After the phone conversation Harper had with her, Cam was now on her way over to Mission Hills as well. The likelihood was that they would get there within a few minutes of each other if Jarom didn’t make any more unscheduled stops. Then, with all of the players in place, it might be possible to get some straight answers out of this family.
Harper had no desire to blow up a family, but to be honest, she didn’t really care what was going on with the parents. The only thing she cared about was getting results, because results meant children brought home. The fact that Jarom couldn’t keep his trouser snake inside his actual trousers wasn’t something that she had to take responsibility for.
The honking had spooked Harper, so she stayed back even farther than usual, giving three or even four cars distance between her and her quarry. If she hadn’t known the destination, there were several times that he might have lost her when there were quick turns in succession.
But he finally pulled up into the driveway of the bungalow, jumping out of the car and heading inside. Harper parked a few houses down on the opposite side of the street. Now she just had to wait until Cam got there.
She continued thinking that until a car showed up. A car that, from the make and model and the flasher lights in the lower quarter of the rear window, Harper was pretty sure was an unmarked police car.
This was not good.
Two female detectives got out of the vehicle and headed toward the door. There was a taller, sharp looking brunette with her hair back in a severe bun. At her side was a much more mousy-looking woman with strawberry hair that fell to her shoulders.
Harper was torn. The police were here, and from what Cam had said, the meeting at the SDPD didn’t go too well. But there was potentially really good information here that they might need to help out with the kidnapping.
What the hell. When it came to tough choices, Harper always went with the one that would get her in the most trouble.
Time to do a little snooping. Ah… a little more snooping.
She opened the door to her car and crawled out, pushing it closed instead of slamming it, as was her usual wont. Creeping around another parked car, Harper raced across the street to a large tree in the yard of the house that was three down from the Young’s.
Fortunately, this was a much older neighborhood, which meant that there were plenty of overgrown bushes and trees that could provide plenty of cover. Her heart beating in her chest… whether from the exertion or the adrenaline, Harper couldn’t tell… she rushed through the intervening yards until she was on the side of the Young’s home, wedged into a hydrangea bush.
From here, she could hear the conversation already in progress. The detectives seemed to be talking to a woman, but it wasn’t Emma, as far as Harper could tell. One of those friends that were there before, maybe? Not the younger one. The other woman. Bethany. Why was she the one answering the door? Did Jarom and Emma really hate solicitors that much?
“… so you can see that there’s nothing wrong here,” she was saying.
“We’re sorry to bother you, ma’am, but you understand that we have to check up when we receive a report like that.” Harper moved further into the bushes, peeking around the side of the house. The detective speaking was the imposing, hard-faced woman. Harper had to give Bethany credit. It would have to be tough to stand up to a face like that.
“I do understand. But we’re fine here. Thank you for coming out, detectives.”
The strong-faced brunette woman held up a hand. “I don’t think you quite understand the situation. We have a report of a missing child. That’s not something we just blow off.”
“Well, you can’t--”
The detective cut her off. “Until I see the child in question, take its footprint and match it to the hospital records, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me.”
“I’m afraid that I still can’t let you in,” Bethany said, but it was clear in her tone that she was less and less sure of herself.
“Is this your home?”
Bethany cleared her throat. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“It’s my business because I’ve been put in charge of a missing child case. And right now you are obstructing that case,” the detective said. “So unless you want me to take you in to the station…”
“We have rights,” she answered, her voice becoming shrill. “You can’t force your way in here.”
“Maybe not, but I can come back with child services and a warrant,” came the response.
There was an extended pause, in which Bethany was probably sorting through the possible options. Harper couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t just let the detectives in. That seemed to be the simplest solutions with the least chance of negative repercussions in the future. So Bethany’s response was a real surprise.
“I’m afraid that’s what I’ll have to ask you to do.”
The detective’s face was hard with what looked like frustration. As she walked down the stairs, she called out over her shoulder, “Let them know we’ll be back. And when we do, it’s them we want to talk to.”
Harper heard Bethany mutter something about government snoops before she slammed the door shut. Whether that was just her opinion or that of the Young family as well was anyone’s guess. Maybe they were hardcore Tea Partiers or something. Hey, Harper got it. There were moments, especially right after getting pulled over for speeding, that she kind of agreed with that whole small government idea.
The unmarked police car drove off, and just in time, as Cam pulled up in her Chevy moments later from the opposite direction. As much as Harper had wanted everyone here at once, when she’d had that idea it hadn’t included law enforcement.
Harper briefed her partner on all that had happened, minus the fact that she’d been hanging out in the shrubbery. That point seemed extraneous. Besides, if Cam couldn’t figure it out, the whole detective thing was maybe not such a good idea for her.
They got to the door, knocked, and once more Bethany answered. She took one look at Cam and Harper and yelled over her shoulder into the house.
“Benedicta Arnold is back. And she brought her sidekick with her.”
The only thing Harper could think as she waited for Emma or her husband to respond from within was, Which one was the sidekick?
