“Let me drive you home.”
She stood and picked up Brady. “I didn’t get to finish shopping. I still need to get diapers and formula.”
He walked with her through the store and gathered the things Brady needed. At the checkout, the cashier smiled at them and gushed at the baby. “What a beautiful family,” she said as Zeke pulled out his credit card and swiped it.
He noticed the way Kellyanne blushed, but neither of them corrected the woman. She must not have been working earlier during the attempted abduction. “Thank you,” Zeke told her and carried the bags out to Kellyanne’s car. “Why don’t you let me drive?”
She handed over the keys and strapped Brady into his car seat. He scanned the area but didn’t see any dark figures lurking around. No one was watching that he could see, but it was those he couldn’t see that worried him.
She directed him to her apartment, and he made certain they weren’t followed. They got out and moved quickly past the door to Lisa’s apartment that now had crime-scene tape covering it. He unlocked her apartment door, and she carried Brady inside, placed him into the portable crib and then pulled out the items they’d purchased. She was shaken. He could see it in her demeanor and the way she chewed her lip.
He moved toward her and tilted her chin up to look at him. Unshed tears had made her lashes wet. He stroked her cheek. He’d meant to comfort her, but everything inside of him wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He checked that. He couldn’t think of her like that. In a few days, he would be gone, and she would be here. Alone. He didn’t like that idea either. He wanted her back in Courtland. But then he’d always wanted her back in Courtland. His wanting it had never made it happen.
He helped her put the few groceries away and then ordered in supper, and they ate in silence. He didn’t want to leave, but as the time grew later and later, he knew he had to.
“Are you going to be okay here alone?”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, the jut of her chin showing him her determination. Why did she push him away like that when he just wanted to help her?
“I’m only a phone call away.”
She held on to his hand until he had to pull it away for her to close the door.
He stood there staring at her door as he heard her turn the locks and move away. He leaned against the wall beside it. She might not want him there, but he didn’t feel right about leaving her. Her friend had been murdered, and now someone had tried to abduct her. Both events had shaken Kellyanne to her core. He would’ve slept in his car if he’d had one.
He placed his hand on her door and said a silent prayer for God to watch over Kellyanne and Brady tonight since he couldn’t.
TWO
The next morning, Kellyanne awoke to discover four text messages and a voice mail from her brother Josh, reminding her that she hadn’t phoned him and checking to make sure she was okay. She gritted her teeth as she replied that she was fine and that everything was under control. She hated that Zeke had called Josh, but she guessed she understood his position. If Josh had discovered what had happened and that Zeke hadn’t told him, it could cost Zeke his job...or at least some goodwill with his boss. Yet, it didn’t ease her mind to have Josh in the know about what was happening in her life.
And speaking of supervisors, Kellyanne phoned hers to let her know what had happened. She needed to take a few days off to recover from finding her friend dead and to decide what to do about Brady. She doubted her boss, Dana, would have a problem with her keeping Brady with her temporarily since she was listed as Lisa’s emergency contact at the day care but, eventually, she would have to come up with a long-term plan for him.
She was right about Dana’s reaction. “Take all the time you need,” she told Kellyanne after learning about her friend’s death. “We’ll cover your work. And don’t worry about Brady. He’s better off with you at the moment than in emergency foster care.”
Kellyanne thanked her for understanding and ended the call.
As she did, another text from Josh popped up. Glad you are ok. Keep me updated.
She sighed and crawled out of bed, hating the idea that Josh expected her to report to him. He might be sheriff of Courtland County, but she was a long way from home. On the other hand, if she didn’t do as he asked, he might spill what had happened to the rest of the family. Her parents, along with three more of her brothers—Josh, Paul and Lawson—were in Courtland, but it was her other two brothers that could show up unexpectedly at her door. Miles’s secret work with the marshals service could have him anywhere in the country, while Colby traveled often with his work as an FBI agent.
No, it would be better to placate Josh until he realized there was nothing to worry about.
With work and family squared away, Kellyanne turned her attention to Brady, changing, feeding and dressing him before loading him into the car and heading for the day care. Since she wasn’t going in to work, she could keep Brady with her, but she wanted to keep him on as much of a regular schedule as she could. So far, he’d been fine, but he was at the age now that he could recognize people, as evidenced by the big smile he always gave her when he saw her. He had to miss his mother and wonder where she was and when she was coming to take him home, even if he couldn’t ask the question. A pang of sadness filled Kellyanne when she thought that Brady would never have any real memory of Lisa. Her friend deserved to be remembered.
She dropped Brady off at the day care and spent several minutes with Patrice Elliot and Alice Jenison, the two women who owned the day care, as they expressed their grief over Lisa’s death.
“We saw it on the news last night,” Alice said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “It’s just awful. She was here only yesterday.”
“Do they know who killed her?” Patrice asked, but Kellyanne had no answers for her.
“They’ve just started their investigation. It’ll take some time.”
