She didn’t want to make Layla leave again if it wasn’t truly necessary.
Layla loved Sunberry. Her daughter would be hurt if they moved again. All Maria wanted was keep Layla safe, let her have a normal childhood. It wasn’t fair to keep uprooting her.
Maria closed her eyes, summoning strength she didn’t have.
Please God, give me wisdom.
It was up to her to make a real life for Layla. Her sweet, trusting Layla. Her daughter had no idea there were people out there who wanted to kill Maria. Or to steal Layla and take her far away so Maria would never see her daughter again.
Maria slid to the floor behind the counter, sobbing.
2
Maria lost track of time as she cried and rocked ba
ck and forth. She had to get a grip on her life—if not for her then for Layla.
Maria couldn’t go through life being afraid every time someone stared at her a moment too long. Or approached her to talk. Or tried to be her friend.
She believed in God, but now it was time to believe God and all the wonderful promises she’d read in His Word.
She wouldn’t be intimidated by faceless, nameless bullies any longer.
She stood up, straightened her shoulders, and went to the tiny bathroom to freshen up.
Returning to the front of the store, she stiffened her spine. The scent of the flowers wafted through the air. She took a deep appreciative breath.
Beauty for ashes. One of God’s promises.
Her hand touched the “Open For Business” sign as she stared out at the picturesque square. When the U.S. Marshal had shown her the photo of Sunberry’s square, she knew she could be happy here.
A huge white gazebo sat in the middle of the town square. On summer nights the local talent gathered to entertain citizens. The square was surrounded by an old brick road where the patrons of the local antiques stores and other quaint shops parked the old-fashioned way.
Sunberry seemed a million miles from the bustle of big cities, but it was less than an hour from the capital of Ohio. She’d wanted a place where she and Layla could be part of the community since they’d never see their own family or friends again.
Unfortunately, she was still as alone as the day they moved to town. But it was her own fault. People reached out to her, but she’d shunned their efforts, afraid to trust.
Maria closed her eyes in a wordless prayer and felt strength seeping into her spirit. I won’t let Raymond win. He isn’t going to steal my daughter’s joy or innocence. No more.
A smile played on her lips as she flipped the sign to open.
After reopening the flower shop, Maria focused on work. She paid bills, ordered supplies, and even had a few customers. Of course, she kept checking for the man, but he didn’t show up again.
Several hours later, two girls came skipping down the street, one dark-haired and the other a blonde. The girls reminded her of a whirlwind of leaves on a breezy fall day. So happy and carefree. Her eyes filled with tears at the giggling girls, glad she’d decided to stay in Sunberry, for now.
Thanks for the courage, God. Keep it up. Please.
She walked outside to greet them. “Hi, Jasmine.” She bent down to give Layla, now Jasmine, a hug, and then looked at the other girl. “Hello, Emily. How was school today?”
The little blonde girl grinned up at her with two front teeth missing. “It was good, Mrs. Minor.” She held up a chubby hand and opened it. “I lost another tooth today.”
“So you did. Would you like to come in and eat a snack with Jasmine?”
Layla put her hands on hips and gave Maria a disgusted look. “Mom, you’re supposed to call me Jazzy, remember? Not Jasmine.”
“I’m sorry. Would you like to share a snack with Jazzy?”
“I can’t. Mommy is waiting for me. We’re going to go buy some new shoes, and then have pizza. Girls night out, she said. Daddy has to work late and the boys are busy with baseball practice.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Can Jazzy come with us? I know Mommy wouldn’t care.”
Her daughter’s chocolate brown eyes lit up with anticipation. “Yeah, Mom. It would be so fun. Can I?”
Maria’s mind flashed back to the man staring at the flower shop. “Not tonight, sweetie. It’s a school night. Some other time.”
