His loyal defense of his mother struck a chord with Ross. It reminded him far too much of the way he used to stick up for Cindy, making excuses to the other kids when she would stay out all night drinking or would bring a new man around the house or, worse, would entirely forget about them all for a weekend binge.
The difference there was that he had foolishly been trying to protect an illusion, while Josh’s efforts were on behalf of an innocent woman.
“Everything’s going to be okay. Trust me. She’s only being questioned. I’m sure she’ll be home in a short time. Why don’t you head on home and get some rest? You’re going to have a lot to deal with in the coming days.”
“I should be with her,” Josh said stubbornly.
Julie again reached out to Josh and Ross saw that once more her quiet touch seemed to soothe him. “The absolute best way you can help your mother right now is to give her one less worry. You were the only thing she thought about as they were taking her in for questioning. She insisted that your uncle watch out for you and that’s just what he’s trying to do. As he said, you have to trust him right now to know what’s best, okay?”
Her words seemed to resonate with Josh. He looked between the two of them and then sighed. “I guess.”
Ross was astounded and more gratified than he wanted to admit that she would come to his defense like this, especially after their altercation earlier in the evening. That encounter and his own honest mistake over the purse had been a fortuitous meeting, he thought now. He didn’t know what he would have done this evening without her.
The thought sparked an idea—a nervy one, sure, but one that would certainly lift a little of the burden from his shoulders.
“Josh, could you hang on here for a second while I talk to Ms. Osterman?”
His nephew looked confused but he nodded and Ross stepped a few paces away where they could speak in relative privacy.
“Look, I do need to get to the police station to see how things are going with Frannie, but I don’t want to send Josh to his empty house alone. This is a huge favor to ask when I’m virtually a stranger to you and you’ve already done so much, but do you think you could stay with him for a while, while I check on my sister?”
As he might have expected, Julie’s soft blue eyes widened with astonishment at the request. “But wouldn’t you rather have someone in your family stay with him? Your cousin Susan, maybe?”
Susan would come in a heartbeat, he knew, and like Julie, she specialized in troubled adolescents. But he hated to ask the Fortune side of the family for anything. It was an irrational reaction, he knew, but for most of his life his particular branch of the family had always been the needy ones.
He didn’t know how many times the Fortunes had bailed Cindy out of one scrape or another, before they had virtually cut ties with her out of frustration that nothing ever seemed to change.
Even though he loved and admired several members of his extended family, Ross preferred to handle things on his own when he could. And when he couldn’t, he much preferred asking somebody who wasn’t a Fortune for help.
“They’re all going to be busy with the last few hours of the Spring Fling. Plus, now they’re going to have to deal with damage control after Lloyd’s murder.”
It was bad public relations for the festival, especially since this was the second time a dead body had been found while the town celebrated. A few years earlier, an unidentified body turned up at the Spring Fling. The town had only just started to heal from that.
Her forehead furrowed for a moment and then she nodded. “In that case, of course. I’ll be glad to stay with Josh as long as you need.”
For one crazy moment, he longed to feel the soft comfort of her touch on his arm, though he knew that was ridiculous.
“Thanks a million. It won’t be long. I’m sure I’ll be taking Frannie home in just a few hours.
He had been far too optimistic, Ross thought an hour later as he stood in the Red Rock police chief’s office.
“Come on, Jimmy. This is a mistake. You have to know that. There’s no way on earth Frannie killed Lloyd.”
“You were on the job long enough, you know how it works. We just want to talk to her but she’s not saying a word. She’s shutting us down in every direction. I have to tell you, that makes her look mighty guilty.”
A white-coated lab tech pushed open the door. “Chief, I’ve got those results you put the rush order on.”
“Excellent. You’re going to have to excuse me, Ross. Why don’t you go on home? There’s nothing more you can do here tonight.”
“I’ll stick around. Somebody’s going to need to drive Frannie home when you’re done with this little farce here.”
Jimmy opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. “I can’t make you leave. But if you really want to help your sister, tell her to cooperate with us. The quicker she gives us her side of the story, the quicker we can wrap this up.”
Ross had been a cop for a long time, trained to catch subtle nuances in conversation. He didn’t miss the way the police chief phrased his words. Wrap this up was a far cry from send her home.
Something about this whole thing gave him an ominous feeling. He suddenly guessed he was in for a long night.
Chapter Four
Four hours and counting.
From his perch in an empty detective’s chair, Ross looked at the clock above the chief’s glass-walled office in the Red Rock police station.
He couldn’t think the long delay boded well for Frannie. It was now nearly half past midnight and she had been in an interrogation room for hours.
His poor sister. Eighteen years of marriage to Lloyd Fredericks had just about wrung every drop of spirit out of her. She must be sick over this ordeal.
What could be taking so long? Frannie should have been released hours ago. With every tick of the clock, his hopes for a quick resolution trickled a little further away.
When the police chief emerged from the hallway that housed the interview room and headed for his office, Ross rose quickly and intercepted him.
“What’s going on, Jimmy? I need info here.”
His friend gave him a long, solemn look and Ross’s stomach suddenly clenched with nerves. He did not like the implications of that look.
“She’s going to be charged, Ross. We have no choice.”
He stared at the other man, not willing yet to accept the unthinkable. “Charged with what?”
The chief rolled his eyes. “With jaywalking. Lord, Ross, what the hell do you think, with what. With murder!”
This couldn’t be happening. Ross balled his fists. “That’s bull! This whole thing is bull and you know it! Frannie no more killed Lloyd than I did.”
“Are you confessing?”
“I’ve thought about killing the bastard a thousand times,” he answered the chief. “Does that count?”
“Sorry, but if we could prosecute thoughts, I doubt there would be anybody left outside the walls of my jail.”
“What evidence can you possibly have against Frannie that’s not circumstantial?” he asked.
The police chief just shook his head. “You know I can’t talk about that, Ross, especially not with the suspect’s own brother, even if he is an ex-cop and an old friend. Even if you weren’t Frannie’s