She wasn’t so sure she wanted an answer for that.
* * *
Cam stood across from Emma and her husband, Harper at her side. They had been invited in, if invited was the word you used when pretty much everyone there was glaring at you. So far, there had been no indication that their hosts were going to ask them to sit down.
“You told me to do anything I had to,” Cam said to Emma, breaking the silence that had settled over the group when she and Harper entered the living room.
“You… you called these two women?” the man seated next to Emma choked. This must be Jarom.
“I had to. You weren’t doing anything about it,” she answered, her tone sullen.
“You didn’t give me a chance.”
Emma shot back, “It’s our baby! And you heard them,” she said, pointing to Cam and Harper. “We have 48 hours. How much of a chance am I supposed to give you?”
Jarom clenched his jaw. “I told you I’d handle it. Without any help.”
“Oh, Jarom, shut up,” Bethany interrupted. “I don’t like interference any more than you do, but Emma’s right. We should have gone to the cops to start with and just…” She darted her eyes over to Cam and Harper and fell silent.
And so, to Cam’s surprise, did Jarom. Whatever his friendship with Bethany was, he clearly held her in high regard. He had gone from hot under the collar to cowed in the space of less than thirty seconds. Riding the wave of that respite, Cam stepped back into the conversation.
“I’m sorry if you feel that I betrayed your trust, Emma. That wasn’t my intent at all.”
“I know that. I can tell that you want to help,” she replied, shooting a look at her hu
sband. “It’s not like you didn’t tell me what you were going to do. And to be honest, I wanted you to.”
“Emma!” Jarom began, but then caught a look from Bethany and shut up again.
Cam held up her hand. “There are things that we don’t have access to that the police do. Databases, fingerprint and DNA testing, a larger workforce.” Doing what she could to keep her voice reasonable and calm, Cam laid it out for them. “If you want your child returned to you safely, you’re going to need to involve the police.”
“That’s fine, I guess,” Emma said, giving her husband a look. “As long as you’re here while they are. We’ve just heard horror stories about the way they treat families, coming in and…” She trailed off, giving a much different look this time to both Bethany and Jarom.
“It’s true,” Cam confirmed. “They can and will look at close family members as suspects. That’s part of their job. But if you cooperate, and you have nothing to hide, that part will be over soon.” She made discrete eye contact with Jarom, raising her eyebrow just slightly.
Jarom flushed and looked away. “We have nothing to hide.”
Harper guffawed. “Oh, come on. That’s a load of horse--”
Cam cut her off with a gesture. “Secrets, whatever they are, get in the way of an investigation. If you have any, now is the time to speak.”
The silence was like another person in the room, obstinate and sullen. None of the three Cam was talking to would look at her or at each other.
“I know you think that whatever it is has nothing to do with this,” Cam continued. “Everyone always does. But my experience is that it’s the very thing you don’t want to talk about that can lead us right to your baby.”
In a small voice, Emma answered. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Emma,” Jarom said in a warning voice.
“Oh, come on,” Harper broke in. She had the attitude of a pressure cooker that had to release some steam or risk exploding. “Can we just call a spade a spade? He’s cheating on you.”
Cam went still. Why in the hell had Harper said that? It might be true, but this was the worst possible time she could bring it up.
Emma’s face went white. “What did you say?”
Trying to catch Harper’s gaze, Cam shook her head violently. She had to stop this before it got any worse. But Harper refused to look at her.
“I went out to the granite mine to see if I could get some information about the kidnapping, and when I followed him back, I saw him stop off at an apartment complex in Scripps Ranch. He stayed there for a couple of hours at least.”
“You followed my husband?” Emma whispered.
“No, I… Well, yes, technically--”
“Get out,” she said with finality.
“Listen, I was just--” Harper started.
“She told you to get out,” Jarom said as he stood, moving to the front door and opening it. “I think it’s time for you to listen.”
There was nothing for Cam to do at this point but to follow his directions.
* * *
Okay. That could have gone better.
Harper followed Cam out of the bungalow, not making eye contact with Jarom as she exited. It was just a guess, but he probably wasn’t very happy with her at this point. She’d just popped his lascivious little cheater’s bubble. His foot connecting with her ass on the way out wouldn’t have surprised her all that much.
What did surprise her was what happened as soon as the door shut and Cam and she were out of earshot of the house. Cam whirled around, her face livid.
“What were you thinking?”
“About what?” Harper asked. “You mean about calling that asshole out?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Well, you said it,” she responded. She was having a tough time figuring out what the issue was. “Secrets are going to keep them from finding their baby. He was lying through his teeth.”
“Maybe, but--”
“What do you mean, maybe? The guy went to an apartment and stayed there for two full hours!”
“I know,” Cam said. “You’ve said that several times. Once in front of them.”
“Well?” Harper was curious to see just what kind of excuse Cam could make this time. She was always defending the dads, when so many times that was the very person they were supposed to be looking at.
