Pam cast him a wary look. Rachael knew the feeling from her earlier interview with the detective.
“Go ahead,” Pam said.
“Could you tell me about Kelly’s father?”
“I’m not proud of this, but I don’t know who he is.” She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. Pam was a proud woman and the topic had to be difficult for her.
“I was once a real mess,” she added. “But I’ve given my life to God now, and He forgives me. That means I can hold my head up high.”
“Hey.” Jake held up his hand. “No judgment here. Everyone makes mistakes, and if not for the grace of God, we would all crumble under our guilt.” He spoke with confidence, but the conviction didn’t travel to his eyes, as if he didn’t really believe his own words.
“I was in a bad place then,” Pam continued. “I was so strung out, but there were a coupla guys I hung with on a regular basis.” She huffed a sour laugh. “As much as my little drug family could hang out, that is. I gave their names to your detective, but we never had a home base, so it may be hard to track them.”
“Did any of them have a record?”
“Sure, we all did.”
“For what?”
“Me...possession. The guys had burglary added to their rap sheets.”
“Anything violent?”
“Sid had some bad stuff before I knew him. I’m not sure of the details, but he went away for longer than me and Hal.”
By away, Rachael knew Pam meant to prison, and Jake would know that, too.
“Do you think if either one of them realized Kelly could be his child, he’d want to have her in his life?” Jake asked.
“Not if they haven’t gotten clean.” She lifted her face in thought. “If they’re still using and they know I have a baby, they’d try to figure out how we could use her to help score money for drugs.”
“As in try to kidnap and sell her?” Rachael tried to hide the shock in her voice, but failed.
“Maybe... I don’t know.” Pam gnawed on her lower lip. “I was thinking more along the lines of scamming government programs to get extra money. When I was on the street, I saw people illegally using food stamps and welfare checks.” She twisted her fingers together. “But I guess we can’t rule out the kidnapping thing, either. When someone is jonesing for their next fix, they’d do just about anything to get it. So, yeah, maybe they would.”
“Trust me, I’ve seen the extremes addicts have employed to score drugs,” Jake said. “But kidnapping a child takes planning, and a person continually high on drugs usually doesn’t have the wherewithal to plan such a thing.”
“That’s so true,” Pam replied, relief flowing through her tone.
“Any other ideas about who might have tried to take Kelly?”
Pam shook her head. “You ever think this had nothing to do with Kelly at all? That maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“We are considering that possibility,” Jake answered. “Still, in case this is specifically related to Kelly, I need you to be extra careful.”
“Yeah, I thought about that.” She chewed on her lip again. “I’m kinda worried about the morning when I go to work. If I go to work.” She looked at Rachael.
“You’re all set with Francie.”
“Thank you.” Pam squeezed Rachael’s hand. “Does she live nearby?”
“Unfortunately, no.” Rachael handed the address to Pam.
She looked at it, then shrugged. “I’ll just get an earlier start and be careful, like you said.” She peered at Jake. “There aren’t many people around at that time of day, and it’s dark. I’ll probably freak out walking to the bus stop, but it’ll be okay.”
“You don’t have a car?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Then I’ll pick you up,” he offered. “We can drop off Kelly first, and then I’ll drive you to work.”
“You’d do that for me?” Pam asked.
“Sure, why not? I’m not usually on duty at that time of day unless we have a callout. If that happens, I’ll arrange for someone else to pick you up.”
“If it was just me, I wouldn’t ask, but Kelly...” Pam’s eyes lit with love for the baby.
Rachael’s heart warmed at seeing how Pam had overcome so much due to love for her child. Jake’s offer warmed her heart, as well. Just like that, he’d agreed to give a stranger a ride to work, or at least arrange for a ride. He continued to prove he was a great guy, albeit one who seemed to carry a burden that left him reserved at times.
Kelly’s cries sounded from her room. Rachael didn’t like to hear the little sweetheart cry, but she did like that she was awake, giving Rachael a chance at snuggles before they left.
Pam started to get up, but Rachael stopped her. “Can I do it? I’d like to spend a little time with her before we go.”
“Sure.” Pam winked. “And you can come back in the middle of the night, too, if you want.”
Laughing, Rachael warmed the bottle in the kitchen, then took it to Kelly’s room. She felt Jake’s gaze track her every movement, and she wondered what he was thinking. He hadn’t acted like he really believed she was involved in the kidnapping attempt. In fact, neither had Detective Hunter when she’d taken Rachael’s statement at the house. A pleasant surprise, and Rachael had to admit she was beginning to like the detective.
Rachael slid her hands under Kelly’s warm little body. She lifted the precious bundle to her shoulder, and Kelly’s cries stilled. She was such an easy baby, and Rachael loved caring for her.
She snuggled the sweet girl close and kissed her downy head. “I’m so glad you’re all right, little one. I was terrified for you. But now you have Jake on your side, too. He’ll keep you safe.”
