He rubbed his eyes. “In town, running errands.”
“This late?”
Hal shrugged.
“Okay. While I wake the munchkin, you call Mom to see if she’s picking up dinner or if she wants me to start something.”
She pushed open the door to Callie’s bedroom and smiled. Blond curls created a halo on the pillow. Her thumb in her mouth, the little girl was still sleeping soundly. She never slept this late; she must’ve worn herself out, as well as her grandpa.
Jessie sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair away from Callie’s face. “Sweetie, wake up. It’s time for dinner.” She kissed her cheek. “C’mon, honey. Time to get up.” With still no sign of her waking, she gently shook the little girl’s shoulder. “Wake up, Callie. I want to hear about your day.”
Callie mumbled something into the pillow.
“That’s my girl. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes.”
Without raising her head, Callie opened her eyes and gazed up at her mother. After only a few seconds, her eyelids drifted closed again.
“Oh, no, you don’t, sleepy head.” Jessie rubbed her daughter’s cheek.
She yawned. “I’m tired. I don’t wants dinner.”
Another exception to normalcy. Callie usually woke up bright and energetic, not drowsy and sluggish. And dinner was her favorite meal.
“What did you do this afternoon to get so tired?”
The little girl gave her mother a blank stare. “I can’t ’member.”
“Remember,” Jessie corrected, emphasizing the missing syllable.
Callie pushed out her lower lip in a pout. “I said I can’t ’member. I really can’t.”
“No, honey, the word is… Never mind.” Jessie sighed. “Did you help grandpa on the tractor?”
She looked at the ceiling. “I don’t thinks so. We didn’t gets the tractor out of the barn today.”
“Did you ride your bike?”
“I…I don’t know.”
Jessie struggled not to laugh at the bewilderment on the little girl’s face.
“Did a friend come over? Uncle Nate? Or Uncle Chad and his dog?”
Callie shrugged. “I thinks my brain is still asleep.”
“No problem, honey. I feel that way a lot.” She scooped Callie into her arms and carried her to the living room. Hal still sat where she’d left him, his eyes closed again. “Dad, what did Mom say?”
He started. “Huh? Oh, Molly didn’t answer.” Frowning, he hesitated. “Went straight to voice mail. I left a message.”
“Maybe Mom forgot to charge her phone again. I’ll check the fridge and see if I can tell what’s for dinner.” She set Callie in his lap. “You two wake each other up.”
In the refrigerator, she spotted a package of thawed hamburger. “Well, that narrows it down,” she muttered. She found spaghetti sauce and pasta in the pantry and a package of garlic bread in the freezer. “I’m making spaghetti,” she called to her stepdad and daughter. “Keep trying to get Mom.”
By the time dinner was ready, Molly hadn’t come home or answered her phone. Jessie glanced at the clock. Almost seven. Her mother never ran errands this late. And why hadn’t she called, if not from her cell, then from someone else’s or a pay phone? The strange sense of foreboding resurfaced. She swallowed past a sudden tightness in her throat.
“Did you try any of Mom’s friends? Has anyone heard from her this afternoon?” she asked, setting the bowl of spaghetti sauce in front of Hal.
“Yep, I did. No one’s talked to Molly since this morning.” He ladled sauce over a mountain of pasta.
“What about Nate or Uncle Chad?”
“Nope. Not a word this afternoon.”
She put a small serving of spaghetti on Callie’s plate. Her daughter snatched a long, slippery noodle and sucked it into her mouth.
“Okay, one more before I put the sauce on.”
Once Callie had her second noodle, Jessie cut the spaghetti in a crisscross motion and spooned sauce on top. She held up the Parmesan. “Cheese?”
The little head bobbed. “Lots.”
“Mom’s hair appointment is the only thing on the calendar. Did she mention anything else before she left?” Jessie asked, and served herself.
Hal shrugged. “Nothing specific, but she said the errands would take all afternoon.”
“She didn’t call or leave a message on the answering machine while you were playing with Callie?”
“Nope,” he said around a bite of garlic toast. “Maybe she went to a movie.”
Jessie frowned. “I didn’t know there was a theater in Ramona now. Besides, when has she ever gone to a movie on a weeknight?”
“Before you moved…” He cleared his throat. “She used to go over to the Poway theaters with a few of her girlfriends. Sometimes the prices are cheaper during the week.”
A sliver of guilt pricked her. She and Callie had barged into her parents’ lives and destroyed their calm, orderly world. They never complained, but she knew it hadn’t been easy for them. The added stress and work had resulted in some heated nighttime arguments, which her parents didn’t know she’d overheard. Maybe something had happened today that triggered a daytime fight.
She speared a bite of salad and pinned him with a serious expression. “Was everything okay today?”
His fork stopped midair. “What do you mean?”
“You know, did you and Mom have an argument?”
He gulped and blinked. “Well, now that you mention it, we had a…a disagreement.”
“About what?”
