Cherished Secrets

by C. B. Clark

  “I can do that,” Vivian said.

  He turned to the old woman. Deep lines grooved between her brows, and her face was sallow, her cheeks gaunt. She looked as if she’d collapse any second. But her pale blue irises sparked with steely determination.

  “I’m coming with you,” Carrie Ann said again.

  “No, you’re not. I’m doing this on my own.” The last thing he needed was Carrie Ann tagging along, her fear and trepidation fueling his own.

  “Like hell you are. I’m her mother. When we find her, she’ll want me.”

  “Are you so certain she will?” he asked, hating the harshness of his voice, but unable to stop his hurt from seeping out.

  She staggered back as if he’d hit her.

  He ground his teeth against the pain in her eyes. Finding Bonnie was the priority. He had an idea where she might be. He hoped to God he was wrong, but he couldn’t silence the insidious voice in his gut telling him he might be right.

  “You can’t stop me.”

  He blinked, surprised to see Carrie Ann blocking the door to the hall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Her face was pale, her eyes brimming with tears, but her mouth was set in a firm line. “I’m going with you.”

  For a brief second he considered shoving her aside. It wouldn’t be hard. He outweighed her by almost a hundred pounds.

  Vivian’s voice cut through the tension. “For Heaven’s sakes, you two, you’re wasting time. Take her with you, Declan. She knows her daughter better than you. She’ll know where she’d likely go.”

  The bitter truth in her words hit him, and he grimaced. He didn’t know Bonnie. How could he when he’d learned of her existence only a few, short hours ago? He regarded Vivian’s sallow face and shrunken, frail body. Did she have the strength to wait here alone in case Bonnie returned?

  As if sensing his indecision, she said, “Go on. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I hear anything.”

  “Are you sure?” Carrie Ann stared at her aunt. “You don’t look well.”

  Vivian dabbed at her forehead with a handkerchief, her hand trembling. “Don’t be silly. Go find your daughter. Both of you.”

  “Come on,” Declan said to Carrie Ann. “Let’s get going.” Hurrying down the hall, he raced for his car, flung open the door, and leaped inside.

  Carrie Ann was right behind him, the stuffed frog clenched in her hands.

  He started the car, backed out of the driveway, and sped down the street. The trees on the sides of the road passed in a blur as they raced down one street and on to another.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Rankin’s Farm,” he said, ignoring her gasp.

  Chapter 26

  “Why are we going to Rankin’s Farm?” Carrie Ann’s hoarse voice cracked. “Bonnie wouldn’t go to the old farm. How would she even know of the place? Besides, it’s too far. She couldn’t walk all the way out there.”

  “She could be there if someone drove her.”

  “Who…?” The words died in her throat. “You don’t think…” She gulped, fighting back icy fear.

  He cast a glance at her, his mouth a rigid line.

  She stilled, reading her worst nightmare in his bleak gaze. Her stomach heaved.

  The little car flew over a bump and landed with a jarring thud, skidding on the gravel before the tires grabbed onto the road and raced ahead.

  Her fingers dug into the vinyl armrest. “Why do you think she’s at the farm?”

  He kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles white as they gripped the steering wheel. “I’m not sure of anything.”

  She swallowed and spoke the unthinkable. “Someone took her. Is that what you think?”

  His face was hard, his jaw rigid.

  “Declan, speak to me. Tell me what you’re thinking. Please.”

  He swerved around a pothole. “I told you, it’s only a hunch.”

  “She wouldn’t have gone with anyone. I’ve talked to her. Lots of times. She knows strangers can be dangerous.” Her hopes lifted. “She’s lost, that’s all. She took the trail along the river and got turned around. You know how easily she could become lost. The bush is thick there, and the trail’s hard to follow. The sheriff and his deputies will find her. She’ll be fine.” She’ll be fine. She has to be.

  His eyes met hers, bleak and cold. “Think,” he said. “Why did she leave her toy on the path? If it’s as important as you say, why would she leave her favorite, stuffed frog behind?”

  “Maybe she dropped it and couldn’t find it in the dark. That makes more sense than someone kidnapping her and taking her to Rankin’s Farm.”

