Daylight Robbery (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  “Let’s go exploring in the forest!” Rae shouted out to them, jumping up and down as she pointed at the woods behind them. To her it was a treasure trove just waiting to be discovered. Their tent was already filled with pinecones, funny-shaped sticks, and a collection of leaves that Rae had been accumulating throughout the week.

  “Not just yet, kiddo. We want to watch the sunset.” Kellan pointed across the lake to the deep orange glow of the sun. It was stunning. The light glistened off the water, and with the soft soundtrack it made against the shore, it was nothing but peaceful in their secluded spot.

  Kellan glanced over his wife’s head and back the other way. They had the shorefront to themselves for a moment.

  Peace.

  Quiet.

  “But that’s boring!”

  And then there was Rae.

  Kellan grinned in spite of himself.

  “I want to be adventertus!”

  Carrie giggled again, her long curls tickling Kellan’s arm as she dipped her head. “Adventurous, honey.”

  “That’s what I said!”

  Kellan rolled his eyes. Their girl could argue. There was no doubt about it.

  “Just stay on the rocks for now,” Kellan ordered. “After the sun goes down, the forest will be all dark and spooky. You don’t want to be in there alone.”

  “But I’m not afraid of the dark!”

  “She’s fearless,” Carrie said with a smile.

  “That’s what worries me.” Kellan sighed. “Just stay put, sunshine. In a little bit we can get some flashlights and do a walk near the tent, okay?”

  Rae’s face screwed up with disgust.

  He could just about hear her thinking, “The tent! Boring!”

  She inched toward the tree line.

  “Don’t go in there yet. I’ll take you soon. You just need to be patient.”

  She stopped moving and bobbed her head, balancing on the rock and no doubt waiting for Kellan to turn around before creeping back to edge of the woods.

  He turned, then quickly spun back to catch her. “I’m watching you. You stay where I can see you.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she reluctantly moaned before jumping down and moving a little closer, quickly distracted by a fallen log that she turned into a trapeze wire.

  Kellan watched her for a moment before turning back to smile down at his wife. “You sure you want another one?”

  Carrie pulled them to a stop and swiveled to press her body against his. He happily wrapped his arms around her lower back while she laced her fingers behind his neck. “I think a little brother or sister will bring out the best in her. She’ll realize she’s not the center of the universe anymore.”

  They laughed together and Kellan’s gaze softened. Carrie was so pretty. Bright eyes that danced when she smiled, a cute dimple on her chin, and a laugh that was a number one hit in his book. Gliding his hands over her rounded bottom, he pressed her hips against his and whispered in a husky voice, “You know I’m happy to start trying whenever you are.”

  Carrie lifted her eyebrows, hunger flashing in her eyes. “I bet you are.”

  She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. Even after six years of marriage, the simple gesture still ignited him. Parting her lips with his tongue, he delved a little deeper into the exquisite beauty of her mouth and got lost for a moment.

  He didn’t think he’d ever tire of his luscious wife with her perfect curves. He pictured them naked on the airbed and felt the instant arousal.

  Carrie broke the kiss with a laugh. “Be careful, mister. We don’t want little eyes spotting that.” She nudged his pants as she turned her hip to look over her shoulder.

  That was when she flinched, her body going taut beneath him. “Rae?”

  Kellan spun, instantly spotting the fact that his daughter was gone. “Rae?” he shouted toward the trees. “That little…” He shook his head and ran to the place she’d been playing, jumping over rocks and heading for the edge of the forest.

  Anger simmered quietly.

  She was one willful kid. And Carrie wanted to have another one.

  “She’s one determined nugget,” his wife said. She chased after him, calling, “Rae, honey! You come back here. You cheeky little monkey!”

  Kellan paused to scan the tree line. In the dusky darkness he couldn’t spot his daughter. She was wearing denim shorts and a yellow T-shirt. Carrie had tied a yellow ribbon in her hair that morning, but knowing Rae, it would have been lost hours ago. He squeezed his eyes shut, curbing his frustration and attempting to lighten his tone.

  So much for watching the sunset.

  “Rae. Come out now, please!”

  The response was twittering from a couple of nearby birds.

  He frowned. “Rae! It’s not funny, sweetie. You come to Daddy right now. You need to do as you’re told.”

  Nothing.

  Fear skirted through him.

  “Rae! Raelynn!” As his voice rose, the silence in the forest sounded that much louder.

  He glanced over his shoulder at Carrie. Her face was pale, her eyes rounding with the shock that was rapidly sinking in.

  Where the hell was their daughter?

  The anger inside him evaporated, replaced with a stark white fear that froze the air in his lungs.

  Was his daughter missing?

  Alone in the dark forest?

  Lost?

  Possibly hurt?

  “Rae!” He plunged into the woods, his mind quickly putting together a plan of attack.

  He hoped he’d find his little girl before the sun completely disappeared for the night. She was short; how far could those legs really carry her? He attempted to calm himself with reasoning, but couldn’t ignore the terror biting the edges of his stomach.

  He didn’t know where his daughter was.

  And it was the worst feeling in the world.

