Page 8

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HIS GIRLS…

QUINN

Adjusting to Sienna's daily routine has seriously been such a breeze over the last few weeks. My new little nugget is a tiny ball of sunshine in human form—always giggling and flashing her cute gummy smile. She was already a pro-level easy baby before I came into the picture. It's like she was born to just chill and enjoy life.

Grammy, as Jack affectionately calls his mom, cared for Sienna while he was at work up until I came into the picture. It wasn’t meant to be a long-term thing, but Jack says she loved babysitting and claims it keeps her young, despite the fact that as much as she adores Sienna, she has a really hard time keeping up with her endless energy and general baby curiosity.

She can’t walk yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way to dismantle the entire house board by board if given the opportunity to try.

The not walking part probably won’t be the case for much longer, because she seems to be the kind of baby who hits all their milestones just a little earlier than others, based on what Jack had told me. She is so freaking smart for an eight-month-old, and finding new ways to keep her entertained is such a fun challenge.

She naps like a champ, so splitting my time between her and schoolwork is super simple, which is my current situation.

Dealing with CRIM is becoming increasingly frustrating. I’m constantly tempted to ask Jack for help or study tips or something ; it’s starting to feel like I might not make it through the semester otherwise. I’ve never struggled in any of my other classes before, and I don’t want to come across as boasting, but I know I’m intelligent. This is just a completely new and unexpected thing for me. Still, I don’t bring it up to Jack again because our relationship is already complicated enough with him being both my professor and boss. I remind myself it’s only two more months. All I have to do is scrape by.

The tension between Jack and me has grown, an unspoken connection lingering in the air every time we’re in the same vicinity. I am here a lot during my off hours caring for and playing with Kronk. I often catch Jack watching us with a bemused look on his face. I can’t quite figure out if it’s because he’s entertained by our endless shenanigans or if he’s just as confused about his feelings for me as I am about mine for him.

I have to force myself not to melt into the floor under his attention.

It’s a constant dance of half-smiles and lingering glances, a magnetic pull that feels both exciting and terrifying.

He wasn’t exaggerating about the house being utterly unsettling. I highly doubt it’s haunted as he claimed, but there are definitely some creepy sounds that come from it. Probably because it’s old as fuck.

With my laptop open on the coffee table, I glance over at Sienna sleeping peacefully on the couch next to me. Her tiny body is sprawled out, one arm framing her head, and her little chest rises and falls with each breath. I gently stroke her soft hair before resting my hand on her. I know I should have put her in her crib, but I feel so much more at ease keeping her close.

My mind has always been consumed with intrusive thoughts about death, and they have never really bothered me. In a way, death is like the male lead in a really good romance novel—dark, mysterious, and inevitable. It’s the only certainty in our chaotic lives.

But taking care of this small, delicate baby amplifies those thoughts tenfold. Every move and decision I make feels like it could have life or death consequences and I vividly picture things like me dropping her while coming down the stairs or her just, yanno, stopping breathing.

Do all parents experience this overwhelming fear and doubt? Not that I am her parent, but I definitely have some parent-like responsibilities.

My mind is elsewhere—teetering somewhere between counting Sienna’s respirations, the bloody crime scene being described on the screen of my laptop, and the call I got from the detective in charge of my dad’s case this morning.

They arrested someone last night—the second arrest so far—and they are confident that several more will follow soon. Both suspects so far have been students, and the authorities believe that the rest of those involved were as well. They’re hoping to get one of them to admit to something or point them in the direction of others who tagged along, but so far they’ve said approximately nothing.

The investigation has been a slow grind, mostly because the small-town police department just doesn’t have the resources. It took them over three weeks to make the first arrest because they’re working with a skeleton crew and struggling with budget issues. This means forensic tests and other crucial investigative steps have been delayed.

We still haven’t even gotten the final results back from his autopsy, only his cause of death and significant injuries, and that was only because those things had immediate implications for the investigation.

One other major issue was the surveillance footage from the parking garage. It would’ve been a big help, but the cameras had been disconnected just beforehand and now there’s a gap in the evidence there.

Despite this, investigators were able to gather some important details from other sources. Witnesses and security cameras from nearby businesses helped piece together a timeline and identify suspects who were around when the murder happened.

The break in the case came when forensic analysis matched some items found on one of the suspects with evidence from the crime scene. This included distinctive marks on their clothing and personal items that matched descriptions from witnesses. Plus, investigators found damning evidence on the suspects’ phones, including incriminating texts and location data.

With these leads, they’ve made their arrests and are now working on getting more information from the suspects. They’re hoping that by pressing them hard and using the evidence they’ve collected, they’ll be able to uncover more about who else was involved.

They seem confident about the leads they’re pursuing, but they’ve kept some details under wraps. Because of the ongoing investigation and my personal connection to the victim, they can’t disclose much more. They’ve stressed the need to keep certain information confidential to avoid compromising the investigation and to ensure that the case is handled with the necessary discretion.

I’ve been reassured multiple times that they are determined to do everything they can to close this and are working hard to ensure that campus remains a safe place for the rest of us.

It’s all very strange to me. When I think of my peers rebelling, I think of things like graffiti or like, smoking weed for the first time. What college kids casually commit a murder for funsies? Maybe they didn’t think it would result in his death.

