Chapter Seventeen

Summer led the commissioner into Owen’s office. She hoped Owen would forgive her when she found out what she was up to, but that ship might’ve sailed.

“Are you going to take me through a trial run of my testimony?”

That’s what she’d told his aide. She’d also told him that she had to do it in private and given some cooked-up explanation that was loosely grounded in the rules of evidence, but mostly made up.

“In a minute, but first I wanted to talk to you about your wife. I know this sounds crazy, but when Owen and I met with you in your office, your wife was there. Her spirit. She’s been looking out for you and she thinks you’re in trouble.”

He crossed his arms and frowned at her. “You’re right, that does sound crazy. And it’s not very nice. I miss her more than you can imagine, but she’s gone. I’ve spent every day since she died trying to get used to that fact.”

I need a sign. Something to convince him you’re here. It didn’t always work, and it felt like old school parlor magic, but it didn’t hurt to ask a spirit for some kind of bona fide to prove her credibility. Seconds passed. She wasn’t getting anything, and she could tell Adams was getting impatient with her. He was shifting in his chair, and any minute now, he was going to get up and leave.

The picture appeared in her head, hazy, but clear enough. Script spelling out the words “To my Rose.” She could hear a tune, faint, but she recognized it because Faith had come home from school, humming it soon after they moved to Dallas. “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” None of it made any sense to her, but it was all she had. “You called her Rose. To my Rose.” She started humming the tune, feeling foolish and hoping it worked.

“The music box. How did you know? I gave it to her for our first anniversary and she kept it all these years.”

“You loved her very much.”

He sank into a chair, looking defeated. “I did.”

“She loves you too.”

He looked at her with imploring eyes. “She wouldn’t say that now.”

“Why? She knows you’re in trouble, but she doesn’t blame you for it.” Summer reached for  his hand. “She told me so I can help you. I promise I can help you,” she said, hoping it was true. “I know that Arthur Fuentes killed your wife, but I don’t think it was a botched burglary. I think someone hired him to do it. Do you know who could have done that?”

“Did you know I have a daughter? She looks just like her mother. She’s at college. A junior this year. She’s all I have left.”

It all started clicking into place. Fuentes being hired to threaten Carrie to intimidate the commissioner. With Carrie gone, his daughter was the next likely leverage someone could use against him. But who and why? “Who threatened your daughter? Was it the same person who hired Fuentes? Tell me and I can help you.”

A knock on the door startled them both. Summer considered ignoring it, but it might be Owen wondering who was in her office without permission. Summer cracked the door and saw the tall, skinny guy who’d been with the commissioner downstairs. “Hi,” she said.

“Hello.” His smile was perfunctory. “Is the commissioner with you? He’s needed downstairs.”

She glanced back at the commissioner and saw fear in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure if it was residual from the conversation they’d just had or related to the guy standing in front of her.

“We’ll be just a bit longer.” No way would they be finished with opening statements already. She imagined Faith sitting alone in the gallery of the courtroom watching Owen and wondering where she was. “We’ll be down in a few minutes.”

She moved to shut the door, but the man raised a hand and blocked it from closing. “I need you both to come with me. Now. It’s urgent.”

Summer’s stomach clenched, and she didn’t need to see Carrie Adams jumping up and down behind him, waving her arms, to know this guy was trouble. “Commissioner, talk to me. Who is this guy?”

“Don’t let him in.” The commissioner’s voice was shaky but adamant. And then he surprised her by pressing his hands together and saying, “Rose, don’t let anything happen to our daughter.”

The guy at the door wasn’t giving up that easy. He pushed against the door, and Summer slid backward trying to hold it in place. Would he really try something right here in the courthouse? She considered her options and, since she’d already made a fool of herself once, she figured she may as well go all the way. “Help!” She yelled louder the second time. “Please help!”

✥ ✥ ✥

Owen strode quickly through the back hallway to the door that led into Judge Whalen’s court, but when she reached for the door handle, it opened from the other side and Faith and Dalton were standing in front of her.

