by Dana Mason
“They’re digging through our things.” She handed the paperwork to Alex. “They’re making a mess of everything. Agent Sharpe, Ryan and I live here. Why are you searching through our belongings?”
Sharpe motioned to the door again. “Please, let’s go outside.”
“Bailey, go with him. I’ll stay inside and keep an eye on things,” Vince said.
She looked from Sharpe to Vince then to Ryan, who nodded.
“Fine.” She stormed out of the house, and before she turned on him, she’d noted Linda and James were outside waiting. “What’s this about?” she asked Sharpe. “Why are you searching my house?”
“Is this true?” Alex said, flipping the document toward Sharpe as he followed them out of the house. “I didn’t think that tabloid show ever got anything right, but this is exactly what she was reporting.”
“Mr. Spatz, we believe it’s true. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” Sharpe exhaled heavily and bowed his head. “We had enough evidence to gain a search warrant.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Bailey said. “You don’t actually believe my mother had something to do with this, do you? That’s ridiculous.”
Alex leaned over and rested his hands on his knees, the document crumpled in his hand. His face paled, and his lips pushed into a straight line. “I can’t believe this. I just cannot believe this. How could anyone be so— Murderers. They’re all murderers.”
His breathing hitched, and Bailey thought he was going to hyperventilate.
Sharpe turned to another agent. “We may need an EMT.”
Bailey tried to get him to look at her, but his eyes were stretched wide and focused steadily on the ground. He laid a hand on his chest as his breathing increased further.
“Alex, are you okay?” Linda said, approaching him. “Here, sweetie, sit down.”
“Vince,” Bailey yelled from the front yard. She gripped her father’s arm. “Please, try to take a deep breath. You’re scaring me.”
“Do you know what I went through? Do you know what these people put me through?” He panted, sweat forming on his face.
Vince rushed down the front steps and faced Alex, his hands resting on his shoulders. “Alex, have a seat over here.” He tried nudging Alex toward the bench in front of the house.
“Don’t touch me.” Alex jerked away. “I don’t want you touching me. You must’ve known. You were all friends.”
When he swayed slightly, James grabbed him and braced himself behind his father.
Linda’s voice pitched. “Alex, please calm down.”
Bailey grabbed his arm and said, “Vince is a paramedic. Let him help you.”
“I don’t want him anywhere near me.” He tilted his head toward Vince. “Did you know about this, you son-of-a-bitch?”
“Hey, don’t talk to him like that,” Ryan growled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You’re what’s wrong. Did you know, too?”
“Dad,” James said, trying to lead his father toward the bench as the sound of sirens drew closer.
Alex swayed again and tried to break free of James’ grip. “Get away from my daughter. I can’t believe…raised by murderers…oh, God,” he grimaced, his body slanting sideways, nearly knocking James over.
“No, no,” James said before gently laying him down on the walking path. Vince knelt down next to him and started loosening his clothes, checking his pulse at the same time.
After the ambulance was parked and the EMTs were approaching, they all stood and backed up. Alex fought them, swinging his arms out, shouting about murderers and kidnappers.
Bailey’s stomach bottomed out at his words. It couldn’t be true. It wasn’t possible.
Once he was on the gurney, Linda and James both tried to calm him down. She walked over and leaned down close to his face. “Hey, hey.” When Bailey’s hand rested on his forehead, he lifted his eyes to hers. “Please, let them treat you.” He had tears in his eyes, tears that formed a lump in her throat, as well. “You’re scaring me. Please let the medics do their job. We’ll meet you at the hospital.”
He lifted the crooked oxygen mask off his mouth. “I don’t need a hospital.”
She replaced it and batted his hand away. “Yes, you do. You passed out. You need to see a doctor. Please, stop fighting.”
“I’m sorry, Bailey,” he said, more tears dropping from his eyes.
She tried to smile. “Everything will be fine. Just try to relax and cooperate.”
He nodded, and she backed up so they could carry him away.
