Within Range (HQR Intrigue)

by Janice Kay Johnson - His Best Friend's Baby

  She swallowed and nodded. “I’m Robin Hollis.”

  Seth’s smile reached his eyes. It was warm and a little crooked. “Thank you, Robin.” He resumed his cop mask. “Here’s what we’re going to do first. If you’ll give me permission, I think we should compile your medical records.”

  Stung, she said, “You don’t believe me.” Except... Confused, she realized he’d said “we.” Twice. As if they were taking action, not just him.

  “I do,” he said calmly. “It would help to show undeniable proof to a judge that you suffered not just one incident but ongoing abuse at the hands of your then-husband. The dates of your visits to the various ERs are important. I won’t be surprised if doctors or nurses noted some suspicion of abuse, too.”

  She’d thought of requesting her records herself, but had been afraid to give a mailing address to the various hospitals. To have them sent to her mother might have drawn attention to her. One of her fears had always been what Richard might do to Mom and Allie to punish her.

  “Yes. I’ll sign a permission form.”

  “Good. We’ll start with that.” He tapped the ice chest. “Might be a good idea to put everything in here back in the fridge.”

  Suddenly exhausted, she pushed herself to her feet while she still could and lifted off the lid. “I need to get some things from the car, too. My toothbrush is out there.”

  “Do you have to brush your teeth?”

  She blinked at him. Did she really care? No. “I suppose not.”

  Shaking his head, he stood. “You need to get to bed. I’ll put the food away.”

  “But...”

  “I’m sleeping on your couch tonight, Robin.”

  “To keep me from taking off once you’re gone.”

  He smiled. “I admit the thought crossed my mind that you might try, but I want you to get a good night’s sleep, too, and I know you won’t if you’re listening for a break-in.”

  He was right. A part of her had been dreading his departure. She felt guilty, though. This had to be above and beyond the call. Could he get in trouble for staying in her house?

  “If I promise—” she began.

  Seth shook his head. “Go to bed, Robin.”

  “It’s weird hearing my name.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her toward the living room and gave her a nudge. “Sleep tight.”

  She almost smiled at hearing that. Mom always said the same when she’d tucked her daughters into bed. “There’s an extra pillow and some blankets in the linen closet.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  She went, afraid she’d still lie awake wondering about the consequences of her telling him so much. She peeked in at Jacob, as she always did before going to bed herself, closed her own door while she shed her clothes, then cracked it open again to allow her to hear Jacob. Bedside light off, she crawled into bed and conked out.

  * * *

  SETH LAY ON the couch, one shoeless foot on the floor, the other extending beyond the padded arm. Considering that it looked as if she’d bought it at a garage sale, the couch wasn’t half bad as a makeshift bed. Just not long enough. That wasn’t all keeping him awake, though.

  Every time he pictured her buckling Jacob into his car seat and driving away, his guts knotted. If he hadn’t listened to his instincts, Helen—no, Robin—would be gone, no question. He wouldn’t have gotten her out of his head for a long time.

  Mentally replaying her story didn’t help, either. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen plenty of domestic abuse during his career; brutality at home was a staple in any patrol officer’s job, small town or big city. He’d never been sure how he’d controlled his anger in those situations. He’d never get why a man would want to hurt any woman or child, far less the ones he loved. This time, he already felt more than he should for Helen Boyd aka Robin Hollis. Seeing the scar had fired his temper. Now, when he closed his eyes in search of sleep, he saw her face with lopsided swelling, purple bruises, a swollen eye like Iris Wilbanks’s.

  Yeah, he sounded capable of being that cold-blooded.

  Seth’s thoughts kept veering to the woman down the hall. Better not to wonder if she slept on her back or curled on her side, if she’d gravitate toward the warmth of a man sharing her bed. Hard to stop himself, though. Hard not to wish he’d seen more than glimpses of the woman she’d been before she got sucked into the orbit of a monster.