Hal’s gaze darted away and then came back to his granddaughter. “Molly…uh…wanted to sign someone up for…uh…dance and tumbling lessons.”
Callie’s head jerked up. “Dance and tumbling lessons? For me? I’m someone.”
“Yes, sweetie, you sure are.” Jessie rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’ve warned you about Big Ears.”
“Sorry, honey,” he said to Callie, ignoring her mother. “Grandpa and Grandma would love to get you lessons, but we can’t afford it right now.”
Guilt cut a little deeper. Her daughter’s pouty face didn’t help. I should be able to afford the lessons. If Drake was paying the child support he owed, money for dance, tumbling, finger-painting, swimming, or any other lessons wouldn’t be a problem. But without it or the alimony, her finances were tighter than her parents’.
Pushing aside her anger toward her ex, she refocused on the issue at hand. “I understand Mom would be disappointed, but I can’t believe she’d miss dinner over it.”
Hal did his classic shrug. “Women.”
Jessie sighed. “Where else would she go?”
He took a deep breath. “She might be at the coffee shop in town.”
They dropped the subject because Callie launched into a pathetic tale about how much she wanted to dance and tumble. Jessie caught herself glancing at the clock every few minutes. She’d never known her mother to act childishly, but staying away, worrying everyone, was definitely childish. As if Jessie didn’t have enough problems already, playing referee for her parents might be the last straw.
When Callie finished eating, Jessie pushed her own plate away even though she’d barely touched her food. “Bath time,” she announced.
Callie stuck out her lower lip and whined.
“Since you napped so late, I’ll read two books before lights-out, okay?”
“Okay.” She scrambled off the chair and ran toward the bathroom.
“Dad, would you clean up?”
“Sure, no problem.”
A bath, three books, a backrub, a glass of water, two trips to the bathroom, and four hugs for Grandpa later, Jessie turned out the light in Callie’s room. “Good night, sweetie. I love you.”
Callie’s eyes were already closing. “Loves you, too.”
Hal was half asleep in his recliner when she walked into the living room.
“Did you talk to Mom?”
He raised the back of the chair to up
right. “Haven’t heard a word.”
“This is ridiculous. I can’t believe she’s acting this way.”
“She’ll get over it.” Scowling, he cocked his head. “You know, maybe she’s still upset about the big fight with Nate this morning.” He yawned. “But she’ll get over that, too. I’m going to bed.” He lowered the footrest and pushed himself out of the chair.
“Dad, it’s only eight. What did you do with Callie to wear you both out?”
He paused before facing her. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“Callie said she couldn’t ’member because her brain was still asleep.”
He snorted. “I can’t believe she doesn’t ’member hiking over to the creek to feed the ducks. It was great. Had the place all to ourselves.” He shook his head. “Kids. Ya gotta love ’em. Good night.”
“Seriously, Dad. How can you possibly sleep with Mom not home? Aren’t you worried?”
He shrugged. “Molly’s a big girl…and she’s done this before.”
“She has? Really? This doesn’t seem like her.”
“Guess things changed while you were gone.”
He trudged down the hallway into the master bedroom and shut the door. Jessie glanced at her watch and headed to her own room to change clothes.
She sat down on the bed to slip off her shoes but paused. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and exhaled slowly. As much as she didn’t want the blame to rest on her shoulders, she knew her parents’ argument was her fault. For so many reasons. She needed to fix the situation before it got any worse.
When she reached the master bedroom door, Jessie raised her hand to knock, but she hesitated. If she told Hal what she was doing, he’d try to talk her out of it and insist she not go. But she had to do something.
Determined to stick with her plan, she returned to the kitchen and wrote a note to tell her stepdad where she was going just in case he got up and found her gone. Leaving it on the table, she grabbed her purse and stepped out the back door.
Her breath caught as the deepening darkness enveloped her. She reached back inside to switch on the patio light. After locking the door and pulling it shut, she hurried toward her car.
Although she’d grown up in this house, the years she’d lived in Chicago with Drake had changed her. Perhaps the fear of big-city crime had followed her home because the lack of streetlights and neighbors here now made her uncomfortable. What had once been precious privacy now felt like vulnerable isolation.
The cloying darkness and quiet pressed in around her. Her eyes searched the shadowy property while her feet raced across the driveway.
She clicked the door lock button as soon as she jumped into the Camry. The instant the car started, she flipped on the headlights. Once on the road, she switched on the brights and sped up. The sooner she got into town and talked some sense into her mother the better.
A mile down the deserted road, she barreled around the corner onto Wheaton. The Camry’s lights swept across the asphalt to the opposite shoulder and landed on a familiar car.
* * *
Sean Burke glanced at the flashing lights in the rearview mirror. His eyes widened in surprise and then darted to the speedometer of his Ford F-150 truck. He wasn’t speeding, not even close. Scowling, he angled a look over his shoulder at the vehicle behind him.
“What the hell?” he muttered, slowing and pulling onto the shoulder of Highway 67 near Ramona, California.