  “All the events happening lately revolve around that damn farm.”

  The certainty in his voice chilled her to the bone. “But—”

  “I told you not to come. You should have stayed at the house.”

  “Maybe I should have. That would be better than driving all the way out here on a whim when we should be looking for Bonnie in town.”

  The car swung left as they turned onto the narrow lane to the farm. He drove into the overgrown clearing, skidded to a stop, and turned off the motor.

  The cooling engine ticked as she stared through the windshield. A few stars twinkled in the night sky, but the moon wasn’t up yet. The dark shape of the barn loomed overhead, the door gaping like a mouth. She shuddered and prayed her baby wasn’t here; prayed the sheriff and his men had found her.

  Declan dug inside a small storage compartment on the console between the front seats and removed a flashlight. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but she sensed the fear radiating off him.

  “Stay here,” he bit off and opened the door.

  “But—”

  “Stay in the car.” A second later, he was out of the car and had vanished into the night.

  Suffocating darkness surrounded her. She turned the keys in the ignition, pressed the button to roll down her window, and gulped fresh air. An owl hooted from somewhere nearby, the call haunting. She shivered and rolled up the window.

  She couldn’t stand waiting, doing nothing. The sooner they searched the farm and found it empty, the sooner they could leave this desolate place and look for Bonnie in town. Opening her door, she activated the flashlight App on her cell phone and shone the thin beam of light ahead as she stumbled through the overgrown grass and weeds to the barn.

  What if Declan was right? What if Skye’s murderer had taken Bonnie and was holding her in the old barn? Fear struck her, nearly knocking her to the ground. Lurching across the clearing to the open barn door, she stepped inside and was immediately assailed by the sweet scent of clover mingled with the sour tang of moldy hay.

  She stepped on something hard, and it snapped with a loud, echoing crack. Another two steps and she froze, holding her breath, straining to hear over her racing heart. A low moaning emanated from somewhere deep within the vast barn. “Declan?” The hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

  “Shhhh.”

  She spun around at his hoarse whisper.

  He stood inside the door, his flashlight beam directed beyond her into the dark void of the barn. He raised a finger to his lips, and then turned and sprinted into the gloom.

  Seconds passed and then minutes. Her heart pounded in her chest; her breathing was ragged.

  “Carrie Ann.”

  Relief at the sound of his voice whooshed through her.

  The beam of his flashlight struck her, and she blinked.

  “Come here,” he said.

  She followed his light, stumbling over unseen objects until she saw him kneeling on the ground before a small, dark shape. “Bonnie!”

  Bonnie lay on the floor, her knees drawn up, her arms folded across her chest. Her eyes were closed, her lashes dark on her pale cheeks.

  Carrie Ann fell to her knees. “My God, Bonnie.” She clasped her daughter’s small hand. The hand was limp, the skin cold. A sob broke in her throat. “Is she…” She couldn’t finish.r />
  “She’s alive.”

  His voice echoed as if from a great distance, and she scrubbed her face, wiping away tears, hardly daring to believe him. “She’s okay?”

  “She’s in a deep sleep. Whoever kidnapped her must have given her something to make her sleep.”

  She cast a frantic look into the surrounding shadows.

  “Don’t worry. I checked. No one’s here but us.”

  She squeezed Bonnie’s hand. “Bonnie.” She fought to steady her voice. “Wake up, honey. You’re safe now. Mom’s here.”

  Bonnie’s pale lips parted, and she moaned, but her eyes remained closed.

  Carrie Ann’s heart caught in her throat. “Bonnie.”

  Declan placed a hand on her shoulder. “She’s starting to come out of it.”

  She blinked back tears. “You were right. She was here. How can I ever thank you?”

  He met her gaze. “You don’t have to thank me, Carrie Ann. Bonnie’s my daughter too.”

  Bonnie moaned again, and Carrie Ann swung back. She brushed a lock of golden hair off her daughter’s damp forehead. “It’s okay, baby. Mom and Dad are here. You’re safe.”

  ****

  Mom and Dad are here. With each refrain, the block of ice in his chest dissolved, one drop at a time. He studied the child lying on the dirty, barn floor and his heart swelled. This was his child, his and Carrie Ann’s.