Patrice watched as Brady tried to roll over on a mat in the infant room. “What about him? What will happen to him?”
“I’ll keep him until we can find a good home for him.”
“We’ll help any way we can,” Alice assured her.
“That’s right. Lisa was paid up through the end of the month, but we can work something out if need be.”
“Thank you both. I appreciate it. I want to keep him on a regular schedule for now. I think it will help him. But I also need to keep him safe. I want to make sure you both understand that I’m the only person who should be picking him up.”
They glanced at one another before nodding in agreement. Alice responded. “Of course. You were the only other person beside Lisa on the pickup list and we never release a child to anyone not on the list.”
“Are you expecting any trouble?” Patrice asked.
“No, of course not. I’m just trying to be thorough.”
They must have seen the concern on her face because they went through the security measures they had in place. She already knew about the secure entrance where visitors had to be buzzed in, but Patrice showed her the security cameras and alarms, as well. Kellyanne left feeling better about Brady being there.
She wiped away tears as she returned to her car. Lisa had had so many people that cared about her and Brady. But if last night had taught her anything, it was that there was someone out there who didn’t share that sentiment. She kept hearing Lisa’s comment that the confrontation with that man at the fundraiser had something to do with Brady’s father. Had he been at the fundraiser? Was he the one who’d fought with Lisa and shoved Kellyanne...was he the one who murdered Lisa?
Her phone buzzed with a text message. She glanced at the screen and smiled. Zeke.
Good morning. I’m at your house and I brought coffee.
She smiled and texted him that she’d gone to the day care and would be home shortly. It was thoughtful of him to bring her breakf
ast. Truthfully, if Brady hadn’t awoken and needed tending to, she might have just slept in all day. Her head was aching from worrying about what had happened to her friend and the attack on her, all the while shouldering the responsibility of finding a home for Brady when she couldn’t imagine parting with the little guy.
Zeke was at her door when she arrived back at her apartment. He smelled freshly showered and shaved, and she liked the look of him in the morning. She’d forgotten how handsome he was, but she shook away those memories of him. She was just feeling vulnerable.
“And here I was worried I would be getting you out of bed,” he admitted as he walked in behind her and set the cups of coffee and food bag on the table next to her kitchen.
“Lisa usually has Brady at the day care by seven a.m. She was always an earlier riser, so he was up early too. I thought I would try to keep him on as normal a schedule as possible.”
“That’s a good idea.” He handed her a cup, and she opened the top and soaked up the aroma of coffee. She fell into a chair as he handed her a breakfast sandwich and then pulled out the chair opposite hers and settled in it. She was suddenly very aware of how she looked. She’d put on jeans and tennis shoes and pulled her hair up into a bun for the quick drive to the day care. Not exactly the glamorous look she would have liked for him to see, but the past twenty-four hours had done a number on her. So much so that crawling back into bed and sleeping all day didn’t sound like a terrible idea.
“Thank you for this,” she said, biting into the sausage and biscuit.
“I confess, I have an ulterior motive. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t sleep well, and Brady was up early. All I kept thinking about was Lisa lying in that apartment all alone. I wonder how long she was there before...”
He turned the conversation away from their grisly discovery. “Were you home at all yesterday? Did you see or hear anything?”
“No. I worked all day. I was on my way home when I received the call from the day care that Brady hadn’t been picked up.”
“And you didn’t talk to your friend all day?”
He was asking questions as a cop would. What had she seen? What had she heard? Was she certain she hadn’t spotted the guy? Irritation bristled through her. “Any more questions, Deputy? Would you like a pen and paper to jot down some notes?”
He leaned back in his seat, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips. “This isn’t for an investigation, Kelly. I’m concerned. Someone was murdered in the apartment across the hall.”
“I know that. Trust me, I know. I didn’t see or hear anything. I didn’t even know anything was wrong until the day care called me.”
“Okay.”
She turned to face him. “Are these Josh’s questions?”
“No.” He stood and folded his arms across his chest. “They’re mine. I’m worried about you. Is that so wrong?”
“It’s not your business to worry about me.”
His expression drooped and she felt shame rush through her. She hadn’t meant that as harshly as it had sounded. The truth was she was glad he was here, but she didn’t want him here as a cop. She wanted him here as a friend.
Her face warmed. She’d lost the ability to call him a friend or anything else the day she left town, and she’d ruined any chance they might ever have at a future when she’d lost their baby before she could tell him about it.
She’d been waiting for the right time to tell him about the miscarriage. This wasn’t it, but it was as good a time as ever. After all, she might never see him again once he returned to Courtland. Or worse, the next time she saw him, he might be married with kids of his own. It was time he knew the truth.
“Zeke—”
Her phone rang, interrupting her confession. She picked it up and glanced at the screen, worrying when she noticed the number to the day care.
“Kellyanne!” Patrice’s voice was filled with worry, and it immediately sent Kellyanne’s heart racing.