“Oh, Mom. I never get to have fun.” Jasmine whined, but stopped as Maria gave her “the look.” She turned back to her little friend. “Sorry, Emily. Maybe you can stay at my house on Friday night.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.” Maria agreed. “Ask your mom about it tonight, and then we’ll make plans later in the week.”
“OK.” Emily waved before skipping down the street with blonde hair bouncing behind her.
Layla grabbed Maria’s hand, the girl’s cheeks rosy red with excitement, her disappointment at missing girls’ night out already forgotten. “Guess what happened today, Mom?”
I don’t know. What?” Hand in hand, they turned towards the store.
“No, you have to guess. You’ll never guess in a million, billion years.”
As she opened the door to the shop, a movement in her peripheral vision drew her attention. Her head jerked towards the street.
Empty. Emily must really be in a hurry to go buy those new shoes. She hurried her daughter into the flower shop. “So, tell me. What happened?”
“You have to guess.”
Maria followed Layla into the store. “You got an A on your spelling test?”
Layla giggled. “Well, I did, but that wasn’t the right guess.”
“You had pizza for lunch?”
“No, Mom. You gave me a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. You know that.”
“Oh. I forgot. I can’t imagine what happened today. Just tell me.”
“I’ll give you a clue. Maybe then you’ll figure it out.”
“OK, what’s the clue?”
The bell above her door tinkled.
A young woman walked in. She was thin and her brown hair looked as if it needed a shampoo. The girl smiled, but looked nervous. “Hi.”
Maria smiled back. “How can I help you?”
“I…uh…I wondered if you were looking for help. I can do anything. Clean up, or deliver flowers, whatever you need me to do.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t need any help.” She was barely making a living for her and Layla from The Bouquet.
The smile stayed on the girl’s face, but her shoulders slumped. She walked towards the door with a mumbled, “Thanks, anyway.”
Maria touched her shoulder before she could slip out the door. The girl looked at her, eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Are you OK?”
She nodded, but a tear leaked out. She quickly wiped it away. “Just need a job. Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.” The girl walked out.
Maria stared out at the girl. Her intuition said the girl was in trouble. She hurried to the door. “Hold on a minute.”
The young girl turned back towards her.
“I do get busy on Saturdays. Why don’t you come this Saturday and we’ll see how it works out?”
The girl nodded; her eyes brightened. “Thanks. I’ll be here at eight.”
“Make it seven thirty. And no promises.”
“Sure, no problem.”
With a smile, Maria walked back in the store where Layla was waiting with her little hands on her hips. “It’s my job to help you on Saturdays.”
“And you still will, but she looked as if she needed assistance. And what’s our rule about helping others?”
Layla’s head twisted and she grinned. “We always help people if we can.”
“Good girl. Now…tell me what happened to you today. I’m all out of guesses.” She leaned in and put her arms around her daughter, and then tickled her. “Now, tell me. No hints. No guesses, just tell me, Jazzy girl.”
Layla giggled. “No, never.”
/> After more tickles and laughter, Layla relented. “OK. OK, I’ll tell you.”
Maria removed her hands. “I’ll stop, but I’m warning you. I can catch you if I need to tickle the answer out of you.”
Layla held up a hand. “OK. OK, I’ll tell you, but I think you’re going to be surprised.” She paused dramatically, eyes shining. “I saw Daddy today.”
3
I saw Daddy today.
Maria’s mouth turned to sand as the words fell from Layla’s mouth. Her mind went numb, and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to take her next breath.
Layla smiled up at her, her eyes bright with the innocence of a child.
“What did you say?”
“I saw Daddy today.”
The once fragrant smell of the flowers turned sickening. Her stomach churned. Was it possible? Could Raymond still be alive? Impossible.
Marcus Hanks assured her he was very dead, but she hadn’t actually seen his dead body…maybe they lied.
But why?
The FBI would have nothing to gain by lying to her, would they? She’d been cooperative. Not that she knew much. She’d been blind to his nefarious activities.
