Heinous by Debra Webb Page B

imperative that you restrain the urge to give unnecessary information. You are not guilty until proven otherwise. Black is the one who has to prove his case, not you.”
    “That’s just it.” No one was listening. “There is no case against me. I had nothing to do with Allen’s disappearance.”
    “Then we have nothing to worry about.”
    With that profound statement, Teller left the conference room. Dan wanted to throw something except that would probably make him look guilty, too.
    He made the short journey down the hall to his office and closed the door. His secretary was already gone for the day. A stack of messages and a pile of work waited on his desk. For the first time in his career, he had no desire to tackle either.
    More than anything, he wanted Jess settled. Decisions had to be made about a house and whatever else she and the baby would need in case things went more wrong than they already had. He’d made all the necessary legal arrangements in the event Spears made good on his threat that Dan wouldn’t be around to raise his child. Over the years, he’d taken the trust fund he’d inherited from his grandfather and invested well. Financially, Jess and the baby would have no worries.
    The headstone bearing his name that Spears had delivered elbowed its way into the other troubling thoughts. Dan knew better than to ignore the sick bastard. This very morning Spears, or one of his followers, had murdered another innocent victim, and Jess was out there trying to make sense of his moves in the hope of stopping him.
    Dan closed his eyes and attempted to halt the worries mounting inside him without success. In his pocket, his cell vibrated. He snapped his eyes open. Tension coiled more tightly inside him. He could do without any more bad news today.
    Andrea
.
    Dan exhaled a big breath and reached for calm. He’d let his stepdaughter down by not making time for her before she returned to college last month. They’d talked on the phone on several occasions, but it wasn’t the same.
    “Hey there, college girl.”
    “I already hate this semester,” Andrea complained.
    “The semester has barely begun, honey.” Though he and Andrea’s mother had divorced, Dan would always think of Andrea as part of his family. Soon he and Jess had to give her the news about the baby.
    “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just that three of my five professors are going to be A-holes.”
    Dan laughed, the tension that had tightened inside him loosening. “I’m certain they’re all top notch professors. Give them time.”
    “I’ll try.” Silence echoed for a moment. “That’s not really why I called you.”
    A new kind of worry wove its way through him. “Whatever it is, you know I’ll do what I can to help.” He had promised Andrea he’d always be there for her—unlike her biological father.
    “Good because I really, really need you to do something super important for me.”
    “Name it.”
    “Stop working so hard.”
    He frowned. “Who said I was working too hard?”
    “I tried to call you on Friday and then again this morning.”
    His frown deepened. “I didn’t notice any missed calls.”
    “I didn’t call your cell. I called your office in case you were in the middle of something. Shelia said you’re working way too hard. She’s worried about you. So, you have to stop. You’re at that age.”
    Dan couldn’t help himself, he laughed. “I’m not that old, Andrea.”
    “I’m talking,” she said with a harrumph of frustration, “about that age when heart attacks and stuff happen suddenly without any warning. Men your age are under extra stress about their careers and family.”
    He doubted Shelia had volunteered any information about his current career woes. More than likely, Andrea had come to her own conclusions. Her concern warmed him. “You have my word. I will do my best not to work too hard. Starting today.” By the end of the week, he might not have a job.
    “How’s Jess?”
    A smile stretched