Rachael changed Kelly’s diaper, then put her back in the crib so she could quickly wash her hands in the next-door bathroom before settling into the recliner with Kelly. Her baby-soft scent drifted up, and love overflowed Rachael’s heart. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Detective Hunter that Kelly wasn’t more special than the other children she cared for. But as the youngest, Kelly was the most vulnerable and needed more attention. Rachael was happy to lavish that attention on her.
Kelly suckled her bottle and curled her tiny fingers around Rachael’s index finger. As she stared into the baby’s big blue eyes, she could hear the low rumble of Jake’s voice in the other room. He’d been such a godsend today, and she appreciated everything he’d done for her. What she didn’t appreciate was that since meeting him thoughts about Eli and the loss of the baby she and Eli had planned to name Hannah continued to plague her.
What a horrible night that had been. Eli died on Christmas Eve, and all the light went out in her world. She’d abandoned all hope, falling into despair. She couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t focus. Eli had been her whole life. Cared for her and provided for the family. Though she had a business degree, he’d made enough money that she hadn’t really needed a job, and once she discovered her pregnancy, she quit work to get ready for the baby.
One month almost to the day after he died, she miscarried their child. The doctor said she wasn’t to blame, but because she was in such poor physical shape from losing Eli, she’d felt responsible. She still felt responsible and blamed herself.
If only Eli hadn’t been such a generous man and offered to go to the store for her ice-cream craving, he’d be alive. And if she’d taken better care of herself, Hannah would be alive. Rachael would be alive inside, too.
If only, if only, if only. She’d traveled that path too many times, and it would do no good to take it again.
Kelly suddenly startled, drawing Rachael’s attention. The pain from her miscarriage came flooding back, the loss still vivid in her heart. No matter how many children and families she helped, the visceral ache wou
ld live with her for the rest of her life. Which was why this interest in Jake would go nowhere. She might find him appealing and interesting, but she wouldn’t get involved with him or any man. Even if she deserved a family, which she didn’t, she wouldn’t risk such heartbreak again.
She hummed a song and kept her gaze on Kelly while she finished her bottle. Then she burped and rocked her until she heard the child’s even breathing. Rachael didn’t want to get up and leave the solitude of the room, didn’t want to leave Kelly, but it was unfair for Jake to have to wait around much longer.
She kissed Kelly’s silky hair, then placed her in her crib. “Sleep tight, little one.”
She crept out of the room and found Jake stowing his phone in his pocket.
“We should get going,” she said, then faced Pam. “Let me know if you have any questions, or if there are any problems with locating Francie’s apartment.”
Pam got up and escorted them to the door. Rachael made sure to stay behind Jake so Pam couldn’t hug her again. She loved getting hugs from her families, but her ribs were so sore that she couldn’t handle another one of Pam’s bear hugs.
They said goodbye and hurried through the nippy cold to Jake’s truck. Once they were settled and he had the heat cranked up, he turned to her. “Would you like to come back to our firehouse for dinner?”
“Firehouse?”
“Oh, right, you don’t know,” he said. “Our team. We all live together in a historic firehouse that was remodeled especially for us. We each have our own condo on the second floor, and the first floor has a kitchen, game room and family room that we can share when we want.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It is, and it’s worth coming over just to see the place. A woman named Winnie Kerr donated it to the county with the sole purpose of housing our team. She did a first-rate renovation while still keeping many of the firehouse elements in place.”
“That’s quite generous.”
“It’s in appreciation for our medic, Darcie Stevens, saving Winnie’s life.”
“So, do you dine with the team or alone?”
“Oh, you mean tonight? Will we be alone?”
She nodded.
“No, it’s a team thing.” He frowned as he seemed to realize she didn’t want to be alone with him.
She didn’t really want to have dinner with strangers, either, but she couldn’t bear going back to her home that had been violated by not only the kidnapper but also the forensic staff, who’d left fingerprint powder everywhere.
“Dinner sounds nice,” she said.
At his wide smile her heart rate kicked up, and she hoped she hadn’t just made a very big mistake.
SIX
Jake shifted into gear and ignored the way caution took over Rachael’s expression. He wanted to ask about the change, but he thought it best not to delve into anything personal. Especially not after the way she’d resembled a trapped animal when she’d thought dinner might be just the two of them. She’d made it crystal clear that she didn’t want to be alone with him. Maybe she just wasn’t into dating yet, and she thought he was coming on to her. He needed to rectify that.
“Tell me more about your team,” she said, falling right in line with his intent to keep things on a professional level.
“I think I mentioned that there are six of us on the team. We’re pretty unique, as very few agencies have a first response team with our makeup. I told you Detective Hunter is a negotiator, but we have a second one, too, because most of our callouts involve negotiations of some sort. Archer Reed is the other negotiator, and then we have a sniper, a bomb tech and a paramedic.”
“Wow,” she said. “Were all of these people at the center today?”
He shook his head. “We were on the way to a tactical training session, so only Cash and Brady were with me. I would have loved to have the others, though, because we work best as a full team.”
“How did you get involved in such a group?” she asked. “No, wait, start with how you became a deputy.”
