by Elle Kennedy
She finished in a rush, leaving both men slightly stunned. Finn’s throat was so tight he could barely speak, but he managed a quick nod at Parsons, who slowly pushed back his chair.
“We’ll be right back,” Finn said, unable to meet Anna’s eyes.
In the hall, Parsons crossed his arms, but the look in his eyes told Finn that the federal agent was on the same page. “She didn’t do it,” Finn murmured.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, either.”
“We need to let her go.”
This time Parsons disagreed. “If we do, I’m assigning Ferraro to keep an eye on her. She might have been quite convincing in there, but we can’t take any chances, Finnegan. She might still lead us to that baby.”
“I don’t think she will.”
Parsons’s nostrils flared. “I don’t care what you think. You might be leading the Donovan murder, but I was assigned to the abduction. If I think Holt merits more attention, you can’t do a damn thing about it.”
Finn tried not to sigh. So much for Parsons’s transformation. The man was the same controlling jerk.
“Fine,” he finally muttered. “Do whatever you want.”
“Gee, thanks for the permission,” Parsons said in a cutting voice. “Now I’m going to talk to Ferraro about his assignment. You can inform Deputy Holt that she’s free to go.”
Thanks for the permission, Finn was tempted to bite out, but he kept his mouth shut. As Parsons strode toward the bull pen, Finn leaned against the wall and raked his hands through his hair. Lord, he didn’t want to go back in that interrogation room and face Anna. For the second time in less than a week, he’d questioned a woman he cared for about a crime she hadn’t committed.
Such was the life of a small-town sheriff, he supposed.
But that didn’t make it suck any less.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Jamie glanced up as Cole entered the bedroom, but only spared him a brief look before dropping her gaze to the papers strewn across the bedspread.
Cole stifled a sigh. She’d had her head buried in those files since one of the FBI agents dropped them off earlier. They were copies of the documents Sarah had provided, and Jamie was determined to find something in those files. Anything that might lead her to Lucy.
“Did you hear me?” Cole said.
She didn’t respond.
Releasing the sigh, he sat down at the edge of the bed, reached over and stilled her hand before she could pick up the next sheet of paper.
“It’s not your fault,” he repeated in a firm voice.
She met his eyes, her expression tortured. “I forgot to set the alarm. I turned my back on Lucy. I let someone knock me out with a crowbar. I lay on the floor unconscious while a baby was stolen.” A ragged breath escaped her mouth. “How is this not my fault, Cole?”
“Not everything is in our control, Jamie,” he said quietly. “Crappy things happen sometimes, and we can’t stop them, no matter how hard we try.”
His heart ached when he noticed the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. “Come here,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around her.
She rested her head on his shoulder, trembling slightly. “I just want to find Lucy and bring her back to Sarah.”
“You will. We will,” he corrected. Tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ears, he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, then shifted and grabbed the nearest sheet of paper. “Come on, let’s go through these together and see if anything jumps out at us.”
Jamie smiled through her tears. “You’re really going to help?”
“Of course. I want to get Lucy back as much as you do.”
He glanced down at the paper, noticing he’d picked up the baby’s medical report, which listed Lucy’s eye and hair color, blood type, distinguishing birthmarks… Cole’s eyes narrowed as something caught his attention.
“Huh,” he muttered.
Jamie shot him a sharp look. “Huh what?”
“Did you look at this one?”
He held up the medical report and she furrowed her brow. “Yeah. It’s just Lucy’s basic information. Why? Do you see something I don’t?”
He traced his index finger over one item in particular, watching Jamie’s expression as she read the line he’d pointed out. “I don’t get it,” she said.
Cole didn’t answer. His uneasiness grew, slowly coating his stomach until he started to feel sick. He reached up to rub his temples, forcing himself to think logically. This had to be a coincidence.