  Bonnie’s eyelids fluttered, and she moaned again.

  “We need to call the sheriff,” he said. “Bonnie should go to the hospital. We don’t know what the bastard gave her.”

  Bonnie’s eyes opened, and she blinked, looking first at her mother and then him. Her brow furrowed. “Mom? Where…what happened?”

  A swell of fierce protectiveness overwhelmed him. He clenched his jaw in a futile effort to stop a threatening flood of tears.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” Carrie Ann hugged her tightly. “We’re here.”

  “Declan?” Bonnie croaked, her dark eyes looking into his. “Are you really my dad?”

  He swallowed. “I am.”

  Bonnie yawned, and her eyelids drifted closed.

  He thought she’d fallen back asleep, but she opened her eyes and smiled. “I’m glad.”

  A tidal wave of emotion threatened to crush him. She was his daughter. The words sang through him. His daughter. He opened his mouth to tell her he loved her, but she was back asleep.

  Carrie Ann’s eyes shone. “I’m glad too.”

  Cat’s eyes. He couldn’t speak, but he could move, and so he did the only thing he could; he bent his head and kissed her.

  Her lips were soft and welcoming.

  He groaned when the kiss ended all too soon.

  Their gazes met and held as a thousand unspoken words rose between them. He tore his gaze from hers and leaned down and placed a tender kiss on Bonnie’s forehead.

  Sirens blaring in the distance broke the silence.

  “The cavalry’s arrived,” he said.

  “We didn’t call them. How did they know to come here?”

  He shrugged. “I’m glad they’re here. Now maybe they’ll catch the creep who took our daughter.”

  The sirens increased to a frenzy, and red-and-blue lights flashed through the open barn door. The piercing wail ceased, and in the sudden silence, car doors slammed and men shouted.

  Declan picked up Bonnie in his arms, holding her close to his chest, cradling her head. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  “Thank you for saving my daughter.”

  “Our daughter.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Our daughter.”

  Grinning, feeling ten feet tall, and with his precious burden in his arms, he walked toward the flashing lights. He stepped out of the barn and stumbled, blinded by a bright spotlight shining in his face.

  “Put the child down and get your hands up,” blared a voice.

  He wrinkled his brow and took another step, but froze when he heard the unmistakable sound of rifles cocking. “We found her,” he called. “We found Bonnie. She’s okay.”

  “Put the child down,” commanded the disembodied voice. “Let her and the woman go, and put up your hands.”

  “It’s okay.” Carrie Ann moved to stand beside him. “It’s me, Carrie Ann Hetherington. Bonnie’s safe, but she needs medical help.”

  “Step away, ma’am.”

  “Declan?” She sounded uneasy. “What is this? What’s going on?”

  He shook his head. What the hell was going on? Why was he being treated like a criminal?

  “This is your last warning, McAllister. Put the child down and walk away from the woman.”

  A sinking sensation filled his gut. Without taking his eyes from the glare of lights, he said to Carrie Ann, “Do what they say.” He called out to the police. “I’m putting the girl down now. Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “Declan, what is this?” Carrie Ann asked again, her voice trembling.

  “You’d better do what they say. Can you hold Bonnie?”

  Carrie Ann’s eyes were huge in her pale face. She nodded. “Yes, but—”

  “Here, take her and walk away from me. They won’t hurt you. It’s me they want.”

  She searched his face, her tear-filled gaze questioning, but she didn’t say anything more. Taking Bonnie’s limp body in her arms, she held her close to her chest. With a last worried look at Declan, she walked toward the bright lights.

  A rush of feet, and he was tackled and thrown to the ground, a knee buried in the small of his back.

  “Cuff him!”

  He closed his eyes, tasting dirt where his face mashed into the ground.

  A whirl of activity exploded around him. Car doors slammed, voices shouted orders. In the distance, more sirens approached.

  He was dragged to his feet.

  Rough hands roamed over his body, tearing at his clothes, digging in his pockets.

  “He’s clean, but you won’t believe what I found in his coat pocket.”

