Page 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023

9:00 A.M.

When Donna Jean’s landline phone rang at nine o’clock in the morning, her heart filled with dread. Was this going to be another summons from Detective Horn? Instead, she was delighted when the voice on the phone belonged to her grandson, Jacob.

“Hey, Grammy,” he said. “Are you coming?”

She had been so caught up in everything else that the fact that Jacob’s “big” birthday party was today had completely fallen out of her head. Her first instinct was to say no, that she couldn’t possibly make it.

“Please,” he begged. “It’s going be lots of fun. We’ll be inside, so even if it’s raining, you won’t get wet. There’ll be lots of food. We’ll be able to see the animals, ride on the carousel, and everything. It’ll be fun.”

Much to her surprise, Donna Jean found herself asking, “What time?”

“One,” he answered. “Please!”

After spending this dozen or so days living in an awful limbo, Donna Jean finally felt as though she had someone on her side. She wasn’t sure exactly how Moesha Jackson had come into her life, but Donna Jean was incredibly grateful she had. The woman seemed to be someone who believed her; someone who actually thought she was innocent.

“You said one o’clock?” she asked Jacob at last.

“Yes.”

“All right, then,” Donna Jean said, surprising herself. “See you there.”