by Rita Herron
His head spinning, he maneuvered into the entrance to Saddlebrook, faintly aware Lindsey had retreated into her shell again. Probably bracing herself for her encounter with the mother-in-law from hell.
The security guard checked his ID, his eyes narrowing in disgust at Gavin’s car. “Is there a problem?” He scanned his clipboard. “I haven’t been notified—”
“No trouble. I’m conducting an investigation and simply need to ask the Faulkners a few routine questions.”
The guard nodded reluctantly, then allowed them through.
From the freshly manicured lawns and colorful gardens to the spacious five-acre estate lots, wealth obviously abounded. His small sedan looked sorely out of place compared to the Mercedeses, Jaguars, and other foreign sportscars gracing the cobblestone driveways. Lindsey had once lived this lifestyle with Faulkner.
He couldn’t imagine. He had no idea what kind of house she and Faulkner had shared, but judging from the man’s expensive taste, he would never have brought r home to anything less than a mansion. Far from the dive he lived in himself. Not that it mattered—
“It looks like nothing’s changed here,” Lindsey commented dryly. “Still as stuffy looking as always.”
He relaxed slightly, why he didn’t know. Lindsey and he still lived different kinds of lives.
Lindsey fiddled with a loose thread on her pale pink blouse. “I wonder if we should have called.”
“No. I want the advantage of surprise on our side.”
“They might not be home.”
“I’ll chance it.” He pulled into the ostentatious circular drive, glanced briefly at the pond by the gazebo where gardeners tended to the variety of roses climbing the white latticework, then to the monstrosity of a stucco house.
“I never liked this house,” Lindsey murmured as they climbed from the car. “Unfortunately Jim’s goal was to outdo his parents and own an even larger one.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “Did you?”
Lindsey laughed. “No, but I’m sure money drove him to make some of his underhanded deals.”
Gavin nodded. He’d seen greed do that to people before. They walked in silence to the door and rang the bell. Seconds later a bald-headed butler escorted them into a study the size of Gavin’s entire apartment. Polished marble floors sparkled like crystal, ornate Oriental artwork decorated the butter-yellow halls and the dark leather furniture and Persian rug in the study could have paid for…his son’s college education.
The man gave Lindsey a look of pure disdain. “I thought we’d surely seen the end of you.”
Lindsey flinched. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Walt. But please tell the Faulkners we’re here.”
“I don’t believe they’ll want to talk to you.”
Gavin frowned. Walt’s loyalties obviously lay with the people who wrote his paychecks. “It doesn’t matter whether they want to talk to us or not. This is not a social call. And if they refuse, I can take them down to the station.”
Walt gasped, squaring his shoulders as if insulted. “That won’t be necessary.”
“As a matter of fact, maybe you can answer a few questions about the Faulkners and their interest in Miss Payne.”
“I don’t discuss my employers,” Walt stated curtly. “Especially where it concerns Miss Payne, not after what she did to this family.”
“I only did what I thought was right,” Lindsey said.
Walt glared at her. “You destroyed this family by sending little Jim to prison. How can that possibly be right?”
“He hurt a lot of innocent people, Walt.”
Walt finally admitted he’d worked for the Faulkners for fifteen years, but he refused to offer any more information, other than to solicit a glass of water for Lindsey and verify that Mr was indeed home.
Seconds later, Yvonne Faulkner, dressed in a shocking red silk pantsuit with emeralds gleaming off her earlobes, wrist and neck, strode in, appearing confident but annoyed. Until she saw Lindsey. Her expression immediately transformed to one of pure hatred.
Bright red nails thumbed through her short, artificially auburn waves. “I can’t believe you’d actually have the gall to visit me.”
“I can’t quite believe it myself, Yvonne,” Lindsey said softly.
The bitter woman bristled. “You may no longer call me by my first name. That privilege is reserved for family members.”
Lindsey squared her shoulders and stood her ground.
He decided to forget small talk. “Is your husband here? We’d like to speak with both of you.”
