Revealing Annie - Freya Barker Page 0,80
Shit, I shouldn’t have touched them, should I?” I pull my hand back.
“These are copies,” Tony takes over. “We have this evidence, a shirt of his with soot stains on the front, and also an empty gas can with his fingerprints on it we found in the tree line behind your property. He claims he knows nothing about the pictures or the underwear, and says his gas can was stolen from the back of his pickup two weeks ago. Claims he has no idea how the shirt got dirty.”
“Of course he’d say that,” Kyle states.
“And then there’s the…yuck he left behind,” I bring up.
“Yes, we should get the results on that any day now. Lab’s been backlogged.”
Keith slides the items back in the envelope.
“The DA didn’t want to risk letting him walk so he decided we had enough to charge him,” he says, but I can’t help notice a hesitation.
“You’re not sure?” I ask.
“I wouldn’t say that. I just like things tied up neatly and we still have a few loose ends. The DNA obviously, but there’s also the tracker we found in your purse, we haven’t found anything to show Parsons was in LA, and the fact those pictures in his nightstand don’t appear to have a single fingerprint on them.”
“Doesn’t mean he wasn’t there,” Tony jumps in. “It just means we haven’t found evidence to that effect yet. And as for the pictures, maybe he used gloves handling them, who knows?”
“Guy is safely behind bars,” Keith says, getting up. “Not to worry, it’s just a matter of fitting the last few pieces in place.”
Tony rounds the island and pulls me in for a hug.
“Breathe easy, honey.”
“I will, right after I sic a lawyer on my agent’s ass.”
“Why? What did he do?”
I untangle myself and walk up to the fridge, pulling the gossip rag off the top where Kyle had tossed it. Tony takes it from my hand.
“Shit. He didn’t waste any time, we just talked to him yesterday.”
“I don’t think he could’ve pulled these kinds of strings overnight, but you’ve been trying to get ahold of him all weekend, I suspect he put this game in play as soon as he got your first message. I wouldn’t put it past him. Just his way to try and force me back into the spotlight.”
“Doesn’t sound like you wanna be there,” Keith suggests.
“Not particularly.”
The large handsome man grins and slaps Kyle on the back.
“Lucked out there, my friend.”
Kyle looks at me with his warm eyes.
“Don’t I know it.”
The phone calls started early this morning.
Kyle just left; it was barely quarter to seven when it rang for the first time. The National Enquirer was first on the trigger. The woman caught me off guard when she asked for Annie Flowers, but I hung up as soon as the reporter identified herself. I’ve basically been answering with “No comment” ever since.
This last one was creative, claiming to be UPS with a delivery for Ms. Flowers, and had been given this phone number. Could I please confirm the address.
I toss the phone on the counter by the sink.
“You know, you could just turn off your phone,” Bryce says through a mouthful of the waffles I managed to bake him between calls. As usual he slept in, so this is more brunch than breakfast, but I don’t care. Kyle and I talked last night and he’s going to try and make an appointment with the local high school to get the boy enrolled.
“Are you being a smart-ass?” He grins, his mouth still full. “Ewww, I don’t wanna see your regurgitated food,” I scold him.
He shrugs, unimpressed, and shovels his last forkful in his mouth.
I reach for the phone and turn the sound off.
“There, better?”
He nods, covers his mouth with his hand and mumbles, “Much.”
I return my attention to the dishes when he walks up beside me and slides his dirty plate in the sink. Then I feel his arm go around me, giving me a hug.
“Thanks, Annie.”
Overwhelmed, I quickly aim a kiss at his cheek. He immediately lets me go as I grin down in the soapy dishwater.
“Welcome, Bryce.”
My phone starts buzzing on the counter and he casually walks over and cancels the call.
“It’s already almost ten thirty.”
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you get out of bed at ten. Time flies.”
“But we’re dropping in the engine this morning, I don’t want to be late.”
“Let me just finish this, and we can take the dogs for a shorter walk now and a longer one this