Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Good.” Mr. Flanigan stood and walked to the door.
Cynthia trailed behind him, hoping she hadn’t screwed up too badly. He didn’t speak again, but walked through the door and closed it quietly behind him.
Scrambling over to the couch, she lifted Bullyboo into her arms and squeezed him tight against her chest. Please let everything be alright! I don’t want to go back to jail.
When her heart rate had settled down, Cynthia realized she needed to tell her Daddy. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and scrolled to the app. Freezing instantly with fright, she found a message waited for her. A text from Eddie.
Should I open it?
Shaking, she took a screenshot of the notification without opening it and pulled up a new message to send to Dirk.
Daddy! James Flanigan was here to check on me. It was scary. He asked me a series of questions and recorded my answers. I don’t think I screwed up during the interview.
Pressing send, she immediately started a new entry: When I picked up my phone to send the above, there was a message from Eddie. I haven’t opened it, but I took a screenshot. After attaching the photo and dispatching it, she stared at her phone, waiting for a message.
His answer appeared in a few seconds. Forward it to me.
Pulling up the list of messages, Cynthia clicked on it and followed his instructions before reading it herself.
That fancy lawyer won’t get you off. We both know you wanted the insurance money that Stan would have gotten. How do you sleep at night after killing my parents?
Her lower jaw dropped open in shock at the attached picture. The angle of the shot made it look like she was poised to tamper with the gas line instead of tightening the leaking water valve.
Cynthia wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth as she tried to figure out what to do. She’d sent the message and picture to Dirk. He wouldn’t ever look at her the same. She looked so guilty in the picture, her pissed-off expression making it look like she was retaliating against someone.
I should leave.
Her phone dinged with a message. Got him.
Staring at the phone, Cynthia felt her pulse decrease. Her Daddy got something from the message or from the picture. His brilliant mind had figured out how to use Eddie’s words against him. A small kernel of hope grew inside her. If anyone could help her, it would be Dirk.
She wanted to send him a thousand messages and pinpoint what he’d noted, but Cynthia knew he was very busy, working on behalf of Edgewater Industries. Slowly, she set her phone down on the coffee table and sat back against the soft cushions of the couch. She could see the phone if another message appeared, but her phone would be out of range for her to pick up.
Clutching Bullyboo to her chest, Cynthia chose an animated movie to watch. She needed something to keep herself from going crazy as she waited for him to come home. When that couldn’t keep her attention, Cynthia headed for the kitchen to prepare something complicated and time-consuming. Cooking would be her escape.
Incredible aromas surrounded Dirk as he stepped out of his car. He sniffed appreciatively and recognized immediately that Cynthia was stress cooking. He’d gotten her message just as the jury walked into the courtroom. Dirk hadn’t been able to send her another message until the judge dismissed them for the day. His client deserved his entire attention and Dirk knew that a brief message wouldn’t explain everything he needed to share.
Ducking back into the car, he grabbed the small bag that his evidence team had put together for him. She would need to see this for herself, as would the court when they got to the trial.
The door to the garage burst open and Cynthia stood framed in the doorway wearing an apron splashed with a variety of dishes. “I thought I heard your car. Okay, I’ve been checking every ten minutes to see if you had gotten home,” she confessed in an avalanche of words.
“Breathe, sweetheart. I’m sorry you had to wait. Let me come in and I’ll show you what I saw in that photo,” he suggested.
Instantly, she took his arm and tugged him inside. After closing the garage door, Cynthia whirled and threw her arms around him to kiss Dirk hard.
He lifted his head and felt the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile. She was absolutely perfect. “Hi, Little girl. I missed you today.”
“I missed you, too. I may have cleaned out your freezer and pantry,” Cynthia admitted, looking back at the counter now laden with colorful containers Dirk didn’t even know he owned.
“I’m okay with that, sweetheart. I think a celebratory dinner is in order for us.”
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he guided Cynthia to her normal chair at the table. When she was seated and pushed into place, he joined her, setting the sack on the table. “Tell me every detail you can remember about what happened that day at the restaurant when Eddie pulled those pictures off the security feed.”