“Cole, you’re scaring me.” Her voice became urgent. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Letting out an unsteady breath, he met his fiancée’s worried lavender eyes, opened his mouth, and revealed the frightening suspicion wreaking havoc on his brain.
When he finished, the worry on her face dissolved into apprehension, then sheer resignation. She shook her head a few times, as if trying to comprehend what he’d just told her.
“Well?” he asked. “Do you have anything to say to that?”
She didn’t answer for several long moments, and when she finally spoke, she echoed his precise thought on the subject.
“Aw, crap.”
Chapter 10
Sarah watched as Finn collected the empty food containers and tossed them in the garbage bin by the back door. They’d stopped to get takeout from the diner after leaving the police station, and had spent the last half hour eating in silence in her spacious kitchen. He hadn’t asked to come back to her house, and she hadn’t invited, but somehow he’d ended up here and Sarah had to admit, she was grateful for his presence.
The bracelet circling her ankle was a painful reminder that her freedom had been taken away, at least to some extent. She hated that she couldn’t get into her car and drive all over the damn state in search of Lucy. She was like a dog chained up in the yard, seeing a squirrel in the distance and being unable to chase after it. She hated feeling so out of control.
She’d felt that way earlier, when she’d practically assaulted Finn in the guest room. At that moment, she’d wanted nothing more than to lose herself in his powerful arms and drugging kisses. The visit to Jason’s grave had torn her apart. For that one brief moment, she’d wanted so badly to forget it all. The grief, the worry, the helplessness.
But Finn had been right. It wasn’t fair to use him as a means of forgetting.
“Coffee’s ready,” Finn said.
She glanced up to see him holding two steaming mugs in his hands. “Let’s go to the living room,” he said with a sigh.
“Do you need to stop by the gallery at some point?” he asked as they left the kitchen. “Anything you need to pick up there?”
The gallery? She’d totally forgotten about it, what with being jailed and then having her daughter taken away from her. She supposed she should put up a sign announcing the place would be closed indefinitely, but the thought of going into town sent dread spiraling through her.
Another thing she’d lost, the gallery she loved. Art had always been her passion. Unfortunately, her hand-eye coordination left much to be desired, and the few times she’d tried drawing or painting had resulted in embarrassment. But she had a good head for business, and she’d majored in it in college, along with a minor in art history. When the gallery had come up for sale, she’d used the money her aunt left her to purchase it, and going to work every morning used to bring her so much joy.
Now she was terrified of facing the citizens of Serenade. Terrified of the whispers and stares she knew she’d encounter.
“I don’t need anything,” she said softly. “Only my daughter.”
She followed him into the living room, and when they were settled on the couch, each on opposite ends, Sarah held her mug between her cold fingers and sighed. “I’m sorry you had to question Anna. I know that must have been hard for you.”
He grunted in response, but the pain in his eyes said it all.
“I never thought for a moment she was responsible for any of thi
s,” she added. Frustration gathered in her belly. “But who is? Where’s Lucy? God, Finn, why was she taken?”
“I don’t know,” he said in a quiet voice.
Sarah set down her cup on the coffee table and drew up her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing it was Lucy she was clinging to instead of her own legs.
“I didn’t adopt her to replace him,” she whispered.
Finn looked over sharply. “What?”
“Lucy.” Her throat burned. “I didn’t want her as a replacement for Jason.”
“I never thought that was the reason for the adoption.”
“No?”
“No,” he said firmly. His features creased. “But four years ago, when you…”
Shame tugged at her. “When I pressured you to try for another baby? I shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t fair to you. Wasn’t fair to either one of us.” A heavy sigh escaped her mouth. “You were right, you know. That time, I was trying to find a replacement. I just wanted Jason back so badly. Having another child was the only way I thought of to make it happen, but I realize now that it was a mistake. Jason couldn’t be replaced.”
“No,” he said thickly. “He couldn’t.”
“I’m sorry, Finn.”
“So am I.”
