Part 2 (2/2)
”Yes, I'll testify,” Eve said as she nervously clenched and unclenched her hands.
”Then what is it?”
”Call it intuition, but I know as well as I know anything, that I will not live through this hearing.”
”What are you talking about?” Jennifer interrupted.
”Please, Jennifer. Just let me get this out,” Eve pleaded. ”I've never been much of a planner for the future. Never saw the need for it until now.” Eve withdrew an envelope and laid it on the end table next to Jennifer.
”What's that?” asked Jennifer.
Instead of answering her directly, Eve said, ”I had no business having a kid. Ever. I knew early on in my marriage what kind of a monster I'd hooked up with. But I got knocked up and couldn't find the money to get an abortion. Thus Shawn was born. Poor kid. Motherhood just isn't in my genes. If it was, I wouldn't think of my little boy as an anchor tied around my neck. What kind of a mother feels like that?” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater, then continued. ”And no one in his right mind would nominate John for father of the year. My poor, poor little boy has seen things that would turn a grown man's stomach. He's watched his daddy beat his mommy until her face was unrecognizable to him or anyone else.”
Jennifer stretched out her hand and touched Eve's arm.
”Shawn deserves better. And after I'm gone, I'm asking you to save him.” As Eve ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes bore a silent plea.
”Eve, what are you talking about? I don't understand.”
”I had my attorney draw up the papers so everything is taken care of. If anything should happen to me, I want you to save my son and give him a life he deserves.” Eve paused, tears streaming down her face. ”Jennifer, you'll be the kind of mother to Shawn that I could never be. I know that. There is nothing I am more certain of. This is a lot to ask, considering you're pregnant with your first child, but I'm begging you to do this.”
”Oh, Eve, I don't know what to say.”
”Just say 'Yes.' Please tell me that you and your husband will surround Shawn with all the love you have. Please pull him into your wonderful family. He loves you and Blake already. I'm begging you, Jennifer.”
Jennifer pulled Eve into her arms to comfort her. ”Yes, I will care for Shawn. But I don't believe it will come to that. I know you don't believe it, but the law will protect you. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
”Thank you. Promise you will tell no one until the time comes. Then, with these legal papers, you will take custody of Shawn.”
”Promise.”
Dispatch gave him Cheryl Collins' address. Blake was punching it into his GPS when his cell phone sounded. It was Lance Brody.
”Hey, Blake. I'm afraid I've got some bad news. There was a man and a woman in the car in the river. They both had identification on them. John and Eve Isaac.”
”Oh, G.o.d.”
”Sorry, Blake. The car's license plate checks out to Eve Isaac. The coroner is the only one who can say for sure, but I think it's them.”
”Thanks, Lance.” Blake disconnected the call and sat stunned for a couple of minutes. He thought of Jennifer and how much he didn't want her to hear about this from the media. He dialed home and waited for her to answer.
”Hi, I was just thinking of you,” said Jennifer. ”When are you coming home for dinner?”
”Soon, honey. I'm coming right home,” Blake said, then added, ”Please do something for me and don't ask why. Turn off your laptop and television. I'll be right there.”
”Sure. Just come home to me.”
Blake could see Jennifer waiting for him, leaning against the frame of the front door, when he pulled into the driveway. He turned off the car's engine, got out of the car and trudged through the snow to the front porch, where his very pregnant wife flew into his arms. Blake buried his face into her neck, inhaling the clean scent of her perfume. At this stage of her pregnancy, he should be bringing her only happy news. What he had to tell her was anything but happy. If he had a choice, he'd not tell her at all. The news media took that choice away from him. It was better he was the one to tell her that Eve and John Isaac were dead.
Blake kissed Jennifer softly on the lips and said, ”Let's go inside. You'll catch cold out here.” He led her inside, closed the door and took off his coat, tossing it across a chair. Joining Jennifer in the living room, he sat next to her on the sofa, with his arm draped around her shoulders. She cuddled closer to him and they sat in silence for a short time, watching the snow falling outside the window.
Finally, Jennifer kissed him and said, ”Tell me. What's happened?”
”We'll probably never know what really happened, but at some point after John Isaac's hearing, he and Eve ended up in her Firebird. They drove out of town and got on Covered Bridge Road, then drove off the bridge into the Wabash River. My dive team has been out there all morning. Lance just called me with their identifications. They're both dead.” Blake tightened his arms around Jennifer as she buried her face against his chest. He softly stroked her hair until she straightened to look at him. Her face was very pale, and she had an odd expression on her face.
”She was right. She knew this would happen, and I didn't believe her,” said Jennifer, as a lone tear streamed down her cheek and neck.
”What are you talking about?” He wiped at the tear on her cheek with his thumb.
”Eve Isaac paid me a visit a few weeks ago. She told me she wouldn't live past the hearing.”
”She couldn't have known that.”
”Yes, I believe she did know exactly that,” Jennifer began. ”There's more, Blake.”
The last thing Blake wanted was for his pregnant wife to get upset, and she was looking more distraught by the second. She'd lost a baby five years ago. Jennifer couldn't lose this one. ”Let's talk about this later. I'll go make dinner. Let's just relax for a while.”
”This can't wait. There is something you should know. Eve gave this to me.” Jennifer pulled out an envelope from the end table drawer and handed it to Blake. ”Open it.”
He opened the envelope and read the contents. Eve Isaac had prepared all the legal paperwork necessary for them to adopt her son. She was begging them to adopt Shawn. Blake's thoughts raced. Adopt Shawn? He loved the little boy and nothing would please him more than to be able to provide a good home to Shawn. But the timing was not good. Jennifer was due to give birth any day. Was this too much to take on right now?
Blake glanced at Jennifer, but couldn't read her expression. ”Honey, I don't know...”
”What don't you know?” asked Jennifer.
”I'm not sure the timing is good for us to adopt Shawn.”
His statement aroused and infuriated her. ”I don't imagine the timing was great for Shawn to have to testify against his own father. I'll just bet the timing is off for this five-year-old to lose both his parents.”
”Jennifer...”
She moved from the sofa to the window. ”Don't *Jennifer' me! If you don't think I can handle having a baby and caring for a five-year-old, you don't know me very well. You know my past. The past five years haven't exactly been a walk in the park for me.” She paused, then continued. ”I got pregnant by a man who didn't want the baby, abducted by a maniac and was nearly killed, lost my baby boy, got my degree, joined law enforcement, got promoted to detective, and shot and killed a serial killer. I survived all that. Do you really think I can't handle this?”
Blake motioned for her to sit back on the sofa next to him; she indicated her refusal by shaking her head. ”Honey,” Blake said, ”the doctor told you to stay calm.”
”Stop telling me to stay calm,” Jennifer retorted. ”I need for you to know how I feel. It is more than the fact I made a promise to Eve. I love that little boy. I loved Shawn even before he chose you to be his mentor for the Buddy Program. Every time you brought him home to play ball, watch TV or cook, I didn't want him to leave,” she said. ”He is the most amazing little boy. He's smart and funny and my heart melts every time he throws his little arms around me for a hug. I love the way he hangs on every word when I read him a story. I love the way he looks at you, like you're his hero. He needs a hero in his life. Shawn needs a mom and dad who are going to love him with all the love they have, who will protect him and keep him safe. He's never had that, Blake. He's been ignored and abused for most of his life. We can change all that. I want him to be our son and our baby's big brother. I think you want the same. Don't you, Blake?”
Wordlessly, Blake walked across the room to gather his coat and gloves.
Tears blinding her eyes and choking her voice, Jennifer asked, ”Where are you going? We need to talk about this.”
”I'm going back out to look for our son and bring him home.”
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