They put him into the ambulance, and she watched it drive away, her stomach rolling with guilt. Was he right? Had her parents done this to him?
Linda looked from the ambulance to Bailey. “We’ll get Nicole and Stanley and drive to the hospital.”
Bailey nodded as Ryan’s hand rested on the back of her neck. The heat from it gave her comfort.
“I can drive you to the hospital,” he said.
She waved her hand toward the house. “What about this mess, Ryan? I don’t know what they’re looking for, but…”
“It’s just a house, Bailey. He’s your father.” His hand squeezed her neck, and she tilted her head back into the pressure. “Dad can stay here and keep an eye on things.”
“Where’s that warrant?” she asked.
Ryan lifted it to show her. “They’re accusing Patrick, Ernie, and Helen of kidnapping you as an infant.”
The look on his face was one of sick disgust. Bailey shook her head. They would never do something so awful. Her parents were good people. “They wouldn’t…”
“I know.” Ryan lowered his eyes to the paperwork. “They got it wrong here. Helen would never do something like that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ryan and Bailey beat Linda and the rest of the family to the hospital, but not Mae and Lucas, which surprised the hell out of her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked when she ran into them in the emergency room.
“We heard Alex was taken away by ambulance and thought you might need us,” Lucas said.
“You guys are so sweet, but how did you hear?”
“It’s a small town,” Lucas said. “When the staff told me Ryan left due to an emergency, I called Vince, and he told me what was going on. We thought it’d be quicker to just come here.”
“You didn’t have to come down here,” Bailey said, and she felt guilty pulling them from work again. “I’m sorry if we worried you. I think he’s going to be okay.”
Lucas waved her off. “Don’t apologize. You know we’ll always be here for you, Bailey.”
Bailey reached out to hug him, then turned to hug Mae, too. “What would I do without you guys?” Her throat swelled, and she swallowed back tears. They had always been there for her. Why had she taken it for granted for so long? She withdrew from the hug and tried to breathe away her tears.
“We weren’t trying to make you cry,” Lucas said. “Sorry about that.”
She shook her head. “It’s been a long day. I’m sorry.”
“We heard what The Rosa Trials was reporting. I’m so sorry,” Mae said. “Vince told us about the search warrant, too. Please, tell me they don’t believe that trash.”
“It’s been a really long day already,” Bailey repeated, still fighting to keep her tears at bay.
Ryan handed the search warrant to Lucas. He and Mae both skimmed it, and Bailey saw recognition and disgust hit their faces at the same time.
“As soon as her father read it, he started to hyperventilate, and we didn’t have a chance to talk to Sharpe before we came here.”
“Bailey, I need to tell you something.” Lucas hesitated then said, “I think I know—”
“Bailey,” Linda said, coming through the large sliding doors. “What’s happening?”
She turned to face the family. “They haven’t given us any news yet, but when they took him back, they mentioned it might just be an anxiety attack.”
“I don’t understand what set him off?” Nicole said. “Why did he freak out?”
Bailey and Ryan’s eyes met, then she handed the warrant to Linda. James, Nicole, and Stanley read the document over her shoulders.
It wasn’t the same response as Mae and Lucas. Linda’s face burned red, and her eyes grew wide. “I can’t believe they did this. All this time, everything we’ve been through—it’s deplorable.”
“We haven’t seen any evidence yet,” Ryan said. “It could just be a theory at this point.”
“The warrant states some evidence has already been found, and they don’t issue search warrants on theory,” Stanley said.
Linda stumbled back and sat in the nearest chair. “I just can’t believe this. I refused to believe it when Rosa Sikes… But now…”
“They’re mistaken. My mother did not do this. She wasn’t that kind of person.” Bailey’s eyes traveled to Nicole. “She wouldn’t have done this.”
“Of course not,” Mae said, stepping up to Bailey’s side.
Nicole lifted a placating hand and said, “I’m sure it’s a mistake.”