“Faith,” she said. “I was coming to look for you.”

“Mom’s in trouble.”

“She insisted we had to find you,” Dalton said. “I’ll try to hold her seat. Judge said she’s finishing up reviewing the pretrial motions and she’ll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks, Dalton.” Owen waited until he ducked back into the courtroom. “Faith, do you know where your mom is right now?”

She shook her head. “I’ve tried texting and calling, but she doesn’t answer. I know it sounds stupid, but I can tell when something’s wrong.”

Owen placed a hand on each of Faith’s shoulders. “It doesn’t sound stupid. It sounds like you have a really strong connection. Can you tap into it now and tell me if she’s still in the building?”

Faith closed her eyes, and in that moment, Owen wondered if this was what Summer looked like as a little girl. Had she felt different because she had a superpower no one else could understand? She never wanted Faith to feel that way, and she wished she could take back the hurtful words she’d said to Summer. She vowed she would as soon as she found her. “That’s right, Faith. You’ve got this. Let me know what you see.”

“Looks like an office. There’s someone with her. I think they’re in the building.”

Adams. Had she been right all along? Had Adams hired Fuentes to kill his wife? If so, he could be dangerous, and Summer was somewhere in the building with him. In an office. Could they be in her office? Besides the war room where they’d done their trial prep, it was the only other office in the building Summer would be familiar with, so they may as well start there.

Owen crouched down so she was level with Faith. “Faith, I need you to go back in the courtroom and find Mary—she was with me this morning. Tell her I said to do whatever she needs to do, but she needs to get the judge to hold off on starting the trial until I get back. Can you do that?”

Faith nodded. “Are you going to find my mom?”

“Yes. And I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise.”

As soon as Faith cleared the door back into the courtroom, Owen took off running back to the jury room where she’d left Kira a few minutes ago, thankful to find her still there.

“Hey,” Kira said. “I’m sorry about earlier. I—”

“Are you carrying right now?” Owen blurted out.

“Yes.”

“Follow me.” Owen took off and hoped Kira was behind her. She ran down the back hallway, out the door into the main hall and dodged her way through the crowd. The elected district attorney had a private elevator. Mia had given her the code once when she was working on a special project for her. She hadn’t used it in over a year, but she prayed it hadn’t changed. She skidded to a stop in front of the elevator and punched in the code, jamming her fist in the air when the doors opened. She stepped in and glanced back at Kira, who was a few steps behind. “Come on.”

Kira made it on board as the doors closed, and after catching her breath, asked. “Mind telling me where we’re going?”

“My office. I think Summer’s in trouble, and I think she’s there with someone.”

“You think or you know?”

“Look, I know it sounds crazy. This is your chance to make up for this morning. Don’t do anything or say anything unless I ask you to. Just be my backup. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They spent the next few moments in silence until the elevator dinged its arrival on the eleventh floor. When the doors opened, Owen took off running, with Kira close behind her. The minute she turned down the hallway toward her office, she heard Summer’s voice yelling for help. She pumped her legs faster and yelled, “We’re coming!” as loud as she could, praying she would get there in time, but when she pulled within a few feet of the door, the cries had stopped.

The door was standing wide open and she edged along the wall to stay out of sight. Kira appeared behind her and followed her lead. When she was close to the opening, she risked a peek through the doorjamb. “What the hell?” She stepped around the door and walked into her office. Commissioner Adams was standing in front of her desk with one foot on the back of a man lying facedown on the ground. She didn’t see anyone else in the room, but she felt Summer’s presence and a second later, Summer popped out from behind the door brandishing a stapler, which she promptly dropped to the ground.

“You found us.”

Owen pulled Summer into her arms and held her tight while Kira cuffed the guy Commissioner Adams had apparently wrestled to the ground. “I was so worried.”

“Me too.”

“I’m sorry I was an ass.”

“I know.” Summer leaned back in her arms and Owen could see the broad smile on her face. “It’s probably going to happen again, but I love you anyway.”

“I’m counting on it.”