After lowering the windows and turning off the motor, Sean sat with his hands clearly visible on the steering wheel. Through the glare of the headlights reflected in the mirror, he squinted to see a San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy get out of the patrol car and approach his truck on the passenger side. The man swung a flashlight in a sweeping motion, but his body was just a silhouette in the vehicle’s lights. The crunch of his footsteps on the gravel stopped just before he reached the front passenger window, leaving him partially hidden by the side and roof of the truck’s cab.
“Do you know why I pulled you over, son?” a deep, raspy voice asked.
“No, sir. I know I wasn’t speeding.”
“That’s right. Your violation is more serious.”
More serious? Sean frowned. He hadn’t violated any traffic laws. The Los Angeles Police Department disliked their detectives getting tickets, so he’d become a very careful driver since joining the force. “What did I do wrong, Deputy?”
The man huffed, moved forward, and shined the flashlight directly into Sean’s eyes. “You’ve got a goddamn LA Dodgers bumper sticker, you idiot. This here is San Diego Padres country.”
The deputy’s voice changed as he spoke, losing its scratchiness and deepness. By the time he finished his reprimand, Sean was laughing.
“Luke Johnson, you son of a bitch. Get your fucking flashlight out of my eyes.”
“Watch your mouth, dickhead. Show some respect or I’ll haul your ass in.” The deputy lowered the flashlight and leaned in the passenger window, resting his forearms on the door. “Heard from your brother that you were coming into town. You need a breath of smog-free air or somethin’?”
More than you could know. LA was a tough place to live for a man who’d grown up in a rural area of San Diego County. In addition to the eye-burning smog that practically made him ill, the SUV-congested freeways, the sardine-can housing, and the gang-related crime made every day a pressure cooker. “Damn right. The smog gets so thick that you have to chew it before you can breathe it.”
Luke snorted. “Wanna get some coffee?”
“Sure.”
Sean followed his friend to the 7-Eleven, where they both purchased the largest size cup of plain black coffee. As Luke checked in on the radio, Sean settled into the passenger seat of the car. The vehicle’s interior brought back memories of his days as an LAPD patrol officer before he was promoted to detective.
“Your brother mentioned you’re staying with him,” Luke said after a swig of java.
“With is relative. Glenn’s out of town so much on business, I’ll probably never see him.”
“Don’t want you to get lonely, bro, so I’ll call ya on my days off. We can raise some hell like back in the day.”
Raising hell wasn’t exactly in Sean’s plans. He wanted time to think, to decompress. His last case had been such a revelation of the underbelly of LA that he’d burned out. He needed a break. Bad. Technically, he was being disciplined with a brief suspension for not following proper procedures in solving that case, but he was also taking all his available vacation days. Hopefully it would be enough time to decide if he should go back to LA and his job.
Before Sean had to come up with an excuse not to party with his long-time friend, the radio crackled to life. “Check out an abandoned car on the east end of Wheaton. Caller also reported the driver missing,” the dispatcher said.
“Vehicle description? Driver’s name?” the deputy asked.
“Older model Buick. Missing driver is Molly Freeman.”
Sean stiffened.
“Who called it in?” Luke asked.
“Her daughter, Jessica Hargrove.”
Sean tensed even more. Painful memories tightened his chest.
“I’m on it. Ten-four.” Luke turned to him. “Sorry, bro, gotta go.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Luke nailed him with a you-gotta-be-shittin’-me look. “You’re way out of your jurisdiction, Detective Burke.”
He played innocent. “Detective who? I’m Sean, your hell-raising, high-school buddy, just enjoying a civilian ride-along.”
Luke shook his head. “Not a good idea. And you know why.”
“What’s the big deal?” Sean shrugged. “A middle-aged woman has car trouble, decides to walk home in the dark, and her daughter overreacts. C’mon, buddy. How serious can this be?”
To keep reading DEADLY DECEPTION, get your Kindle copy now!
Also by Marissa Garner
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Acknowledgments
Thank you, Leah St. James, for helping me make Only Obsession a better story. Your input was invaluable. And thank you, Cathy Perkins, for your expertise and patience in guiding me through self-publishing my book. Without your encouragement, I’d still be procrastinating.
I’m forever grateful to the dedicated men and women of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for their faithful service to the residents of this county and for answering my numerous questions. Any errors are mine alone.
And last but not least, I appreciate the unwavering support of my loving husband.
About the Author
Marissa Garner
I'm an award-winning author, wife, chocoholic, and animal lover, not necessarily in that order. As a little girl, I cut pictures of people out of my mother’s magazines and turned them into characters in my simple stories. Now I write edgy romantic thrillers, steamy contemporary romance, and sexy paranormal romantic suspense. My stories will titillate your mind as well as your libido. I live in sunny Southern California with my husband but enjoy traveling from Athens to Anchorage to Acapulco and many locations in between.
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Only Obsession (Rogue Security Book 3) Page 31