Adeline couldn’t stop thinking about Nora and her father and last night. She had replayed the scene in her mind a hundred times, but that only made her feel worse. She regretted what she had done. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t lost it—if she hadn’t lashed out, maybe Nora would still be alive; maybe she and her father would still be free—
The door to her suite opened, and two of her father’s friends—Elliott and Tom—strode in. Behind them was a man she didn’t know. The stranger introduced himself as Victor Levy, an attorney Adeline’s father had hired to represent them.
He set a recorder on the coffee table and asked what Adeline had said to the police.
When she had told him, he said something Adeline had been hoping to hear since this morning: “We’re going to get you out of here, Miss Anderson. Soon, I hope.”
*
Sam checked the time.
2:54 p.m.
That meant it was almost eleven in the evening in London, but Sarah’s sister, Amanda, was a night owl. She was Sarah’s only sibling and had never married, unless one counted her marriage to her job as a stage actress.
Sam picked up the phone and talked with the police operator. They didn’t seem to have any issues placing the call. After all, Sam was allowed a phone call, and technically, he hadn’t used it.
Amanda answered on the third ring, sounding confused. “Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Sam.”
“Sam,” she breathed out. “I thought I might hear from you today. I haven’t stopped thinking about her. I could barely get through rehearsal.”
“Yeah. It’s a tough day. But that’s not why I’m calling. Listen, I know this is unexpected, but I’m wondering if Adeline and Ryan could come and stay with you.”
“Um, well, it’s not a good time, Sam. We’re set to go out on tour on Monday. They could come around the end of June.”
“No, I’m not saying for a visit. I mean permanently.”
“I don’t understand. What are you playing at?”
“I’m going away, Amanda.”
“To where? Why? What’s happened?”
“I can’t tell you. At least, not yet. I just need to know if you can take them.”
“Well, frankly, no, I can’t. My life simply isn’t set up to have children at home. And to be quite honest, I’m not sure I am either. And I’d like to know what this is all about. I think I’m owed that much.”
“You sure are. I’ll call you back, Amanda, when I can, and when I can tell you.”
When they had hung up, Sam paced the room, mentally debating who would be the best guardian for his children. Adeline was technically already over the age of majority in the State of Nevada. But she couldn’t reasonably adopt Ryan, or raise him. Sam couldn’t ask her to do that. And she was still enrolled in college.
His first thought was Elliott, but the more he thought about it, the less he liked that idea.
A knock at the door brought him out of the mental debate, and Sam found Levy and Tom waiting outside.
When they were seated, Levy said, “We have an agreement with the DA—in principle. Our offered account agrees with their evidence, and I think, between you and me, they also would rather avoid a trial.”
“So what happens now?”
“They want to see the exact text of the confession before they’ll formally make an offer. Then you’ll sign it.”
Levy took out his laptop, and the three of them worked on the language until they were satisfied.
When they were done, Sam made one last request. “I need to see Dani.”
“I’ll tell her,” Tom said.
As the two attorneys were leaving, Levy paused. “With my clientele, I see some pretty strange cases. But once I get the whole picture and study it long enough, it makes sense, even the crazy things people do. But I’ve been trying to get my head around this one, Sam, and I can’t.”
“Maybe it will one day. If you give it enough time.”