Saving Madeline

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  A shiver of fear shot up Caitlin’s spine, but she shoved it aside. “No,” she insisted. “He loves Madeline.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Thanks.” Caitlin stared at the phone for a long minute after Sally hung up. She was still sitting in the car behind the wheel, though Amy had long since bolted from the car and was inside, probably in front of the TV. Caitlin couldn’t bring herself to care. Why shouldn’t Amy watch as much TV as she wanted? It wasn’t as though it would ruin her chances of a good future.

  I’ve done it this time, she thought, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. Done it big. She had broken her rule about getting involved, and now her heart would have to pay.

  Chapter 21

  Parker stopped before exiting the Las Vegas hotel. He was sure he hadn’t been followed from Utah, but he always checked to make sure no one was openly watching the outside of the hotel. They’d been here a week, registered under false names, and Parker knew they’d have to move on soon. Nevada was too close to Utah, and how many fathers were visiting with only their young daughters for company?

  Madeline was the darling of the hotel. Both the guests and the employees loved her, and twice she’d gotten a stomachache from so many people giving her too many candies. She didn’t look much like the fair-headed, light-skinned child she had been. Her hair was cut short and dyed black, and her skin was a deep bronze—mostly thanks to a bottled tan, though some of it was real as they spent hours each day walking under the thin sun through the city. She was loving their life, especially being with him so much.

  But Parker found that Vegas held nothing for him. Half of him, it seemed, had been left in Utah. He’d felt broken in this way once before, when Dakota had told him Madeline wasn’t his child, but this was even worse somehow. There was no going back, no chance of remaking the past. At night he dreamed of Caitlin, and he regretted not showing up at her house at least to say a real good-bye. Then Caitlin could have moved on without him under her skin. Without the memories to stop her from letting go. Without the hurt that could cripple her chance of forming another attachment. Like with that pretty-boy attorney.

  He felt a rage of jealousy at the thought. I should have stayed with her.

  Yet he’d made the only choice he felt he could as a father, and now he had to live with it. Live for Madeline. And that meant making hard decisions about the future. No, the hard decision had been made before they’d left Utah. Now the decisions were just more decisions, something he had to do to create a stable, normal life for his daughter.

  An elderly man and his gray-haired wife emerged from the elevator—Shane and Orla O’Doherty. Madeline pulled her hand away from Parker’s and ran to them. This couple was a particular favorite of hers because Mr. O’Doherty always carried gum in his pocket, and Orla saved Madeline the umbrellas from her drinks. Madeline had quite the collection by now. Mr. O’Doherty was an investment banker in Chicago, and the couple was obviously well-off since they were staying in one of the expensive suites on the top floor. The tan they sported was definitely not from a bottle but from vacations to exotic places.

  With a last look at the street, Parker waited for the O’Dohertys to reach him. Madeline was already saying her thanks for the treat and twirling her newest drink umbrella between her fingers. As usual, she was talking up a storm, and he listened to make sure she wasn’t saying anything that might be seen as suspicious. He’d reminded her time and time again to refrain from talking about personal things and to say they were from California if anyone asked. So far she’d remembered pretty well, but Parker was careful not to leave her alone with anyone for more than a few moments in case she slipped and began talking about her real life. They’d been lucky so far.

  “A sweet lass there,” Mr. O’Doherty said, as he did every day. The fact that he’d lived in Ireland as a young boy was apparent in his speech.

  “Thank you. She is a good girl.”

  “They’re leaving tomorrow, Daddy!” Madeline’s mouth curled downward in a frown.

  “That we are.” Mrs. O’Doherty set a brown hand on Madeline’s head. “We’ll be able to see our granddaughters. We’ll tell them all about you, little one.”

  “I like your voice,” Madeline said. “You sound like Caitlin. She’s my friend’s sister.”

  Parker tensed when Madeline mentioned Caitlin, but when she didn’t elaborate, he relaxed. “Her parents were Irish,” Parker volunteered.