  Her choice of profession before her marriage suggested that compassion was a big part of her makeup. That hadn’t changed; all he had to do was remember her kneeling beside her injured neighbor, holding her hand.

  He tried to push away the memory of her saying she’d been tired and nauseated for only a few weeks before she escaped. She had to have hated the SOB by the time she got pregnant. Had she been cooperating, trying in self-defense to please him, or had he outright raped her whenever he felt like it?

  Make sure there really is a Richard Winstead who’d been married to Robin Hollis, Seth cautioned himself. He believed in the anguish he’d seen on her face, but call him a cynic. He still needed to see those doctors’ reports and X-rays.

  It was a long night despite getting a late start. He got up to use the bathroom once, pausing in the hall after turning out the light to look in the narrow slot of darkness that was her bedroom. He wished he could see her, know whether she’d actually been able to sleep.

  He did finally drop off, but the sleep was light. He jerked awake at regular intervals, thinking he’d heard something, lying still listening until he was sure he hadn’t. The deepest sleep must have come toward morning, because he opened his eyes to find a short person staring at him from less than a foot away. He had to blink to bring the caramel-brown eyes, disheveled red hair and freckles into focus. His nostrils flared at the distinct smell of pee.

  “Hi,” the little boy said engagingly.

  “Good morning.” Seth had to clear his throat. “Do you need a bath?”

  Jacob’s head bobbed.

  “How about a shower?”

  His eyes widened in alarm, and he shook his head hard.

  Okay, Seth remembered a time when he’d been terrified of getting water in his eyes or mouth, too.

  “Mommy awake?” he tried.

  Another headshake.

  Well, this would be a first for him, but why not?

  Chapter Seven

  Waking to the sounding of water running and a huge splat, Helen shot upright in bed. Dear God, Jacob hadn’t turned the tub faucet on himself, had he?

  She sprang out of bed and raced toward the bathroom, but before she reached it, she heard the low rumble of a man’s voice, then Jacob’s giggle. She stopped dead in the hall, gaping at the open bathroom door. Seth Renner—Detective Renner—was giving her son a bath? Had he tried to wake her up and failed? What time was it anyway?

  She retreated to her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed so she could see her clock: 8:56. Since Jacob was usually awake by 6:30, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept this late.

  She threw on her robe—terry cloth and not a thing of beauty—and padded across the hall to the bathroom.

  “Mommy!” Jacob cried joyously. He started to scramble to his feet, but Seth laid a hand on his skinny shoulder and shook his head.

  “Sit, buddy. You don’t want to slip and fall.” Then he turned his head and smiled at Helen. Sitting on a plastic stool she’d bought for the express purpose of supervising baths, he wore the same khaki trousers, and a white T-shirt he must have had under the button-up she remembered from last night.

  What riveted her attention was his bare feet.

  Big feet, to suit his height, a few dark hairs curling on his toes. Solid feet, she thought, for no good reason except she liked them better than Richard’s, which had been narrow and fish-white. Not that she had any business liking Seth’s feet, or ev
en staring at them.

  “My socks got wet,” he said. “I didn’t realize what a messy business this is.”

  “Why...?”

  “I woke up to find somebody staring at me. He said when he tried to wake up Mommy, she grumbled and rolled over.”

  “He did not!”

  This smile crinkled the skin beside his eyes. “He was happy to discover a second-stringer snoozing on the couch.”

  She laughed even as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t wake up! What would he have done if you hadn’t been here?”

  “Well, I don’t think he’s tall enough to unlock the front door yet, but he might have gotten into the refrigerator.”

  “I’m hungry,” her son declared.

  “Me, too.” Seth’s eyebrows rose.

  Jacob bounced. “I want waffles.”

  Didn’t Seth plan to go home today? Imagining him leaving, she felt a spike of anxiety. Yesterday, Richard’s minion had tried to steal Jacob in broad daylight. What was to stop him once she and Jacob were alone?

