by Gayle Wilson
“And then what? Are you saying they threatened him? Some of those were Fortune 500 companies. Some of the top businesses in the Southeast.”
She did remember Richard throwing those phrases around. He had been so excited about the prestige of the firms he was working with. Of course, that was something he would never have divulged to anyone but her. He would have thought expressing that kind of excitement was bush league.
“Something happened that weekend to make him leave Atlanta,” Jeb said. “And what he did before he left sounds like someone who knew he was going on the run. Cash can’t be traced. Not like a credit card. If you don’t want someone to know where you’re going, you grab all the cash you can get your hands on. Especially if you don’t know how long you’re going to be gone.”
The police had told her the same thing. Richard didn’t want to leave a trail when he bought gas or food. They had thought that was because he didn’t want her to know where he’d gone, but what if Jeb was right? What if he’d been running from someone else that weekend?
“And Emma? Why in the world would he take Emma?”
“What else could he have done with her?”
Charlotte and Dave had been out of town. So had she, of course. Richard’s family lived in San Francisco. And since it was a weekend, the day care was closed.
The police had been skeptical when she couldn’t think of a neighbor or friend he might have left Emma with, but it was true. They hadn’t been in the new house long. And with their schedules, there had been little time for socializing.
Of course, when the bank teller had come forward with her story, the authorities had discarded that angle and had begun to consider the case as a parental abduction. After a while, even she had accepted their version of things.
“If someone had threatened Richard—or his family,” Jeb added, “who would he have trusted to take care of Emma? Other than himself?”
It was not so far from the theory Harbinson had advanced. That Richard was running from something. Only he’d believed that it must be from someone he owed money to. Or from something criminal he’d been involved with. And when none of those things had proven to be true…
“You’re saying that one of his clients threatened him? And that he was frightened enough that he took Emma and left without even leaving a note or making a phone call?”
“Maybe he called the wrong person.”
“Why didn’t he call me?”
“Maybe because he was afraid that if he did, they’d find out where you were.”
“That’s ridiculous. Things like that don’t really happen—”
“Things like that happen all the time.”
“Not to someone like Richard. He was an accountant, for God’s sake. And his clients were all legitimate businesses.”
“With balance sheets in the billions of dollars. That’s a very high-stakes game. If you’ve been cheating at that game, and someone finds out…” He raised his eyebrows, just as when he had questioned Lorena’s information about Doc.
Susan didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to think. Jeb’s analysis was something no one else had suggested.
And yet, more than any other scenario she had imagined through the years, it finally made sense of what had happened. So much so she couldn’t believe the idea had never been considered.
“We need to see Richard’s client list,” Jeb said. “But we need to be careful who we ask for it. There’s no guarantee someone at the accounting firm didn’t know what was going on. Maybe they assumed Richard, being new, wouldn’t discover whatever he did. Maybe the guy he’d inherited the accounts from had already reported his own suspicions. You don’t know what happened to him, do you?”
She didn’t, she realized. She’d never thought about the person whose clients Richard had been given. Or about the person who had been given his.
“If not Richard’s boss, then…I don’t know who to ask for the list.”
“Maybe there’s somebody at the firm who could tell us who had those accounts before and after your husband.”
She nodded, trying to think. “Richard’s secretary, maybe.”
“That’s as good a place to start as any. We’ll think up some story to tell her to explain why you’re asking.”
“Not tonight,” Lorena said. “You’ve done enough tonight. I swear you both look like death eatin’ a cracker. You get on to bed now. This’ll all be here in the morning to puzzle over some more. It’s been a hard day,” the old woman said, putting her fingers over Susan’s wrist. “Going to see that baby’s grave. You let her get some rest now, you hear me, Jubal.”
Susan met Jeb’s eyes across the table. They had been focused on her face as his great-aunt concluded her lecture, her fingers still resting comfortingly on Susan’s arm.
“Lorena’s right. As usual,” Jeb said. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
Susan nodded, looking down on the list he’d given her. Despite her exhaustion, she felt more hopeful than she had in years. So much of what Jeb said made sense. Finally, after all this time, there were new avenues to pursue. New possibilities.
“Thank you.”
His eyes widened slightly. “For what?”
“For going with me today. But most of all, for this.” She lifted the spiral notebook she’d been writing in. “It’s been a long time since anyone has tried to come up with a reason for all of this that makes sense.”
“There had to have been one. If only half of what you’ve said about Richard is true.”
“It makes me feel…” She shook her head. “I should have been the one person who didn’t believe what they were saying about him. I should have believed in him. I was the one who knew him best.”
“They may have been right. We don’t know that any of what I just suggested happened. Right now, it’s like everything else. A theory. And it will be until we have some proof.”
