“They told me afterwards. When I heard what happened to Matthew, well, to put it mildly, I was not happy. So they explained to me why they felt that step was necessary. That doesn’t mean I was on board with it, even if I could see where they were coming from. I wasn’t, and I definitely didn’t know in advance. Swear to God.”
“I don’t believe you, Ray.”
He shook his head sadly. “That hurts my feelings, Kathy.”
“Please, just go. Leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that. Look, I know you’re angry. It’s natural. But we’re at a dangerous moment, and there are things you should know for your own safety. The feds are circling the case to see if someone killed Matthew to retaliate against you. An attack on a judge is a federal case, and if they grab jurisdiction, we’re screwed. Not just me. You too. And Charlie. Doug Kessler. A few other people who look to me for protection. We have to head it off. If the feds interview you, I need to know I can count on you.”
“Count on me how?”
“Steer them to thinking this was a personal dispute. Someone with a grudge against Matthew, that type of thing. If we can get jurisdiction locally, then Charlie takes the lead on the investigation, and it all goes away.”
She stared at him in shock. That anybody would be so callously pragmatic about her husband’s murder was terrible to her. But the man whom she’d thought of as a father? She put her hand to her mouth and swallowed to beat back the bile that was rising. If Ray saw her throw up, he might start to wonder.
“This isn’t just business, you know. I’m thinking of how to keep you safe. Are we on the same page?” Ray said.
Collecting herself, she took her phone from her jacket pocket.
“Leave now, or I’m calling the feds,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Kathy, listen to me. There’s no way out. If you disappear, they’ll never stop looking. And when they find you, they won’t play nice.”
“By they, you mean you.”
He sighed. “I don’t know how to get through to you. If this was just me, we’d be having a very different conversation. If you won’t listen, the next funeral will be yours. I couldn’t stand that. And neither could your poor mother.”
“Get out. And never contact me again.”
32
The day had been raw and ugly, with a mix of rain and snow. As the cab pulled up to the apartment building that night, it started to sleet, ice crystals pinging on the windshield. Kathryn reached into her wallet for some bills. Her gaze wandered as the driver counted the money.
Someone was standing in the shadows near the front door to the building.
“What’s that person doing, standing there in this weather?” she said, her throat going dry.
The driver ignored her.
“Excuse me, driver? Go around the block.”
“Fine, but I have to drop the meter again.”
The sleet was blowing sideways in the wind. The shadow moved into the halo of the streetlamp.
It was Sylvia.
“Never mind,” she said.
The wind hit her full force as she got out and hurried up the path to the front door. She took out her key, ignoring her mother hovering beside her.
“Kathy, please,” Sylvia said, her voice quavering. “I’ve been out in the freezing cold for half an hour waiting for you to come home.”
“You know I won’t talk to you. Go away and leave me alone.”
“Five minutes. That’s all I ask, so I can understand why you cut me from your life.”
A savage gust of wind hit, and her mother shriveled into her coat, her eyes watering from the cold.
“I shouldn’t’ve let that cab go. You can wait inside while you call another,” Kathryn said.
Her mother followed her into the vestibule, carrying a shopping bag. Out of the wind, it was quiet and overheated, smelling of dust. Once upon a time, the building had been fashionable, but it had fallen on hard times. There was a row of dented metal mailboxes. Kathryn didn’t receive mail there, though that precaution was mostly for show. She figured they could find her easily enough simply by following her from the courthouse. The idea was to lull them into a false sense of security. As long as she didn’t run, they would have no reason to hurt her. Which meant they wouldn’t hurt the baby. They knew where she lived. At regular intervals, she felt that prickling on the back of her neck that meant someone was watching.
Which made her wonder—
“How did you find me?” she asked, eyes narrowing.