“If I’m so sweet,” Joel said, “how come you won’t have dinner with me?”
“Did I say I wouldn’t?”
Joel laughed. “Good. I’ll pick you up about six. How’s that sound?”
“Perfect.”
Chloe wasn’t living with Joel, she’d had enough of that. But she had moved to Los Angeles when he landed a job with the Times following his award-winning series on Roy Walker and the Miranda Saxton murder. She liked Joel a lot. She thought she was probably even in love with him, but she enjoyed her independence. She shared a small student apartment with another girl and was slowly making friends from her classes. There was a lot of life Chloe wanted to experience before she settled down. And when she did settle, she was going to do it right. Someday, if she was lucky, she might even end up with a nice house in a nice neighborhood with trees and birds and a grassy yard for her kids to play in.
*****
Diana was at her office desk, having just responded to Emily’s latest email, when Jack Saffire stopped by, something he did several times a day. He’d lost his wife to cancer three years earlier so he understood some of what she was going through. Diana had always found him easy to work for, and when she’d started at the paper full-time, it had been an easy transition from boss to friend.
Emily teased her about Jack, claiming she could see a romance brewing. Emily was wrong, of course. Jack was a dear friend, nothing more, but Diana looked forward to their occasional dinners together, as well as their conversations in the office.
“What do you hear from Emily these days?” he asked.
“She just emailed me. She made the women’s JV volleyball team.”
“Hey, that’s great.”
It was good. Many things about Emily were good these days—better than they had been in years past, at any rate. Emily was still seeing Dog, but not exclusively. Her grades were decent, she had friends, and while she still took offense easily, she usually apologized once she calmed down. Baby steps maybe, but they were steps in the right direction.
Jack sat on the edge of Diana’s desk. “We’ve been getting good reader feedback on that foster care article you wrote last week.”
“I’m glad.” It had been Chloe who had opened her eyes to the realities of foster care. In fact, Chloe had given her a new take on many things. Theirs was a convoluted relationship—one Diana had trouble explaining to others. Sometimes, even to herself. But it felt right, and that’s what mattered.
“You think maybe you could do a follow-up piece?” Jack asked.
“Absolutely.” She enjoyed the administrative side of newspaper work more than she’d expected, but she’d leapt at the chance to start writing again. That felt right, too. She’d only done four stories so far, but she was pleased that Jack was receptive to having her do more.
“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in taking on an assignment covering Len Phillip’s trial?”
“No,” Diana said emphatically. “Absolutely not.”
“I didn’t think so. Still, it would be a great angle.”
But not one Diana had any interest in providing. Len had managed to evade authorities for almost five months before being picked up in Arizona. A motion for extradition to Georgia was pending, although it was unclear if there was enough evidence to convict him of killing Miranda Saxton. And he was about to stand trial in California for the attempted murder of Diana and Jeremy.
He admitted to fighting with Diana, but claimed to have stomped off after their argument, having done nothing more than strike her. Someone had tried to kill Diana and her son, he said, but it wasn’t him. And since Diana could remember nothing that happened after their fight in the kitchen, it was Jeremy’s testimony that would make the case. Len had hired one of the area’s best defense lawyers, no doubt with money he’d coerced from Roy, and Diana had been warned they were likely to go after Jeremy with everything they could muster.
Thurston told her not to worry, that Jeremy would make an excellent witness. “We’ll get a conviction,” he assured her, but Diana got livid every time she thought about it.
The only silver lining, she supposed, was that Allison was finally able to see Len for what he was. Their friendship had suffered, and Diana missed the easy spontaneity of their earlier relationship. But they still talked, and things were getting better between them.
Jack looked at his watch. “Hey, it’s almost lunchtime. How about we grab a bite to eat?”
“Sorry. Today’s a short school day and I promised Jeremy ice cream at Fenton’s.”
“Another time, then,” Jack said, clearly disappointed.
“You’re welcome to come along,” Diana added.
Books by Jonnie Jacobs
Kali O'Brien Novels of Legal Suspense (in order)
SHADOW OF DOUBT
EVIDENCE OF GUILT
MOTION TO DISMISS
WITNESS FOR THE DEFENSE
COLD JUSTICE
INTENT TO HARM
THE NEXT VICTIM
The Kate Austen Mysteries (in order)
MURDER AMONG NEIGHBORS
MURDER AMONG FRIENDS
MURDER AMONG US
MURDER AMONG STRANGERS
Non-series books
THE ONLY SUSPECT
PARADISE FALLS
LYING WITN STANGERS
PAYBACK (2015)
About the Author
Jonnie Jacobs is the best-selling author of thirteen previous mystery and suspense novels. A former practicing attorney and the mother of two grown sons, she lives in northern California with her husband. Email her at jonnie@jonniejacobs.com or visit her on the web at http://www.jonniejacobs.com.