Free Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C. J. Box Page A

to him, can’t you? At least pretend you don’t hate him until we can figure out how to persuade him?”
    “After what he did to night?” I asked, gesturing upstairs. “He’s not just calculating. He’s evil. I looked into his eyes and got chills.”
    “That’ll play well in court,” Cody said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t you know there is no such thing as evil in this day and age? In our politically correct city? Man, you’ve got to get out more.”
    Brian said to Cody, “Some of us call it tolerance and diversity, Cody. It’s thought of as progress.”
    Cody blew out a stream of breath, said, “Progress, my ass.”
    “Please,” Brian said, “let’s deal with the issue at hand, okay?”
    “It’s not Garrett,” Melissa said, ignoring them. “It’s his father. If we could separate them, and I could just talk with Garrett…”
    “No,” I said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    She said, “Maybe if I talked with him or showed him how much care is required for an infant, it would scare him off. Maybe he needs to see some dirty diapers or throw-up on a bib and he’d realize he’s in way over his head even if his parents are actually raising her.”
    “But he didn’t want to see her,” I said. “There’s a reason for that. You’re assuming he’s reasonable. I didn’t see any of that.”
    “You think he’s
evil,
” Cody sneered.
    “Garrett doesn’t want to confront the situation in real life,” she said. “He wants to avoid her. Maybe if he actually saw her…”
    “I don’t know,” Brian said, shaking his head.
    I agreed.
    Melissa took a moment to look at each of us in turn. “Guys,” she said, “we need to think of Angelina’s best interests most of all here. If the worst possibly happens, she might end up with them. I’m not saying that should happen, but we can’t just dismiss the possibility out of hand. John Moreland seemed pretty determined to me. And if the worst comes about, I don’t want to poison Angelina’s relationship with them.”
    There were several beats of silence. I was conflicted.
    “You’re amazing,” Brian said to Melissa in a whisper.
    She was. I was astonished she was mine.
    But a cold fear worked its way through my insides. If the worst-possible scenario came true, if the Morelands somehow got Angelina, I knew it would destroy Melissa. And after all we’d gone through, it would destroy
us
.
    “I won’t let it happen,” I said.
    She looked at me and smiled sadly.
    “I won’t,” I said.
    “Jesus,” Cody said, standing, “I need another beer.”
    “WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW about John Moreland?” Melissa asked rhetorically. “He’s the key.”
    Cody shifted on the couch as if clearing the space around him before he spoke. Brian cut in.
    “I’ve met him a few times. At society functions and charity events. I hate to say it, but he seems like an incredibly normal, nice guy. He’s best buddies with the mayor, and he’s really well connected to both U.S. senators, the attorney general, and even the president. What I’ve heard is he’s on a fast-track to something bigger. U.S. circuit, maybe higher. He just exudes competence and confidence, you know?”
    Melissa shook her head. “We know.”
    “He’s married to Kellie,” I said. “Garrett referred to Kellie as his stepmom. He said his real mother was dead.”
    Brian sat back, screwed up his face. “I’ve seen Kellie. She’s a blond bombshell.”
    “I wonder where the Sureños 13 connection comes in?” Cody said.
    “Anyway,” Brian said, “I can start asking around in my circles. It’s amazing what you can find out about people at a higher level, you know? At cocktail parties and charity events. Get these people a few drinks in them, and all sorts of deep dark secrets start coming out. It’s no different than Helena, you guys—just bigger. Maybe I can find out that he’s not so perfect after all, and we’ll have a little ammunition to go after him.”
    Melissa and I