Jess glanced away guiltily. “He was out there this morning, so it’s probably not locked…today.”
After giving her a gotcha look, he hurried to the workshop. The door was indeed locked, just as he’d expected.
Once inside, he scanned the room and scratched his head. Not seeing any organization to the mess, he began opening drawer after drawer in the main workbench. It yielded nothing.
“If I were Hallelujah Ima Freeman, where would I keep my duct tape?” he muttered, surveying the rest of the room.
Sean attacked a six-drawer cabinet in the corner, starting at the top. He yanked the bottom drawer open so hard it came all the way out and landed with a thud on the floor. Cursing under his breath, he replaced the items that had flown out. As he moved things around to make room, he spotted something in a plastic baggie at the rear of the drawer. He lifted it out for a better look.
The black object was an external hard drive.
Glancing back at the drawer’s other contents, he frowned. Odd place to keep a portable hard drive, among old tools, boxes of nails, unidentifiable pieces of stuff, and a roll of duct tape.
He snagged the tape and laid it on the workbench. Returning his attention to the baggie, he examined it from all angles. The clear plastic was dirty, but spots were smudged. Fingerprints? Recent enough that new dirt hadn’t covered them. Inside, the device appeared spotless and intact.
Normally, people kept their backup hard drives in a safe place, but this one wasn’t here for safety. It was hidden. Well hidden. Which begged the question: Why?
Sean peered over his shoulder, out the open workshop door. Jess stood by the corner of the house, waiting for her keys. His gaze shifted to the item in his hand. I need a warrant.
He frowned. Maybe not. Detective Burke hadn’t found the hard drive. Detective Burke wasn’t investigating the case. As an LAPD detective, he didn’t even have jurisdiction. Sean was simply acting as a past friend of the family, helping with the search.
If he discovered and examined something that had no obvious connection to Molly Freeman’s disappearance, he wasn’t tampering with evidence. Hell, no one knew yet if a crime had even been committed. If he borrowed the item for Jake and him to inspect but then returned it undamaged, he wasn’t even guilty of theft. Besides, Hal was gone until tomorrow evening. He’d have it back in place by then. No one would ever know.
He glanced at Jess to be sure she couldn’t see him pocket the hard drive. Surveying the workshop, he confirmed everything was where it had been. No need to raise a red flag that someone had rummaged through the place.
Stepping outside, he pulled the door shut and pretended to lock it, knowing he needed access tomorrow without a key.
“Took you long enough,” Jess complained when he handed her the keys. “Find something you like in there?”
Sean did a double take. “What?”
“You know, guy stuff. Tools, junk, scraps, and pieces of anything left over from past projects. I can’t stand to go into the workshop myself, but Dad loves it.”
“He spends a lot of time in there?”
“Fair amount. He spends more time in the house on his computer these days since he converted his photography business to all digital.”
“Interesting. People’s pictures from special events are priceless. I bet he goes to great lengths to back up everything so nothing gets lost.”
“Oh yeah. When I helped move his photography stuff out of the bedroom Callie’s using, he pointed out his two large-capacity external hard drives. He also uses them to back up their personal laptop.”
He followed her to the Camry. “Where did he move them? To the workshop?” he asked.
She stopped abruptly and shot him a disbelieving look. “Are you kidding? The workshop is filthy. All his photography stuff is in his and Mom’s bedroom. I feel bad they’re so crowded, but it didn’t work for Callie and me to share a bedroom.”
Sean’s curiosity skyrocketed. If Hal kept his business and their personal computer data on hard drives in the house, what was he keeping on the one hidden in the workshop?
* * *
“Before we start distributing the flyers, I want to stop by Mom’s closest friends’ houses…unexpected,” Jessie said as she turned out of the driveway.
“I thought you already talked to them.”
“We have, multiple times.”
“Then why take the time to visit? To give them flyers?”
She released a long sigh. “That’s my cover. Actually, I’m following up on something Dad said.”