They fell quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, until the doorbell rang and squashed the first sense of peace she’d felt in days.
“I’ll get it,” Finn said, standing up.
He left the room, returning a few moments later with Jamie and Cole in tow. Sarah instantly tensed when she caught the identical expressions on the couple’s faces. Something was up, she could sense it.
“I hope we weren’t interrupting,” Jamie said, fidgeting with her hands.
Sarah studied the other woman’s face. Something was up, all right. “No, it’s fine. What’s going on?”
“Cole and I had something we needed to discuss with you.”
“Sit down,” Finn offered, gesturing to the two armchairs opposite the couch. “I’ll get you guys some coffee.”
“No,” they said in unison.
Sarah’s eyebrows rose.
“I just want to get this over with,” Cole added, his face awash with reluctance. “Let’s not waste time.”
As Cole and Jamie sat down, Finn joined Sarah on the couch. This time, he sat right beside her, and her heart did a little lurch as he took her hand in his. She could tell he felt the same unease, picked up on the black cloud that seemed to creep into the room and hang over their heads like a canopy.
“What the hell is going on?” Finn burst out when neither Cole nor Jamie said a word. “You’re scaring Sarah. Hell, you’re scaring me a little, too.”
Jamie cleared her throat. “Okay. Well. Cole and I were going over the files Sarah gave Parsons and his team. We may have found something.”
Sarah squeezed Finn’s hand, unable to stop the hope that soared along her spine. “Something that might lead us to Lucy?”
Jamie and Cole exchanged troubled looks. “Maybe,” Jamie said. “But first… Cole, you say it. I still don’t even know if I believe it.”
Cole leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands on his lap. “Like Jamie said, we were looking at the files, and I noticed something in one of Lucy’s medical records. She has a birthmark on her left shoulder, shaped like a—”
“Star,” Sarah finished. She shot him a confused look. “I don’t get it. Why is that important?”
“It may not be. Except…”
“Except what?” Finn barked. “Where are you going with this, Donovan?”
“Teresa had a star-shaped birthmark on her left shoulder,” Cole blurted out.
Sarah gaped at him in shock. Well, she hadn’t been expecting that. But what on earth was he getting at? So what if Cole’s ex-wife had a similar birthmark as Lucy?
She quickly voiced her thoughts. “Lots of people have birthmarks. It’s just a coincidence.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jamie asked in a soft voice.
Sarah bristled. “What are you saying? That because Teresa and Lucy have star-shaped marks on their shoulders, then they’re…what, related?”
Nobody said a word.
The implication settled over Sarah like a patch of thick fog. No. No, that was absolutely ridiculous. Strictly coincidence. Teresa had a birthmark. Lucy had a birthmark. Big deal. That didn’t mean Teresa was…
“She’s not Lucy’s mother!” Sarah exploded, stunned that anyone could even think it. “Birthmarks aren’t even hereditary. This is just a weird coincidence.”
“Sarah,” Cole began. He stopped, cleared his throat, and plowed on. “It’s not just the birthmark. That’s what caught my attention, because Teresa’s mark was so damn distinct, you know? But Jamie and I were talking it over, and we realized there might be more.”
“Teresa left town nine months ago,” Jamie spoke up. “She told everyone she was moving to Raleigh to start a new life and put this sorry town behind her. She was gone for six months and came back to Serenade three months ago—the same time you brought Lucy home.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. She wasn’t pregnant when she left,” Sarah protested. “People would have noticed.”
“She only would’ve been three months along. Early enough that she wouldn’t be showing,” Jamie said.
Sarah’s mind was reeling. This was absurd. Teresa lived in Raleigh for six months. Sarah had adopted Lucy from Raleigh. This wasn’t one of those dumb riddles—Bob is a lawyer, lawyers are sharks, therefore Bob is a shark. There was no proof, nothing written in bright neon announcing that Teresa Donovan had given birth to Lucy.