Her heart raced. She wanted to grab up her daughter and run. Sweat oozed out of her palms. Don’t panic. Stay calm. Keep breathing.
“Honey, we’ve talked about this before. Remember what happened to Daddy?”
As she waited, she looked around the flower shop. They would need to leave.
“He went to heaven. That means he’s an angel now. I saw his angel today. He was watching me. Daddy must miss me, don’t you think?”
Maria forced a smile in spite of the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She’d need to explain to Layla that people didn’t turn into angels. That God created the angels as individual beings just as He created humans, the flowers, and the trees. But that could wait until later. Now she needed to listen to Layla. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“I was playing outside at recess. I looked over, and Daddy was standing on the sidewalk staring at me.”
Maria’s heart raced.
Surely, Layla would know her own father.
“Did he do anything? Say anything?”
“He waved at me so I started walking over to him, but he disappeared. Into thin air. That’s why I know it was Daddy’s angel. People don’t just disappear into thin air, but angels can.”
“No, people can’t just disappear, sweetie. You’re right about that.” Stay calm. If she panicked, she would upset Layla.
Was this her daughter’s imagination gone wild?
“Are you sure it wasn’t just someone who looked like Daddy?”
“Nope.” Layla was firm. “It was Daddy’s angel.”
They were definitely going to have a talk about that—later.
“Ready for that snack?” Her voice was calm, but her mind was flitting around like a moth to a light bulb. Not wanting to alarm her daughter, Maria managed to act composed as she walked to one of the flower coolers where she kept Layla’s afternoon snack.
****
Time to go home. Her nerves were frazzled. Maria needed time to decompress.
Could Layla really have seen Raymond? If Raymond really was alive, he would have grabbed Layla and the two of them would have disappeared together. She wouldn’t have even known there was a problem until hours later. No, it wasn’t Raymond.
But it could have been someone who looked like Raymond. Perhaps his family wanting to steal Layla away from Maria. Certainly, they would want to raise Raymond’s daughter as their own.
She shut the thought down.
No. it wasn’t true. It was her imagination and paranoia running wild again.
Layla must have imagined it, but that was a worry. Was Layla on the verge of some sort of breakdown?
Maria needed an expert’s opinion. It was time to talk with a child psychologist. She’d call Morgan Reed in the morning to arrange it.
It felt good to make a decision.
First, Raymond controlled her, and now Witness Protection did.
Her life still wasn’t her own. It was time to take back her life—and Layla’s.
For the second time that day, Maria walked to the flower shop’s door, locked it, and armed the security system. She turned to leave, but a movement on the sidewalk caught her eye.
Two uniformed police officers walked towards her with grim faces.
Now what?
After disarming the security alarm once again, she opened the door to the two waiting officers, a man and a woman.
“Hi, Veronica.”
“Hi, Conrad. Are you here for a refund? Didn’t your mother like the flowers?”
“She loved them. It seems like your crazy quilt bouquet is a hit.”
The female officer stepped forward. She was of average height with dark blonde hair. “We need to speak to you.” She glared at her partner for a moment. “And it’s not about your flowers.”
“Can I see some ID?”
The woman exchanged a look with Conrad. “What—the uniforms and the police cruiser aren’t enough for you?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound like that. Can’t be too careful these days.” Maria smiled sweetly, but the woman didn’t return one.
Conrad caught her eye and winked. His salt-and-pepper hair and glasses gave him a look of wisdom, while his smile gave her a sense of reassurance.
“Got a reason to be worried?” The female officer asked.
“No, of course not.” Maria wouldn’t tell the woman about Layla seeing her dead father.
“Good, let’s go inside and talk.”
“Officer Zinkleman, show the lady your ID and stop acting like a hard…hard case.”
Officer Zinkleman glared at Conrad and Maria, but she pulled out her ID and handed it to Maria.
Layla peeked out from behind her mother. “Hi, I’m Jazzy. Don’t be mad. My mommy worries a lot since my daddy went to heaven. My daddy’s an angel now.”