  “Waffles it is,” she agreed, not quite as lightly as she’d intended. “Except I’d really like to have a shower first.”

  “I think it’s time for Jacob to get out, anyway.” Seth grinned at the two-year-old. “You’re getting crinkled fingers and toes.”

  He was, which made her wonder how long he’d been happily splashing and playing in the tub while she slept, oblivious.

  “Okay, kiddo.” She grabbed his towel from the rack and handed it to Seth. Her hand brushed his, but she pretended she hadn’t noticed. “Mommy’s turn.”

  “Mommy’s turn,” Jacob said obediently. When Seth held out the small plastic bucket that still held a few toys, Jacob put the ones he’d been playing with into it.

  Packing yesterday, she hadn’t included of bath toys, Helen thought, suddenly stricken. Jacob especially loved his bright red boat and the purple shark.

  Seth was watching her, she realized, reading her emotions. She forced a smile. “If you two can handle this, I need to find myself some clean clothes.” Some that weren’t in the trunk of her car.

  Even as she thought that, Seth said, “Do you need me to go out and get something from the car?”

  “No, I’m fine. I didn’t try to—You know.” Take everything.

  His expression changed, the warmth disappearing, but Seth gave a curt nod.

  Helen fled for her bedroom.

  * * *

  SHE’D MADE WAFFLES from scratch. Seth couldn’t remember the last time he’d had any that good. She even made him a second waffle. While he ate it, Helen—no, damn it, Robin!—took Jacob down the hall to use his potty chair. The boy didn’t seem to need a diaper during the day. Nights must be different.

  “He sleeps too soundly,” she said with a fond smile for the boy. After rinsing off his plate, Seth found her keys in an outside pocket of her purse and went out to grab the first load from the trunk. Two duffel bags, looking pretty scroungy.

  Coming down the hall, she saw what he was carrying. “Oh, those are—” She eyed him warily. “I keep them packed. You know.”

  “Go bags.”

  “Something like that,” she admitted.

  He shook his head. “Should I bring in just the boxes?”

  “No, I need the bags, too, but I can help.”

  “Won’t take me a minute.” He went back outside before he had to get mad at her again for planning to run out on him.

  Once everything was inside, he went into the kitchen, where she was rinsing dishes. “I’m going out to get my laptop,” he told her.

  “Where are you parked?”

  “Alley behind Mrs. Wilbanks’s house.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Sneaky.”

  He just smiled. Once he’d returned, he pulled up a list of hospitals and urgent care facilities in King County and when he read it aloud, she identified six places where she’d been treated.

  Six. Seth wasn’t smiling anymore.

  Since this was Sunday, it wouldn’t do any good to send off the requests before morning, especially since he’d need her to come into the station to sign a permission form he could scan.

  In the meantime, he had no intention of going anywhere. Which was fine today as long as he didn’t get called out, a possibility even on his days off. If that happened, he’d have to figure out what to do with Robin and Jacob. He wouldn’t leave them unguarded.

  Speaking of which... He closed his laptop and said what he was sure were her favorite words: “Let’s talk.” Seeing her anxiety, he shook his head. “Nothing bad.”

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t want you staying here,” he said bluntly.

  Her mouth tightened. “Then you should have let me go, shouldn’t you?”

  “I need to know where you are.” He hoped she didn’t understand how sincerely he meant that.

  She only frowned. “I guess I could go back to the Lookout Inn. The security there is probably decent. Better than a bed-and-breakfast.”

  “But not good enough. You’d be easy to find. It’ll be best if you just disappear. We’ll leave your car here, slip out the back door during the night.”

  Now she looked wary. “Where would we go?”

  He wished he could take them home—and the force of that desire was good reason to nix the idea. Along with the fact that, unless he took some vacation, she and Jacob would be unprotected while he worked.

  “To stay with my father,” he said. Although maybe he should have called Dad before proposing this, Seth realized belatedly. “He’s a retired cop, has lots of room.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No.”