She suddenly grew light-headed. Letting go of Finn’s hand, she rubbed her forehead, trying to clear her brain. Lucy was hers. Hers. She’d sat in a hotel room for two days while the birth mother was in labor. She’d held her for the first time in the nursery at Raleigh General.
She’d brought her home to Serenade—one week after Teresa changed her mind about the mysterious relocation to Raleigh.
No.
Coincidence.
Black dots moved in front of her eyes, making her sag forward.
“She’s not Lucy’s mother,” she choked out. “She can’t be…”
God, what if it was true?
What if Teresa Donovan had left town to conceal her pregnancy, given birth to Lucy and put her up for adoption?
What if Sarah had adopted Teresa’s baby?
The breath drained from her lungs, while her palms went damp and started to tingle.
She heard Finn’s voice saying her name, but it sounded distant, muffled. The black dots got bigger, shrouding her vision. She leaned forward, trying to breathe through a fresh wave of dizziness.
And then she fainted.
“Damn it, Jamie,” Finn snapped as he held Sarah’s unconscious body in his arms. “Why the hell did you two have to come here and drop this on her? It might not even be true!”
Jamie probably answered, but he didn’t hear a damn word. Sarah had fallen off the couch when she’d passed out, her right temple snapping against the leg of the coffee table. She wasn’t waking up, and panic rapidly entered his bloodstream, making it hard to think clearly.
“Call Bennett,” he ordered as he cradled Sarah’s head in his lap.
He pushed dark strands from her face, gently stroking her cheek as he said, “Wake up, sweetheart. Come on, Sarah, wake up.”
He heard Cole talking on his cell phone, but all he could focus on was Sarah. Her face was completely devoid of color, save for the slight redness at her temple. She hadn’t hit her head too badly, or at least it didn’t look like it, but it worried him that she was still out cold.
Fighting a rush of anxiety, he pinched one of her cheeks, then cupped her chin. “Sarah…baby…open your eyes.”
There was a soft moan, and she stirred in his arms, bringing an explosion of sweet relief to his body. He watched as her eyelids fluttered and then opened
. Mystification swarmed her gaze as she stared up at him.
“Finn?” she mumbled.
“It’s me. I’m here,” he said roughly.
She shifted, slowly twisting her head. “I…passed out?”
“Yeah, you were out for a few minutes.” He helped her into a sitting position, wrapping an arm around her as they sat there on the hardwood floor. Jamie and Cole were standing, each one donning a look of remorse.
Good, let them feel bad. What had they been thinking, showing up here and revealing that Teresa Donovan, the wicked witch of Serenade, could possibly be the biological mother of Sarah’s adopted daughter?
His teeth clenched at the mere thought of it. Sure, he’d always thought it strange that Teresa had left town for no apparent reason, only to waltz back six months later as if she hadn’t even been gone. But that was Teresa for you. Unpredictable, impulsive.
Manipulative, evil…
Hell, he didn’t blame Sarah for fainting from the news.
“Bennett’s on his way,” Cole announced.
“Travis?” Sarah cried, her head snapping up. “No, call him and tell him not to come. I’m fine.”
“You hit your head,” Finn replied tersely. “I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”
She blew out a frustrated breath, wiggling from his embrace. “I don’t have a concussion. I just fainted.”
She tried standing, but he noticed her legs were still shaky and promptly rose to help steady her. And then it was him and Sarah, facing off with Cole and Jamie. Tension filled the air.
“It can’t be true,” Sarah finally said. “I know you guys think it might be, but I refuse to believe that Teresa gave birth to my daughter.”
“Then you won’t mind if I get my P.I. to investigate,” Cole said gruffly.
From the corner of his eye, Finn saw Sarah blanch. “What?” she protested. “No.”
“I know you don’t want to believe it, but we need to find out if it’s true,” Jamie said in a gentle tone. “Sarah, if Teresa is Lucy’s biological mother, then that changes everything.”