Mrs. Faulkner poured herself a scotch and sipped it. “No, he’s away on business. I suggest you state yours as quickly as possible before I throw you out.” She gave them a haughty stare. “That is, if you actually have business. If you simply came to harass me, you may leave now.”
God, the woman was cold. Remembering how equally callous she’d acted the day Lindsey had testified, Gavin refused to give her further recovery time from the shock of seeing Lindsey. He immediately launched into the reason for their visit.
“Yes, we knew you were pregnant,” Mrs. Faulkner said. “At first we suspected the baby might not be Jim’s but that P.I. said he didn’t see you with anyone else. I suppose no one else would have you after what you did to my son.”
“Just tell us what happened,” Gavin said curtly.
“Then we waited. We hoped you would at least have the decency to tell Jim, but you didn’t, did you?”
Lindsey said nothing in defense, she simply sat and stared at the angry woman.
“So, you told your son about the pregnancy?” Gavin asked.
“He had a right to know he was going to be a father.”
“And this private investigator kept watching Lindsey during the pregnancy?”
“We simply wanted to make certain she didn’t take the baby and flee somewhere so my son would never see him.”
“You knew when the baby was born?” Gavin asked.
“We were informed. Maybe if we had been there, our grandson wouldn’t have died.”
As if they blamed Lindsey.
Gavin fisted his hands on the chair. The woman had no way of knowing the baby was his, that he should have been there, protecting, taking care of Lindsey and his child.
“And if my baby had lived?” Lindsey asked. “What did you plan to do?”
“We would have sued for custody,” Mrs. Faulkner said without hesitating. “In some cases, money talks, you know.”
The ice cubes in Lindseys glass clinked as she tried to steady her hands. “I suppose it does.”
“You could have paid someone to fake the baby’s death, then kill Lindsey—”
“You’re out of your mind coming in here with such accusations!” Mrs. Faulkner’s eyes burned with contempt. “My husband and I have an upstanding reputation in the community, at least we did until this woman spoiled it. Do you think we’d risk prison to get our grandson when we could have achieved the same results in court?”
It didn’t seem likely, Gavin admitted silently.
“Now, I think you two had better leave.” She stood, waving her hand like a queen dismissing her charges.
But Gavin wasn’t finished. “We believe Lindsey’s baby is alive, Mrs. Faulkner.” He crossed the room to stand in front of her, then stared at her heavily made-up face. “If you know something about the baby’s whereabouts, I suggest you tell us now. Kidnapping is a very serious charge. You don’t want to wind up like your son, spending the rest of your life in a jail cell.” He made an exaggerated point of letting his gaze scrutinize the room. “The accommodations aren’t nearly as opulent.”
Mrs. Faulkner’s painted lips parted in shock. Anger quickly replaced it. “I asked you to leave. Now get out and don’t come back.”
In one fluid motion, she sauntered from the room, leaving the cloying scent of her expensive perfume and her hatred of Lindsey lingering in the air.
“ARE YOU SURE you’re up for this?” Gavin asked L
indsey two hours later at the local TV station.
“I’m fine, Gavin, stop worrying.”
Gavin accepted a cup of coffee from the stage manager but Lindsey declined, afraid the caffeine would upset her queasy stomach. She’d been feeling slightly dizzy and a little nauseated all morning but she assumed stress had caused her physical symptoms.
“We could come back tomorrow,” Gavin offered.
“No, I want to do the interview today.” She laid her hand on Gavin’s arm, aware his muscle automatically flexed beneath her palm. Even through his denim shirt, she felt the heat and tension radiating from his body. Part of her wanted to bury herself in that heat, in his strong arms and body, but the self-preservation part of her warned her to keep her distance. The moments with Gavin were precious, but they wouldn’t last. “Every day we wait is one more day until we find our son.”
Gavin’s forced smile did nothing to alleviate her anxiety. She realized he was walking a fine line between being positive and not raising false hopes but she was determined to be optimistic. They would find her baby.
Then she would bring her son home and be his mother.
Beyond that—what would happen between her and Gavin—well, she couldn’t think that far ahead.