“I want to see my husband.” Linda stood and brushed by Bailey. “He must be sick about this. No wonder he collapsed.”
Everyone’s heads turned, and they watched her as she walked over to the counter and asked about Alex. When they buzzed her in, she pulled on the heavy glass door and disappeared down a corridor.
“What’s going on?” Wade said. He leaned over, fighting to catch his breath. “I got here as fast as I could.”
“What are you doing here?” Bailey asked.
“Lucas told me what happened. I wanted to check on you guys.” He straightened and exhaled slowly with his hands on his hips.
“You didn’t have to come,” Bailey said when he reached out to hug her. “But thank you. Who’s getting the bar ready for tonight?”
“Everything’s covered. I called Rick in. He’s on his way.”
She walked over and sat down. Her head was spinning, her energy wearing thin. She didn’t know what to think about all this. More than anything, she wanted to talk to Sharpe and find out what evidence he had. Surely, the letters from Uncle Pat weren’t enough proof.
Ryan slipped into the chair next to her and leaned in to catch her eye. When she looked at him, he glanced around to see if anyone could hear them, then said, “Are you going to be okay?”
She waved a hand at him. “I’m fine, but Ryan, do you think… My God, could this be true?”
“I think it’s about time we consider at least some version might be true.” He gave her an intense look. “Let’s be real here, babe. If you didn’t believe in some way it was a possibility, we wouldn’t have kept those letters a secret like we did.”
“I didn’t…no. I thought it was something we needed to keep to ourselves. I thought there was some kind of family secret that needed to stay a secret, but not this.” She jumped to her feet, pacing the room with her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She walked back to her seat and shook her head at Ryan. “I refuse to even entertain the idea until I see solid proof.”
He took her hand in his. “Then we’ll wait.”
“Bailey, I need to talk to you about something,” Lucas said, approaching them. “Can we step outside?”
“Sure. What is it?”
Lucas gestured toward the glass doors and walked outside, with Bailey and Ryan following. He seemed extremely tense, which was out of the ordinary for Lucas. Seeing them step outside, Mae followed. Lucas turned and looked over their shoulders to make sure nobody else followed. Bailey could see her siblings inside, with Wade sitting next to Nicole, making conversation.
Bailey turned back to Lucas. “What’s going on?”
He hesitated for a moment as if he was having a hard time saying what he needed to say. “I know where I recognize Nicole from.”
“Okay…”
“It’s her voice. She’s the caller.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “She’s The Rosa Trials caller who’s been feeding the show information about you and Dex, and probably your parents.”
“You’re sure?” Ryan asked. “She only called into the live show once, maybe twice. Wouldn’t her family have recognized her voice?”
Lucas held up two fingers. “Twice, and I’m absolutely sure. I searched YouTube last night and was able to see both clips from when she called into the show. It’s her, I’m sure. If her family didn’t see those two episodes, they wouldn’t have heard it.”
“That fucking bitch,” Ryan growled. “Why? How? Where did she get the information?”
“My guess is she got it from her husband,” Lucas said. “Listen, I’ve suspected this since I met her at the club last night. I’ve had some time to think about it. She must’ve found whatever it is Dex took when he broke into the house. She probably found photos Dex had of him and Bailey. It’s not impossible to believe he had a few. They were together for nearly a year.”
“That little bitch,” Mae said. “I’ll kick her ass.”
“Don’t you dare,” Lucas reached out and grabbed her before she made it to the glass doors. “That’s Bailey’s sister. You need to let her decide how to deal with this.”
Bailey stood staring at them, not sure what to think. How could this be? She and Nicole had grown close. Bailey had confided in her, and she had confided in Bailey. She was Bailey’s sister. How could she betray her like this?
“Bailey, Dex was her husband. It’s not surprising she harbors some ill will over what happened,” Lucas said.
Bailey nodded. “Right, because I did have an affair with her husband. He’s dead because of me.”
