by Rita Herron
He slanted her an odd look. “I’m not sure I buy into that psychobabble.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in years.”
Her gaze locked with his, hope bubbling in her chest.
Hope and desire so strong that it scared her to death.
FOR A MOMENT, DESIRE flickered in Nina’s eyes again, and Slade was tempted to pull her into his arms once more.
But his body still burned with need from her earlier touch, and his willpower couldn’t tolerate the temptation. So he took a step back. “We should report this break-in to the sheriff.”
“No.” Panic tinged her voice. “I did that years ago, and look where it got me. Skepticism from everyone I talked to.”
Slade hesitated. “All right. Let me retrieve the kit in my car and look for prints. I also want to figure out how the bastard got in here. And, Nina?”
“Yes?”
“Look around upstairs. Make sure nothing is missing.”
She folded and unfolded her hands, her face strained. Looking at the baby items had to dredge up bad memories.
Which was exactly what her tormentor intended.
But she squared her shoulders and disappeared up the stairs. He strode out to his car and retrieved the crime kit GAI supplied. He’d take prints and if he found other evidence, he’d collect everything and send it all to the lab.
He grabbed a flashlight, and examined the front door, windows and back door and discovered that one of the locks on the window in the laundry room was broken. The intruder could easily have crawled in through the window.
Running the flashlight across the ground, he searched for footprints, but the rain had washed away any that might have been made earlier, and he didn’t find any stray hairs or clothing fibers. Damn.
Next, he dusted the breaker box for prints, and found an index fingerprint. But it looked too small to be a man’s. Probably Nina’s. Still, he lifted it for comparison. He dusted the window in the laundry room from the outside, then inside, but again found nothing.
This guy was obviously smart enough to cover his tracks. After all, he’d done the same thing to Nina years ago.
It could be a woman, he reminded himself.
Or a hired crony.
Wiping perspiration from his forehead, he strode up the steps to the second floor and found Nina staring at a tiny pair of pink booties and a dress. God…
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said in a soft whisper. “I don’t see anything missing.”
A bittersweet look filled her eyes as she placed the dress back inside a plastic storage bin, and closed it. He dusted the closet door for prints, then the bin. Only one set, which he assumed belonged to Nina.
“Did you find anything outside?” she asked.
“The lock on the window in your laundry room is broken. The intruder must have climbed through it.”
Nina nodded. “I didn’t realize. I’ll go fix it now.”
He caught her arm as she stood and stopped her before she could go down the steps. “No, you look exhausted. Go lie down. I’ll fix the window and stay on the couch tonight.”
Nina rubbed her forehead. “You don’t have to do that, Slade.”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “This guy might come back.”
A shudder coursed through her, and he hated himself for scaring her.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Stop thanking me,” he muttered. “I’m just doing my job.”
She shifted, her mouth tightening. “Right.” Then she rushed into her own room and shut the door. For a moment, he stood rooted to the spot. The temptation to go inside with her taunted him.
What would she do if he knocked and asked to join her? Would she let him hold her? Kiss her? Make love to her?
Damn. This case was starting to feel like more than just a job. He didn’t want to see her hurt anymore. And seeing that tiny little dress made him want to bring her child home to her.
But he couldn’t get physically involved with her any more than he could emotionally. That would distract him from the case. And knowing that an intruder had broken in and might return meant he had to stay sharp and focused.
He took the steps two at a time, found a tool kit in the garage and repaired the broken lock. Then he retrieved his computer from his SUV, and booted it up at her kitchen table.
He’d set up watch for the night. And if the intruder came back, he’d catch the son of a bitch and make him sorry for tormenting Nina.
NINA WRESTLED WITH SLEEP, the images of the doll wrapped in Peyton’s baby blanket haunting her.
She pulled the covers to her chin, hating the silence. But knowing Slade was downstairs made her feel safer.
Don’t get used to it, she reminded herself. When you find your daughter, he’ll leave and you’ll be alone again.
No, she wouldn’t. She’d have her little girl, and that would be enough.
With that thought on her mind, she finally fell asleep and dreamed that she had Peyton back, and that she’d taken her to the zoo. Peyton’s blond curls bounced around her face as she giggled at the chimpanzees squawking and jumping up and down and chomping on bananas.
The lions’ roar frightened her, and she scrunched close to Nina, and Nina smoothed her hair down and hugged her. Then a crowd gathered by the giraffes and they walked over to join them.
Suddenly Slade appeared, the sunlight gleaming off his strong jaw and rugged body. He smiled at her, then swung Peyton up onto his shoulders so she could see over the crowd.
Peyton clapped her hands and shrieked with glee. “I’m almost as tall as the giraffes,” Peyton said. “Lift me higher, Daddy, and I can eat from the treetops.”
Slade chuckled and pulled Nina next to him, and a warmth enveloped her. She loved her husband and her daughter and finally had the family she’d always wanted.
Then suddenly a dark cloud fell over the crowd, and she looked up and Peyton and Slade were gone. She cried out their names, frantically searching, but she’d lost them….
No, she heard Peyton singing again.
