by SUE FINEMAN
Carol called the kids over and introduced them as Katie, Brady, and little Rosie. The younger of the two boys was Steven, Chance’s son. “It’s very nice to meet you, all of you.”
Steven immediately backed away and left the room.
“Don’t mind him,” said Carol. “He’s preoccupied with baseball.”
Callie snagged her little girl and asked, “Do you have to go potty?”
“Noooo,” she said, then, “Uh huh,” and Callie excused herself.
Carol smiled. “We just get one out of diapers and another one comes along. Not that I’m complaining. If I could have gotten pregnant, I would have had a dozen or more, but they’d only let me adopt four. Last week at church, the visiting pastor asked Bo which of his kids were adopted, and he said, ‘I don’t remember.’ Katie hugged him. At seventeen, she has her problems, but knowing how much Bo and Callie love her helps her cope.”
“Yes, I imagine it does. I wish someone had adopted me instead of making me live with my grandparents. They said my mother didn’t want me, when that wasn’t true.”
Carol hugged her. “I would have taken you in a heartbeat.” She backed up and put her hands on Baylee’s cheeks. “My son is a lucky man.”
Baylee wanted to say that Chance didn’t want her, but she couldn’t say the words.
Rubbing Baylee’s arm, Carol said, “He needs you.”
Baylee looked up and saw Chance standing in the kitchen doorway. “Yes, he does,” he said softly.
She shook her head slightly, ending the discussion. She loved Chance, but this cozy family togetherness made her uncomfortable.
Dave and Mia came in with a big cake. Chance’s sister was a beautiful woman, and her husband had a quirky sense of humor. Mia rubbed her swollen belly often, and her eyes smiled even when her mouth didn’t. Everyone in this family looked happy.
After everyone had eaten and the kids had gone off to play in the family room, the adults sat around the table talking. Greg talked about the FBI looking for Jack Blackburn. Baylee’s chest tightened. Apparently murder and threatening a judge and police officers wasn’t enough to get the FBI involved. That took stealing a car with a baby inside and crossing the state line.
Dave said, “Two FBI agents will camp out in your house, Carol. Two others want permission to go to your house, Baylee.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll call Edwin and tell him to expect them.”
“Didn’t you tell him to take a vacation?” Chance asked.
“Yes, but he wouldn’t go. I hired a guard service to protect the house while I’m gone.”
Greg cocked his head. “You’re going to live there?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, or if I’ll live long enough for it to matter. Black Jack wants to kill me, too.”
“And me,” said Chance.
Baylee saw a little face near the kitchen door. All the color had drained from Steven’s face. “Steven. I-I didn’t know he was listening.”
Chance motioned his son over and put his arm around Steven’s shoulders. “We’re talking about the man who killed your mother. He’s in Texas, and we don’t know if he’s coming here or going to Baylee’s house in Houston, but wherever he goes, he’s not going to kill anyone else. Do you understand?”
Steven looked down. “Why does he want to kill you?”
“Because I helped his wife divorce him.”
“And I wrote articles for the newspaper about domestic violence,” said Baylee. “That’s when a man beats his wife and kids instead of picking on a stranger. I said men like that should be punished no matter who they hurt. I didn’t know your mom, but I know she worked at the shelter where kids and their moms hid from the men who beat them. This man hated me and your mom and your dad for helping his wife get away from him.”
Steven looked up at his dad. “If he kills you, will I still live with Grandma?”
“No,” said Bo. “You’ll live with me and Aunt Callie, but we’re not going to let this man kill your dad or anyone else. The FBI is going to help Uncle Greg catch him, so he can’t hurt anyone again.”
Chance pulled his son closer. “Don’t tell the other kids about this, Steven. It’s too scary for your sisters, and the fewer people who know the better. Okay?”
He nodded. “Do we have to go back to Tacoma now?”
“No, we’re staying here. After the FBI and Uncle Greg catch this guy, we’ll find ourselves a house of our own right here in Caledonia. Okay?”
