Angel is safe. The suicide letter confesses to the killings, complete with details that aren’t in the files. There is no evidence, other than the bodies. Sanchez and Lee will have to apply to have those bodies exhumed, but the counties won’t want to pay for it. Instead, the prosecutors will be happy with the confession and the cases will be closed. Perhaps they will always suspect me but there won’t be anything they can do. Some people need killing and so I will be there to render the judgment that the courts and the police can’t. I’m only keeping the balance—and my wife safe.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Angel
“Lucas.” I call my husband’s name as I enter through the side door of the house. I’d forgotten my briefcase and was already running late. I was a little surprised he hadn’t left for work already.
“Angel.” He comes strolling in the kitchen dressed for work in a pair of slacks and simple button-up shift.
“Forgot this.” I grab my bag from off the chair, setting it on the bar stool.
“I was about to text you about it. You know I would have brought it to you.” He walks over, pulling me into his arms, kissing me. “Missed you last night. It’s hard to sleep without you.” I smile against his mouth. I don’t ask if it was his car I saw early this morning parked a little ways down from my sister’s.
I think the whole Chad thing has him on edge. I’m finding my husband can become a whole other person when it comes to me. It should likely scare me but it does the opposite. It makes me feel protected and loved.
“We can make it up tonight. Unless you’re working late.” I try and hide the disappointment that he might be working late tonight. I know we only spent one night apart but I miss him. I always enjoy catching up with my sister but I love being home with Lucas.
“I promise I’ll be home tonight.” He cups my face, tilting my head back to kiss me deeply. I sigh into his mouth. My bag drops from my hands as I start to wrap around him. With a grunt, Lucas pulls back from our kiss. You’d think we’d been apart for months with the way we’re acting, not just one night.
“I'd take you on the counter right now, Angel, but I know you don’t like being late for work.”
“Crap!” Lucas bends down, picking up my bag for me. “I love you.” I give him a quick peck before I dash for the door.
“Don’t speed!” I hear him bark behind me. I jump into the car, luckily making it to court on time. The first hearing is slow and boring. I welcome it compared to some of the others we’ve had over the past few months. I look at my docket and cringe when I see Chad’s name on it. Dread fills me knowing that I’ll have to see him after our lunch break.
Lovely. I really need to talk to Lucas about finding another job. I know he’ll support me but for some reason I feel ashamed that I can’t hack it here. My husband spends his day dealing with death. All I have to do is listen to cases and record them. It’s nothing compared to what he has to do on a daily basis.
I pack up to drop my stuff in Judge Barnes’ office like I do most days. She’s already in there eating the salad that she packed.
“Shut the door,” she tells me, wiping her mouth. “Court’s cancelled this afternoon.” Relief fills me. Not only do I get to go home early, I don’t have to see Chad. This would actually be the perfect time to sneak over to the pharmacy. I need to pick up a pregnancy test. I’m late this month. Not by much but usually my period comes like clockwork. It’s probably delayed due to the work stress that I’ve been under but taking a test will let me know for sure. “Did you hear?”
“Hear what? I’ve been in court with you all day.” I laugh, coming over to sit down in the chair in front of her desk.
“Chad Dering killed himself last night.”
My stomach drops. “Killed himself?” I repeat. I didn’t think men like Chad killed themselves. They are too full of themselves to ever do something like that. Mary leans forward and I know she’s slipping more into friend mode than judge. Working together for years, it was hard to not become close. More so when we’ve had to listen to some of the worst cases together. We needed to lean on each other from time to time. I’m sure it’s against all kinds of rules but the things we say to one another never leave this room.
“They are saying he left a note behind. Confessing to some murders. Some of them were his own clients.”
“That’s--” I trail off because I don’t know how I feel about what Mary is telling me. I’ve always thought he was creepy but I never pinned him as a real murderer. I may have referred to him as one because he defended clients that did awful things, but I never thought he was running around killing people. It’s hard to wrap my mind around all of it. He killed his own clients.
“I’ve heard whispers they’d already been investigating him. There are a bunch of unsolved murders they are trying to piece together. I guess all of the victims weren't upstanding members of the community. All of them had committed crimes and gotten away without paying for them at all or completing light sentences. No one was really searching too hard to find out who might have killed them but they all started to add up.” This still doesn't add up to me, but what do I know? I’m not a detective.
“And Chad admitted in this letter it was him?”
“Something like that.” She shrugs. “I’m sure we’ll hear more soon. The news will be picking it up any minute now.” Mary takes another bite of her salad, mumbling about how she won’t miss seeing him in her courtroom. That makes two of us. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I am somewhat relieved. That thought should make me feel bad because a life has been lost but it doesn’t.
“I’m going to head out for the day.”
“See you next week.” I grab my bag heading straight for my car. I swing by the pharmacy, grabbing the pregnancy test. I have no patience and end up taking it in the bathroom of the store. My mind goes over everything Mary had told me.
I still can’t imagine Chad as some vigilante. He wasn't a good man. A good man doesn't trap a woman against her car and scare her. If Chad didn't kill himself then who killed him? The list of possible suspects could be a mile long. Some of the people he’d gotten off for their crimes had enemies. Mostly the families of the victims. They could’ve blamed him and exacted their own revenge.
My mind snaps back to my own husband. The look on his face the day I’d told him about Chad. The rage that came off him that day in the parking lot. If anyone could get away with killing someone and making it look like a suicide it would be Lucas. I look in the mirror of the bathroom. Do I believe that Lucas could do such a thing?
To protect me I think Lucas would do anything. That is one thing I’m certain of. Before I even look down at the test I know my life is about to change. I pick it up without looking, sliding it into my purse. I am going to the one place I know I can get answers.
My husband.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lucas
“You’re home early,” I say as Angel comes through the back door and into the kitchen. I take her bag and coat from her as she slips off her shoes.