She jerked awake, the sound of her daughter’s voice echoing through the room and sending a blinding pain through her chest.
Her breathing was ragged, and she crawled from the bed, walked to the window and looked up at the moon. “I’m going to find you, baby,” Nina whispered. “I promise. I’ll find you and bring you home and one day we’ll take that trip to the zoo.”
Only Slade wouldn’t be around. Peyton wouldn’t have a daddy.
But she would make up for it by loving her enough for two parents.
SLADE LOOKED UP THE HOOD family and found numerous articles on William’s father’s law practice, his tragic death from cancer, and articles featuring William’s graduation from law school, the honors he’d received and the cases he’d handled.
Apparently, William was a cutthroat lawyer who handled high-finance and tax cases and had made a fortune. Photographs of his society wedding to Mitzi Raynor, the daughter of a prominent judge, highlighted the young couple’s budding social life.
Another photo depicted the celebration of Mrs. Hood’s fiftieth birthday celebration a few months before. Slade studied the brassy-haired woman in her perfect outfit with her perfect smile, perfect face and perfect family.
Beneath that perfect veneer, beat the heart of an ugly barracuda.
The woman had tried to bribe Nina to abort her own grandchild, then urged her to give the baby up for adoption. Was she cunning enough to plan a kidnapping to spare the family the stigma of an illegitimate child?
His frown deepened as he scrolled farther down and zeroed in on a photo—one that included William, his sister, Diane, and her husband, Dennis, and their daughter.
His shoulders cramped with tension as he studied the little girl huddled between Diane and her husband. A little girl who looked about eight years old. A blonde…
The same age as Peyton…
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REBECCA WAS RUNNING, running, running, as fast as she could. She had to get away from the bad men.
He’d watched her at school and taken pictures. And now he’d followed her to the house.
But her legs were weak, and she stumbled. He snagged her arm, and she screamed, beating her fists against him. “Let me go, let me go.”
He shook her. “Stop it!”
“No, let me go!”
“Rebecca, wake up.”
“No, they’re going to get me…”
He shook her harder, so hard her teeth rattled. “Wake up. You just scratched me, you little twerp.”
Rebecca jerked her eyes open and stared at the darkness. The voice…it belonged to her foster father. His breath smelled nasty as he glared at her.
“You were dreaming, kid, screaming and carrying on.” He released her and she fell back against the bed as he stood. “I don’t want to hear any more from you, you hear me?”
“But the man from school, he was watching and he came after me…”
“I said hush.” He raised one fist as if he was going to hit her. “Do you hear me?”
Terrified, Rebecca bit her tongue to keep from screaming, then slowly nodded.
The bed creaked as he lifted his bulk. Then the floor squeaked as he shuffled back to the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned back to her. “I mean it, kid. I’d better not hear another sound out of you.”
Rebecca clenched the covers to her neck and nodded again, holding her breath until he shut the door.
She blinked hard, and pressed her hands to her eyes to keep from crying. She wouldn’t cry. She was a big girl now.
A scraping sound echoed in the room, and she gripped the covers and slowly twisted her head sideways to look at the window.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Something was out there. Something that sounded like claws.
Was it a wild animal? Or had the mean man in her nightmares really found her?
Chapter Ten
Nina sat up and stared into the darkness. Peyton’s singing had stopped.
In fact she was crying. Peyton was scared of something—or someone.
A helpless ache engulfed her, fueling her anger, and she turned her face up to the heavens. “Where is she? God, please, I’m not crazy, am I? My daughter needs me.”
Downstairs, she heard footsteps, remembered Slade and breathed in relief.
More determined than ever, she quickly showered, then hurried down the steps. The scent of coffee wafted toward her, and she found Slade gripping a mug in his hand when she entered the kitchen.
His gaze raked over her and made her body tingle. “Did you sleep?”
“A little,” she admitted. “But then the nightmares came.”
He nodded, his expression hooded, then stepped aside while she poured herself a cup of coffee.
Last night she’d lost her head and let her emotions overwhelm her. Today, she’d keep their conversation focused on the investigation.
And she’d keep her hands to herself. No more reaching for him or letting him hold her. No more kisses.
No use in fantasizing about something that she could never have.
“I located an address for Gwen Waldorp,” Slade said. “I’m going to see her this morning.”
Nina sipped her coffee, her stomach churning. Questioning Gwen would resurrect painful memories for her. But if she hadn’t kidnapped Peyton, she might have seen something, heard something… “All right.”
“Then we’ll go see William’s mother and sister.”
Nina narrowed her eyes. “His sister?”
He gestured toward his computer, and she glanced at the photos he’d accessed. “She has a daughter the same age as Peyton.”
Nina studied the photo of the little blonde, her mind racing. “No wonder Mrs. Hood was so callous about William having an illegitimate child. She was already going to be a grandmother.”
Slade shrugged. “Maybe.”
His tone made her pause, and she glanced at the child again. Blond hair, freckles…the same age as Peyton.
Her breath stammered in her chest. What was Slade thinking? Did he suspect that little girl might be Peyton?
“Did you know Diane?” Slade asked.
