He slid a finger under her chin, raising her gaze to his. Her breath caught as she looked into his eyes. He was so tempted to kiss her again. He thought she might let him, might even welcome it, but he wasn’t willing to take the chance. Instead, now that he had her full attention he said, “He will be brought to justice. I’ll find the proof we need.”
Several silent heartbeats passed between them. His gaze dropped to her mouth. He lifted his hand and swept his knuckles gently against her cheek, brushed his thumb across the groove below her cheekbone. Then let it glide across her lips.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you trying to distract me from what’s really going on?”
His hand fell away as his brow scrunched in confusion.
She eyed him up and down, noting he was fully dressed. “Is that what you’re up to right now? Are you planning on looking for evidence tonight?”
His conscience wouldn’t allow him to lie. “Yes.”
“I want to go with you.”
“We’ve been over this. It doesn’t make sense for you to go. You have too much to lose if you get caught.” Alex shook his head. “I think it’s a bad idea. I’ve memorized the floor plans you drew out for me. I can do this on my own.”
“I appreciate all that you’ve done for me. More than you know. But this is something I need to do,” she argued. “I know every square inch of my house. If there’s something to be found, there’s a much better chance that I’ll be the one to find it.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I understand that. What you need to understand is that I can’t allow you to take all the risks. It’s not right.”
“I don’t mind.”
“You should,” Claire said sternly. “If we do this, we do it together.”
Alex wanted to argue, was tempted to, but knew the words would be wasted. Claire was an honorable woman. She would put up a valiant fight to have her way because she thought it was the right thing to do.
“Fine. But we do things my way.”
She nodded solemnly. “I’m okay with that. Afterward, I’m going to turn myself in.”
Alex stared at her in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”
“You said yourself that by running, I only made myself look guilty.” She tugged a hand through her tangled hair. “When I took off, it was on a whim. I panicked. I didn’t really think of the consequences.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Nor do I, but I’m not very fond of the alternative, either. I can’t continue living on the run. I miss Mia so much. Maybe if I turn myself in, they’ll go easy on me. They have information now that they didn’t have before. Surely they’ve realized the Jeep was shot at. I can direct them to the hunting shack. The bullet hole will corroborate my story when I tell them Xavier sent his henchmen after me. I know it’s a long shot, but maybe the gun I tossed is still in the woods. It’s possible it has fingerprints on it.”
Alex didn’t possess Claire’s confidence. Not yet.
“I need to trust that the police will do their job,” she said.
“I do believe that the department wants justice, just as you do. The evidence against Xavier is mounting.” He just wasn’t sure if it was enough. What if Xavier had someone at the PD in his pocket? The man could hire the best lawyers.
“If I turn myself in,” she continued, “I can at least see Mia when I’m out on bail.”
“Claire,” Alex said gently, “you need to think about this very carefully. What if they don’t set bail?”
She blinked at him in confusion. He knew the moment she understood his fear. Her face crumpled.
“I’m a flight risk.” She sighed. “I feel as though I’m trapped, no matter which way I turn. I keep praying and praying, asking for Him to get me out of this mess.”
A quiet scoff escaped from Alex. “I know better than anyone that His timing rarely matches ours.”
“‘When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen,’” Claire quoted.
“One of my favorite verses,” he said. “It took me a lot of years to grasp the beauty of it, but now I see it as one of His greatest promises.”
It seemed ludicrous that they were having this conversation, here, now, standing in the hallway in the dead of night. But the words being spoken were important ones and Alex knew he was not the only one who felt as though time was of the essence.
“Alex.” Claire’s voice wavered, alerting him to the significance of what she was about to say. “I need you to promise me something.”
“Of course.” The pained look she wore twisted his insides, making him feel raw with emotion.
“If I don’t get out of this, promise me that you’ll be there for Mia.”
He could shower her with platitudes, promise her that she would get out of this. But that wasn’t what she needed in this moment. Instead he did what she asked. “Of course I’ll be there for Mia.”
She released a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’m sure you and Beth will be able to work something out.”
He frowned. “Beth?”
Nodding, Claire said, “It only makes sense for Beth to take custody of Mia. She loves her like she’s her own.”
“I love her like she’s my own,” Alex shot back. “Because she is! I love that child and I haven’t even met her yet. Why should Beth raise her?”
Claire frowned. “Mia loves Beth. She’s comfortable with her. Other than me, Beth is the person Mia is closest to.”
“That’s not my fault,” Alex said softly. Although, maybe it was. If he’d only stayed—He cut that thought off. There was no going back to change things. But moving forward, he was going to do his best to do everything right. “She doesn’t love me because she doesn’t know me.”
“Alex,” Claire said, her tone apologetic but stubborn, “it doesn’t make sense for you to have custody of Mia. What would you do with her when you have an assignment? Take her out of the country with you? Leave her with a nanny for weeks on end?”
Of course not. That would be ludicrous, he realized. “I’d figure something out.”
