“We’ll keep an eye on the progress. Have regular check-ins,” he continued because he’d clearly been picked as the spokesperson for the meeting. Most of the other partners, especially those who hated anything related to contested custody cases and gravitated toward money-only cases, barely paid attention. “We just need to know everything is on track and that the firm isn’t implicated in any trouble.”

“How would it be?”

“The Bartholomews have contacts with our clients. I belong to the same club. Bottom line is they have clout and could impact referrals to our firm.” He shook his head. “Let’s just say there are mutual issues between us.”

She wasn’t clear on who the “us” were, but it sounded as if Tim’s worries about her staying on the case weren’t irrational after all. “You’ve never micromanaged a GAL appointment before.”

“This is a special case.”

“You know, it’s entirely possible Darren Bartholomew won’t get joint custody or what he really wants, which seems to be for his wife to disappear forever.” She had their attention now. No one played on a cell phone or looked around. Plenty of eye contact. More than a few frowns. “I just wanted to make sure everyone is prepared for that.”

Silence screamed through the room. Covington didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then . . . “We’ll watch and decide if it makes sense for you to continue.”

“I really want—”

“You can go back to your office now.”

Chapter Ten
Gabby

More than a week had passed since Baines’s death. Gabby tried to focus on the newspaper but couldn’t stand reading another story about the tech guy who’d shot himself in the groin. In this interview, his wife insisted the police got it wrong because her husband could not have died that way.

Gabby knew all too well how that felt.

The more she thought about those terrifying, life-changing minutes in Baines’s library, the more convinced she became that someone else had been in the room with her. She’d run into a body. Someone had grabbed her . . . maybe? The end was such a blur, but she hadn’t just fainted. She knew there was more to what happened than her passing out from shock.

“Mom?”