“He was,” I muttered.

“So what can I do for you, sweet cheeks?” He leaned back in his chair and placed his clasped hands over his belly.

I had his full attention and suddenly, my nerves were getting the best of me. “I recently got a nursing job in the infirmary at Fulton Rhodes.”

His eyes widened. “Lord, your daddy is probably rolling over in his grave, girl.” He sat up, leaning over his desk. “He’d hate you working there. Hell, I’m not sure I like it very much. There are some nasty pieces of work in that place.”

My mind went over the roster, knowing I could name half of the bad seeds he was talking about. I smiled and agreed. “There’s an inmate there. His name’s Christopher Jacobs. Ever heard of him?”

He closed his eyes and mumbled Christopher’s name repeatedly, as if he were mulling through his memory bank.

“Let’s see.” He flipped on his computer and began searching. After a moment, his eyes widened and I could see the moment his memory was jogged.

“Christopher Jacobs. Oh yeah, I remember that one. He was a sick one. I couldn’t get the images of that crime scene out of my head for weeks. What do you want to know?” His face turned serious.

“Can this be between you and me for now?” I asked, hoping I could confide in him.

“Yes, of course.” His curiosity was getting the best of him.

“I think he’s innocent.” The words leapt from my mouth in a rush.

Charlie’s face cleared, his eyes raking over my face, before he burst into laughter. “Please tell me you don’t believe this monster when he says he’s innocent. Didn’t you know that every inmate in Fulton is innocent? At least, that’s what they tell everyone.

I shook my head, cutting him off. “No. He thinks he really did it, but some things aren’t adding up.”

His laughter stopped, and he swiped at the moisture under his eye. “Things like what?”

He watched me carefully, reading my every move like a book he’d read too many times. It was his job to interpret body movements, and Mr. Charlie was excellent at his job.

Filling him in on the details, I told him about Christopher’s amnesia and my own experiences with the human body. I told him about how difficult it would’ve been to cut through muscle and bone, especially with a dull knife. He listened with concern in his eyes. Maybe he thought I was going crazy. Maybe I was, but something in my gut told me I was right, and my daddy always told me to follow my gut.

When I was done telling him my story, he stood from his desk and went to the door. Shutting us off from the rest of the precinct, he leaned against his desk in front of me instead of going back to his seat.

“Lyla, I love you like one of my own, and because of that, I’m going to tell you something.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a breath. “Be careful which stones you turn over when it comes to criminals. You never know which one has a snake hiding under it. Jacobs is a snake if I ever saw one, and he’s working you. Stay away from him. He’s dangerous. You’re not a police officer, and you’re no detective. Do your job, and let me do mine.”

Any hope I had of getting his help fell through the cracks. I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I nodded and stood to leave. “Thanks for your help,” I said as I turned for the door.

“Lyla, look at me.”

I did as I was told, even though I wanted to bolt from the building. “Sir?”

“I’m sorry if I was hard on you, but I hear criminals claim to be innocent every day. I’ll look into the case, because it’s obvious it’s something you’re passionate about, but I can’t make any promises.” He lowered his eyes and sighed. “Come by tomorrow. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

I left the building unsure if I’d done the right thing. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but I wasn’t sure if Charlie believed me or not. I hated to think I was just being tossed around because of who my dad was, but I had to hope that he’d at least take a look at it like he’d promised. As I climbed into my car, I knew it was going to be a restless night. I wasn’t sure if I could wait until the next day to find out anything.

I SHOWED UP bright and early the next day with two cups of coffee in my hands. When I entered the police station, I was greeted by several familiar faces, and when I got to Charlie’s office, he welcomed me with a wide smile, motioning me to come in.

“So let’s talk. I spent most of the night digging, and you won’t believe what I found.”