  Madeline’s head bobbed up and down. “She’s got long red hair. It’s curly. And blue eyes. She’s so pretty, and nice, too.” She laughed and added. “My dad kissed her! My friend Amy told me.”

  Parker knew Amy had been to Madeline’s house, but according to Caitlin they’d only been alone in the kitchen for a short time. Apparently, it had been long enough.

  “An Irish gal, eh?” Mr. O’Doherty’s eyes were knowing. “You won’t ever get her out of your blood. It isn’t possible, I tell you. I tried many times with Orla.”

  His wife punched his arm playfully. “Oh, did you now? Silly man. I would never have let you get away.”

  Parker had a glimpse of his mother and father joking around in a similar manner when he was very young. What would his father be like now if he’d lived? What would he say about Parker’s life? Would he have mellowed enough to see the good in him? Well, that was something Parker would never know. But he did know that he had to make a plan for his future—and fast—especially if he wanted to take care of his mother in the way his father would have. He still hoped it wouldn’t be necessary for her to sell her house and go into hiding with him. Any day now Caitlin might find the needed proof. But was she even looking anymore? Maybe not.

  He took a deep breath, making a rapid decision to risk asking Mr. O’Doherty about job possibilities in Chicago. “I’ve been thinking about going to Chicago myself. You wouldn’t know anyone in the construction business, would you? Someone who might need a hand?”

  Mr. O’Doherty’s left eyebrow rose. “Maybe. But what about your work in California?”

  For an instant Parker had forgotten the fake life he’d created for himself—that he was a joint owner in a construction business in California—and he searched his mind for something plausible to say. “We’re about finished with our current projects, and business is slowing because of the poor real estate market. My partner can take care of the few other projects we have coming down the pipeline, so I’ve been thinking about trying something new. My girlfriend was born in Chicago and has always wanted to go back.”

  Mr. O’Doherty exchanged a look with Mrs. O’Doherty. “I knew a woman would be behind the idea. There is always a woman behind crazy ideas.”

  “And a good thing,” Mrs. O’Doherty said. “Our friend here is too handsome to be alone for long. He needs a woman.”

  “You might as well give your girlfriend what she wants.” Mr. O’Doherty clasped a hand on Parker’s shoulder. “I can’t make guarantees, but if you decide to come to Chicago, I’ll introduce you around.” He handed Parker his card. “It won’t be easy starting over.”

  “I work hard.” Parker looked pointedly at Madeline. “I have a lot of reasons to want to succeed.”

  “You do at that. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

  Parker watched them go. Until this very moment, he’d been undecided about where to start. He’d known from almost the first day that they couldn’t stay in Vegas. But where would be the best state to lose themselves in? He’d met people from at least a dozen states. He’d even met a family from Iowa who actually owned a construction business, and their adult daughter had made no secret of the fact that she liked Parker. She’d hinted he would be welcome there, probably so he could marry her. She had been so friendly that Madeline had actually started avoiding her. Parker was relieved because he didn’t know how much longer he could stave off her advances. Not that she wasn’t attractive. She simply wasn’t Caitlin.

  Now the idea of Chicago was like a
fresh breeze, blowing away the confusion. Maybe it was foolish to think he could go and make a new life there, but he was young and hardworking. His determination would take him far. He told himself he chose Chicago because it was far from Utah, but ultimately he knew it was because of Caitlin.

  What would she think of him in Chicago? He smiled at the thought before realizing it was a strong possibility she would never even know.

  Madeline tugged on his hand. “Aren’t we going for a walk?”

  “Actually, I think we’re going to find out about going to Chicago.”

  Her eyes widened. “Can we go on a plane? A big one?”

  “I think we’ll drive.”

  “In that old car? But it was hot.”

  “No. Not that one. Remember? I already gave that car away. We’ll rent a new one. It’ll be really nice.” Renting a car seemed safer than an airplane, though he couldn’t use his own ID at either place, but he was working on that angle already.

  “Can I take chips and candy?”

  “Of course. And your DVD player.” Investing in that portable machine had been the best thing he’d done since arriving in Vegas. “I’ll buy you a new DVD, too.”