Regardless, I am unconvinced.

As for my own safety, I do have a slight sense of unease that comes and goes. Even though the police think the suspects might just be students, I know that there’s more to this, but that’s not information I am willing to share with them; that there was a deeper, more calculated motive behind their actions—one that likely involved them being paid a significant amount of money to carry out the hit on my father.

I would be stupid not to be suspicious that they also aren’t in any hurry because they know where this trail they are following will eventually lead, and I have no doubt that some of the police department’s pocket’s are thoroughly lined with Assembly money.

The idea that these students might have been hired and promised something they’ll never actually benefit from adds a whole new layer of anxiety for me, because there’s someone else out there—or a group of someones —who could still be a threat and probably won’t ever even be tied to the case.

Not knowing whether or not this is something they will drag me into is driving me insane.

I don’t hear Jack enter the house. He isn’t supposed to be home until later, which is why his sudden appearance in the living room scares the shit out of me. I let out a loud screech that wakes Sienna, and I feel so freaking guilty about it.

She, on the other hand, is an absolute angel and just looks confused for a moment before flashing me her two-toothed grin.

She sits up in a sleepy daze and reaches for me. Scooping her into my lap, I wrap her up in a bear hug. ”I’m so sorry baby. Daddy scared me to death.”

Realizing now that her dad is home, her small body suddenly jolts. I jerk my head back to keep from being butted in the chin as she scrambles off my lap. Her eyes are wide with excitement when she spots him.

He prowls across the room like he’s on a secret spy mission. This must be a game they play because she kicks her feet like she knows exactly what’s coming.

When he reaches us, he falls to his knees and picks her up with a hand under each of her arms. He raises her above his head and then back down again when he smothers her fat baby cheeks with all the kisses.

She giggles maniacally and I kind of feel like doing the same. “You’re home early.”

He continues his assault but pauses to respond. “Yeah. Canceled the rest of my classes for the day.”

I bite back a comment about how nice that must be. I’m only a little salty about the fact that the rest of us still have to do the work assigned. For someone who is such a beast of a professor, he’s awfully casual about just not having class. I give him the benefit of the doubt. “Are you sick?”

“Nah.” He sits Sienna on the rug and slides one of her toys to her. “Just missed my girls.”

I guess seeing Sienna so giddy to have him home makes it a little more acceptable. The fact that he has been caring for her full time alone for so long also explains his curtness with his students. I can imagine that I might type out a super short response to something too if I was in the middle of feeding her or changing her while trying to stay caught up on emails and grading.

But…

“Girls?” I raise an eyebrow and the plural-ness of the word.

“Ah.” He hesitates. “Yeah. Sienna and Milo.”

“Milo is a girl?” I thought the cat was a boy, but I’ve only seen the dark grey fur ball in passing. He— she is easily spooked. Kind of like Kruz. I suppress a laugh at the thought. Kruz is as jumpy as a fucking cat.

“Mmm, yeah.” He rubs at the back of his neck and stands. “Anyway. We need to go costume shopping. You’re free to go for the day,” he hesitates. “Unless you’d like to join us.”

My stomach dips and I can’t name the exact cause. I wish he’d have just asked me to join them instead of throwing the option out there like that. The rejection sensitive dysphoria is real. “I dunno. Shopping with this girl seems like a blast, but I have this professor who is kind of a hard ass, and the paper he assigned this week is eating me alive.”

No point in sugarcoating it. He already knows I think his class sucks, even if I originally divulged that tidbit of information unwittingly.

“What’s it on? Maybe I can—” It registers mid-sentence that I’m talking about him and his jaw clenches. “I am not a hard ass.”

I look at him innocently.

“You seriously think I’m a hard ass?”

“Perhaps this is simply a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation again.”

He’s unconvinced I mean that, and he should be because I don’t. It’s definitely him.

He’s thoughtful for a second. “Take a break, go shopping with us. I could use the help, Sienna is a handful.”

I close my laptop and stand, releasing a breath. “Is that an order, boss man?”

“I don’t order you.”

I pick Sienna up from her place on the floor and prop her on my hip. She smacks her toy against my chest as I look him up and down. “Change out of whatever that is and I’ll get this one ready to go.” I’m just fucking with him—he actually looks a little too good. The white button-up he’s wearing clings to his frame, accentuating every bulge and curve of his taut muscles. I’m sure his ass also looks amazing in the slacks he has on, but I definitely don’t notice that.

The look on his face is priceless.

“Wait, what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He’s genuinely concerned.

I ignore him and continue walking toward the stairs, biting my lip to keep from grinning even though he can’t see my face now.

He must realize I’m joking, because he calls after me, “I was going to offer to help you with your paper after, but I guess that was against my better judgment.”

I turn back to him. “It’s fine. I’ll just use my nanny dollars to pay for a tutor or something.”

He looks incredulous. “Oh, come on. My class is not that hard. You don’t need a fucking tutor.”

“Fuh fuh fuh fuh fuh,” Sienna emphasizes each syllable with a smack of her toy against my chest and I don’t even try to hold in the laugh that breaks free this time.