She shook her head. “No, she was four years older than me and already married.”
“Were you aware she was expecting a baby the same time you were?”
Nina swallowed. “No. William never mentioned it…” Her voice warbled. “Slade, do you think…?”
“I don’t know,” he said, obviously reading her mind. “But it’s worth looking into.”
Nina agreed, placed her coffee cup in the sink and went to retrieve her purse. She locked the house securely, and she and Slade drove to the mountains. Antique stores, craft shops, a diner, a candy shop and majestic scenery gave the town a quaint feel.
Gwen Waldorp lived in a cottage-style house with white latticework, a glider on the front porch and a bird feeder in the yard. Evidence that kids lived there was everywhere, from the tricycle to the football to the pink scooter.
A pink scooter—Gwen had a little girl, too….
Nerves fluttered in Nina’s stomach as she walked up the flower-lined path to the front door. Slade punched the bell, and a moment later, the patter of little feet sounded from inside.
Then the door opened, and her heart squeezed at the sight of the child.
A towheaded little boy about three with bright green eyes.
“Who’re you?” He scrunched his nose, revealing a missing front tooth.
“We’d like to see your mommy,” Slade asked. “Is she here?”
“Mommy!” the boy shouted. “A giant man and a wady are here!”
“Bobby, I told you not to open the door to strangers,” the woman called as she rushed into the room. A dark-haired little girl tagged close behind her, her face streaked with something that looked like chocolate pudding.
“Hi,” Nina said, smiling at the little girl. “My name is Nina. What’s yours, honey?”
The little girl bobbed from foot to foot, then whispered, “Judy.”
“How old are you, Judy?” Nina asked.
Judy smiled. “Eight. I just had a birthday and got a new bike.”
Gwen pushed the child behind her like a mother protecting her cub. “Who are you and what do you want?”
Nina scrutinized the child’s features, comparing her heart-shaped face to Gwen’s, and trying to remember what her own childhood photographs had looked like. Judy’s hair was slightly darker than her mother’s sandy color, but she didn’t have Nina’s blond hair either, and her eyes were hazel, not blue.
Still… Could Judy possibly be her daughter?
“Mrs. Waldorp,” Slade began. “This is Nina Nash, and my name is Slade Blackburn with Guardian Angel Investigations.”
A frown creased Gwen’s forehead. “How can I help you?”
Nina wet her dry lips with her tongue. “I’d like to talk to you about the hospital fire in Sanctuary eight years ago. You probably read that the sheriff arrested the men responsible for the explosion.”
Gwen’s face blanched. “Yes, but what does that have to do with me? I didn’t know any of them.”
“We’re not accusing you of having anything to do with the fire,” Slade said.
“Then what’s going on?” Gwen asked. “Why dredge up that night? It was a bad time for me.”
Nina pressed her hand over the woman’s. “I understand, but this is important. Please.”
Grief darkened Gwen’s eyes, and she seemed to be debating on whether to continue. But then she leaned down and stroked her daughter’s hair. “Judy, why don’t you take Bobby into the den and watch cartoons. Mommy will be there in a minute.”
“’Kay, Mommy.” The little girl had been watching with avid curiosity, but she grabbed her brother’s hand and they raced away.
“Come in,” Gwen said, then gestured toward the kitchen. The room adjoined the den so she could keep an eye on t
he kids. She offered them coffee, and Slade accepted although Nina’s stomach was somersaulting so she declined.
“We understand that you lost a child the same night as the fire,” Nina said. “Your baby was stillborn.”
Gwen massaged her temple as if the memory were still raw. “Yes. How did you know?”
“Because I was there. I lost a child that night, as well.” Nina explained about her own labor and delivery, and her frantic search to find her daughter.
“I’m sorry.” Gwen’s voice trembled. “But what does this have to do with me?”
“Forensics never found my baby’s body,” Nina said. “I think she might still be alive.”
Suddenly the woman’s eyes flashed with surprise. “What?”
“I know it’s a long shot,” Nina continued. “But in the chaos, I think someone might have taken her.”
Gwen’s expression shifted from curiosity to anger at the sudden realization of their implications. “Oh, my God. You think I stole your baby?” she asked in an incredulous tone. She glanced at her daughter. “That’s why you asked Judy how old she was.”
Slade planted his hands on the table. “We’re exploring every angle, no matter how remote,” Slade said.
Gwen stood with a hiss. “I think you’d better leave.”
“Mrs. Waldorp,” Slade said calmly. “We’ve reviewed the forensics reports. There is an infant’s bone in the report, but no ID. What happened to your child? Was your baby’s body recovered?”
Anguish flashed on Gwen’s face. “No, I…didn’t even get to bury him…” She inhaled a deep breath, then straightened as if logging the memory away.
“Judy is eight,” Slade pointed out. “You couldn’t have given birth to her.”
“She’s adopted, isn’t she?” Nina asked.
Gwen’s lips compressed. “That’s none of your business.”
“Please,” Nina pleaded.
Gwen sank back into the chair and fiddled with a napkin on the table. “Yes, she’s adopted. But we went through the lawyer in town, and it was perfectly legal.”