Reasonable Doubt. Tracey V. Bateman

donuts drifted between the wooden walls, beckoning her toward the kitchen. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep herself from peeking at Justin as she walked through. He was stretched out on the couch, the afghan discreetly covering the handcuffs.

      A lump formed in her throat at the sight of him, sleeping peacefully, like a man with nothing to hide. She snorted and turned. Or a sociopath with no conscience!

      Willing away thoughts of Justin, she pushed through the kitchen door and stopped short at the sight of the two boys working diligently to glaze a batch of cooled donuts while her dad stood, back to them, lifting more from the boiling grease.

      Billy popped a donut hole into his mouth, licked his fingers, then glanced up. His guilt-clouded eyes widened when they lit on Keri. Silently, she lifted her brow, attempting a stern expression of reprimand. He held out a donut, hung by one sticky finger, and pressed the other index finger to his lips.

      An obvious attempt to buy her silence.

      Pretending to consider the proposition, Keri rested her hands on her hips for a second, then she looked him square in the eye, winked and nodded. She reached for the goodie. Hesitating only a moment at the thought of how many times the kid must have licked his fingers without being caught, she nevertheless took a bite.

      “What are you doing, Keri-girl?”

      Keri jumped at her dad’s voice and she stopped chewing, hiding the rest of the donut behind her back.

      “What kind of example is that setting for the boys?” he demanded. “Stealing donuts right out from under my nose?” The twinkle in his eyes belied his tone, but Keri played along for the twins’ entertainment.

      “You’re right, Dad,” she said solemnly. She set the donut on a napkin and headed for the fridge. “I’ve set a horrible example, and I’m sorry. How could I ever have taken a bite of this delicious donut…without first dunking it in milk?” She held up the gallon jug and the boys giggled. She set it on the counter, grabbed four glasses and began to pour.

      Mac Mahoney grinned and winked at Josh and Billy. “You boys about ready to sample our cooking?”

      “Yes, sir!”

      “Alrighty, then.” He laid a napkin in front of each of them, next to their milk. “Grab a donut from the plate and let’s start sampling!”

      Keri finished her donut and milk, enjoying the ecstasy on the boys’ faces. Billy delighted in everything, from the blarney Dad told of leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, to the simple task of throwing away his napkin and carefully placing his empty glass into the sink. Josh, too, seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, offering half smiles and short replies. But the joy that seemed to exude from Billy was noticeably absent from Josh’s demeanor.

      When the boys were done with their snack, the three guys started on another batch of donuts. Keri excused herself.

      Her glance returned once more to Justin, sleeping on the couch. With a sigh, she headed back to her bedroom, snatched her keys from the dresser and tiptoed close to Justin. She knelt beside the couch. He groaned and shifted, causing her heart nearly to stop. Watching him as he settled back into sleep, her heart picked up. A lock of his hair fell across his forehead, begging her to smooth it back. Obeying the summons, she reached forward.

      His eyes opened and Keri thought she’d die.

      “What are you doing?” he whispered.

      Heat seared her cheeks. “I—I was going to uncuff you.”

      “Really?”

      She nodded. “I’m counting on your word to keep you here.”

      In a swift movement, she slipped the key into the cool metal cuffs and set him free.

      He sat up, rubbing his wrist. “Thanks.” His hand reached out and gently cupped her cheek. The pool of emotion reflected in his eyes was too deep for Keri’s comfort.

      She shot to her feet, plopped her hands on her hips, and hardened her heart. “Just don’t give me a reason to regret it.”

      He’d been pacing this same stretch of floor off and on for the past two hours. Why hadn’t Justin called? He’d had plenty of time to get settled into wherever he was headed.

      First thing he would do when Justin finally made contact was weasel the location of his hideout.

      Releasing a chuckle, he shook his head at his own brilliance. Justin’s absence made the chump look even guiltier than the eyewitness stories. The D.A. would almost certainly seek a warrant now.

      He would have liked to have come up with more credible witnesses than a couple of bums who would sell out their own mothers to get enough money for a bottle of cheap whisky and enough coke for one high. But he hadn’t dared try to pay off anyone who was sober. As long as they kept to the story, he’d buy all the whisky they could drink. If they didn’t keep to the story…well…he’d made it pretty clear that killing a couple of bums wouldn’t hurt his conscience any more than putting a bullet in that tramp’s head had.

      Once he found out where Justin was staying, he would send the cops an anonymous tip. Then he would be the most supportive of Justin’s friends. Insisting upon his innocence. Hey, he might even offer to raise the twins. He smiled, imagining the light in his wife’s eyes when he presented her with the children she’d always longed for. Yes, Justin’s boys would work just as well as going through an agency. This plan just grew sweeter by the second. Now all he had to do was wait for Justin to call.

      He stopped pacing for a second and stared at the phone. “Ring!”