  13

  Wednesday, September 26th

  4:25pm

  Melina studied Kellan carefully as he relived whatever nightmare was trying to take him out.

  He shifted uncomfortably in the seat, letting go of her hand and resting his elbows on his knees. By the time whatever memory he was going through drew to an end, he was breathing raggedly, his forehead pinched in a taut hand.

  “Your daughter’s name was Rae?”

  She knew it. Everyone who lived in town ten years ago knew it.

  Besides, he’d said it only moments before.

  But she wanted to hear him say it again. She wanted him to know that it wasn’t a bad word. That Rae, although only having such a short life, was still a person to be celebrated, to be remembered with fondness.

  “Raelynn,” he croaked, an unconscious smile curling the edges of his mouth. “Lynn is my mother’s name, and Rae was…I knew the second I saw her that she was going to be my ray of sunshine.” He blew out a breath, obviously struggling to stabilize his emotions. “It was just going to be Lynn, but when I whispered, ‘Ray of sunshine,’ Carrie heard me and immediately wanted to change her name…for the better.”

  Melina smiled, leaning forward in her seat to share in that brief moment of joy, mingled with a whole lot of pain.

  Kellan kept it in—always. It felt like a huge privilege to be a part of this memory. He was letting her in and her heart expanded with more emotion than she’d expected.

  She really cared about this man. She’d sensed something in him from the first day they met, and that something had stubbornly continued to grow no matter how much she tried to talk herself out of it.

  She wanted to love him.

  She wanted him to let her.

  Swallowing down the fantasy, she crossed one leg over the other and tried to keep the tremor from her voice.

  Soft and smooth, Melina. Soft and smooth.

  “You know, it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. You shouldn’t deny yourself this flash of pain. If Rae had lived, your life would have been so different. You don’t have to put up barriers for me. I know what it’s l
ike to lose someone, albeit very different circumstances, but loss hurts and we’re allowed…we’re actually supposed to…process it.”

  He gave her a sidelong glance, like he’d heard it all before.

  She pressed her lips together to stop from saying more. She’d walked numerous people through trauma and heartache. She’d learned how different people tick, and Kellan was not one to be pushed too hard. He’d just close up like a threatened turtle.

  Silence settled between them.

  Melina was desperate to break it, even with just a movement. His hands were now back in his lap, and she wanted to reach for them, hold them. She wanted to hug him and rub comforting circles on his back.

  But she forced herself to remain still.

  Threading her fingers together, she rubbed the pad of her right thumb over the nail of her left and patiently waited.

  Kellan finally let out a shaky breath and murmured, “We searched for months. I made it my sole priority. I forced myself into the case. The FBI no doubt got sick of me, but I wouldn’t give in. I hiked through every inch of those woods, but…there was no trace of her. Until…” He sighed and scratched his forehead. “They called off the search. Eight months in and they shifted the file to a cold case. It’ll never be officially closed, but they weren’t going to spend any more man-hours looking for her.”

  “Why?”

  He shook his head. “They never found a body, but her ribbon. She had a yellow ribbon in her hair and her blood was on it, along with, um…animal saliva.” He worked his jaw to the side, obviously struggling to form the words. “The most likely explanation was that she’d been taken by a bear, or maybe a bobcat. She wouldn’t have known how to handle one. The Feds figured she’d probably disturbed one while they were eating, or maybe even inadvertently threatened a cub.” His nostrils flared. “I hadn’t taught her any of those basics yet, because I never thought she’d be alone…in the woods, without me.” His voice cracked, and Melina couldn’t hold back anymore.

  She reached for his hand, wrapping both of hers around his. “You were a good father. You loved that girl with everything you had.”

  “I was annoyed with her.” He winced. “The night she went missing, she didn’t stay where she was supposed to and when I ran to find her, I was feeling irritated. I told her to stay on the shoreline, but she ignored me and snuck into the forest when my back was turned. So I was angry with her.” He let go of Melina’s hand and stood from his seat, pacing to the edge of his desk.

  “You felt the way any normal parent would have. She disobeyed you.”

  “I should have kept her closer.”

  “You were a good father,” Melina repeated. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You looked so hard for Rae, and that’s probably why seeing girls similar in age to her triggers something inside of you. It’s completely fine, and you shouldn’t deny yourself the right to feel.”

  He pressed his lips together, gazing down at his desk. She noted that he’d put the large desk between them.

  Distance. Safety. Typical Kellan Marks.

  A sharp breath shot out of his mouth as he ran a hand over his short hair. “Look, this is really no time for a counseling session. I need to figure out what to do with this kid.”

  Melina let it slide, knowing exactly what he was doing by shutting her out.

  It stung, and she couldn’t deny the flash of disappointment rocketing through her. All she could do was get back to work.

  Running her finger over her bottom lip, she sat up straight and went into work mode. “Has the court-appointed guardian arrived yet? It’ll be Martin or Yvonne. Either one will want her moved to a juvenile facility. I doubt a jail cell’s going to hold up for long. In fact, if they don’t get here in the next couple of hours, I’ll arrange something myself. She’s too young to spend a night here.”