“I don’t want him to kill you, Dad.” Steven’s voice trembled with barely controlled tears.
Tears streamed down Carol Gregory’s face and it was all Baylee could do to keep from crying herself. This kid had been through enough without them scaring him like this.
“He’s not going to kill anyone else, Steven,” said Greg. “He’s not going to kill you or your sisters or Grandma or Baylee or your dad. Nobody knew he was coming after your mom, but we know he’s coming this time, and we’ll stop him before he hurts anyone.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket, only instead of feeling warm, Baylee felt icy cold.
The kid wasn’t the only one who was scared.
After Steven went outside with Brady, Baylee said, “I was thinking of going back to Tacoma while Black Jack is in Texas. There are some things I need to take care of there.”
“Not a bad idea,” said Greg, “but I think the FBI wants us to stay together until this is over.”
“Stay where? Here?”
Greg lifted his hand and dropped it to the table. “Where else?”
“I own three other houses besides the one in Houston. The closest is an hour north of Houston. We could go there. Or if you want to fly to New York or the Bahamas, that’s fine.”
“Are any of those places kid-proof?” Neen asked.
Baylee shrugged. “I have no idea, but if you’re talking about those sweet little girls, I can’t imagine they’d be a problem.”
“Baylee is right,” said Carol. “Chance’s kids are very well behaved, so it’s something to consider.”
Dave shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere tonight. FBI agents from Dallas are on their way here as we speak. Let’s wait and see what they want you to do.”
Baylee knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to go somewhere and hide under the bed until Jack Blackburn had been caught or killed.
Katie bathed the little kids and dressed them in their jammies. Adam bounced down the steps first and hurled himself into Greg’s arms. Minutes later, Susie and Sarah ran downstairs, and then Katie carried little Rosie, who was already half asleep. Rosie looked like a little cherub with her dark curly hair and long lashes feathering over pink cheeks.
The women cleared off the dining room table while the men sat nursing cups of coffee and talking about what to do. When Baylee could listen no more, she sat on the sofa in the family room holding Susie, with Sarah leaning on her arm.
The little kids didn’t understand what was going on, but Katie did. She shared a meaningful glance with Baylee. “Is he coming here?”
“I don’t know, Katie. I didn’t think he’d come this far, but I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry about your mom. I ran away from mine when I was twelve and a few months later she died from a drug overdose. I was so lucky to find this family.”
“I’m sure they think they’re the lucky ones.”
Baylee strained to hear what the men were saying in the dining room, but their words were muffled. Sarah yawned, and Susie had fallen asleep, so she took them upstairs to bed. Susie roused a little, then went right back to sleep.
Sarah asked, “Are you staying here tonight?”
“Yes, I am. I’ll be right across the hall, okay?”
Sarah smiled. “Yeah.”
Chance came in and tucked his girls into bed and kissed them goodnight. Sarah’s eyes closed before they left the room.
As he pulled the door closed, Baylee asked, “Is Steven all right?”
“He’ll be okay if I don’t have to pull him out of Little League, but right now I can’t promise him that.” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “What about you, Baylee? Are you all right?”
“Yes. No.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t know.”
The doorbell chimed.
Chance blew out a breath. “That must be the FBI.”
Chapter Twelve
While Greg answered the door, Chance stood in the upstairs hallway and pulled Baylee into a hug, the first one since they’d left Houston. At first she didn’t respond, then she leaned into his body and draped her arms around his waist. They were tired already, from staying up most of the previous night making love, and it looked like this would be another night of little sleep. For different reasons.
In Houston, their focus had been pulled away from Jack Blackburn and his threats. Big mistake, although there wasn’t much they could do about him coming to Texas. The guy was a total nut case, which made him more dangerous.
“Go to bed and sleep while you can, Baylee. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”
“Not until I know what’s going on.”
He motioned toward the stairs. “Okay, let’s go downstairs and find out.”
