‘Amos’s grandfather.’ Mercy frowned. ‘And then what happened?’
‘Terrill didn’t believe the college kid, according to Ms Mann. Then the church split, just like Amos described. And then the whistle-blower kid was the victim of a “random beating” outside an all-night diner near his parents’ house in LA.’
Mercy gasped. ‘Oh my God. Amos wouldn’t do that.’
At least Rafe could give her comfort on that point. ‘No, the grandfather had died and Amos had disappeared by then. So had Hampton. But even after Hampton left, the members who’d finally successfully ousted him wanted justice. The boy’s family was part of this group and they were actively searching for Hampton and calling him a crook. The kid graduated from Berkeley and became a reporter. Ms Mann said she mentored him and he had a lot of promise. He was determined to see Hampton brought to justice. He’d even started looking for him. But after the beating, he retreated and left town. She doesn’t know where he is, but thinks he changed his name to throw his attackers off the trail, because his parents’ house was torched a few days after the beating.’
‘Wow. Amos said it got vicious, but that’s worse than I expected.’
‘I know. Mann says that he told her he was afraid for his parents, that seeing Hampton in jail wasn’t worth their lives. She got the impression that whoever beat him up had threatened his family too, but he wouldn’t confirm it to her.’
Mercy was quiet for a long moment. ‘I wonder what happened to all that money that members donated to Eden?’
‘That’s a damn good question.’
She looked up at him. ‘You have apologized to Jeff Bunker, haven’t you? And thanked him?’
‘Yes to both.’ He scowled. ‘And it really hurt, too.’
She kissed his cheek. ‘I’m sure it did. So thank you.’
‘Yeah,’ he said, only slightly mollified, because it had hurt. Mostly because he knew he’d been too hard on Bunker and was ashamed of himself. ‘And then I told Mann about him and she said she’d seen his retraction. She said that he could contact her if he’d like a better mentor than that sleaze he used to work for.’
That earned him a sweet smile. ‘You’re a good man, Rafe Sokolov.’
‘How good?’ he asked playfully. ‘Do I get any kind of reward?’
She pecked his lips, then stood up. ‘Later. What time is your phone call with the deputy warden?’
‘Eleven thirty. We’re doing a Skype session. You should sit with me.’
‘I will, but I have to shower first.’ She took a step back, then stopped. ‘I almost forgot. Is it okay if Amos comes over to visit with me today?’
‘Of course. But we could go over to Mom and Dad’s house if you want.’
She hesitated. ‘I really want him to come here. I think he was overwhelmed with all the people in your parents’ house last night. He’d had an eventful day.’
He grasped her hand, holding on tightly. ‘So did you.’
She shrugged. ‘I think he wanted to catch up with me where it’s just us. I mean,’ she added quickly, ‘you can stay, of course. It’s your house. But I think he was hoping for a more low-key conversation.’
Rafe kissed her palm. ‘I get it, Mercy. You two can use one of the other apartments if you really want to talk alone. Does he want to see Gideon, too?’
‘Yes. He asked me to ask Gideon and I did.’ Her lips quirked up. ‘Amos was using a loaner phone from Karl. The texting went really slowly. I told him to ask Abigail to help him, that kids always learn this stuff faster.’
‘Is Abigail coming, too?’
‘No. Some of your nieces and nephews are coming over to play with her.’ Her lips curved into a full smile. ‘Your mom is grandmothering Abigail, and Amos says she’s eating up all the attention.’
His heart squeezed with love and pride for his mother. ‘Mom is awesome like that.’
‘She really is. I think Mama Romero and your mother would be the very best of friends.’
The mention of Farrah’s mother reminded him of the family that Mercy had back in New Orleans. Her home. And he had the feeling that seven and a half more weeks with her would never be enough. But she was smiling and he didn’t want to see her unhappy, so he forced himself to smile. ‘The clock’s ticking. You should take your shower if you want to be ready for our call with the warden.’
‘Oh, you’re right.’ She was halfway to the bathroom before she looked over her shoulder. ‘Are you coming?’
He grinned at her, the dread at her eventual departure stepping aside as his cock took notice. ‘Am I?’
‘If you’re very good and very quick because afterward, I want you to make me pancakes.’
He pulled himself to his feet. ‘I can do that.’
‘And then call Damien. He said you owe him pancakes for having to listen to us last night.’
‘I’d say that’s a small price to pay.’
Sacramento, California
Wednesday, 19 April, 11.28 A.M.
‘Mercy!’ Rafe called. ‘It’s time for the call with the deputy warden. Come out already.’
Mercy checked her reflection one last time. Hair, check. Makeup, check. No bags under her eyes, courtesy of a decent night’s sleep. She tugged at the collar of her turtleneck. Hickey hidden, check.
She joined Rafe on the sofa, where he had his laptop set up. ‘It’s not my fault. I told you to be quick.’
He smirked at her. ‘Like you didn’t enjoy it, too. Oh, here’s the warden. Right on time.’ So she was blushing when Rafe answered the Skype call. ‘Warden Shipley. Thank you for calling me,’ he said, his smile businesslike and definitely not blushing. ‘I’m Detective Sokolov, Sacramento PD. This is my friend Mercy Callahan. She’s a forensic investigator with New Orleans PD but is here as a civilian.’
Okay, so he did blush a little at ‘friend’. Mercy gave the woman a nod, mildly mollified. ‘Warden Shipley.’
‘Hello,’ Shipley said. She appeared to be somewhere around sixty years of age, her silver hair pulled back in a severe bun. ‘I don’t have a lot of time, but your query caught my attention. Why are you asking about Aubrey Franklin and his associates, Detective?’
She already knew, Mercy thought. The warden was being cagey. And then Mercy had to bite her lip to keep from giggling at her own pun. Cagey. Prison warden. You’re just nervous. Calm down or you won’t get any information. Plus, she’s ignoring you. She knows who you are and that Aubrey Franklin’s brother connects to what’s been happening this week.