Sean arched his eyebrows in question.
“He thinks one of her friends is hiding Mom so she can have a break. He gave me a real guilt trip for trying to ruin it for her.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I agree. But if I can disprove it, maybe he’ll finally get past the denial phase.”
“Denial phase?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what else to call it. His lack of concern is so totally unbelievable.”
Sean’s lips thinned to a tight line. She could tell he was holding back what he wanted to say about her stepdad’s behavior being suspicious. He probably wanted to lecture her on Hal’s weird name and what it might mean. When he turned to look out the side window, a muscle in his cheek twitched.
Jessie swallowed hard. She remembered that muscle well. It always twitched when Sean was forced to listen to her stepdad’s anti-law enforcement rants. She had appreciated Sean’s restraint then and even more now.
After the last friend’s home visit without any sign of her mom, Jessie’s cell rang as they trudged to the Camry, disappointment weighing heavy on her shoulders. Yanking the phone from her purse, her breath caught at the caller’s name. “You drive. Take us to the south end of Main Street.” She tossed the keys to Sean and then answered her cell. “Hey, Luke. Any update on Mom?”
As she climbed into the passenger seat, her heart pounded in hope of good news.
“Nothing…yet. I just wanted to let you know everything’s in process. All the alerts, notifications—everything we can do. A couple of off-duty deputies even came in to get up to speed before heading out to do some searching on their own.”
Her eyes filled. “That’s nice of them.”
“Yeah. They knew your mom back in the day and wanted to help. How did your visit go with the attorney earlier?”
“Swanson was real weird when he learned Mom was missing.”
“I wonder what that was about. Are you going to get a restraining order against Drake?”
“Swanson is going to talk to a judge about it. The bad news is Drake paid me a visit.”
Beside her, a soft, deep growl came from Sean.
“Shit. You okay?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, but only because Sean was there.”
“Sean? Double shit.”
“No, it was a good thing. Drake had a gun.”
“Fuck. He pulled it on you?”
“No, Sean could tell it was in his pocket.”
“Jesus, Jessie, your ex is an asshole. I still don’t understand why you hooked up with the guy.”
She knew, but she didn’t like to admit it even to herself.
“Be sure Hal has his pistol handy,” Luke continued.
“Dad’s in LA until tomorrow evening.” She chanced a glance at Sean and found him staring at her. She gulped. “Sean thinks Callie and I should stay with him tonight.”
Her statement was met with silence. A long, thoughtful one.
“What do you think?” Luke finally asked.
She pulled her gaze away from Sean. “I understand his reasoning. Drake doesn’t know who he is or where he lives. But…”
“But? Sean’s right, damn it.”
“It’s…it’s just…” An eight-year-old ache cut off her words.
“Just don’t…get hurt,” Luke warned.
“I…I—”
Another growl from the driver’s seat interrupted her. “Shit. Tell Lover Boy he can stay in Glenn�
�s bedroom with you and Callie. I’ll take the futon in the office.”
Chapter 8
Jess tapped End and stared, mouth gaping, at Sean. Did she realize she’d disconnected without saying good-bye to her boyfriend? “What did you say?” she whispered.
While she’d been talking to Luke, Sean had parked the car in a strip-mall lot on Main Street. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. “I said…you and Luke can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep on the futon in Glenn’s office. If you want…more privacy, your daughter can stay in there with me.”
Tentatively, she rested her hand on his arm. “Why would you do that?”
He drew a deep breath. “Because your safety is more important than my jealousy.”
“I see.”
Her fingertips traced the inside of his forearm, something she knew he liked. Sean tried to ignore the desire firing along the nerve endings to his groin.
“What if I said I didn’t want…Luke…in the bedroom with me?”
He whipped his head around to face her. “I wouldn’t”—he gulped—“believe you.”
She withdrew her hand, shook her head, and gazed out the side window. “Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve always been so damn sure you’re right about everything.”
He snorted. “It’s called trusting your instincts. I have good ones.”