  She gave him a hug. “You’re the best daddy in the whole world!”

  After that she was silent for a long while as they walked out of the hotel and aimlessly down the street. Then she said, “I wish we could tell Caitlin and Amy about Chicago.”

  “I do, too.”

  “Then why don’t we? Maybe they’d want to come with us. Amy and I could play tea party.” A mischievous glint came to her brown eyes. “And you could kiss Caitlin.”

  Parker knew she said it to make him laugh, but instead the comment seemed to cut into the part of him that still hoped. He stopped walking and looked down at his daughter. How could he tell her that Caitlin would probably never forgive him for his choice? It was possible she didn’t even believe that Madeline had been in danger. He’d seen the doubt in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he said slowly, “but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  That afternoon, he took Madeline to a park where he could sit on a bench and watch her play. The day was cool and she wore a jacket, but the temperature was nowhere near Utah’s freezing weather.

  A dark-haired man in a leather jacket and black jeans came to sit beside him. “Nice day,” he commented. He was young, not more than twenty-five, and good-looking in a way that likely attracted women. His build was on the thin side, but there was steel in the set of his jaw.

  “Good for moving on,” Parker said. “Do you have them?”

  The man laid a folder on the bench between them. In the week they’d been in Vegas, Parker had cautiously checked into buying a new identity and had finally found this man. He charged far more than people selling stolen social security numbers and badly forged licenses, but he guaranteed that no one would ever become suspicious because of the documents. Parker assumed that meant he’d used the name of a child who had died, perhaps even a fictitious child. He didn’t know and didn’t care to know.

  He took an envelope from his coat pocket and set it on top of the folder. It contained twenty-five hundred dollars, the second half of his initial payment. He’d pay two more installments later, after he was settled. He hoped that was where it would end.

  The younger man slipped the envelope into the folder and pulled out the documents, leaving them on the park bench. He picked up his folder. “Good luck.”

  Parker watched him leave and then slowly scanned the park to see if they’d attracted any attention. There were two women talking on a far bench, and an amorous pair of teenagers on another, but none seemed interested in what Parker was doing. He moved the documents onto his lap. Two social security cards, two birth certificates, and one driver’s license.

  They left for Chicago that night. No use in hanging around any longer. He’d followed Utah news as best he could from the hotel, and though the features on Madeline weren’t appearing as often as they had in the beginning, he knew Sally and others would still be searching. No doubt the Feds had been called in. Traveling under his own name would have been a huge mistake. At least now he’d be able to earn a living.

  He was really going to do it. Go to a city he’d never been to before and start a new life. Wild and spontaneous had been his calling card in the old days, but for the past four years, he’d lived a different sort of existence altogether. Steady, reliable, and if the truth be told, a little boring. A man who wanted to suffer for the sins of his past. Now the adventurous man that still lived inside him was coming awake, filled with excitement at what the future might hold. No, he wasn’t the youthful Parker, who hadn’t let himself care about even those who loved him most, but a blend of the new and old. A blend of fun and fatherhood, adventure and duty, love and responsibility.

  His heart still ached, but that wasn’t unfamiliar to any of his incarnations. Yet even there he felt a change—not significant enough to be called real hope, but perhaps if there was any chance of winning Caitlin back in the future, Chicago just might show him how.

  Chapter 22

  Sorry, Caitlin,” Kenny said. “Nothing yet. Do you still want me to continue?”

  Caitlin thought for a moment. An entire two weeks and weekends had passed since Parker had vanished. Kenny’s search seemed pointless now—and had for weeks. Only her own stubbornness had kept him on the job, though reduced to part-time. “I guess not. There’s no reason now that he’s gone.” No one cared if Dakota was doing drugs anymore; they only cared that Parker had kidnapped his daughter.

  “Well, there’s my gut.”

  “Your gut?”

  “For what it’s worth, honey, I think this Dakota character is as guilty as sin. The kid’s better off away from her.”

