked, suddenly angry at her mother.
“Because it’s good for her to see her father, at least once in a while. She loves him. You may hate him, and I understand that, I don’t like him either, for what he did to you. But he’s still her father, Allie. Better the reality, with all its flaws and frailties, than a fantasy she makes of him.” Alexa smiled at what her mother said. She hadn’t called her “Allie” in years. But Alexa was still a child to her, just as Savannah always would be to Alexa and still was now.
“Maybe you’re right,” Alexa said, backing down. “But I grew up without a
“All right, all right. But if it gets to be too much for you, I’ll let you out. Or take you off it, if you get too stressed.”
“I’m not too stressed,” Charlie said calmly. “I’ve never hated someone so much in my life. That’s different.” Jack nodded, hoping he was doing the right thing, and remembering Charlie smashing Quentin’s face into the pavement and breaking his nose the night they arrested him.
“I’m leaving you on the case, but I don’t want you alone with him for interrogation, and I don’t want you in his face, or him in yours. Is that clear?” Charlie nodded. “That’s a little too much for your nerves and mine. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Charlie left his office then, having to digest the information he had suspected for months but never known for sure. Luke Quentin had raped and strangled his twin sister. He waited until he got home, to lie on his bed and burst into tears. It was early days yet, and they had a long way to go, but the case was taking a toll on all of them, in one way or another, and it was going to get a lot worse.
Chapter 5
The rest of January flew by, and Alexa was swamped at the office. They got a match on Quentin on five victims in Pennsylvania, and one they hadn’t even known about in Kentucky. With the women in Iowa and Illinois, they had thirteen rape and murder victims now. The charges were incorporated into their case, by agreement with the other states, and it was in the press all over the country.
Alexa had made a brief statement to the media, but otherwise declined to comment. She didn’t want to do or say anything wrong. The case was just too important. And there were at least a dozen more victims in question, in a variety of states where he had traveled. It had turned into a national story, and Alexa was constantly meeting with detectives from other states. Jack was gathering information, and Alexa was already busy preparing for the trial. Finally, in early February, Alexa had time for a quiet dinner with her mother after work.
“You look tired,” her mother said, looking worried.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I only have three months till the trial.” She was up till three in the morning every night, reading case law and making notes.
“Well, just don’t wear yourself out totally. How’s Savannah? Has she heard anything from the schools yet?”
“Not till March or April,” Alexa answered with a sigh. “She’s going skiing with her father next week. If he shows up. Most of the time, he flakes on her. He’ll probably do it again,” Alexa said with a look of irritation. She hated his disappointing Savannah, who always forgave him. It was enough that he had hurt her.
“Maybe he won’t flake this time,” Muriel said quietly. “I hope not.”
“Why?” Alexa asked, looking exasperated. She hated her ex-husband, everything he stood for, and everything he’d done to them. He had banished them from his life, out of weakness. It had been easier for him to give in to his mother and ex-wife than to stand by them. She loathed the worm he had turned out to be. “Why do you hope he won’t flake?” Alexa asked, suddenly angry at her mother.
“Because it’s good for her to see her father, at least once in a while. She loves him. You may hate him, and I understand that, I don’t like him either, for what he did to you. But he’s still her father, Allie. Better the reality, with all its flaws and frailties, than a fantasy she makes of him.” Alexa smiled at what her mother said. She hadn’t called her “Allie” in years. But Alexa was still a child to her, just as Savannah always would be to Alexa and still was now.
“Maybe you’re right,” Alexa said, backing down. “But I grew up without a
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