Conrad squatted down to Layla’s height. “It sounds like your mommy is quite the smart lady. It always pays to be careful, doesn’t it, Officer Zinkleman?” His tone was even, but Maria detected a slight reprimand. “This is my partner, Officer Suzanne Zinkleman. And you already know me.” He held out a hand and covered hers in a warm and reassuring touch.
She looked away, relishing the pleasant physical reaction she had to this handsome man. But it was a complication she didn’t need or want.
Maria checked the badge, and then handed it back. “Thanks. Like my daughter said, I’m a little bit paranoid these days, Officer Zinkleman.”
“Not a problem.” Her tone warmed ever so slightly. “Just call me Suzanne or Zink. Everybody does. This is a small town. We don’t stand on formalities around here.”
“OK, Suzanne it is.”
“We’re actually here for a reason.” Suzanne’s gaze moved to the flower shop as if indicating that was the place for the talk.
“Let’s go inside.” Maria took the hint, opened the door to The Bouquet and let the officers walk in ahead of her. What could the police want with her?
“When was the last time you saw Emily Most?” Conrad asked.
“Emily? You mean La…Jasmine’s friend?”
Zink nodded, scrutinizing Maria.
“Why do you want to know about Emily?” Layla stepped in front of her mother. “Is she OK?”
“You know what, Jazzy?” Officer Zinkleman touched Layla’s shoulder. “I would love a bouquet of flowers to take home. Can you help me pick some while your mother talks with Officer Conrad?”
“I can do that.” Jasmine squared her shoulders and asked, just like she’d heard her mother do so many times, “Exactly what will the flowers be for?”
Suzanne Zinkleman chuckled as the two of them walked away. “Just something pretty for my house.”
“What happened to Emily?” Maria lowered her voice as she looked at Conrad.
“Emily never made it home after s
chool.”
“But that was over an hour ago. It’s a five minute walk from here. She doesn’t even have to cross any streets.”
“I know.”
A chill ran down her spine. ”The girls always ride the bus and walk this far together. And then Emily goes the rest of the way by herself.”
“Are you sure they walked home together today?”
“Absolutely. Emily was here. She didn’t come inside, but we talked outside for a minute.” She nodded. “I asked her to come in for a snack, but she said she had to get home. She was going shopping with her mom for shoes.”
“And where was she the last time you saw her?”
She walked to the window and pointed. “Right about there. She was skipping towards her house when we came into the store.”
Children weren’t supposed to disappear here. That’s why she’d chosen a smaller town. She wanted Layla to grow up in a safe environment. A place where she could play with friends without being afraid.
Tears welled up as memories of Raymond kidnapping Layla surfaced. She pushed them aside. Time to focus on Emily. “What do you think happened?”
“We’re not sure yet. It could be nothing. She might be over at a friend’s house and forgot to call her mom. The parents are calling everyone, but they mentioned Emily and Jazzy usually walk home together so we decided to come talk with you before everyone gets in a panic.”
“What can I do to help?”
“I know there’s some volunteers from their church out looking already. I’m sure they would appreciate your help. You didn’t see anything unusual today? Anything that set off a red flag?”
Her stomach flip-flopped, remembering the man across the street. But he’d been staring at her. It couldn’t have anything to do with Emily. Emily hadn’t been around any of the times she’d seen him. And besides it had been her paranoia, hadn’t it?
Officer Zinkleman and Layla returned.
Zink held a beautiful bouquet of bright red carnations mixed with pink miniature roses and white baby’s breath.
Maria admired the flowers. Her daughter had a good eye. Maybe, she had chosen the right profession for their new life.
“We need to ask Jasmine a few questions.” Conrad lifted a brow, asking silent permission.
Her stomach churned, but she nodded.
Hopefully, Layla wouldn’t say anything to give away their secret.
Sisters By Choice Page 21