Shielded In The Shadows

Since his release. Bill had said many times that he hadn’t ever hurt Suzie, and never would. It was the first time there’d been a disclaimer with the statement. Could be that Bill was specifying because they were discussing a current situation. But what if Emma was right? What if Bill had hit Suzie in the past? Did that change the now?

Having a second chance meant you’d blown your first one. What was past was past and you were starting over. Right? Getting it better the second time around. Had Bill lied to him about what he’d done the first time?

“Did you ever hit her in the past?”

“Not like that bitch prosecutor said.” Bill’s disregard for Emma came out loud and clear, but that was nothing new to Jayden. Not from Bill or other offenders. Not many people were fond of those who put them away. To be rabidly accused, in front of a panel and courtroom of witnesses, in minute detail... Even if you were guilty, that was a tough gig.

And no matter how used he was to that kind of prosecutor battering conversation, it rankled more than a little to hear it directed at Emma. And made him a bit less fond of Bill Heber.

“But you did hit her?”

“I might have raised a hand to her a time or two. But I swear, Jayden, a slap, that’s all it was. When I was sure she was lying to me about seeing another guy. I know it was wrong, unforgivable. But it was nothing like that Martin woman accused me of. Nothing. I die every day thinking about that baby we lost, all because of me. Because of my insane jealousy making her so stressed she couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep...”

The pain in Bill’s words resonated with Jayden. After all the years he’d been doing the job, he’d learned to detect true remorse. Had always been pretty decent at reading people, even back when he’d been mostly about himself. Back then it had been a way to make sure his own world moved smoothly.

“Just stay away from her, okay?” he said now. “And if you hit a rough patch, call me. Or get to a group therapy session. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Talk soon,” Jayden said, hoping to God Chantel and her people found the guy who was hurting Suzie Heber soon. Because he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be able to keep Bill at bay. The man loved his wife. At some point he was going to give in to the need to protect her. It was an instinct, not a desire. Something that would push at him from the inside out and eventually win.

Just like Emma’s belief that Bill was the culprit was pushing at him. Jayden had to find a way to do something about that.

Hanging up, he headed back inside.

* * *

Emma was in the kitchen, notes from Bill Heber’s trial spread around her, when she heard Jayden come back inside. She had no idea who he’d been talking to. He’d been looking at his phone before he’d gone out; obviously had had a message that needed immediate attention.

She got it. He worked as much as she did. There was comfort in that.

She’d jumped into the shower, planning to head into the office for a few hours once Jayden left. Sometimes just being at her desk, especially when the office was quiet, settled everything inside her until she could find whatever puzzle piece she needed.

And she had a couple of court appearances in the morning. A manslaughter trial starting in a couple of weeks. There was always more to do than there was time to do it.

“I have to talk to Suzie Heber,” she said when Jayden came into the kitchen fully dressed. She’d heard him go back to her room; figured he was probably getting ready to go. He emptied what was left of his coffee down the drain, rinsed the cup and put it in the dishwasher.

Not a single one of the men she’d been with in her life had done that. Not even her father. Drake wouldn’t even have carried it into the kitchen, let alone put it in the sink.

“What’s up?” he asked, stopping halfway between the sink and her spot at the table, car keys in hand.

“I keep feeling like there’s something I missed before. Something that will tie then to now, to prove that Bill is back to his old behavior. That he’s a diabolically dangerous man. I’ve been over and over the interviews, the testimonies, the reports, and I couldn’t find anything significant. And maybe that’s because, until this week, it was so insignificant I just let it go.”

“What was so insignificant?”

He came closer, his gaze focused, and she had to pause a second while a wave of emotion passed through her.

It was nice, working with him. Someone as dedicated as she was. Who understood the dedication. The drive.

“I noticed earlier this week... Suzie answered every question I asked, in multiple interviews, when Bill was on trial with me. Every one of them. Except one. When she found out she was pregnant, she’d thought Bill would be thrilled. He’d wanted them to have a child together, said it would cement them together forever. Instead, when she told him, he flew off in a rage. Said the child couldn’t be his. That she’d been unfaithful to him,” she reported.

“He told me he struggled with jealousy from the moment he fell in love with her,” Jayden shot back immediately. “He just couldn’t believe that someone as young and beautiful as she was would really love him, an old fart. His words, not mine. He said the jealousy would make him almost insane at times, in his thoughts. And that he’d accused her of awful things. He also said that he’d take off, go for a drive, or just go mow the lawn, settle down, and come to his senses, and he’d apologize. That things would be good for a while, until the doubts started to eat at him again. He said that’s what hurt Suzie. His doubts. That she never knew when he’d get jealous again, and was always watching every move she made so that she didn’t risk feeding his doubts.”

“Yeah, she told me that, too,” Emma confirmed. “She was talking about having to watch every move she made, being afraid to answer the phone when he was around in case it was a telemarketer and he would think she and the marketer were lying to him and insist that it was a lover who’d called, not knowing Bill was going to be home.”

Was he finally beginning to see Bill more clearly? The thought was a relief, and scared her, too. It made Bill as her perp that much more real. The man was unstable. Violent.

“So what question didn’t Suzie answer?”