“Patrice, is something wrong? Is it Brady? Is he okay?” Images of him falling and hitting his head or suddenly becoming ill rushed through her. She’d been looking after him for one day, and he was already in trouble.
“Everything is okay. Brady is safe. But there is a man here who wants to take him. He claims he’s Brady’s father. He isn’t on the approved list of names, so we don’t want to let him in. I know we just talked about it this morning, but I wanted to check with you to see if you knew him?”
Panic rose in her. Who was this man? “I don’t know him.”
She heard a commotion on the other end, and Patrice call out to Alice.
“Patrice, what’s happening?” Kellyanne asked.
“He’s gone now. He got mad and raced off when Alice refused to let him through the door.”
“I’m on my way.”
Zeke was two steps ahead of her. He grabbed her keys and opened the front door for her. She rushed to her car and slid into the passenger’s seat.
She gave Zeke directions, and a few minutes later, they pulled into the day care’s parking lot. They both jumped from the car, and Patrice buzzed them inside.
“Are you both all right?” Kellyanne asked. Alice was on the floor with an ice pack on her forehead while Patrice hovered over her.
“We’re fine,” Alice insisted. “He tried to push his way inside, but I managed to close the window before he could get through, but then I slipped and hit my head on the desk.”
The day care had an interior locked door to the facility to prevent intruders. There was a window to the sign-in desk that the man had obviously tried to get through.
They both looked at Zeke. “Who is this?” Patrice asked.
“This is my friend Zeke.” Kellyanne rushed through to the back room where Brady was still safely in his walker, oblivious to what had happened. She heaved a sigh of relief and was even more relieved when Zeke wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“He’s okay.”
She returned to the front office and questioned Patrice and Alice. “Tell me about this man.”
“He seemed perfectly normal. He said he was Brady’s father, and he wanted to pick him up since Lisa had died. When we told him we couldn’t let him go without proof, he grew angry.”
“Did you ask to see his license or ID?” Zeke asked. She could kiss him. Always the cop.
“He didn’t want to give it. He just kept saying it was his right to have his child. I told him if he didn’t leave, I would call the police. To be honest, I have no idea who Brady’s father is. Lisa never listed his father on her admission forms, and only Kellyanne is listed as someone who can pick up Brady.”
“You did the right thing,” Zeke assured her. “Did he at least give a name?”
“Yes, Jim Durban.” She looked at Kellyanne. “Was that man Brady’s father?”
“I don’t know. I never met him, and Lisa never told me his name. I’ve never heard the name Jim Durban.”
“What about your security cameras?” Zeke asked. “Do you have him on video?”
Alice hurried to the computer and pulled up the video feed. The man who’d tried to take Brady looked perfectly normal. He had dark hair that was similar to Brady’s, but she didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t the man Lisa had argued with at the fundraiser, or the man who’d attacked her at the store last night.
“Can you print that?” Zeke asked, and Alice obliged him. He handed the photo to Kellyanne. “Maybe one of her other friends knows who he is.”
“Should we call the police?” Patrice asked. “He did try to push his away inside, but if he really is Brady’s father...”
Kellyanne shrugged. “If he comes back, give him my number. He can call me. If he can prove he is who he says he is, we’ll make arrangements through the agency. He’ll have to go through the courts to get legal custody. In th
e meantime, I think I’ll take Brady home with me just to be safe.”
They agreed that was a good idea, and Kellyanne retrieved Brady and his things. She didn’t know if this man was who he claimed to be, and that was a problem. If he was Brady’s father, where had he been for the past four months? And why had Lisa never talked about him? Whoever he was, if he showed up again, he was going to have to prove his paternity. And then he would have plenty of explaining to do about his part in possibly murdering her best friend.
She loaded Brady into his car seat, and Zeke drove them back to the apartment. She could see his mind was working, trying to figure everything out, and she was once again glad he was here with her. She needed to do some digging to see if she could locate Brady’s birth certificate. If it listed Jim Durban as the father, she would go from there.
They returned to her apartment, and Zeke placed Brady into the crib. He was an active baby, already pulling up onto his elbows from his tummy and reaching for things. She needed to get his toys from Lisa’s apartment or purchase new ones. He needed to be able to get down and play and roll and pull up, and she worried about her lack of baby supplies stunting his growth. Once again, she realized how unprepared she was to look after a child.
Zeke seemed to read her mind with his next question. “What are you going to do if this guy shows up again?”
“I won’t just hand Brady over to a stranger. I need some kind of proof of who the father is. Maybe I can track down his birth certificate. Do you think the police will let me search Lisa’s apartment for it?” She had no idea where Lisa had kept her important documents, but it was a place to start.
“Doubtful. Besides, if there were any legal papers like that, the police probably seized them. I need to update Detective Shaw about what happened at the day care and pass along the name Jim Durban and the photo Patrice gave us. I can ask him then about getting some stuff from Lisa’s apartment.”
Texas Baby Cover-Up Page 3