Page 42 of Watch Over Me
“How long will that take?” Sam Cross checked his watch.
“It will be almost immediate.” Kane straightened from against the wall. “AI produces a transcript of the interview. I’ll go to the office and collect a copy for you now. I will also give you a copy of the video, should the need arise to check the transcript for any reason. The moment your client signs the document, we can all head home to our beds.” He opened the door and stood to one side as Jo and Sam Cross left the room.
Jenna turned to look at Rourke. “Do you have any remorse for killing those innocent women?”
“They weren’t innocent.” Rourke shot a dark look at Kane. “You’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be free soon and I’ll come looking for her. She’s just the same as the others.” He chuckled. “I can almost feel the life leaving her already.”
“You’ll never walk free, but if you do find a way to escape”—Kane slammed a fist on the table—“we’ll meet again and next time I’ll aim for your head. I won’t miss. You have my word.” He opened the door and waved Jenna through.
EPILOGUE
Christmas
On Christmas Eve the team spent the day bringing all the files up to date. The cases had all been taken out of her hands, and she had very little to do. Rourke had been arrested, charged, and awaited the court process before trial. The pedophile case had been turned over to the FBI and in the new year Beth would be investigating Graves’ computer and hunting down any contacts he’d made. The forensics team had found no evidence to point to the identity of the Tarot Killer and the FBI case was ongoing.
The education department had started an investigation into Dorsey to ensure the children’s safety, but as he hadn’t done anything wrong, she doubted any action would be taken to move him somewhere else. This being the case, she would keep a file on him and check on him herself from time to time. The drug bust had been placed in the hands of the DEA, so Jenna’s caseload had cleared.
At a little after two, Jenna decided to close the office. They’d all worked long hours for many days and it was time to celebrate Christmas. Raya had arrived in town with thechildren and they’d decided to spend an hour or so taking them to visit Santa Claus at the town hall. The townsfolk had decorated the hall with an abundance of flashing colored lights, Christmas trees, and sparkly things, so that the moment Jackson walked inside, he screeched with excitement. He ran around touching everything and it took both of them to make sure he didn’t vanish in the crowd. Although Santa Claus didn’t impress him. He wiggled and became upset when expected to sit on a stranger’s lap. The small gift Santa Claus gave him didn’t placate him either. His screams of “Dadeee” echoed through the hall, and Jenna giggled as Kane rushed to extract his son’s grip from the poor man’s white beard. Beside Jenna, Tauri and Jaime chuckled and Carter snorted with laughter.
“This is going to be the best Christmas ever.” Carter grinned at Jenna. “The kids are so much fun.”
“It’s about time you settled down.” Kane passed the wriggling Jackson to Carter. “Hold him for a moment. I need to find a wipe to get that sticky stuff off his hands.” He searched his pockets.
“I never figured I’d live to see the day that Dave Kane carried a packet of wipes in his pocket.” Carter held out Jackson as if he would explode.
“Yeah, well, that’s what dads do.” Kane grinned. “Kids are always sticky.”
Jenna looked from one to the other. “Come on, we’ve got time to visit the stores. I need to buy a few extra gifts.” She waited for Kane to clean up Jackson and then hoist the little boy on his shoulders. She took Tauri’s hand and smiled at Jo. “Ready?”
Beth and Styles joined them and they all strolled along the cleared sidewalk enjoying the Christmas spirit. The townsfolk moved around with happy expressions, many stopping to wish them Merry Christmas. The town had turned into a Christmas card, with snowcapped storefronts and lights flashing. Abeautiful happy place again. By the end of the afternoon, they all carried piles of gifts. No one had much time to think about Christmas before, with everything going on in the office.
The following morning, Jenna woke to the squeals and excitement of the three children. She grinned at Kane, already sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on his clothes. “This is the best part of Christmas. I love watching the kids unwrap their gifts.” She pulled on a robe and walked around the bed.
“Talking of gifts.” Kane gathered her in his arms and pulled a small box out of his pocket. “I have something for you.”
Jenna stared at the little blue leather-covered box. She had a wedding and an engagement ring, and the box would be too small for earrings or a bracelet. With his arms still wrapped around her she opened the lid. Inside sat an exquisite gold band set with small blue opals that matched her engagement ring. As she moved the box, colors in the stones sparkled like rainbows dancing across the night sky. “Oh, this is beautiful.” A happy tear slid down her cheek.
“It’s an eternity ring.” Kane slipped it on her finger and stared into her eyes. “When I promised forever, I meant every word. Merry Christmas, Jenna.”
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