"What are you thinking about?"
It was a stupid question and she regretted asking it the minute the words left her tongue. It sounded so fucking cliché.
What are you thinking about? Is it me? Is it me?
It sounded almost desperate.
He didn't turn around right away, still staring outside. "The case. Your sister. Tell me more about your relationship with her, and hers with Cal. Did you talk to her often? See her? What did she say?"
"We talked almost every day. She talked about her job, which she enjoyed. She also talked about Cal. Things sounded really good at the beginning but then later she'd tell us that he lost his temper or that he didn't like her friends or co-workers. Honestly, he sounded controlling and toxic. She'd call us crying quite a bit about something he said. We'd tell her to talk to him about it and set some boundaries but later he'd say that he never said it or that it was just a joke and that she had a bad sense of humor."
That was Knox's dad. Right there. Cal had learned at the knee of a master. Whenever his dad had been especially shitty and someone would try and call him out, he'd simply deny that he ever said it or tell them they couldn't take a joke. Benjamin Owens thought he was a laugh a minute. Funny, but Knox didn't think his dad's humor was amusing at all.
"You encouraged her to leave him, I assume?"
"All the time. She'd try and end things but she said that he'd cry and say that he was going to do better. That he was nothing without her. She'd give in."
"And the cycle would start all over again. I've seen it may times. Not just at home but when I was a cop doing domestic calls. I don't know how many times I heard the words but it will be different this time. In my experience, it rarely - if ever - was. Maybe that makes me a pessimist. Or a realist. Or just damn tired, old, and full of cynicism."
"Lori has such a tender heart," Jenna said, her eyes filling with tears again. "She always tried to see the best in people all the time. She was always like that, rooting for the underdog. I mean...she took me in."
"I doubt you ever gave her a reason to regret that."
"I hope that's true," Jenna replied softly, sniffling into a tissue. "I've always wanted to make her and her family proud of me."
"I'm sure you did. It sounds like you've done well for yourself."
Both Tom and Anita had said that they were proud of her. That was more than enough reward for her hard work. They'd made everything possible.
"What do we do now? What are the next steps?" she asked, giving him a watery smile. "Now that you've agreed to help us, I can't wait to get started. I tried to hire a private investigator today but that didn't turn out well at all."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He must have heard something in her tone.
"What happened?"
Rolling her eyes, she groaned. "Let's just say that he got a little handsy and suggested that I could pay him in other ways besides monetarily."
His lips tightened and his blue eyes turned icy. "What was his name? I can–"
"I handled it," Jenna replied, waving away his concern. "I told him off too. He was a jerk. I have another appointment tomorrow with another investigator but I'll cancel it in the morning."
Knox frowned. "Did you ever think to hire the firm that I work for?"
She shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to you. You said you never wanted to see me again and I had to respect it even if I didn't like it."
"My firm has dozens of investigators. And they wouldn't have tried any of the crap that other guy did."
"I didn't know that." She shrugged. "It hardly matters now, although we'd be happy to pay your firm for your time to help us. It's only fair."
"I was planning on asking for time off."
"You won't have to if we hire you officially. I really don't want to take advantage of you, Knox. I know that we're lucky to have your help on this. Very lucky."
"I'd like to see that text from Lori. The last one she sent. Do you still have it? We also need a list of all her friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family. Anyone she mentioned, even if it was only casually. She could have had someone watching her, stalking her. Did she ever mention anyone that might have been a nuisance? A man that couldn't take no for an answer?"
"I don't think so but I can ask Michelle. Maybe she said something to her." Jenna paused, knowing she was about to open a can of worms. "Will you be talking to your brother?"
"Of course."
Knox's expression was giving nothing away at the moment. But she knew better. He had issues with his family. Not the same ones that she had, but serious ones. The type that didn't get solved overnight. If ever.
"I'm guessing you're not looking forward to it."
"You could say that I'm the outcast of the family," Knox replied, checking his buzzing phone again before putting it back in his pocket. "I don't really fit in
