Havoc (Tattoos and Ties 1)

His office door opened, and Alec lifted his gaze to see Jacob, his new assistant, sticking his head inside his office. Jake wasn’t a knocker, nor did he like being called Jake.

“Rosa Daly and her granddaughter are here. Her caseworker has just unexpectedly gone on maternity leave, and I need you or someone in authority to hear this.”

The happiness he managed anytime Key intervened in his day took a dip. Alec reluctantly ignored Key’s incoming text and reached for his portfolio while rising to his feet. “Okay, brief me on the case.”

“We haven’t gotten that far, and it’s not assigned in criminal yet,” Jake explained and grabbed Alec’s suit jacket off the hanger by the door.

Brilliant. It didn’t seem to matter how many long hours or seven-day workweeks he put in, he was always two steps behind.

“What about her investigator?”

“Out for the day.”

“Where are they?” Alec asked, taking the jacket, shrugging it on.

“Room number one. They’re aware they’re being recorded and I’m grabbing the file,” Jake said, leaving him. Alec went toward the meeting rooms and pushed through a side door to enter the restricted space. The hustle and bustle of such a busy office faded as the door shut behind him and his gaze landed on a little girl sitting respectfully in one of the hard-plastic chairs they offered.

She couldn’t have been more than four or five years old, and she sat on the edge of the chair, hands together in her lap with one leg moving, kicking back and forth. Her long chestnut ponytail swayed in rhythm with her foot. Her keen stare took in everything around her, landing on him within seconds of the door opening.

Alec’s heart tripped, and he gave her a small smile when her blue gaze fixed on him. For the briefest of moments, so fast he almost didn’t recognize it, he suspected Key would have been just like this as a child—not really childlike at all. She had a maturity about her, older than her years.

“Rosa Daly?” Alec asked a wearied-eyed woman who looked like she might be in her early fifties. She nodded and rose to her feet, the little girl staying in her seat. Alec traded the portfolio he carried from one hand to another to extend his hand for a shake. “I’m Alec Pierce.”

“Thank you for seein’ us. Donna Smith’s our caseworker, and I don’t think we’ve been assigned a criminal attorney. The police said I should tell y’all, but I guess Donna’s out and I wanted someone to hear what Keely’s sayin’.” Rosa’s hand came protectively down to the little girl whose hand automatically lifted to clasp her grandmother’s.

Alec nodded, looking down at the little girl again. “And you’re Keely?”

She nodded. Well, of course that was her name, the striking similarities between Key and this little girl continued.

“Jacob’s on his way back. I understand you’ve spoken with him already?” Alec asked, taking a seat directly across from Rosa, who nodded. The buzzer on the door alerted him to Jake entering the room. His assistant placed his laptop on the table, turning the screen toward Alec so he could quickly scan the page, reading the basic facts of this case.

Keely’s father was currently incarcerated for a probation violation. Keely was in the vehicle when he and her mother were arrested. The authorities found a sizable amount of methamphetamines in the backseat where Keely sat with a firearm in her hands that had discharged. Alec’s gaze narrowed as he turned back to the little girl. She didn’t appear maimed, and the case file didn’t list any fatalities or injuries.

He’d study the case more fully later. But he took another moment to scan to the most current note, dated two days ago, where the caseworker had recommended termination of parental rights and listed Rosa Daly as Keely’s guardian.

“Okay, what can I do for you today?” he asked. Turning his gaze back to the little girl, in a calm voice, he said, “Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“Keely, tell this man what you told me,” Rosa said, and those sharp eyes darkened.

Keely looked up at her grandmother who smiled and nodded. The little girl took a breath and turned that piercing stare to Alec. “My daddy’s going to Mexico when he gets out of jail, and if I tell, I’m getting a spanking, but Gramma said he can’t hit me anymore.” Keely glanced up at Rosa again in silent confirmation of her words. Rosa continued holding the little girl’s hand, her thumb caressing over the top. He saw genuine love between the two.

“Finish, Keely. Tell them about that night,” Rosa encouraged.

“My mama and daddy were being yelled at, and a mean man that’s friends with my daddy put a gun in my mama’s face when they didn’t have enough bags.” Keely again looked up to get encouragement from her grandmother. “Oh yeah, my daddy hid a bag in the backseat. That’s why they didn’t have enough bags, and he pulled a gun on the bad guy when the bad guy pulled a gun on my mama, and they all yelled at each other, then I yelled, ‘Stop yelling.’”