“You know there may be repercussions in Maple Hollow. The sheriff isn’t going to like the fact that you went public. The doctor may even bring a lawsu.”
“I don’t care,” Lindsey said firmly. “I’m not giving up. And I’m not letting them convince me I’m crazy or railroad me with some lawsuit.”
Gavin started to reply but Terry Blake, the friend of Lindsey’s schoolteacher buddy and anchorwoman for noonday news, approached them, tucking the small wireless mike into her lapel. She paused and took Lindsey’s hands, squeezing gently. “I’m so sorry you’ve been through this, Lindsey. When April called, I felt terrible for you.”
“I appreciate you letting me appear on the show, especially at the last minute,” Lindsey said. “You can’t imagine how much this means to me.”
The tall redhead nodded, gesturing toward the desk and chairs, “Once the station manager talked with the other detective, Mr. McCord’s friend, he felt your situation warranted our help. You’ll only have about three or four minutes so give as much information as possible. We’re live, but we’ll rerun the interview several times.”
Lindsey agreed, reciting in her head the short-and-to-the-point speech she and Gavin had sketched out in the car on the way over.
“And don’t worry about giving your address, in fact, you shouldn’t do that,” Terry continued. “We’re directing callers to phone the police station. If any calls come through here, they’ll be forwarded.”
“We’ll tape all the calls and save them for possible evidence,” Gavin added.
It was something he’d arranged in the car on the way over. Simon’s ex-FBI agent friends had agreed to meet them at Lindsey’s after the broadcast. All calls would be forwarded to her home phone. Thank heaven for Gavin’s connections.
Suddenly the stage lit up and camera men swung into action. Terry ushered Lindsey to one of the chairs.
Terry turned a brilliant but compassionate smile to the camera then introduced Lindsey, explaining that a baby’s disappearance was dire and asking people to pay attention.
Lindsey folded her hands in her lap to keep from fidgeting and briefly paraphrased her situation. Emotions thickened her voice as soon as she began. “I’m appealing to all of you. My baby is missing. I heard another woman crying in the clinic where I gave birth that night. Whoever you are, if you can hear me, I feel for you. I honestly do. If you lost your baby that night and didn’t think you could go on, I understand why you might take my son.” She paused, fighting for composure. “But what you’ve done isn’t right. You’ve taken a child from its rightful mother, a mother who wants and loves her baby. I’m begging you, please bring my baby home to me.”
Terry made a sympathetic sound. “But you aren’t sure this woman has your child, is that correct, Ms. Payne?”
Lindsey nodded. “No, I’m not certain. If not, whoever you are, for whatever reason you kidnapped my baby, please let me know what you want. I’ll do anything you say, but please bring my son back home.” Her voice broke and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“Thank you, Ms. Payne. Listeners, if you have information regarding this baby, please phone 555-616-3434 and ask for Detective McCord. I’ll be saying a prayer myself for the infant’s recovery.” Once again, Terry recited the baby’s birth date, weight and reiterated the phone number for the police, then the number flashed onto the screen.
A few minutes later she staggered outside and inhaled the scent of fresh rain permeating the air. Water droplets clung to the sunparched sidewalks mirroring the tears clinging to her eyelashes. The entire staff had been so supportive and compassionate they had restored her faith in goodwill.
“You did great.” Gavin hugged her, his eyes full of emotions. Turmoil, hope and that undeniable loneliness that radiated through the dark irises of his eyes, and drew her whole body into a knot of need. And want.
He cupped her face with his big hands, stroking the sides of her jaw with his callused thumbs, his calm betrayed only by the slight quiver of his breath brushing against her cheek. “God, I’m so proud of you, Linds. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known.”
Lindsey licked her suddenly dry lips and brought her hand up to rest over his. A few dark hairs dusting the tops of his hands and his skin felt warm and slightly rough, reminding her of the strength of his masculinity. She ached to pull him into her arms, to reassure him she would always be there for him.
But he didn’t want to hear that.