  She hated the pity in his voice. Pity for her loss. Kenny hadn’t been fooled by the facade she wore these days. “It’s all been a lie, Kenny. There’s no proof. Besides, it doesn’t matter. He’s gone.”

  “Whatever you say. It’s your dime.”

  “Send me a bill.”

  “I will. Call me if you change your mind.”

  Caitlin hung up, feeling weary. She looked numbly at the stack of papers on her desk. More briefs to write, more criminals to move along in the system. Mechanically, she began to type out the words she knew so well. The brief didn’t really need passion or brilliance. Just another knife attack and a man destined for prison.

  A knock at the door interrupted her distracted thoughts. “Come in.”

  Caitlin stiffened when Norma Hathaway stepped into the room. She had never met Parker’s mother, though she’d seen a picture in the file Sally had put together. She was a short, sturdy woman with shoulder-length hair dyed a medium brown that did not quite match the myriad of wrinkles on her pale face. Wrinkles that seemed to have come before their time. Her brown eyes were tired, but they looked just like Parker’s. Only where his exuded vitality and confidence, this woman’s seemed unsure and frightened.

  “I hope it’s okay.” She moved into the room with unmistakable grace.

  “Please, sit down.” Caitlin had stood as she entered and remained standing until Mrs. Hathaway had settled in one of the seats in front of her desk.

  “It’s about my son.”

  “There’s nothing I can do,” Caitlin said quickly. “By leaving, he’s broken the conditions of his bail, and when they find him he’ll be in jail until the trial.”

  “They told me. That’s not why I’m here. Before he left, Parker told me you were researching about Dakota. He had great hopes of you finding something that would help him and keep Madeline safe.”

  Poor deluded woman. “We didn’t find anything. I’m sorry, Mrs. Hathaway, but we’re beginning to think the drugs were figments of Parker’s imagination.”

  “No!” Mrs. Hathaway’s face came alive, and Caitlin could see where Parker got his looks, if not his height. “I heard them talking. I go with him to drop Madeline off sometimes, and D
akota didn’t deny anything when he accused her. She as much said she’d do it again, that she could do anything she wanted, and there was nothing he could do about it. They had an awful fight. You’ve got to believe me. Madeline was in danger—I absolutely know that! Do you think I’d sell stocks and clean out my savings if I didn’t know for sure?”

  Caitlin didn’t point out that most of the mothers of her clients did that every day. “You cleaned out your savings?”

  “A loan. He’s good for it. With all the work he’s done at my house the past years, I owe it to him anyway. And I know he’ll always take care of me. That’s the sort of son he is. Besides, I have other money in stocks and the house.”

  Caitlin wondered if she should mention that she knew Mrs. Hathaway planned to sell her house. In fact, it was entirely possible the woman knew where Parker was. Could she get him a message? If so, what would Caitlin say? The hurt in her chest was so big there was no room for anything else.

  Mrs. Hathaway leaned forward, her eyes holding Caitlin’s. “Look, I know he had a rough beginning in his life, but he was always good inside. Never teased or tormented kids or animals when he was little, always respectful of me and other women. He just couldn’t live up to his dad’s expectations, and his brother . . . Well, Parker and I have never talked about it, but his brother was awful to him. He enjoyed having his daddy all to himself, enjoyed being the successful one. He lorded it over Parker far too much. I should have stepped in earlier, but then it was too late and Parker was gone. Yet despite all that, he found his way back to me.”

  Caitlin pulled a few tissues from the box on her desk and handed them to Mrs. Hathaway.

  “Thanks.” She wiped tears from under her eyes. “I know how all this looks, but I wanted to ask if you would please keep looking for proof against Madeline’s mother. Something to free my boy if the police catch up to him. Like I said, I have money. I’ve cashed in some stocks, and I can cash in more. Parker and Madeline are all I’ve got, and I don’t want to spend any more time away from them. This could drag on for years. I’ll go where I have to—I need to be with them—but I’d rather bring them home. And there’s still that other little boy, Madeline’s brother. He’s in danger, too.”