“No,” Ryan said. “Don’t you dare. He’s dead because of him. He did this, not you.”
“He’s right, Bailey,” Lucas said. “If she blames you, it’s not… That’s not…”
“It’s wholly unfair,” Mae said. “You’re the victim from go here. Even as an infant. You have zero responsibility in this entire mess.”
Bailey looked from the three of them to the window into the waiting room. Nicole and Wade were laughing together. How could she be so relaxed after having done so much to hurt Bailey? Months and months of feeding information to Rosa Sikes, all of it to target Bailey. Not to mention keeping this from her own father, letting him learn about it on The Rosa Trials.
She turned and walked back inside the waiting room just as Alex and Linda returned.
James stood and rushed over to greet his parents. “Dad, what’s going on? Are they letting you go?”
As he approached, Nicole and Stanley both stood, as well. Alex looked older. His pale face was highlighted by swollen eyes. Linda also looked worse for wear. Her makeup had been cried off, and she looked tired.
Alex nodded. “Yes. Can you help me pack up the rental? We’re going home tonight.”
“But, Dad…” Nicole grabbed his arm. “We just got here. I think we should wait. Bailey may need us.”
“Stop pretending, Nicole,” Bailey said, heat rising like fire inside her. “Don’t pretend to care about me. I know what you’ve done.”
“Excuse me?” Nicole said. “Bailey, are you okay?”
“I know what you’ve done. I know you’ve been feeding information to Rosa Sikes. You’re the person fueling her fire. You’re the reason she’s airing negative and false information about me.”
“Bailey, you’re mistaken. Nicole wouldn’t do that,” Linda said.
“Would you, Nicole?” Stanley asked, his eyes focused on her intently.
“Why?” Bailey asked. “Just tell me why you’d do something so heinous to me? Why would you want the world to believe such lies? You actually tried to convince people I killed Dex.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you did,” Nicole said.
Bailey’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she held up her fist to show her permanent scars. Light reflected off the white spirals that circled her wrists from when she’d been tied up for da
ys in that camp trailer. “How could you say such a thing after what he did to me?”
“Just stop! We all know what you’ve been through, poor, poor Bailey. You have no idea how this has affected everyone else. You don’t know what we’ve been through—or you just don’t care.” She pointed a finger at Bailey. “You have no idea what you’ve done to me.”
“Nicole,” Linda said on a gasp. “You didn’t do what she’s saying, did you? Please, tell me she’s mistaken.”
“What I’ve done?” Bailey said. “Nicole, I’m sorry about Dex, but come on. You know I didn’t maliciously hurt you like you’ve done to me. I didn’t know about you. I didn’t know Dex was married.”
Before Nicole could say another word, James stopped her. “That’s enough. We need to get Dad home.”
Alex’s face was sheet white, and Bailey had to wonder if it was a good idea for him to be discharged. James took his other arm. “Dad, come on. I’ll help you to the car.”
Alex stepped forward and faced Bailey. “We’re leaving tonight. Go home and pack a bag.”
“Excuse me?” Ryan said.
Alex glared at him. “This isn’t about you. Stay out of it.”
“Alex…” Bailey wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been through a lot, and he was distraught over the news he believed to be true, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make her own decisions. “I’m sorry, but I’m not leaving with you.”
“I can’t argue with you right now. Just go get your stuff. We’ll meet you at the rental.”
She agreed he didn’t have the strength to fight, but that didn’t keep her from speaking up. “I’m not leaving with you. The FBI has been scrounging around my mother’s hou—”
“That woman was not your mother.” His lip curled, and she felt like she needed to take a step back, but she didn’t.
Ryan’s chest pumped out a little, too, and Bailey laid her hand on him to keep him quiet.
“That woman was my mother. I’m sorry you believe what that warrant says, but I’m afraid I need some solid proof before I’ll believe it.”
“Bailey, I think you should stay with us until we get that proof,” Linda said, her arm firmly locked around Alex’s.