Eyes blazing, she turned on him. Gold flecks flashed in the darkest brown. “Well, your good instincts fucked up this time. Luke and I aren’t together. Never have been. Never will be.”
“But I saw you in his arms, crying on his shoulder. The way you…um…connect. Your relationship is totally different than it used to be. It’s…you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Luke’s like a big brother to me.”
Sean scoffed. “You and Nate never acted like that.”
“I wish we did. After my divorce, I needed that kind of support. Nate wasn’t there for me; Luke was. There’s nothing romantic—or sexual—between us. We’re just good friends. He’s my best friend’s older brother, and he treats me like another kid sister.”
“Isn’t girl-falls-in-love-with-BFF’s-older-brother a favorite plot for chick flicks?”
“Thank God this isn’t a movie. It’d be a horror show.” She pressed her head against the headrest. “Forget it. Think what you want. It doesn’t matter.” She reached for the car door handle.
Sean caught her other arm and pulled her around to look at him. Had he misinterpreted her behavior with Luke? Were his emotions clouding his good instincts? Was he still hurting so badly that he was eager to blame someone else because he’d never made sense of what had happened between them? He frowned. “You wouldn’t be punking me, right? I’ll kick Luke’s ass if you are.”
“Grow up, Sean. Of course I’m not punking you. Let’s go. I need to get these flyers distributed and pick up Callie.”
He released her, and she climbed out of the car. Well, damn. This is a strange turn of events. And, under the circumstances, did it mean anything? Or, as she’d said, it didn’t matter.
* * *
Two hours later, the Camry barreled into the parking lot at Karla’s salon just before the shop closed. Fatigue and frustration weighed heavily as Jessie scooted out of the car.
“Stay here, Sean,” she ordered.
“Why?”
“Do you want Karla to scratch your eyes out?”
Sean huffed. “Big surprise. She’s mad at me, too.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Go.”
As Jessie scurried to the shop, she mused about Sean’s reaction to her not being involved with Luke. Although he hadn’t voiced it, he’d been clearly relieved that they hadn’t hooked up. Men. Impossible. Despite all the years since he’d dumped her, he still didn’t want her to be with another guy. Was it an ego thing? A selfish thing? Whatever it was called, it sucked. And she resented it. She grinned. At least she’d made him suffer with jealousy for a while.
“Mommy, Mommy,” Callie shouted when her mom came through the door. “Lookie what Ms. Karla did.”
Jessie squatted in front of her daughter and surveyed her face and hair. Her little girl had on enough makeup to make a hooker proud. “Wow, aren’t you something.” She smiled and then turned to shoot a scowl at her friend. “Ms. Karla, you outdid yourself.”
“Hey, the customer is always right, and she picked out every bit of it.”
Jessie stood up. “Callie wasn’t a customer; she was your charge for the afternoon.”
Karla’s eyebrows rose. “You’re mad at me? Seriously? I was just keeping her entertained.”
She exhaled and shook her head. “Sorry, I’m exhausted. I’m sure Callie had awesome fun. Thanks, girlfriend. I owe you big-time.” She gave her BFF a hug.
“Any news on your mom?” Karla whispered in her ear while holding her tight.
“Nothing. But Luke says everything’s in process. My brain’s so fried, I can’t think of anything else we can do. And I’m so scared, I feel like breaking into tears all the time. But that won’t solve anything.”
“Then go home and get some rest. Let the system work.”
“I just hope it does. I’m still stunned that this is even happening.”
“I’m sure it’s perfectly normal to find this unbelievable. No one ever thinks it could happen to them. You gonna be okay tonight or do you want me to come stay with you?”
“Thanks. We’ll be fine.” Jessie shot a worried glance toward the parking lot and hoped they would be.
As she and Callie approached the car a few minutes later, the munchkin stopped in her tracks. “Mommy, there’s a strange man in our car.” She wrapped her arm around Jessie’s leg, almost tripping her.
