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Authors: Brian Freeman
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man.’
‘Do it!’ Kirk snapped. ‘I’ll be waiting.’
‘Okay. Sure. Whatever you say.’
‘Then we deal with Olivia Hawk.’
Lenny paled. ‘She’s in prison,’ he protested.
‘The judge will let her out.’
‘Yeah, but why bother with her? Everybody says she’s going to be locked up for life.’
‘Then we’ll give her something to think about while she rots,’ Kirk said.
Lenny’s palms were sweating again. He felt himself growing aroused at the thought of Olivia. She was the only one he wanted, with her pouty lips and the brown hair that always fell over one eye. When she talked in class, she was so intense. So sure of herself.She was amazing. He wondered what it would be like to sleep with someone like that, but she barely knew who he was.
That didn’t stop him from fantasizing about her.
Following her.
‘Do you really think Olivia killed Ashlynn?’ he murmured to his brother.
Kirk’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you talking about, Leno?’
‘It just doesn’t seem like something she would do. Not her.’
‘How the hell would you know?’
‘I don’t, man.’
‘She did it,’ Kirk insisted. ‘That bitch shot Ashlynn. End of story.’
6
‘Do I get to tell the judge that I’m not guilty?’ Olivia asked.
Chris shook his head. ‘Not yet.’
‘So what do I say?’
‘For now, nothing. Leave it to me.’
‘But people should know that I didn’t do it,’ his daughter protested. ‘Why can’t I tell them?’
‘You will. Later. This is just a detention hearing. If it lasts five minutes, that’s a long time. If the judge releases you, which I expect he will, we’ll work through some paperwork, and then I’ll take you home.’
‘Great. Jail still sucks.’
‘I know.’
He didn’t add that an overnight stay in jail was nothing compared with the prospect of twenty-five years.
‘Florian Steele probably has the judge in his back pocket,’ Olivia said. ‘He won’t let me out.’
‘Yes, he will. It’ll be okay, but keep your cool in there. Don’t say anything, don’t do anything, and
don’t
swear. Got it? If you act out, you give the judge an excuse to keep you locked up.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
Chris added, ‘The county attorney thinks we should consider having you stay in jail for your own protection.’
‘No way. Not a chance.’
‘I didn’t say that’s what we’re going to do, but he’s right about keeping you safe. I’ll hire someone to watch the house in St. Croix, and once we get there, you stay put.’
‘So what, I’m a prisoner at home, too?’ Olivia asked. ‘I can take care of myself, Dad.’
‘No, you can’t.’
His daughter made a face at him, but she didn’t argue.
‘Did you tell Mom I didn’t do it?’ she asked.
‘I did.’
‘What did she say? Did she believe me?’
‘Of course, she did.’ Chris had no intention of sharing Hannah’s secret doubts. Olivia didn’t need to hear them.
He checked his watch. They needed to be in court in less than fifteen minutes. ‘Listen, I don’t think you shot Ashlynn, but I also think you’re
not
telling me everything you know. You can’t keep things from me, Olivia. You’re being charged with murder.’
‘I don’t know what happened, Dad. Really.’
‘Let’s start at the beginning. Who knew you were meeting Tanya out at the ghost town that night?’
‘Nobody.’
‘Did you see other cars? Did you see or hear anything to suggest that someone else was in the town?’
‘No, we didn’t hear anyone. Nobody was around until Ashlynn showed up.’
‘Where did she come from?’
‘She said she was heading back to Barron and got a flat tire.’
‘Did she say where she’d been?’
‘No.’ After a pause, she added, ‘Ashlynn told us she’d been driving for hours.’
‘Hours?’ Chris asked.
‘That’s what she said. I figured she was lying, but—’ Olivia stopped, biting her lip.
‘Why did you think she was lying?’
‘I thought maybe she’d been in St.
‘Do it!’ Kirk snapped. ‘I’ll be waiting.’
‘Okay. Sure. Whatever you say.’
‘Then we deal with Olivia Hawk.’
Lenny paled. ‘She’s in prison,’ he protested.
‘The judge will let her out.’
‘Yeah, but why bother with her? Everybody says she’s going to be locked up for life.’
‘Then we’ll give her something to think about while she rots,’ Kirk said.
Lenny’s palms were sweating again. He felt himself growing aroused at the thought of Olivia. She was the only one he wanted, with her pouty lips and the brown hair that always fell over one eye. When she talked in class, she was so intense. So sure of herself.She was amazing. He wondered what it would be like to sleep with someone like that, but she barely knew who he was.
That didn’t stop him from fantasizing about her.
Following her.
‘Do you really think Olivia killed Ashlynn?’ he murmured to his brother.
Kirk’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you talking about, Leno?’
‘It just doesn’t seem like something she would do. Not her.’
‘How the hell would you know?’
‘I don’t, man.’
‘She did it,’ Kirk insisted. ‘That bitch shot Ashlynn. End of story.’
6
‘Do I get to tell the judge that I’m not guilty?’ Olivia asked.
Chris shook his head. ‘Not yet.’
‘So what do I say?’
‘For now, nothing. Leave it to me.’
‘But people should know that I didn’t do it,’ his daughter protested. ‘Why can’t I tell them?’
‘You will. Later. This is just a detention hearing. If it lasts five minutes, that’s a long time. If the judge releases you, which I expect he will, we’ll work through some paperwork, and then I’ll take you home.’
‘Great. Jail still sucks.’
‘I know.’
He didn’t add that an overnight stay in jail was nothing compared with the prospect of twenty-five years.
‘Florian Steele probably has the judge in his back pocket,’ Olivia said. ‘He won’t let me out.’
‘Yes, he will. It’ll be okay, but keep your cool in there. Don’t say anything, don’t do anything, and
don’t
swear. Got it? If you act out, you give the judge an excuse to keep you locked up.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
Chris added, ‘The county attorney thinks we should consider having you stay in jail for your own protection.’
‘No way. Not a chance.’
‘I didn’t say that’s what we’re going to do, but he’s right about keeping you safe. I’ll hire someone to watch the house in St. Croix, and once we get there, you stay put.’
‘So what, I’m a prisoner at home, too?’ Olivia asked. ‘I can take care of myself, Dad.’
‘No, you can’t.’
His daughter made a face at him, but she didn’t argue.
‘Did you tell Mom I didn’t do it?’ she asked.
‘I did.’
‘What did she say? Did she believe me?’
‘Of course, she did.’ Chris had no intention of sharing Hannah’s secret doubts. Olivia didn’t need to hear them.
He checked his watch. They needed to be in court in less than fifteen minutes. ‘Listen, I don’t think you shot Ashlynn, but I also think you’re
not
telling me everything you know. You can’t keep things from me, Olivia. You’re being charged with murder.’
‘I don’t know what happened, Dad. Really.’
‘Let’s start at the beginning. Who knew you were meeting Tanya out at the ghost town that night?’
‘Nobody.’
‘Did you see other cars? Did you see or hear anything to suggest that someone else was in the town?’
‘No, we didn’t hear anyone. Nobody was around until Ashlynn showed up.’
‘Where did she come from?’
‘She said she was heading back to Barron and got a flat tire.’
‘Did she say where she’d been?’
‘No.’ After a pause, she added, ‘Ashlynn told us she’d been driving for hours.’
‘Hours?’ Chris asked.
‘That’s what she said. I figured she was lying, but—’ Olivia stopped, biting her lip.
‘Why did you think she was lying?’
‘I thought maybe she’d been in St.
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