Page 101 of Necessary Evil

Chapter 22

The next morning Lucy got out of the shower in Evan’s place feeling a little bit at peace. She had a light workload, but she wasn’t sure if she could face Jenny’s empty desk. Unfortunately, she probably wouldn’t be able to evade Albert or Travis today. Well, she would just need to put on her big-girl panties and deal with it.

When she toweled off and stepped out of the bathroom to find where all the pieces of her clothing had ended up last night, Evan wasn’t in the bedroom, but she heard him on the phone in the next room.

“The security cameras at the airport confirm it was Bradford. There’s an APB out on him. Come home.”

Lucy sank to the floor. Bobby had in fact stolen his dead friend’s passport and used it to book a flight to California. The cameras proved that. He’d had motive to kill his old girlfriend and the informer. And did that mean he’d killed Jenny? Had Sentinel convinced Jenny to stop lying for Bobby and instead of terrorizing her that day had made her realize she couldn’t keep silent? If so, that meant Bobby had written the suicide note blaming Sentinel. Bobby had planned all of this, like an evil genius.

My baby brother killed three people.

Lucy bit back a sob. No. No, she couldn’t believe that. It was all over for him if she did. Scrubbing tears away, she fought to come up with a way this wasn’t true. If it was a setup, she could find the reasonable doubt. Maybe the airport camera image was inconclusive. Lucy realized she was grasping at straws. She finished getting dressed, listening to the rest of Evan’s conversation.

“The police are all over his motel room and the Bay Shore apartment. Warden is watching Lucy’s. Do you know any of his other girlfriends’ haunts? If they don’t catch him in Atlantic City, he’s going to go to ground.”

Lucy’s phone buzzed on the bedside table where she’d left it. It was a text from her brother. I’m in trouble. I need you.

“No shit,” she muttered, slipping on her shoes. She was going to get a blister from them because of her lack of pantyhose, but at this point that was the least of her worries.

Wanting to know if he would tell the truth or make up another lie, she texted back, What’s going on?

I need some money.

That was nothing new. Why?

I’ll tell you in person.

She should tell him to turn himself in. That they would get to the bottom of this together. But if he wasn’t being honest with her about the trouble that he was in, none of this would work.

Where are you?If she could talk to him in person, she knew she could make him see reason.

Wyandanch.So he was back on the Island.

He texted her the address, then added, Come alone.

“Yeah right,” she said aloud. She was going to make Evan ride in her car so his bike wouldn’t give him away. She needed him with her for backup in case she couldn’t convince Bobby to turn himself in. They would handle this as a family.

Lucy went to tell Evan what was going on, but he was still on the phone.

“The sooner this ends the better,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t want Lucy to have to go through defending this shit stain. If you get a shot, take him out.”

She stepped back into the room, numb with shock, and leaned against the wall. What had she just heard? Were the SOBs going to kill Bobby? That was just ridiculous, right? He had to have been talking to Ryder, though, because Warden was at her apartment and Sentinel was almost certainly still passed out drunk.

Ryder could have killed all those people in Travis’s files. Evan had just told her to take a shot if she got one, so that meant Ryder was hunting her brother. But what could Lucy do about it? If she told Travis her suspicions and they were wrong, Evan would never forgive her. Hell, he might not forgive her if she was right.

Was there a more reasonable explanation for what she’d heard than Evan ordering a hit on her brother? If she could give Bobby the benefit of the doubt, couldn’t she do it for Evan too? Maybe they were talking about apprehending Bobby.

Yeah, and maybe Ryder’s going to take him dancing.

Lucy felt like she was going to be sick. She ran back into the bathroom and retched up bile. This couldn’t be happening. Running the cool water, she splashed some on her face and in her mouth. The mirror over the sink showed that she looked like hell. It couldn’t be helped.

“Hey, babe,” Evan said when she came out of the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not feeling well this morning.” That was the understatement of the week. “I think I’m going to go home and get some rest. Jenny can…” Lucy closed her eyes. “I mean, I’ll reschedule my appointments today.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to ride your bike in a skirt, thanks.”