Page 39 of Child In Jeopardy

If looks could kill, her father would have ended Slater’s life right then, right there. “No,” he said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “Of course not. I wouldn’t kill my own daughter.”

“Not even if she was about to cause you a publicity nightmare?” Lana pushed.

Leonard turned that icy look on her. “No,” he repeated. “Not even then, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have worked with a hothead like Buck. I think the only reason Stephanie got involved with him was because she was trying to get back at me for pushing her to marry Marsh.”

That was exactly what Lana had thought he would say. She certainly hadn’t expected him to accept any blame. So that’s why she went ahead and hit him with the next accusation.

“Mom also thought you might have had something to do with Alicia Monroe’s death,” Lana said. “And before you deny knowing who that is, I personally saw a photo of Alicia and you at a party.”

Her father had already opened his mouth, no doubt to interrupt her again with verbal fire, but that caused him to go silent for a couple of moments. “What the hell are you talking about?” But he didn’t give her a chance to respond. “You think because I was at a party with some woman who ended up dead, that I could have killed her?”

Lana shrugged. “Mom seems to think that’s possible.”

He tried to speak, but apparently the muscles in his throat didn’t immediately cooperate. He gutted out some profanity, groaned and went to his desk to drop down in his chair.

“Your mother actually believes that?” he questioned with his face now buried in his hands. “She truly thinks I could have murdered Stephanie and that woman.”

“My father, too,” Slater added.

Lana expected that to ignite a fresh flash of temper in her father. It didn’t. He groaned again and kept his hand on his face for what seemed an eternity. When he finally looked at them again, it wasn’t anger she saw. But rather hurt.

Hurt that he could be faking, she reminded herself.

“Well, it’s obvious someone has brainwashed your mother,” he finally muttered. “I’m guessing you’re not going to own up to it being you? Or you?” he asked, shifting his gaze to Slater.

“It was neither Lana nor me,” Slater said, and now he was the one who paused. Maybe because he didn’t intend to point the finger at Taylor. “Pamela called Lana out of the blue and asked for protection because she was afraid of your involvement in these murders.” Slater stopped again. “Did you kill them?”

“No.” He squeezed his eyes shut a moment and repeated it. “I had nothing to do with murdering my daughter, Alicia or your father.”

“Then why would your wife think that?” Slater pressed.

“I have no idea,” Leonard was quick to say. “Maybe she’s trying to get back at me for something she thinks I did.”

“It must be a pretty badsomethingfor her to accuse you of murder,” Lana pointed out. “An affair, maybe? Or maybe lying to her about knowing exactly where Stephanie was when she was so worried about her?”

Her father didn’t deny either of those things, and judging from the way his jaw set again, Lana thought he might order her and Slater out of his office. He didn’t get a chance to do that, though, because two other things happened.

Slater’s phone dinged with a text. When he showed Lana the screen, she saw that the message was from Sonya, and the deputy was giving them a heads-up that Marsh had just arrived and gone into the house. Moments later, she heard Taylor shout something.

Leonard gave a weary sigh when Taylor’s shouting got even louder, and he stood and went to the door. He’d barely had time to open it when Taylor barged in.

“You aren’t going to believe why Marsh is here,” Taylor blurted.

“I asked her if she was responsible for Stephanie being murdered,” Marsh quickly volunteered. “Because someone left this on my car.”

Marsh held up a grainy picture of what appeared to be Taylor and Buck. If Lana wasn’t mistaken, they seemed to be at the same coffee shop where Taylor had met with her and Slater.

“It’s a fake,” Taylor insisted. “I wouldn’t kill your precious Stephanie,” she snarled with Oh, so much venom in her voice.

Marsh looked at her, and it didn’t take long for his stare to become a glare. “I don’t believe you,” he stated. “You disgust me.”

Taylor whirled toward Leonard as if she expected him to defend her. He didn’t. That only fueled the woman’s anger, and she aimed all of it at Marsh.

“You disgust me,” Taylor fired right back at him. “And I’ll make you pay, Marsh. Just wait and see. You’ll pay for what you just said.”

And with that, the woman stormed out.

Chapter Thirteen