  “Well, well, well,” said a voice he recognized.

  He blinked in the glare of bright lights and stared into the gloating face of Sheriff Atkins. The torn piece of Skye’s scarf fluttered in the sheriff’s hand. Declan stilled. Shit! In all the excitement of the day, he’d forgotten all about the damn cloth.

  “We finally caught you, you bastard.” The sheriff glared at him. “You’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Bonnie McAllister and the murder of Skye Lawrence, and that’s just for starters.”

  What the hell? Declan opened his mouth to proclaim his innocence, but Carrie Ann spoke before he could get out a word.

  “What’s this about, Sheriff?” Her voice was shrill. “Declan helped me find Bonnie. Why are you arresting him?”

  The sheriff ignored her as he glared at Declan. Spittle flecked the corners of his mouth. “I always knew you murdered Skye Lawrence, McAllister. Now I finally have the evidence to prove your guilt.” He waved the scrap of silk in Declan’s face.

  “You have the wrong man, Sheriff.” Declan shook his head, a band of steel tightening around his head.

  “You criminals all say the same thing.” The sheriff stepped closer and poked a hard finger in Declan’s chest. “I hope they give you the death penalty.”

  A sense of déjà vu stole over him as the nightmare of twelve years ago repeated itself.

  Two deputies stepped toward him, grabbed his arms and dragged him across the grass to a waiting police car. They shoved him into the backseat.

  His head banged against the roof of the car, and he saw a flash of stars before he fell across the seat.

  Carrie Ann called to him, her frantic voice rising above the melee.

  Struggling to sit, he searched for her through the wall of activity outside the cruiser.

  She stood where he’d left her, Bonnie and the stuffed frog cradled in her arms.

  Their gazes met across the distance.

  Her mouth opened, and she said somethi
ng, but he couldn’t hear her over the noise of the approaching sirens. He shook his head in frustration.

  She spoke again. “What…done?”

  Most of what she said was lost in the chaos, but he filled in the blanks for the rest. What have you done? Her words struck like a knife to his gut. He turned away, unable to look at her anymore, unable to bear her censure. Too late. Her accusing eyes and devastating words had seared into his soul.

  A deputy climbed in the driver’s seat, and another settled in the front passenger seat. With a wail of sirens, the car spun around and sped away from the farm.

  He sank against the hard, plastic upholstery refusing to think what awaited him when they arrived at the Sheriff’s Office. He was grateful for one thing—Bonnie was still asleep. She hadn’t seen her father hauled away in handcuffs. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at the wire mesh protecting the driver and front passenger from him.

  Chapter 27

  “What evidence?” Carrie Ann fought to sound calm. “What evidence do they have Declan killed Skye and kidnapped Bonnie?”

  Leland sat in his favorite chair in the living room, a smoldering pipe resting in the ashtray on the table beside him. “I talked to Sheriff Atkins. Someone called his office last night and left a message. The person who called said he saw Declan take Bonnie to Rankin’s Farm.”

  “But he couldn’t have. If someone saw Declan kidnap Bonnie, how would that person know where he took her? Did he follow him?”

  Leland didn’t answer.

  “Leland? What’s going on? What do you know?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more than I already have.”

  “Why not?”

  “This is official police business. I shouldn’t have told you as much as I have.”

  “That’s crazy. Whoever kidnapped Bonnie was the same person who phoned the police. Who else would know she was at the farm?” Carrie Ann huffed out her frustration.

  He picked up his pipe and puffed. A spiral of fragrant smoke rose from the bowl and circled around his head. “I’m only telling you what the sheriff told me.”

  She crossed to the fireplace and stared at the flickering flames. This was a nightmare, but at least Bonnie was okay. After Declan had been driven away in the deputy’s car, an ambulance had arrived and taken her and Bonnie to the hospital. The doctor had run a battery of tests and discovered she’d been injected with midazolam, a barbiturate used to induce sleep in patients before they underwent medical procedures. Carrie Ann’s blood froze every time she recalled the doctor explaining the effects of midazolam. In high doses, the drug could be fatal. Fortunately, other than a headache and some dizziness, Bonnie was fine.