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proceed, I don’t see why this can’t fall under the work I do for them.”
    Kellie sagged in relief, offered him a shy thanks. It lifted some of the sadness out of the room. The tension in him eased.
    Marnie rolled her eyes. “Can we get on with this?”
    They settled in to listen but Kellie stalled, reluctant or unsure of how to start.
    “The best place to start is the beginning. Tell me what you want to happen.” He kept his voice level, his tone even. Nothing about his demeanor suggested careers hung in the balance, friendships, a child’s wellbeing.
    Kellie shifted the sleepy-eyed baby in her arms. Her smile hesitant, confused, but when she cuddled her baby close the love in her eyes wasn’t feigned. When she lifted her head neither was the fear. “You’re not going to believe me.”
    “Give me a try.” He didn’t make any sudden movements. Didn’t want to spook her. He gritted his teeth when Marnie nodded her consent.
    “I worked for him. Mr. Drummond. Or his company, I guess. I came in a couple of times a week to do some temp work. He…he noticed me.” She stumbled over words, teared up. Caleb stifled his frustration at her choreographed speech. Then once again it circled around to the older woman guiding her forward with another nod of her head. Kellie cleared her throat. “Things happened, we hooked up. When I realized I was pregnant I went to him. Told him. He gave me cash and told me to get an abortion. Said there’d be more money after I’d had the procedure.”
    Caleb frowned. “Obviously, you didn’t go through with it.”
    “No.” She shook her head, once again looking to Marnie before lowering her head and whispering, “I…I didn’t.”
    “And you lied and told him you went through with it?” Sophie directed her question at Kellie but she watched Marnie too. Nothing obvious, covert glimpses only.
    Still looking down, Kellie shook her head. “No, I never went back. He was really angry when I told him. He called me stupid. And worse. No way was I going back there.”
    “When you say ‘things happened’ what do you mean? What kind of relationship did you have?”
    “Need it spelled out for you?” Marnie taunted.
    “Something like that.” He refused to be baited. “Was it one night? An affair?”
    “No.” Kellie paused to chew on her bottom lip. She tried to shift her position, but the narrow bed made it impossible. Sophie stepped in to help her. When she was settled, Kellie picked up where she’d left off, choosing to stare at the far wall this time. “We met in his office. Got to know one another. Afterwards we met at an apartment he keeps in Chinatown.”
    Caleb sent a sideways glance in Sophie’s direction to gauge her reaction to what Kellie was saying. It had been a while since he’d had much to do with teenage girls, but this sounded like one cold and impersonal affair. Didn’t they want hearts and flowers? Justin Bieber lyrics? The narrowing of Sophie’s eyes followed by the slight tilt of her head confirmed he wasn’t imagining things.
    “How long did this go on for?” he asked.
    “Not long.” Kellie shrugged. “A couple of months.”
    “Did you know he was married?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    Okay, not a total shock, but still. “And it didn’t bother you?”
    “I needed the job.” For the first time she looked him full in the eye, unblinking, unwavering, unapologetic.
    He didn’t know what to swallow first: the shock or the disbelief. “Did he threaten to fire you if you refused to sleep with him?”
    “No. Nothing like that, but he never does. He loses interest and moves on. If we keep our mouths shut we get a few bucks, well more than a few.”
    The sick slow glide of revulsion overran the first quick seconds of shock. He’d meant fired from her temp work job. Not…Caleb stilled. “Are you saying he paid…” He cleared his throat. “That he’s done this before, with other women?”
    Marnie snorted. “If by women you mean girls, then