“She asked me to give Todd something,” the guard said. “I told her we can’t do that, but she said it was only a piece of paper, and she was real insistent. So I took it.” Along with a twenty-dollar bill, I bet. “While I’m sure it’s nothing—Todd’s a good guy, never any trouble—I can’t break the rules. I figured I’d give it to you, and you can pass it along, since you’re his lawyer.”

The guard held out a church offering envelope. Which could mean Seanna was being clever, gift-wrapping her message in the most innocuous package possible, but it had probably just been the easiest place to steal an envelope.

Gabriel took it and passed an expertly folded fifty, saying, “Thank you, and I apologize if she placed you in an awkward position.”

“No, sir. It’s fine, sir. Happy to help.”

“If she comes back, I would very much appreciate a phone call. She has dropped out of contact, and I’m concerned. My mother has…” He dropped his voice and said, “Substance abuse issues.”

The guard nodded, a little too puppy-eager.

“I’d like to get her the help she needs,” Gabriel said.

“Absolutely, sir. I’ll keep my eye out. And good luck with Todd. It seems you have a decent case.”

“I hope so,” I said. “Anything you can do for him, I personally would appreciate.”

“We both would,” Gabriel added.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, sir.”

He backed away, bumping into the wall as he went. I waited until he was gone to roll my eyes at Gabriel.

He lifted the envelope. “May I?”

I nodded. He opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. I watched over his shoulder as he unfolded it to reveal a name: Greg Kirkman.

“Does that mean anything to you?” I said.

Gabriel shook his head and handed me the paper, and I pocketed it for future research.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Pamela Larsen. My mother. Convicted killer. Guilty of murdering four people by her own hand, and a fifth by her command. Except those four were also killers, whom she’d executed to heal me. She’d spent half her life in prison for that. And her fifth victim? Also killed to protect me. Or that was her excuse. In truth, she’d conspired to kill a man I’d loved, a crime intended to separate me from Gabriel by condemning him to life in prison for murder.

How do I reconcile that? The woman who gave up her freedom so I could walk and the woman who took away one man I loved and tried to do the same to a second?