“It’s just that there’s something going on here that I think we don’t understand. Did you see Jarom’s face as we left?”
Harper snorted. “No. I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.”
“That was a mistake. If you’d looked at him, you wouldn’t have seen what I did.”
“What’s that?”
Cam hesitated. “He didn’t seem mad. He seemed scared.”
She couldn’t help it. Harper laughed. “Of course he was scared. He’s gonna get eaten alive in there.”
“That’s just my point,” Cam said, not backing down from her assertion. “Have you ever seen a cheater not get defensive when he’s confronted with his affairs?”
That brought Harper up short, but only for a moment. “No, not really. But that doesn’t mean he’s not cheating.”
“Well, thanks to you we won’t be able to find out.”
And there it was. The judgment, followed by Cam picking a fight. Seemed like a little drama that they had acted out so many times that the parts were way too familiar.
Harper did the dirty work, the stuff that Cam wouldn’t do because she was too squeamish. But when things went sideways as they sometimes just do, where was all the blame going to go? Right onto her shoulders.
Harper was tired of it.
“You don’t like the way I do things? Maybe we should just stop working together.” She turned on her heel and stalked off toward her car, expecting at any moment for Cam to stop her, to apologize, to beg her to stay and work it out.
It never happened.
* * *
Cam found herself in an uncomfortable position. The countdown to 48 hours was ticking away in her not-so-subconscious, and was giving a harsh edge to her thoughts.
The family needed time to cool down before Cam approached them again. If she had tried to push while they were still there, it only would have made a bad situation worse.
But Detective Stickler had made it clear that Cam was not welcome on this case. So there was not much she could do at this point.
Cam could feel her blood sugar dropping, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Iris’ house wasn’t terribly far from here. Maybe she could stop in for a bite to eat and a quick squeeze from her girls. The thought made tears spring to her eyes. She must be even more of an emotional wreck than she had thought.
The girls had just eaten by the time Cam got there. They were happy and chattering away about how they’d gotten to make individual pizzas with anything they wanted on them. Then they’d cooked them over the grill, which apparently was the only way to make good pizza.
Cam smiled at their enthusiasm and tried not to wince at the realization that their gram was a far better mother than Cam could ever hope to be. She gave the girls a hug and walked over to Iris, who was waiting on the porch.
“Thanks again for taking them,” Cam said, giving Iris a wry smile.
Iris gave her a long look. “I know that expression you’re wearing,” she said. “It’s the one that says I’m-a-bad-mother.”
Cam chuckled bitterly. “Makes sense that you would recognize it. You’ve seen it enough.”
“Yes, I have,” Iris agreed. “Mostly in the mirror.”
Looking more closely, Cam saw that Iris’ face was gentle. Cam felt tears well up in her eyes. Man, was she a basket case today.
“I don’t even know how you can say that,” Cam said. “You’re so wonderful with them. And I feel like I’m just barely treading water, always on the verge of slipping under the surface.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s everyone,” she replied, waving off
the comment with her hand. “The only reason I look like I have it all together is because I can pass them back to you once your cases are done.”
Cam searched for the words to express her love for and gratitude towards this extraordinary woman. “Iris, I… I’m so sorry that I… that…”
The older woman held up her hand. “None of that. I wish it had worked out between you and my son. Of course I do. But I’m not blind to how hard you tried.”
The tears that had been gathering spilled down Cam’s cheeks at that. She wanted to speak, but found that she had no words. So instead she reached out and gave Iris a hug.
“Go on inside. Grab a bite to eat. Spend some time with the girls before they have to go to bed and you have to get going.” Iris patted her on her shoulder. “You’ll feel better. I promise.”
“You’re not coming in?” Cam asked.
Iris shook her head. “I’ll be in after a bit. I want to look over my roses.” She didn’t say it, but she was giving Cam her space. How was it that Iris always seemed to know the right thing to do or say at just the right moment?
Cam nodded and moved toward the house, her spirits already lighter. When she got to the kitchen, she found that Jules and Meg were trying to convince Mickey that the Harry Potter movies were better than the books.
“Have you read them?” Mickey asked, her tone innocent.
“No, because books are dumb.” This statement was not new information. Meg had made her opinion on that subject well known a multitude of times.
“Hmm,” Mickey said. “That’s interesting.”
“Whatever, dork.”
“Hey, Meg,” Cam stepped in. “That’s enough of that.”
Cam caught Mickey’s eye. Her daughter winked back at her. Well, it was more of a blink, because she still hadn’t figured out how to control just the one eye, but still. Crazy. What seven-year-old winked at her mom?
Only Mickey.
“Did you find the baby, Mom?” she asked.
“No, honey, not yet.”
“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
“It is.”
Mickey was quiet a moment. Jules and Meg were chattering away about some boy in their class that they were going to try to chase and kiss during recess tomorrow. That was something Cam might want to nip in the bud sometime in the next five or six years.
2nd Cycle of the Harbinger Series Collection Page 36