Agents Hudson and Rolfs shook hands with Chance and Baylee. Hudson, an older man with plenty of gray in his dark hair, was in charge of the operation.
Two other agents stood in the living room talking with Chance’s mom. She handed over her house keys. “Don’t let him blow up my house.”
“No, ma’am.” The pretty female agent with the dimples brought a smile from Mom. Agent Ball didn’t look much like an FBI agent, but then Mia had never looked much like a cop either, even when she was in uniform.
Agent Ball and her partner left, and Agents Hudson and Rolfs sat at the dining room table with the men in Chance’s family, Mia, and Baylee.
Hudson said, “There’s no need for everyone to stay in this house tonight, as long as we know where everyone is.”
Greg took over as spokesman for the family and for the law enforcement efforts in the community. “Bo and his family live on a ranch about five minutes from here. Dave and Mia live in the other direction, but their last name isn’t Gregory, so they should be all right.”
“We thought we’d stay in the cottage on Bo’s ranch for now,” said Dave. “I don’t especially want Mia staying alone while I’m at the university.”
Chance knew what Dave was really saying. He and Mia didn’t want that sick bastard coming to the ranch, and the cottage near Bo’s house, the one they’d built for Mom, would be the perfect spot to keep an eye on things. The big sign on the side of the horse barn said Gregory-Caledonia Horse Ranch, an open invitation for a man intent on revenge against the Gregory family. As a former Marine, Bo had proven himself on the battleground in Iraq, and he wouldn’t hesitate to protect his family. Mia and Dave also knew how to handle a gun, and so did Callie, who grew up on the ranch.
The rest of the family would stay at Greg and Neen’s house, at least for now, but if they had to stay cooped up here for long, they’d all go crazy. Could Baylee handle this much family togetherness?
Hudson said, “According to the witness who saw Blackburn steal the car in New Mexico, he’s got a scruffy beard.”
“He was unshaven when he accosted the prostitute in Tacoma,” said Rolfs, a pink-cheeked blond. “The beard is darker than his hair.”
Chance pulled a visual image of Blackburn from the trial. Five-ten, neatly trimmed light brown hair, pale blue eyes with a hard look in them, and a slender, narrow-shouldered body. He sat at the defense table and fidgeted through his trial. He didn’t look like a strong man, but rage had a strength all its own, and this man was fueled by rage.
Bo and Callie prepared to take their family home, and Steven said, “I want to stay with Dad tonight.”
Bo glanced at Chance, eyebrows raised, and Chance nodded. His son was scared of losing the only parent he had left. Knowing Uncle Bo and Aunt Callie would take him in if he was orphaned helped, but the kid was still reeling from his mother’s murder. He needed reassurance, and he needed to be near his father tonight.
Rolfs took a cell phone call in the other room. After Bo and Callie and their brood left, he said, “We think we know what he’s driving. The Texas Highway Patrol has been notified.”
While Greg gathered the details and called the station to release the information to his deputies, Chance walked upstairs to the bedroom with Steven. “You need to sleep if you’re going to pitch this week.”
“I can still do that?”
“I hope so, but I can’t make any promises right now. We’ll have to see what happens in the next day or two. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” He didn’t sound happy about it. Pitching for his team would be a big deal for an eight-year-old.
Turning down the bed, Chance said, “If things go okay, I’ll be in later, so don’t hog the middle of the bed.”
He was rewarded with a smile.
“Take a bath and brush your teeth. Aunt Mia’s chocolate cake will rot your teeth.”
“Mom used to make good cake, too.”
It was the first time Steven had brought up her name since the funeral. “Yes, she did.” Chance sat on the side of the bed.
“Brady said Uncle Bo said Mom was gonna get married again.”
“I didn’t know she was seeing anyone.”
“Yeah. Alistair Somebody.”
“Did you like him?”
The kid shrugged. “Not especially.”
