“But can I see her again before we leave?”
Juan nodded. The close relationship between Bell and Nikki was telling. Bell clearly felt safe with her. He couldn’t believe Nikki would be trying to harm her niece. His gut said there was more to this story. His Google search on Pablo had confirmed the story he overheard Bell telling her friend in her backyard. The child’s father had died in a boat explosion that had been ruled an accident. But he also learned that right before Pablo’s demise, Bell’s mother had been killed in a hit-and-run. Had someone taken them both out? Had Pablo’s “accident” been a suicide due to his guilt of possibly being his wife’s killer? He searched again to see if the articles named any suspects in Alison Valado’s death. None had.
Questions: He had a shitload of them. And he preferred getting those answers from Nikki. Or Vicki, his mind suddenly corrected.
“Aren’t you a pretty one,” Mildred said. “And Bell is a lovely name.”
Bell smiled shyly.
Mildred opened what looked like a beach bag. “I brought puzzles, games, crayons, and a coloring book. When we go to the cafeteria, we’re going to have fun.”
Bell glanced into the bag with interest. “I like puzzles.”
“Me too,” Mildred said.
Juan gave Mildred a thank-you nod and motioned for her to follow them.
Nikki had called about thirty minutes after he’d gotten off the phone with Detective Carson to say she’d been moved. Knowing he needed a private conversation, he’d called Mildred to join him at the hospital.
They got off the elevator. Mildred spotted a waiting area and said she’d be there. He and Bell found the room number Nikki had given him.
He knocked on the door and pushed it open when he heard her voice.
Bell barreled into the room. Nikki, sitting in a chair, smiled and held her arms out. “Come here.”
Bell ran right into Nikki’s arms. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you coming home now?” Bell asked.
“I think I need to stay at least one more night.” She glanced up at Juan with a smile that looked real but apprehensive. Her hair was a little messy. She still had purple circles under her eyes, but she appeared ten times better than she had last night. “Thank you for bringing Bell.”
He nodded, wondering how thankful she was going to be once he started grilling her about her lies.
Bell spoke up again. “Juan said you had a stone in your kidney and they broke it up. Did it hurt?”
“No. I was asleep when they did it.” Nikki kissed the girl’s forehead.
Juan watched them. The love between these two was like a living, breathing thing.
“Have you been good for Juan?” Nikki asked.
Bell looked over at him, almost as if she worried he’d rat her out. Little did the child know he felt the incident made him look worse.
“She’s been great.”
“I scared him,” Bell confessed. “I woke up before he did and went to our house without telling him. He was upset when he found me.”
Frowning, Nikki looked at Juan. “I’ll bet that scared him.”
Juan lifted a brow. “I didn’t hear her get up. I should have, but…”
“No. She shouldn’t have left.” Nikki gave the girl a scolding look.
“I told him I was sorry,” Bell said quietly, and hung her head.
Nikki glanced at Bell. “That’s good. Don’t ever do that again.”
“I won’t.” Bell sat in the chair beside Nikki. “I was scared when I woke up and you weren’t there. I thought you were home. I wanted to make sure you were okay, because last night you wouldn’t wake up.”
“You still shouldn’t have left his house.” Nikki looked at him. “I’m sorry.”
“All’s well that ends well.” But for the life of him, he didn’t know how all of this was going to end.
Bell’s little legs started pumping back and forth. “Juan said I was playing hooky today. Do you know what that means?”
Nikki grinned. “You’re skipping school.”
“Yeah, but he said I’d probably go tomorrow.”
“You should,” Nikki said.
“Oh, guess what? Sweetie slept with me on Juan’s couch.”
“She did?” Nikki smiled. “Well, that’s fun.”
“I know. She keeps giving me kisses. I’ll bet I’ve gotten a million kisses. But she cried when we left. I know she’s missing me right now.”
“I’m sure she is because I missed you.”
Bell grinned. “When you get home I bet she’ll want to kiss you, too.” The girl looked around the room but kept talking. “Mildred brought puzzles.”
Nikki looked at him. “Mildred?”
Before he could explain, Bell did. “She’s Juan’s friend. She has a granddaughter. So she likes kids. She met us up here because Juan said he needed to talk to you alone.” Bell made a face. “I think he might be going to kiss you again.”
Juan’s mouth dropped open and Nikki’s eyes widened.
Bell continued, “But he did tell the lady at the hospital last night that you weren’t his girlfriend.”
“Uh.” Juan pulled his hand out of his pocket and cupped a palm over his mouth for two seconds, squirming a bit under Nikki’s questioning gaze. “The…the front desk needed information about your condition and was surprised when I didn’t know everything.”
Nikki nodded with what looked like understanding.
He reached out to Bell. “Why don’t I take you to Mildred so you two can go play in the cafeteria?”
Jumping down from the chair, she twirled around with an abundance of energy. “Okay, but remember you said I could come back here when you’re done talking.”
“Yep,” he said.
Nikki hugged Bell. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” The child reached up and slipped her hand into Juan’s. The feel of her tiny palm spoke of trust and warmth filled his chest.