And she couldn’t be a fool for him twice. So she simply squeezed his hand. “Thanks for being here and taking over the investigation, Mac.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You know I want to find our baby, too. This isn’t just a job to me, Linds.”
Her heart thumped off-beat at his tone. He slanted his head sideways, lowered his mouth and covered hers, consuming her with the urgency of his demanding kiss. Unable to hold back the groan that rose from deep in her throat, she clung to his arms, her head spinning. He delved deeper, reaching all the way inside her with his hunger as if to extract her very soul.
But the sound of traffic intruded. When Gavin finally pulled away, she felt his withdrawal like an earthquake stealing the solid ground beneath her feet. A strange expression crossed his face as he stared down the street.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I…I thought I saw somebody I knew.” His voice sounded whiskey-rough. “I’ll go get the car.”
She started to argue but realized he needed a moment to get his libido under control. And so did she. Good heavens, she’d almost asked him to make love to her in the middle of the busy street. He hurried toward the parking lot, coasting through traffic as he crossed the street, and she hugged her arms around herself. Gavin was the only one who could take away her chill. But when he deserted her, she would be colder than ever. More alone.
She couldn’t kid herself. He would leave again.
A horn honked and she glanced up as he inched his car toward the parking attendant’s booth. A tall woman wearing a scarf pushed a baby stroller past the meter. Lindsey’s heart clenched at the sight. Then the woman stopped and turned to stare at her and pain rippled through her chest. She seemed to be staring directly at Lindsey. Something about the whe was looking at her… Who was she? Could the baby be her son?
Lindsey had to find out. Had to see for herself.
She stepped to the curb to cross the busy intersection and the woman jerked, then started pushing the stroller faster, hurrying away from Lindsey in the opposite direction. Lindsey rushed forward just as the no-walking sign lit up. She couldn’t wait. She was losing the woman. Losing her baby. No, not again. She had to run.
She dodged the cars and honking horns and ran faster. Seconds later, she caught up with the wo
man and reached for her arm. The woman spun around, looking wild-eyed and frightened, then launched herself in front of the baby carriage.
Chapter Ten
Lindsey rocked back on her heels at the sight of the baby girl, wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket.
“Why are you following me?” the woman hissed. “What do you want?”
Shocked at her own actions, Lindsey stared at her, shivers racking her body. “I’m sorry, I thought—”
“Get away from me or I’m calling the police.”
“I thought you were someone else. I…I didn’t mean to scare you.” Lindsey’s last words caught on a sob and she turned and fled back the other way.
What had she done? She’d accosted some poor innocent woman and her baby on the street. She must be losing her mind….
GAVIN’S HEART completely stopped when he saw the scene play out in front of him.
Poor Lindsey. The day had been too much and she’d finally buckled under the pressure. He rolled the car to a stop beside the street, climbed out and walked slowly over to her. She stood trembling, her eyes dazed.
He pulled her into his arms and held her, his own eyes filling with moisture. “Shh, honey, it’s okay. Let’s go home now.”
Lindsey simply nodded against his chest, her sobs quiet but so heartwrenching his own throat clogged with tears. He hugged her to him, soothing her with quiet words as he settled her into the car. Unable to stand the tormented look on her face, he shifted into gear, pulled across the road and parked. Then he turned to her and dragged her into his arms, desperate to offer her comfort.
“Oh, Gavin, I…I scared that poor woman. I thought that was our baby….”
Her words broke and he rocked her back and forth, leaning his face into her hair, whispering soft words of comfort while she wept. “It’s okay, Linds. It’s been an awful day, just let it all out.”
“I just wanted to hold him, I wanted it so bad…” She clung to him, limp and trembling, soaking his shirt. The anguish in her voice, in her whole body seeped into him and he ached deep in his soul. But he continued to hold her, to press loving kisses on her cheek, in her hair, wanting to give her his strength, his determination. Finally,she seemed spent, she lay her head in his lap and closed her eyes. He gently stroked her hair along the sides of her face as he started the car, not surprised when she fell into a deep, exhausted sleep on the ride home.