She knew that. But for the first time, something made sense of what Richard had done to their lives that weekend. And no matter how this all turned out in the end, she knew this would make it easier to live with.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
WHEN THE PHONE RANG this time, she came awake instantly, mouth open, breathing rapid and shallow. She glanced at the clock, just as she had last night.
It was only a few minutes after nine. Although her exhaustion had driven her to bed soon after supper, she had thought, given the events of last night and today, that she would probably toss and turn for hours. Instead, she had apparently dropped off to sleep almost immediately.
Her cell shrilled again, bringing her completely awake this time. She reached up and turned on the bedside lamp before she flipped open the case.
This couldn’t be the same person who had called last night. The timing was wrong for one thing. And only an idiot would believe she’d fall for that same ruse again. Fool me once…
“Hello.” Even in her own ears her voice sounded strange. Tentative. Fearful.
“Sorry to call so late, Suz,” her brother-in-law said. “I had to wait until Charlotte went up to bed.”
It would be after ten in Atlanta, so that made sense. Why Dave would be calling instead of her sister, however…
“What’s wrong?” she asked, the question still fearful.
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine. It’s so fine, in fact, that they’ve decided the baby’s far enough along to induce.”
The doctors had talked about doing that from the first. For someone with Charlotte’s history, they hoped to get as close to the due date as they could, of course, but they also wanted her labor to be in a safe and totally controlled environment.
Apparently they had now decided she and the baby had made it to that point. She could hear the joy in Dave’s voice.
“That’s wonderful. Tomorrow?” Susan asked, pulling the second pillow behind her and pushing up so that she was leaning back against the headboard.
“The day after. That’s why I’m calli
ng.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Charlotte really wants you here. She won’t tell you that. She knows what’s going on down there, but…You’re the only family she’s got, Suz. And you two have always been so close. I just think she’ll do better if you’re with her. You’ve been her security blanket, especially since your folks died.”
Susan closed her eyes, trying to weigh her sister’s needs against her own. This wasn’t fair. Dave had said that they knew what was going on down here. Not the attack, of course. She hadn’t dared tell Charlotte about that. Nor had she told her sister that she was waiting for the results of a DNA test that would prove whether or not her baby was dead.
Her baby. One she had loved and cherished as much as Dave and Charlotte would cherish theirs. A baby who had been taken from her before she had had a chance to really know her. Just as she was developing a personality. Becoming a real person. It wasn’t fair of them to ask her to give up the search for Emma when it seemed that finally, with Jeb’s help, she might be getting somewhere.
And how will you feel if you don’t go and something happens to Charlotte or the baby? That was a guilt she knew she couldn’t live with.
Besides, despite all the plans she and Jeb had made, there was nothing she could do to speed up the results from the state lab. And until she had those in hand, she suspected Sheriff Adams would continue to drag his feet on everything else.
He had practically forbidden her to visit the school-yard again or to talk to the children. Even now his warning about the possible consequences if she continued to push that avenue echoed in her head.
“Suz? You still there?”
“I’m here. I’m just…” Unconsciously she shook her head, although her brother-in-law wouldn’t be able to see the gesture. “Things are starting to come together down here.”
“You’ve got a lead on Emma?”
He sounded excited. Pleased. All the things that she should be over his good news. And she was. It was just that right now…
Right now she had nothing to do but put some of the things Jeb suggested into action. Get back in touch with Harbinson about the Caffreys’ son. Try to find out about Richard’s client list. None of which had to be done from Linton.
“A couple of things look as if they might lead somewhere.”
“Well, then forget I asked. We’ll be fine.”
She let the silence after Dave’s comment build until it became unbearable. No matter what, she couldn’t refuse to be there for Charlotte, who had always tried to be there for her.
“It’s not like anything is going to break in the next day or two,” she said finally.
“Does that mean you’ll come?”
If she had doubted it before, his obvious relief assured her that Dave hadn’t exaggerated how much Charlotte wanted her. And now that the decision had been made, there was no doubt in her mind it was the right one.
A few days. That’s all they were asking. She owed both of them more than that for the support they’d given her through the years. Even through the difficult days she’d been down here, Charlotte had been the one person she could pour out her heart to with the assurance that her sister would understand even if she didn’t agree.
“I’ll leave in the morning. I should get in sometime tomorrow afternoon. How about if I come straight to your place and spend the night there? If that’s okay,” she hedged, wondering if she would be intruding on a time they’d rather spend alone and together.
“That’s great. I can’t tell you how thrilled Charlotte will be to see you. Only, don’t tell her I called.”
“Then how am I supposed to know about the induction?” Susan asked with a laugh.
“She’s planning to tell you in the morning. Just hang around down there until she calls. I’ll make sure it’s early so you can get on the road. I don’t want you driving after dark.”
For an instant the image of those headlights coming toward her car was in her mind’s eye. She destroyed the memory, knowing that wasn’t something that would happen again because she wouldn’t allow herself to be in that position.