He just hoped Nikki, or Vicki, would trust him, too…trust him with the truth.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nerves frayed, Vicki waited for Juan to return. What did he want to talk to her about? The worst-case scenario played in her head. He was going to refuse to care for Bell.
She didn’t have anyone else to ask. Was there a twenty-four-hour babysitting service? How would Bell feel having a stranger take care of her? How would she feel leaving Bell with a stranger?
Her mind raced. She’d decided to trust him. But she’d been thinking it’d be better to be out of the hospital. To be able to run if he…if he felt duty bound to turn her in. But if he wasn’t even willing to care for Bell?
Every time she moved, her side throbbed, but until she knew what Juan was going to say, she couldn’t allow herself a dose of the morphine. By God, if she had to, she would run. A knock, his knock, shattered the sterile silence.
“Come in.” He took one step into the room and she saw the crease in his brow. The set of his lips. Whatever he was about to say, he wasn’t happy.
“Please tell me this isn’t about you not being able to watch Bell. It’s only for another day or so. I’ll pay you for missing work.”
His frown tightened. He moved in and sat on the edge of her bed. “It’s not that.”
“Then what?” she asked.
He reached in his pocket and pulled something out. It dangled in the air.
“My necklace.” She touched her chest where the jewelry usually fell. Tears welled in her eyes. “You found it. Thank you.”
He handed it to her and she held the piece of jewelry to her heart.
When she looked back at him, he appeared almost angry. “You want to tell me who you really are?”
Her lungs refused her next gulp of air. Her stomach clenched. Had she been wrong in thinking he’d understand?
“I wanted to tell you.” She closed her hand on the pendant in her hand. “I actually told you some of it. But I was going to tell you everything
when…when I got home.”
“Why don’t you tell me everything now. Tell me why you took Bell.”
“I didn’t take…” She swallowed the fear closing her throat, but it swelled bigger in her chest. “I need you to believe me, Juan. You can’t—”
“It’s hard to believe someone who’s been lying.” The edge to his voice cut into what little confidence she had about telling him the truth.
“I know I lied, but I’m trying to protect Bell. You have to promise me—”
He breathed in, his mouth thinning before he spoke. “I can’t make any promises until you explain this.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’m running.” She could hear the desperation in her voice and hated it. All her life she’d fought to be capable, to never be at the mercy of someone else.
“From?” His brown eyes met hers directly.
“Bell’s father.”
Juan ran his palms down his thighs and squeezed his knees. “The truth.” Frustration deepened his voice and made her twice as antsy.
“It is the truth. My real name is Vicki Trever. Bell isn’t my daughter. She’s my niece. Pablo Valado is her father. He’s the one who…burned her with a cigar. At the same time he did that, he beat my sister so badly he almost killed her. She left him, and we filed charges. She got paperwork done that gave me guardianship of Bell if anything happened to her. Then two months later, Alison was killed by a hit-and-run driver.”
Juan’s eyes tightened. “He’s dead. I read the articles.”
“His body was never found. That piece of information was only in one of the articles. And I saw him. He ransacked my condo. He even called and threatened me.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. She wiped them away.
“You saw him after the boat exploded?”
“Yes.”
Juan ran a hand down his face. She knew he was digesting what she said, probably trying to figure out what he believed.
“Did you tell the cops? Did they look into the call you got?”
“Of course I did. They didn’t believe me. The number was listed as anonymous. And they said there was a significant amount of his blood on what was left of the boat. But I think someone helped him. That he staged the accident to get away with murder.”
“Did the police look into your sister’s death?”
“They claimed it was probably a drunk driver. That there was no proof it was Pablo. They said I needed to go see a psychologist or a grief counselor. Was I grieving? Hell yes I was. But I saw him. He called me and threatened me. And I couldn’t get anyone to believe me.”
Juan sat there listening and she could tell she hadn’t convinced him yet.
“Alison and Bell were all I had. And all of this is my fault. I introduced her to Pablo.” Her chest burned with guilt. “When he hurt Bell and Alison that last time, she wanted to go into a program that hides abused women, and I begged her not to because I’d lose her. So she didn’t. And now she’s dead.”
He moved off the bed and came and sat down in the chair beside her. His knees touched hers. “They are accusing you of abducting a child.”
“That’s a lie, too. I left before Estella ever filed for guardianship. I didn’t break any laws.”
“Estella is Pablo’s sister?”
Vicki nodded. “And she didn’t care about Bell. She never came to see her during the two months after Alison left Pablo. She didn’t even call until the day I saw Pablo. That’s the first time she mentioned she’d fight for guardianship. I’m sure Pablo put her up to it. I was so scared that I went to Joanne that night. She believed me.”
“Wait, who’s Joanne?”
“Joanne Butler. She’s part of the Abused Women and Children Organization. They’re the ones who helped me. Gave me paperwork to change my identity. I went to Phoenix first as Cara Black. But a car, the same car, was parked in front of my house two days in a row. Then I found out from Bell’s day care that someone was showing pictures of Bell and asking questions.”