  “I’m not sure what the holdup is.” Kellan rested his hands on his hips. “I’ll get Sarah to follow up before she leaves for the day.”

  He picked up his phone and quickly placed the call.

  Melina listened with only half an ear as she ran through some more things to discuss with him.

  As soon as he ended the internal call, she got down to business. “Just to cover all our bases, I think we should get a translator to assist us. I know she probably speaks English just fine, but maybe it’s a second language to her and she’d feel more comfortable speaking her mother tongue. I know a woman who speaks about five languages, so I’ll start with her.” Pulling the phone from her bag, she got busy hunting up the number, purposefully avoiding eye contact as she said, “While we wait, I think you should try talking to her again.”

  There was a giant pause, a swift intake of air, and then an incredulous “Me?”

  Melina had to bite her lips together to squash her smile. She hadn’t known Kellan Marks was capable of squeaking words, but there it was.

  Smoothing out her expression, she looked up and quickly argued her case. “I’ll have to be there in the background, but did you notice that she went still when you were talking to her before?”

  “I was practically lying on her.”

  Melina shook her head. “I was watching. It wasn’t until you started speaking that she went still. I think you should try again, but let’s change tact.”

  Kellan rested his hands on his hips, looking thoroughly unconvinced. “How so?”

  “Let’s order a pizza,” Melina said cheerfully, trying to cut the tension. “That skinny little thing is either being starved or she has a super-fast metabolism, which means she must be hungry.”

  Kellan frowned. “I still don’t think I’m the right person to talk to her. What am I even gonna say?”

  Melina found the number she wanted, then looked up with an audible sigh. “Please trust me enough to try this experiment. She went still at the sound of your voice, and whether you want her to or not, she has awakened the father heart inside of you. Just pretend for a moment that your life worked out the way it was supposed to. That girl in there, she’s Rae. She’s been caught doing something bad, she’s locked up in jail, and she’s probably terrified. If she was your daughter, what would you say to her?”

  Kellan was practically white as he gripped the back of his chair and stared straight ahead.

  She was waiting for the headshake and adamant “no,” but after a long beat of silence, he snatched up his phone.

  “What are you doing?” Melina asked.

  “Ordering a pizza,” he grumbled before turning his back on her.

  Melina didn’t even bother to hide her smile as she listened to Kellan gruffly order a large pepperoni.

  14

  Wednesday, September 26th

  4:50pm

  The cell felt like it was getting smaller. It wasn’t as bad as the darkness Leah had experienced in the past, but she’d started pacing, and that wasn’t a good sign.

  Hunger was gnawing at her, reminding her that the last time she’d eaten was a small granola bar on the way to the job.

  The job.

  That felt like an eternity ago.

  Robin would probably know by now…if he was back from his trip. Or if John had called him.

  Shit, he’d be livid.

  The power of his fists flashed through her memory and she flinched.

  She’d been eleven when she’d first felt the full force of them. Out of bounds—that had been her sin. But she’d been curious to know what lay beyond the borders of the farm. Why should they have to hide away all the time? She wanted to see the world, so one day her feet just took over, taking her through the tall cornfields, over the solid white fence, and down the hill to a stream. She’d never been farther than the white fence before.

  John had busted her trying to cross the stream without getting her shoes wet.

  Oh man, had she paid for breaking the rules.

  John had hauled her back to the house, igniting her fear by yelling at her that she should have known better. Rules were made to keep her safe, and there’d
be consequences for her disobedience.

  Robin hadn’t said anything when John dumped her in the hard-packed dirt outside the house. She’d stayed on her knees, only slightly trembling. Robin was kind. He was her savior. He wasn’t mean like John was.

  But then he’d snatched her shirt and hauled her to her feet, pushing and shoving her down the steep ramp and into the bunker. The bunker had always been her place of safety. It was where they got to jump and play on all the equipment.

  Not that day, though.

  That day he’d hauled her in the opposite direction, down the dark corridor and into the black room.

  She hadn’t even known about the black room, but that day, she got the full experience.

  His fingers had curled into fists and he’d pummeled her until she couldn’t see straight.

  “Why’d you have to make me teach you a lesson?” he’d murmured, as if he were the one in pain.

  After that, he’d turned and closed the door. She’d curled into a ball and cried. She’d wanted to wail, but instead she gritted her teeth and let the tears fall slow and silent. Robin had left her alone in the dark for three days as a way to encourage her not to break the rules again. Food was dropped off each morning and there was a bucket to piss and dump in, but no contact.

  Just darkness.

  Darkness and silence.

  It’d nearly driven her mad.

  Even Cricket, who had brought her food and water, hadn’t been allowed to speak to her.

  She’d lain still, afraid to move. She’d cried. She’d eventually held her knees and rocked.

  Folding her arms tight across her chest, she shook off the memory and resisted the urge to sit on that bench seat and curl herself into a ball.

  She wouldn’t be broken.

  Her stomach grumbled with hunger. She pressed her fist into it and felt it jump right up her throat when she got a whiff of something mouthwatering.