“Why are you here?” Jamie asked. “Thought you weren’t a cop?”
“I’m not,” I said. “I’ve been sharing information with the police department about Rebecca’s investigation.”
Most information.
Turned out Maddie couldn’t lift any decent prints off the children’s book I gave her. All she found were smudges and food stains. Instead of taking it back, I told her to hold onto it and to let Sheppard know she had it.
“Where’s the big buffoon?” Jamie asked.
“Coop? He, ahh … won’t be bothering you any more today.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have anything to say to you either.”
“Then I’ll talk, and you can listen. I don’t understand why you abducted Oliver today.”
He leaned back in the chair and kept quiet.
“Did you know Oliver met the guy Rebecca was dating?” I asked. “I heard she didn’t allow her son to meet her dates unless it was serious, so whoever he is, he must have meant something to her.”
Jamie raised a brow but pressed on with the silent treatment.
Words weren’t needed for me to see he was surprised by what I’d just said.
I kept going.
“When I saw Oliver the other day, he gave me a book he’d received from this man. He knew Rebecca called the guy Bunny. For a minute, I thought I’d figured out who Bunny is, but I was wrong.”
“And?”
“Did you have sex with Rebecca in the months leading up to her death? I’ll ask you again. Was the baby she was carrying yours? Are you Bunny?”
He scoffed in irritation. “Are you crazy?”
“Crazy enough to get to the truth, yes, I suppose so.”
“The kid she was pregnant with wasn’t mine. We had sex once. One time, years ago. Oliver knows my name, my real name, not some stupid nickname Rebecca made up. I’m not Bunny.”
“You told me you hired a lawyer to help you get custody of Oliver. Why take him this morning? Why not wait and let your lawyer handle things?”
“And give his grandparents enough time to turn him against me? I don’t think so. Yesterday my lawyer called to inform me the process will take a lot longer than I thought. What was I supposed to do?”
“You’ve been charged with child abduction, Jamie,” I said. “Before you took him, you had a good chance of the court ruling in your favor. Now, who knows what will happen?”
“Oliver’s mine. I shouldn’t have to fight to see him.”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t.”
We locked eyes, and I waited, watching a grown man bite his lip and fight against the tears pooling around his eyes. I no longer believed he was Bunny. I wanted to believe he wasn’t capable of harming his unborn child or Rebecca.
The door opened, and in walked a man I’d hoped to never see again, a man I’d gone on a date with a couple of years before. Allen Nielsen had once taken me to a fast-food restaurant and spent the entire date talking about himself. By the end of the meal, I knew a lot about him, and he knew nothing about me. I assumed we both knew the date had been a bust, until he left me a half a dozen phone messages—messages I’d never returned.
I shifted in my seat and uttered an awkward, “Hey, Allen.”
He returned the sentiment with a smile that said he was thrilled to have an opportunity to shaft me in the same way I’d shafted him.
“My client has nothing further to say,” he said. “You’re done here, Sloane.”
I nodded and stood.
“Wait,” Jamie said.
“Don’t say another word,” Allen said.
“You’re my lawyer. It’s my decision.”
“What is it, Jamie?” I asked.
“I’d never harm Rebecca. I loved her, and I love my son. It’s the truth.”
I smirked at Allen and then looked at Jamie and said, “I believe you.”
I left the room feeling like I’d just given myself a high-five. It was nice to have the last word for once.