Juan held out a hand as if to suggest she was talking too fast. “So this program provided you with a license, social security number…?”
She nodded. “In most cases they help women change their names legally. But because Pablo was a cop and we knew he was still alive, they found me the name of someone who had passed away but whose death wasn’t filed.
“I wanted to tell you the truth when you asked me about Bell’s scars. But AWACO warned me not to go to the police unless we were in immediate danger. Plus Joanne said the LAPD had listed me as being a suspect in a missing child case and I was scared you’d turn me in.” She took in a shaky breath. “I’m still scared. Pablo was a dirty cop, working for drug dealers. Can’t you see how hard it was to trust another cop?”
“You think I’m dirty?”
“No,” she admitted. “But I was scared, Juan. I couldn’t risk telling you.”
“How do you know Pablo was dirty?”
“Alison told me. She said he made way too much for it to be a police salary and she saw him once hiding what looked like cocaine in an old cabin they had.”
Juan sat there. He didn’t even seem to blink.
Fear yanked at her sanity. “You still don’t believe me, do you?”
It was a yes-or-no question, and he was taking way too long to answer.
“I don’t disbelieve you, it’s just…It’s a lot to take in. You’re talking dirty cops, murder, and faking a death. That’s a lot.”
She felt the white walls start to close in. How fast could she find Bell and run? “Please, if you turn us in, Pablo could get Bell.”
He frowned. “I’m not going to turn you in. I’m trying to digest this.”
Relief spiraled through her. “Thank you.” A sob rose in her throat and she covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to pull herself together. “I’ve been running nine months, and I’ve been afraid for so long. And then when an ex-employee of mine was killed I thought it could—”
“What? Who was killed?”
“Marisol Willis, she worked for me. I thought Pablo could have done it. I called Joanne, and she said they suspect Marisol’s ex-husband murdered her. But when you get that afraid, it’s hard to let it go.”
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
“Dan. He knows I’m with the program. And when I found out about Marisol, I called him and warned him.”
“He’s another employee?”
“No. We were dating.”
She spotted a slight tic in his jaw. “And he knows you’re here in Anniston?”
“No. But I called him, so he’d have my number. My old cell number. It’s got a Texas area code.”
“Do you have any proof that Pablo is still alive, or even anything on his illegal dealings?”
“No.” Then she remembered. “Wait. I do. My sister told me there was a book, someone gave it to her. At first, I thought it was his sister, but then when she threatened to take Bell…All I know is that Alison said it was like a logbook that Pablo kept. She was supposed to threaten to hand it over to the cops if he caused trouble. She gave me a key to a safety deposit box a few days before she was killed. I’m sure it’s in there.”
“Do you have the key?”
“Yes, it’s with our real birth certificates and social security cards. In an old purse in the back of my closet.” And just like that, a realization hit, one that caused chills to climb up and down her arms. “You don’t think…”
“What?”
“When he called that day, he said he wanted what was his. I just assumed it was Bell. I didn’t even think about the book.”
“Where’s the deposit box?”
“In California.”
“Have you ever looked at it?”
“No. I didn’t think it’d do me any good. I mean, the authorities thought he was dead. How was proving him dirty going to protect us? Even now, what good…?”<
br />
“It’ll at least help encourage the police to look closer at his death.”
“But you can’t tell the police about me, so how are you going to explain having—”
“Let me figure that out.” His face softened, and his tone expressed concern. “Trust me.”
She took a deep breath as an emotional ache filled her chest. “I’m trying.”
Her door swung open. They both jumped, then saw it was the doctor.
“Hey.” The man nodded at Juan. “She looks better now, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah,” Juan agreed.
“She’s lucky. You got her here in time for the antibiotics to work like a charm. This could have turned out different.”
Vicki nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. “Can I go home today?”
“Not yet. We want to keep you on IV antibiotics for another twelve hours. I’m sure you still have some pain in your side, and it could hurt for a few days. But you’re young and healthy and I’m betting in two days you’ll feel like a million bucks. I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
He smiled and walked out. The silence in the room became too loud. She looked at Juan. “Tell me you believe me when I say Pablo is alive.”
He hesitated. “I believe you believe it. And I promise you I’ll look into it.”
* * *
Juan wrote down all the names and information Vicki had told him about. His mind raced at how to find answers. Logic said he might be getting in over his head. Legally, his badge dictated he let the Los Angeles police know he had Vicki. But he’d never been the biggest fan of logic.
Did he believe her sister’s husband had faked his own death? Like he told Vicki, he believed she believed it. But he couldn’t deny it sounded more like a movie of the week than reality.
First, he needed to get whatever was in that safety deposit box. But how? It was in Los Angeles, and he was…An idea hit. Jody, an old friend who now worked for the DEA in L.A., could be the perfect person to ask for help, since the case did involve a drug angle.
She’d probably think he was crazy, but he knew her well enough to know she’d look into it if he asked. He also knew he could trust her not to act on any information he gave her on Vicki. Yes, he’d call her as soon as he got home.
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