On a hunch, Chance asked, “Did he come see her the night before—”
“Yeah, but they had a big fight, and he left.”
Chance stiffened. Why didn’t he know this? “Did you tell Detective McBride?”
Steven hung his head. “No.”
Chance glanced at his watch. Nine o’clock. Two hours earlier in Tacoma. “Let’s call him now.” He punched in the number, and McBride answered on the second ring.
“My son remembered something about the night Emma was killed. Did you know Emma was dating a man named Alistair?”
“No. What did he look like?”
He handed the phone to Steven and listened to his son talk with the detective.
“The guy was kinda skinny,” said Steven. “Every time I saw him, he was wearing a funny cap. And he carried a pipe, but I never saw him smoke it. Mom wouldn’t let him smoke it in the house anyway, because Sarah has asthma.”
When Steven finished, he handed the phone back to his father. Chance asked McBride, “Get what you needed?”
“Yes and no. There were no fingerprints in the house except yours, Emma’s, and the kids’.”
“What about the doorknob?”
“Wiped clean. Blackburn left his calling cards on the body, but there were no fingerprints on them, either. That could mean—”
“Aw, shit! Did he leave fingerprints on his wife’s…” Chance glanced at Steven. “I mean, did he leave fingerprints on any of the other cards he left in various places?”
“Nothing from his wife’s body, but we have clear prints from your office and from Baylee’s apartment. Maybe he didn’t want to get blood on his hands.”
“Maybe.” But he wondered. If the guy advertised by leaving the cards, why would he bother to wipe his fingerprints off?
It took several minutes to get Steven ready for bed and calmed enough to sleep, but Chance couldn’t leave him until he was settled. He left the bathroom light on. Leaving him alone in the dark after that conversation was not an option.
Baylee met Chance at the foot of the stairs. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know.” He took her hand and walked into the dining room, where Rolfs sat eating the last piece of Mia’s chocolate cake. Hudson was in deep conversation with Greg. Chance hated to interrupt, but they needed to know what Steven had just told him.
“Steven remembered something from the night Emma was killed.”
All conversation stopped as eyes
turned to him. “Emma was seeing Alistair Somebody, and they had an argument that evening.”
Hudson said, “But the cards—”
Chance interrupted. “Yeah, the cards were on her body, but there weren’t any fingerprints. There weren’t any in the house, either. Emma was a good housekeeper, but not that good. If a killer would leave his card on the body, why would he wipe his fingerprints out of the house and off those cards? The only prints they found were in Baylee’s apartment and in my office, after he trashed it. What does that tell you?”
“That the guy is nuts,” said Greg.
“Or we could be dealing with two people.”
“Like a copycat?” said Hudson.
“No, not a copycat. There were no fingerprints with either of the murders. Why would he be cautious about prints and leave his card at the murder scene? And why would he call me and threaten me?”
“He as much as admitted to me that he’d killed Emma,” said Baylee.
Greg slowly shook his head. “Something doesn’t wash.”
“No, it sure as hell doesn’t,” Chance muttered mostly to himself. They were dealing with a sick man, but that didn’t explain why the man would act one way at one time and another way at other times. Unless they were dealing with two different men. Working together or separately, something wasn’t quite right with Jack Blackburn or Alistair Somebody.
“This Alistair person probably wasn’t involved,” said Hudson.
Greg stared at him like he couldn’t believe what the man had said. “We don’t know that.” Greg looked up at Chance. “What does this Alistair guy look like?”
“Steven said he wore a cap, he was skinny, and he smoked a pipe, although he didn’t smoke it in the house.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Chance nodded. “Positive. I was there the next morning, and I didn’t smell smoke, especially pipe smoke.” Sarah was sensitive to tobacco smoke. She was scared because Mommy wasn’t there, but he didn’t recall her wheezing.
<>
Baylee excused herself from the tense discussion in the dining room. It was after eleven, and Neen had long since gone upstairs. She probably knew better than to stay up and wait for Greg.