  Helen—damn it, he didn’t like being so confused—Robin shook her head. “We can’t descend on your father. I’ve never even met him! And with a two-year-old...? Have you asked him?” she queried with spot-on suspicion.

  “I’ll call him right now.”

  Robin jumped up. “There’s got to be someplace else we can go. I’ve gotten to be friends with one of my coworkers—”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Can she protect you? Does she have family you’d be endangering?”

  “Oh, God.” She plunked back down onto the chair, looking dazed.

  Seth said gently, “I’m sorry, Robin.”

  Her eyes truly focused then. “Maybe you shouldn’t call me that.”

  “Why not? It’s safe to say your ex knows what name you’ve been living under.”

  Her mouth tightened.

  Seth took out his phone and tapped his father’s number. Robin leaped up and said hastily, “I’d better check on Jacob. And let you talk to your dad without me listening in.”

  “It’s okay—”

  But she was gone. She was probably right, he thought, just as his father said, “Son?”

  “Hey, Dad. Ah, listen, I need to ask a favor of you.”

  There was a pause. “What is it?”

  “I’m looking for someplace for a woman and her toddler son to stay for a few days. She’s in a tough spot.”

  “This somebody you’re seeing?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Did he sound as falsely hearty as he thought he did? “We talked about the Realtor who was murdered. She was killed in a rental house. This woman is the renter. I think Ms. Sloan was killed by mistake. She looked a lot like Ms. Boyd.” He caught himself. “Hollis. Crap. She’s living here under a false identity to escape an ex-husband.”

  Silence. He’d worried before about women mixed up in his investigations, but Seth had never put one under his father’s protection. Dad was waiting to hear what this was really about.

  “Yesterday, somebody tried to snatch her son. She’d left him for a couple of hours with her next-door neighbor, an older woman named Iris Wilbanks.”


  “I know Iris,” his father put in. “Did she get hurt?”

  “The creep knocked her down, so she has a concussion and a black eye. Doctor kept her overnight, but she’s coming home today. How’d you meet her?”

  “She worked at the library. Nice lady.”

  “Yeah, she is.” Seth sighed and told him how Robin had fearlessly rushed the abductor and gotten her son back. He outlined the rest of her history—the abusive ex, the changed identities, even her attempt to take off again.

  “You getting involved with this woman?”

  Seth winced. His father knew him too well. “I’m trying not to,” he said.

  “Why?”

  He glanced at the doorway, glad to hear her talking down the hall. Even so, he lowered his voice. “You have to ask? She’s involved in my investigation. I can’t a hundred percent swear she’s telling the truth yet.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Dad.”

  “Of course she’s welcome.” There was a smile in his father’s voice. “Won’t mind having a kid around the house, either. It’s been a long time.”

  “You had your grandkids for two weeks at Christmas.” Seth’s sister, Grace, tried to get home with her girls at least twice a year, sometimes with her husband, sometimes not. The bedroom with two single beds Dad kept for the girls would do nicely for Robin and Jacob.

  “Why Grace had to marry a man based in Chicago, I don’t know.”

  “Maybe because she went to the University of Chicago,” Seth suggested, smiling at his father’s oft-heard grumbles.

  Robin appeared in the doorway, hesitating when she saw he was still on the phone. He waved her in.

  “I want to sneak Robin and Jacob out in the early hours tonight. You don’t have to get up. I’ll let us in and put them in Ivy and Sara’s bedroom.”

  His father snorted. “You know I won’t sleep through that. I’ll at least say hello.”

  “Okay, Dad. Thanks.”

  He harrumphed. “Maybe I’ll see more of you while they’re with me.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  Putting his phone down on the table, Seth said, “Dad’s glad to have you.” He told her about his two nieces, the bedroom she’d share with Jacob, and the wealth of toys and kids’ DVDs his father kept around. “He’s a good guy.”