“It’s okay, sweetie. He’s…he’s an old friend.” Her daughter refused to release her leg, so Jessie hobbled the rest of the way like a peg-legged pirate.
Sean got out of the car and crouched to eye level with Callie. He gave Jessie a meaningful glance before extending his right hand.
“Hi, Callie. I’m Sean. I knew your mommy before you were born. We were…the best-est friends. I’m really happy to meet you.”
Callie looked from his face to his hand to her mommy. Jessie nodded. Her gaze came back to his, and she slowly let go of her mom. Hesitantly, she took his hand and shook it once before snatching back her tiny fingers.
“Do you like Happy Meals?” Sean asked.
Her whole face brightened. “Yeah. Lots.” When he straightened to his full height, her head angled back as he grew higher and higher.
“May I buy you ladies dinner?” he asked, grinning. “I think your daughter approves of my choice of cuisine.”
“Thanks. I’d eat almost anything tonight to avoid having to cook.”
She let him drive, and twenty minutes later, he turned left onto Oakdale toward the Freeman house. Her stomach growled from the mouthwatering aroma of french fries and hamburgers coming from the bags in her lap.
“Isn’t that Nate’s car pulling out of your folks’ driveway?” Sean asked.
She straightened in the seat. “Yeah. Maybe he came by to tell me some news.”
“Your car’s not there, and he could’ve called.”
Her brief bubble of hope popped.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but he was probably—” Sean continued.
“Not now and not ever in front of Big Ears.” Jessie jerked her head toward the backseat.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not used to having an ankle-biter around.”
“I do not bites ankles,” came an indignant little voice from behind him.
He snorted. “Sorry, kiddo.”
Jessie grinned. “Your life is never the same and never your own once you have a child.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
* * *
All during dinner, Hal’s external hard drive burned a hole in Sean’s pocket. Curiosity and suspicion gnawed at his attention so he didn’t hear Callie when she first spoke to him
.
“Mr. Sean, looks at me when I talks to you,” she scolded.
“Callie, you know better than to talk to someone like that,” her mother scolded in return.
“But…but you says it all the time.”
“She gotcha,” Sean muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Jess. “I’m sorry, Callie. I have a lot on my mind. What did you say?”
“Do you likes ’nure?” she asked in a serious tone.
“Good Lord,” Jess mumbled, and rolled her eyes.
His gaze flicked to her. “Translation, please.”
She hid a smile behind her hand. “Manure.”
He pulled back. “Manure? As in bullsh—”
In a flash, Jess’s hand covered his mouth.
Callie’s eyes widened. “Were you gonna says a bad word? Mommy does that to Grandpa all the time.”
Sean barely heard her. His eyes locked with Jess’s while her palm rested against his mouth. He slipped his tongue between his lips and stroked her soft flesh. Once. Twice.
Her breath caught, and she swallowed hard. But her hand remained.
He stroked again and again. His dick twitched.
Her chest rose and fell with shaky breaths.
They both started when the phone rang.
Jess snatched her hand back and held it to her chest as she jumped up to answer the call on the kitchen phone.
“Hi, Dad.” She turned toward the wall. “Yeah, we’re fine. Just finished dinner.” She listened for several seconds. “No word from you-know-who. And I stopped by to see each of her close friends today. They’re as worried as I am, so I’m sure she’s not staying with any of them.” She waited, huffed, and then planted her free hand on her hip. “I don’t care what you think. No way is she hiding in a hotel. Open your eyes, Dad. Someone took—” Her volume increased until suddenly she gasped and glanced over her shoulder at Callie.
“Hey, kiddo, what were you going to tell me about manure?” Sean asked to divert the little girl’s attention from her mother’s rising voice.
She turned bright, sparkling eyes on him. “Oh yeah. We gots ’nure,” she said proudly. “Wanna see it?”
“Absolutely.”
Callie hopped down from the chair and took his hand. While she led him to the back door, he waved over his shoulder at Jess.
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