“Beth works from home,” Claire pressed on. “Her schedule is completely flexible. She knows Mia’s preschool teacher and is friends with her Sunday School teacher. It’s a better fit.”
To be honest, he and Beth had always gotten along just fine. In fact, he’d venture to say they liked each other. He was sure that, should the worst-case scenario happen, he and Beth could work something out between them. Most likely Beth would be willing to take Mia when Alex had to leave the state.
Yet it was the principle of the matter that irked him. “What does this really come down to?” he demanded. “Is this about you thinking I can’t care for my own daughter?”
She slumped against the door frame. “It’s about wanting what’s best for her.”
“And you don’t think that’s me.”
Her silence was his answer.
“You know what? I’m not going to fight with you about this,” he said.
Her tension visibly eased. “I’m glad you agree.”
“Oh, no,” he scoffed. “I don’t agree. Not at all. Now I’m more determined than ever to clear your name so we can move on with our lives. So I can move on with my daughter.”
He pivoted and stormed off down the hallway.
“Alex, where are you going?” Claire demanded as she hurried after him.
He looked over his shoulder and said, “I’ve had enough of this. I want to see my little girl. I want to meet her, and raise her, and be a part of her life. The fastest way to make that happen is to clear your name.” He paused just a moment before saying, “And the only way I can see making that happen is to go to your house and find the proof that we need.”
ELEVEN
As they coasted down the Hendersons’ driveway, the windshield wipers beat frant
ically, trying to keep up with the deluge. Miserable as it was, Claire thought maybe it was the perfect time for their endeavor. If she and Alex were miserable, anyone else out on this stormy night would be miserable, as well.
Hopefully they would be too miserable to even be outside at this time of night.
Though they’d foraged through Mason’s closets and scrounged up some rain gear, their feet had gotten soaked as they’d darted across his driveway. The waterproof jackets were bulky and uncomfortable. Claire knew she’d appreciate hers once she was trekking through the woods.
If anyone was keeping watch, the pounding rain provided some cover as it pelted down in a sideways sheet. The truck wouldn’t be visible from the road. Not that she could imagine anyone being out right now.
“Are you ready?” Alex asked.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Claire said determinedly. She reached for her door handle and slid out into the storm.
Alex jogged alongside her as they entered the ridge of trees that ran behind the houses. They stayed near the edge, skirting the other residences as they hurried. It was dark, the moon and stars hidden behind clouds, but they found their way easily enough.
Claire’s heart hammered at the sight of her former home. After all that had happened, she couldn’t imagine spending another night there. They silently hurried across the muddy, slippery backyard. Claire kept her eyes averted, away from the pool she’d had drained.
She led the way to the entry door on the backside of the garage. They huddled close to the house, trying to stay under the protection of the eave. Her waterproof jacket crunched as she lifted her key to the doorknob. A red light blinked on the keypad, warning the alarm was engaged. She glanced at Alex. He gave her a reassuring nod. He’d gotten the all-clear from Mason just minutes ago, but she was still a bundle of nerves. Pulling in a deep breath, she stuffed the key into the lock and turned. With a twist of the knob, the door swung open.
And the red light continued to blink. They had access and the alarm remained engaged.
“It worked!” She slapped a hand over her pounding heart.
Alex grinned. “Never doubt Mason.”
They stepped into the cool but dry garage. Leaving the lights off, they each switched on the flashlights they’d taken from Mason’s.
“When we get inside, remember not to shine the light toward the windows,” Alex reminded her.
Claire nodded. She’d shut all the blinds shortly after Jared’s death. A cluster of reporters had showed up, camped out on her lawn. Not wanting to give them anything to look at, she’d done what she could to be certain they couldn’t see inside.
Alex took the lead again, this time entering the house. Claire quickly shrugged out of the bulky jacket and hung it on the coat tree in the entry. Alex followed suit as it would be much easier to move around without them.
“His office is this way.” Though she kept her voice low, she felt as though her words echoed through the house. “While you’re busy in there, I’m going to go upstairs. Maybe he tucked something away in the bedroom closet or his dresser.”
“I don’t like the idea of us separating,” Alex warned.
“We can get through the rooms twice as fast.”
“Fine,” he relented. “I’ll come upstairs when I’m done.”
They reached Jared’s office. Both flashlight beams were pointed toward the floor, but a soft glow still illuminated the room.
The room was large, immaculate and filled with trinkets and knickknacks that had been important to Jared. A bookcase lined the back wall. A large mahogany desk rested in front of it. There were two wingback chairs, which he used for the rare business meeting he held at home. The far wall held a large curio cabinet.
She was anxious to get upstairs. She backed away, toward the door. “The left-hand side of his desk has file drawers, but he doesn’t keep many paper files anymore. I’ve looked through what’s there but feel free to check it out for yourself. I’ll be upstairs.”
“Be careful.”
She nodded before twisting around and hurrying down the hallway.