He glanced at her, and it didn’t appear as if she was making small talk, but she seemed genuinely interested in his answer.
“I guess it started when I was thirteen,” he said. “My dad worked at the US embassy in Nairobi. He, my mom and my brother and sister were all killed when it was bombed.”
“Oh, Jake, I’m sorry. That must have been so hard.”
Her sincerity raised feelings he’d thought he’d dealt with long ago. He swallowed them down and continued by focusing on the positive. “It was tough, but it gave me direction for my life. I should have been at the embassy that day, but I snuck out to hang with some friends my parents didn’t like.”
“And you feel guilty for surviving,” she said, as if she knew something about survivor’s guilt.
“I can’t help but think if I’d been there, I might have saved them somehow.”
“But you were only a kid.”
“Still, I wonder, you know?”
“Yes, I definitely know.”
“Because of your husband?”
She nodded but looked away. Jake suspected there was something more to her story that she didn’t want to share.
“Anyway,” Jake continued, “at my parents’ funeral, I promised them that I would help people faced with a sudden crisis. Becoming a law enforcement officer seemed like a good way to do that.”
“And I suppose your team does that more than most officers.”
“Exactly. When the opportunity came up to form and lead the team, I knew God custom-made it for me.”
“And has the job been what you thought it would be?”
He’d never really thought about it so he considered her question for a moment. “I feel good about what we do. Sometimes we’ve been able to extend our help beyond the emergency. For example, our team medic, Darcie Stevens, saved a young girl’s life in a callout. Now Darcie and her fiancé, Noah, are in the process of adopting Isabel.”
“That’s wonderful,” Rachael said.
“Yeah, it’s great, but I don’t want to mislead you. The job can also be more heartbreaking than I imagined it would be.”
She nodded, then looked out the window. He opted to remain quiet and wait for any additional questions she might have, but she didn’t speak.
He’d liked talking with her. Even sharing about his family, as she seemed to understand. But it was probably a good thing that she’d clammed up. They’d entered the personal realm when they needed to stay focused on the attempt to kidnap Kelly.
He turned his attention back to driving and was glad that she remained silent for the rest of their drive.
“We’re here,” he announced as he approached the old firehouse that still made him smile when he drove up.
The building sat back from the road, with pine trees soaring to the sky on either side of a wide driveway. Winnie made sure the redbrick exterior and two original fire doors were preserved. The team, under Skyler’s direction, had strung garland around the entrance. Icicle lights dangled from the eaves, and multicolored lights sparkled from the large pines.
“Wow,” Rachael said, a smile in her voice. “This is so picturesque.”
“It’s a nice thing to come home to after a hard day.” He pulled into the wide driveway and shifted into Park.
“Nice?” She shot him a quick look. “It’s like a winter wonderland.” She clapped her hands together in glee.
He was thrilled that the sight of his home brought her joy after her difficult day.
“With the crazy, snowy winter we’ve been having, I can just see it falling softly from the sky and glittering in all of these lights.” She swiveled to look at him. “Oh, and a sleigh. Wouldn’t it be amazing to arrive here in a sleigh?”
He stared at her eyes the color of green
sea glass and loved how full of life she appeared.
She chuckled. “I guess I let my imagination run wild some times.”
“It’s probably part of your job, right? Working with children all day.”
She nodded. “And my parents. They loved Christmas and always made it special for me.”
“Loved?”
Her smile fell, making him regret asking the question.
“They’ve both passed away. They were in their forties when they had me, so I lost them way too early, but I have such fond memories of them. My dad especially loved to make a big deal of holidays, and we often rented a cabin in the mountains for Christmas. It was so spectacular. I can still hear the horse hooves pawing the ground and the jingle of the bells on the reins when we went for rides on winding mountain roads.”
“Sounds nice.” He opened the door. “I’ve never been real big on Christmas.”
They both got out, and Jake led the way up the sidewalk. He opened a solid oak door holding a pine wreath that freshened the air and stepped back. Rachael entered the foyer. She ran her fingers over the garland coiling up a black metal banister that led to a second-floor balcony. Red bows were scattered among white lights and large silver balls dangled below. Each step held a poinsettia, and a two-story tree loaded with decorations filled the corner.
“Wow. Just wow.” Rachael turned in circles, her gaze going over every inch of the place. “You said you’ve never been big on Christmas, but this? Do you decorate like this every year?”
“Me, no,” he replied. “It’s all Skyler’s doing. She hosts an annual Christmas party for homeless children, and every year she outdoes the prior year’s decorations.”
“As in Detective Hunter?” Rachael muttered. “I would never have imagined.”
“I told you she was quite a woman,” Jake said.
Rachael nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
She had to be fully aware of Skyler’s tough investigator side after Skyler’d had to ask very difficult questions. He hoped coming here would help Rachael see Skyler’s caring and compassionate side, too, and for some reason he couldn’t put a finger on, he wanted Rachael to like his friends as much as he did.
Christmas Conspiracy Page 7