Page 95 of False Evidence
Lee had also encouraged them to release the video to the local news affiliate to expedite the verification process—and ensure the cops didn’t bury the evidence of one of their own assaulting a woman he’d pulled over.
Shortly after the video’s release, statements that other women had reached out to Maryland State Police within hours of his murder, claiming he’d pulled them over and assaulted them too, began to pour in on the broadcaster’s tip line. MSP had never relayed those complaints in their briefings on the hunt for Alexandra.
Now the department spokesperson was claiming it was because they didn’t report on ongoing investigations, which might be true, but it would have significantly changed the narrative regarding the hunt for Alexandra Vargas in her favor.
It remained to be revealed whether or not complaints had named Officer Corey Williams for abuse of power prior to Monday, December twenty-first, or if the reported assaults had never identified the officer involved. If the guy had been reported by name, and he’d been allowed to continue with MSP without charges or investigation, MSP would be facing significant lawsuits.
Just thinking about it had JT’s fingers tightening on the steering wheel.
A lawsuit wouldn’t change the trauma Lex had been through. Or that Gemma could have been used as a pawn and disappeared into foster care.
Still, they knew Lex hadn’t been targeted at random. It had to be connected to Kendall, Brent, and Russ.
Someone had killed Williams for a reason.
Alexandra held Gemma on her hip with her right arm while JT held her left hand in a tight grip as she stepped into the conference room. Her breath caught when she spotted Erica, Lee, and their daughter, Grace.
Gemma started kicking and wriggling at the sight of her bestie. “Gase! Gase!”
Alexandra set down her squirming daughter, who shot like a rocket around the table to see her friend and introduce her to her new T-Rex buddy.
The girls hugged and giggled, and Alexandra’s eyes burned. She let go of JT and hugged Erica, full-on tears spilling down her cheeks. “Thank you for taking care of Gemma.”
Erica held her in a fierce grip. “Of course. I was so terrified when you didn’t call, and then I saw the news—I— I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Alexandra didn’t have a choice when it came to not wearing makeup—she didn’t have any with her—but now she was glad for the lack of mascara, which would be running down her face.
Erica’s grip relaxed, and Alexandra would have pulled away, but then her arms tightened again and she whispered in her ear, “Don’t think I didn’t notice your hand in JT’s. For what it’s worth, he’s changed over the last few years. He might finally be worthy of you and Gemma.”
Erica’s endorsement was probably the only one that could matter to Alexandra at this point. She’d only known JT through the worst times and was not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Alexandra pulled back and met her gaze. “You never said a word.”
“At first I thought it might be performative, hoping to influence me to influence you. But he never tried to use my relationship with you. And then, when Gemma needed him, he stepped up without hesitation. If you could have seen the look of terror on his face the first time he laid eyes on her…”
“You know I can hear you, right?” JT said.
Erica grinned. She swiped at her tears as she released Alexandra and turned to JT, pulling him into her fierce grip. “You’ve always known how I felt. It’s been a pleasure to see you become the man Lee always told me you were.”
JT laughed. It was deep and rich and affectionate. “I will never be worthy of Lee’s respect, but I’m deeply proud to have earned yours.”
Erica’s voice dropped to a stage whisper. “Don’t fuck it up, because she can do way better than you.”
He met Alexandra’s gaze over Erica’s shoulder. “I’ve known that from the day we met.”
Alexandra turned to Lee and received a hug from him. From the beginning, he’d felt like the brother she’d always wanted, right down to moving her into his condo when her living situation with Kendall turned ugly.
As he held her, he whispered in her ear, “Is the hard drive in the diaper bag like I asked?”
She gave a slight nod.
He released her and scooped up his daughter. “Erica, why don’t you grab Gemma and we’ll watch the kids in the living quarters common area while Alexandra and JT confer with her attorney?” He picked up the diaper bag from where JT had set it on the table and headed through the door.
Erica smiled as she settled Gemma on her hip and followed Lee out the door.
Alexandra suppressed her own smile. Lee always had a narrow focus when he had a computer puzzle to solve, and she knew he was eager to copy the hard disk before she handed it over to the Maryland State Police.
No one wanted to take a chance that the drive would get lost or destroyed once it left her possession. After all, evidence against Russ Spaulding had gone missing sixteen years ago, allowing him to escape prosecution.