The house had always felt too pretentious for her liking. But now she felt like a stranger in her own home. She hurried up the staircase. She had already sorted through his dresser and closet. At the time, she’d been distraught. It was possible she’d missed something.
Perhaps the same would be true for his office. Maybe Alex would find something.
She padded across the floor of the master bedroom, going straight to the closet. It was unsettling to rummage through Jared’s things now that he was gone, but she had no choice. Moving quickly, yet thoroughly, she sorted through his clothes, checking pockets and empty shoeboxes, then Jared’s dresser and nightstand.
She found nothing that she hadn’t discovered her first time around. Not even when she swept the flashlight under the bed and double-checked under the mattress. With the master bedroom done, she moved to the spare bedrooms, doing identical searches.
As she moved to the last room on the upper level, Mia’s bedroom, she heard Alex’s light tread climbing the staircase. She stood in the hallway, outside her daughter’s room. When he appeared, he didn’t look pleased.
“I take it you didn’t find anything,” Claire said.
“Nothing that I would consider an insurance policy.”
Claire slumped against the door frame. “That’s it, then. I don’t know where else to look.”
“Do you think the information he compiled about the black market is the insurance he was talking about?” Alex asked. “I was hoping for something more. But maybe that’s all there is.”
* * *
Alex realized Claire wasn’t listening to him. Something had caught her attention. Her head was cocked to the side as she stared into what he had to assume was his daughter’s room.
“Alex, remember when you asked me if Jared brought any of the antiques home?”
“Yes.” He edged in beside her. His gaze scanned the room, trying to determine what held her interest. The room was pink, frilly, ultra-girlie. He was sure Mia loved it. An enormous dollhouse stood in one corner, a rocking chair in the other. Her four-poster bed was covered in a lacy canopy. A row of dolls lined her pillows.
“You asked if any of the antiquities stood out.”
“Did something come to mind?” he prompted. “Is it the dollhouse?” It looked Victorian to him, but as the beam of the flashlight coasted over it he thought it was probably a replica.
“The dollhouse is from Beth. This picture—” she crossed into the room to stand before it “—is from Jared.”
“That strikes you as odd?” Alex moved to stand beside her.
“Jared bought gifts for Mia to give to her when he would have an audience. I can’t think of a single time that he bought her something for no reason. Funny thing is, I walked in one afternoon and it was hanging on the wall. Usually he made a production of things. But not with this. He just hung it up without saying a word.”
Alex’s eyebrows drew together. The painting was on the creepy side. The sky was gray and ominous. Drab-looking cypress trees shot up from a dingy swamp. Tangles of moss drooped from every branch. A weathered, empty, wooden boat floated beneath them on murky green water. Alex got the impression that the passenger had fallen in.
Maybe had been eaten by alligators.
“It isn’t an antique, I don’t think,” Claire related, “so that’s why it didn’t immediately come to mind when you asked.”
“It doesn’t exactly go with the décor of the room, now, does it?”
“No. When I tried to speak with Jared about it, which wasn’t easy,” Claire said, “he wouldn’t hear of taking it down. I told him I was worried it would frighten Mia.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to leave it.” She frowned, and Alex wondered if she replayed the conversation in
her mind. From what he’d learned of Jared so far, he could only imagine how difficult it had been for her to make the request.
“Did it strike you as odd at the time?”
Claire dropped her gaze. “Not necessarily. Jared seemed to enjoy doing things that he knew would upset me. Then pointing out I could do nothing about it. The painting was such a small thing. I didn’t give it too much thought.”
Alex clenched his jaw and shook his head. “He liked to feel like he was in control.”
“He was in control,” Claire admitted in a shaky voice. “He never let me forget it.”
Anger bubbled up in Alex’s chest. Anger at himself as well as at Jared. If he hadn’t walked away from Claire, she never would’ve met Jared. Never would’ve endured a miserable marriage and would definitely not be in the predicament that she was in now. He pushed away the wave of guilt that momentarily threatened to drown him.
He had to constantly remind himself he had no control over the past, couldn’t change it. He needed to give it over to God and just let it go. He’d learned that lesson in the hardest way possible.
Reaching out, he squeezed Claire’s hand. He wanted to do more. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to hold her close, to tell her that they belonged together. But this wasn’t the time and it sure didn’t feel like the place. Instead he settled for saying, “I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through.”
She waved a hand dismissively but her sad smile told another story. “I just want this over with so I can move on.”
Alex moved away from her, reached up and paused with his hands on each side of the artwork. “May I?”
“Please.”
He hoisted the picture off the hook. It was heavy for a picture, likely due to the solid, gaudy gold frame. When he rested it on the ground, it stood nearly waist-high on him. Claire ran her flashlight over it, gasping when she noted an envelope taped to the backside. Her name was scrawled across the front.
She glanced at Alex with hope in her eyes as she reached for it. It was stuck to the back of the frame with heavy packaging tape. She had to pry it off slowly, taking care not to rip it, fearing she’d damage the contents.
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