Page 69 of Faith
Nina snorted. “You don’t think me and Frannie having coffee is suspicious?”
Lorelei grinned wryly. “I’m sure Gwendolyn will know it’s a trap. But we’re hoping it’s a big enough one that she can’t resist.”
“How are you letting her know we’re there?” Nina had been wondering that the whole time. Did they assume Nina was being followed? Or Frannie? Or did they have a leak in the department?
“We know she’s watching both of you. Your brother and Zeke are aware of it. We wanted you in protection yesterday, when we found out you were followed, but they insisted on giving you one more night with them.”
“What?” Nina gasped. “What does that mean?”
“It means after this, we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re going to do whatever we have to do to keep you safe.”
“Even if I refuse?” Nina hated the idea of being captive, even if it was for her own good. She told Monty and Zeke that the day before. Why didn’t they tell Lorelei?
“No,” Lorelei said. “We can’t force you. But we hope you’ll consider it.”
“I won’t. I was her prisoner for long enough. I’m not going to be anyone else’s.”
“Understood,” Lorelei said, not fighting but also not happy. “Frannie should be here soon, and we can go.”
“Isn’t she getting wired up?”
“Her husband did that already. Marcus wanted to make sure Frannie was okay and got her set up at home.”
Nina drew a breath. Why didn’t Zeke do that? Or Monty? They both disappeared when Lorelei said it was time to get her set up.
“There’s Frannie,” Lorelei said, stopping Nina’s runaway thoughts.
Nina stood and watched Frannie make her way through the office with her hand securely in the police captain’s. Nina hadn’t met Marcus Patrick, but she’d heard enough about him from Gwendolyn to know he was a good man. Gwendolyn didn’t hate people unless they were good.
Frannie walked into Monty’s office and dropped Marcus’s hand, abandoning him to approach Nina. Frannie pulled Nina into a warm hug and held her tight. “I’m so glad you’re going to be there with me for this.”
“Why?” Nina blurted.
Frannie breathed a laugh and released Nina. “Because you’re strong and smart and together, we are going to make sure Gwennie comes in safely.”
“Do you still care about her? Think she can change? That she’s good?”
Frannie shook her head. “I don’t know. I struggle to match the woman I knew years ago with the monster you and Lorelei know. Gwennie had me fooled for a long time. She was never evil to me, but I know that wasn’t the case for most of the people who knew her.”
Nina snorted. “Definitely not.”
“As for her changing? I don’t know. I’ve seen too many women abused over and over again by the same man after he promises not to hurt her for me to think people change easily. I think we have to have a reason, a damn good reason, to want to be better. I think maybe I want to believe people can change, but I also think some people are beyond the point where they can or are willing to try.”
“She’s never going to change. She’s a murderer. Even if she stopped hurting people, she needs to pay for what she’s already done.”
“Yes, she does. And I think the best thing for that is prison. She deserves that.”
“Not death?” Nina asked. It was what she thought Gwendolyn deserved. A slow, agonizing death that gave her a taste of what all of her victims went through.
“Death is too easy,” Frannie said. “It’s an escape. People think death is the answer, but death is just death. It means she never answers for what she did. She doesn’t have to sit there and listen to people like you tell their story. It’s freedom from persecution. I don’t think anyone deserves to get out of it easy.”
Nina sucked in a breath and wondered if Frannie hated Gwendolyn even more than Nina did. “I can’t let her hurt anyone else.”
“I agree.”
“Shall we go?” Lorelei asked.
Frannie nodded and took Nina’s hand. They turned to the door, and Frannie smiled at her husband. “Nina, this is Captain Marcus Patrick, my husband.”
