8 Bodies is Enough(39)
“That will make—” Carlotta counted on her fingers. “Eight of us out here. Wow.”
Jack winked. “Let’s hope eight bodies is enough to get the Wren family back on track.”
She was starting to believe that would take an army. “Do you think Wes will be okay here tonight?”
“He’ll make it. You’re not his mother, Carlotta.”
She swung her head up, and her lips parted as the day’s revelations washed over her. She ached to tell Jack about the wonder of seeing her mother again, wanted to share with him the heartbreak of her condition, and the surprise of having a baby sister. But she couldn’t very well tell Jack the whereabouts of a fugitive and not expect him to act. That would mean guaranteed discharge from the force.
So instead she said, “Old habits die hard, I guess.”
He nodded toward the entrance. “Come on—I’ll give you a ride back to the hotel and tell you some good news for a change.”
“I hope this is about Johnson.”
“It is,” he said, holding open the door for her to walk through. “And his name was Agent Johns.”
“GBI?”
“FBI, actually. Agents Wick and Green grudgingly confirmed he was watching your house in case your mother showed up.”
“Doesn’t breaking into my hotel room constitute more than just ‘watching’?”
He slowed his stride to match hers. “I agree, but when it comes to hunting fugitives, the feds can bend the rules. I guess we’ll never know why Johns climbed into the safe but apparently, he had asthma and suffered an attack. His death was ruled natural causes.”
“And can I assume the FBI put someone else on my tail?”
“Actually, Wick told me the bureau is standing down.”
She hated to hear Johns had died such an untimely death, but at least she didn’t have to worry someone would follow her to her mother’s. “I’m curious, Jack—what will happen to my mother if she’s ever found?”
“She could be prosecuted for aiding and abetting a fugitive, and possibly theft if the D.A. could prove she knew your father had embezzled money and she profited from it. But the real value would be to leverage her in the prosecution of your father.”
“You mean threaten to prosecute her if Randolph didn’t cooperate?”
“Yes, or threaten to prosecute her to persuade her to turn state’s evidence.”
“You mean, turn on Randolph?”
“Right.”
“What if she…wasn’t fit to prosecute?”
Jack stopped by his rental SUV and unlocked the doors. “What do you mean?”
She opened the passenger side door and climbed in. “My mother had a problem with alcohol—she could’ve gotten worse.”
Jack thought it over while he started the engine. “She’d have to be declared incompetent to be excluded. The bar is pretty high for that, though, else every criminal would be claiming they’re incompetent to be prosecuted or to testify.”
“What happens if my father…doesn’t make it?”
Jack’s mouth twitched downward. “Chances are, the D.A. will drop the charges.”
“Ah—so that’s why the feds are standing down? They think Randolph is a dead man.”
“I don’t know for sure, but I suspect you’re right.”
“So the only sure way my mother would be safe from prosecution is if my father dies?”
His non-response spoke volumes. “I’m not the person you should be talking to about it. I’m not on the case, remember?”
“Right—sorry. Since the body has been identified and the case closed, I suppose you and Coop are going back to Atlanta.”
“Coop is staying to do some hiking.” He shifted in his seat. “And since Liz is coming out, I thought I’d stay a few more days.”
“Oh,” she said to fill in the silence. “That’s nice.”
“I figure I have a few months to get used to the idea of being a father, and—” He stopped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.”
“It’s okay, Jack. For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be a great father.”
“That’s worth a lot, actually. Thank you.”
They were silent during the rest of the ride back to the hotel. Carlotta was churning her thoughts, and it sounded as if Jack has plenty of butter to make, too. The glaring, pulsating lights of Vegas seemed incongruous next to their apprehensions about where life would take them next. The only certainty was it would take them in different directions.
When they got to the hotel and parked, Jack rode up the elevator with her and walked her to her room.