If Charlotte hadn’t phoned by the time she needed to leave, she could get on the road and take the call while she was driving. Her sister wouldn’t have any idea of the time it took to make the trip.
“No, I won’t be,” she said aloud. “I’ll leave in plenty of time. Anything you need me to pick up?”
“Hell, we been getting ready for this for the last five years.” Dave’s voice was jovial. Relieved. “Char’s had her hospital bag packed for months now. All we need is you.”
“I’ll be there,” Susan promised.
“Call me from the road. I’ve always worried about my girls, but after what happened to Richard…It just makes you more paranoid, you know.”
“I know. I’ll keep in touch. Don’t worry about me. You just take care of Charlotte and our baby.”
Our baby. She had said that often through these long months because she had known how much the two of them were looking forward to sharing their child with her. Just as she was looking forward to being a part of her nephew’s life. And as for her baby…
A few more days, Emma, she vowed, closing her phone. After all this time, surely a few more days couldn’t matter.
“IT MIGHT EVEN be an advantage to ask those questions in person,” Jeb said.
He hadn’t questioned her decision when she’d told him at breakfast this morning about the upcoming trip. He hadn’t offered to go with her either. And she’d been surprised to discover how disappointed she was that he hadn’t.
Of course, he had his biweekly appointment at the rehab center in Pascagoula. Despite his feeling about how the medical review had gone, she knew that he planned to keep it.
And he didn’t know Charlotte or Dave. Besides, there was nothing he could do from Atlanta.
Nothing but offer moral support.
Again she was a little shocked at how much she wanted that. She’d been alone for seven years. She’d survived the loss of Richard and Emma without Jeb Bedford at her side. She wasn’t likely to face anything on this trip to compare with that.
“It’s not as if I had much choice,” she said, still feeling as if she were leaving at a critical juncture.
“I know. I’ll talk to Doc. You check with Richard’s secretary at Powell and with your P.I.”
She nodded, fingering her keys. Jeb had already put her suitcase in the trunk. There was nothing left to do but get into the car and head toward the interstate. For some reason she couldn’t seem to make herself do it.
“Call me.”
She looked up at the command. His face was set, the line of his mouth straight and hard.
He held her eyes a moment before he reached up, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. They were warm and callused against the coolness of her skin.
“I will,” she promised.
“And be careful.”
Her eyes must have widened at that caution. He shook his head slightly.
“Nothing’s going to happen. Not like before. I meant be careful on the road.”
“I will.”
There was so much more she wanted him to say. And so much more she wanted to say to him. Instead, she seemed to be parroting the same inane phrases. As if they were strangers again. As if he hadn’t held her at the cemetery yesterday.
He moved, breaking the spell by limping forward to open the car door. Obediently she slid behind the wheel, looking up at him before she inserted the key into the ignition.
“You have my cell phone number?” she asked.
“Along with everyone in Johnson County.”
The taut line of his lips had lifted slightly with the comment. He leaned down to look into the car, one hand on the roof and the other on the top of the still-opened door.
What he’d said reminded her of one of the worries that had kept her awake after Dave hung up last night. She needed Jeb’s reassurance that what she’d worried about wo
uldn’t happen.
“Do you think the sheriff could be right?”
“Very seldom,” Jeb said, his mouth relaxing even more. “About what in particular?”
“That whoever has Emma might take her and run because I’ve been asking questions.”
“If they did, that would be a dead giveaway, wouldn’t it? Even to doubters like Adams. I can’t believe anyone could be that stupid.”
“Maybe, but…I’ve spent so long looking for her, Jeb. I couldn’t bear to come this close and then lose her again.”
“That’s not going to happen. The smartest thing whoever took Emma can do is try to ride this out.”
“Ride out my attempt to find her?”
“I meant the discovery of Richard’s body. They just need to avoid doing anything stupid and hope this will die down again. After all, they haven’t had to worry about anything for seven years. They’ve probably been feeling pretty complacent.”
“But if they know I’m not going to let it die—”
“What they’ll know very soon is that you’ve gone back to Atlanta. If you’re worried about them taking Emma somewhere, your leaving should go a long way to prevent that from happening.”
An aspect of her trip she hadn’t thought of, but it made sense. And it definitely made her feel better about the decision she’d made last night.
“They’ll think I’ve given up.”
“Combined with the fact that you went up to Randolph County yesterday, this should go a long way toward convincing them of that.”
She nodded, wanting very much to believe what he was saying. “If they know all of that.”
“This is Linton. Everybody knows everything.”
As he said the last, Jeb straightened, removing his hand from the top of the car. He had already started to close the door, when her next comment stopped him.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For believing she’s here. For helping me. For keeping me sane,” she added with a smile.
“That works both ways.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It doesn’t matter. Be careful.”