Colton's Covert Baby

by Lara Lacombe

  “It’s the least I can do,” he’d said yesterday. “Since I made you break the news to Mom and Dad alone.”

  Molly hadn’t pointed out the fact that Max had actually been with her during the call. She’d simply said thanks and offered to help if he needed it.

  “I know I said I’d give you time, but we do need to start talking about what comes next.” Max kept his gaze on the road as he drove them through town.

  Molly’s shoulders tensed, though there was nothing negative about his tone. “All right,” she said. “What are your thoughts?”

  His grip on the wheel tightened, the knuckles of his fingers going white before he relaxed again. “I want you to know that I will absolutely support the baby, no matter what happens between us.”

  Molly nodded. “Thank you,” she said quietly. It was an outcome she hadn’t taken for granted, and it took some of the weight off her mind to know that Max would financially contribute to the expenses of raising a child.

  “Of course.” He fell silent, and after a few seconds, Molly realized he wasn’t going to say more.

  “How do you think this is going to work?” she prodded. “How often do you think you’ll see the baby?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “A lot of it depends on K-9 Cadets, and how frequently I’ll be able to break away for a visit.”

  Molly’s heart sank at his words. Without necessarily meaning to, Max had dashed any hopes she’d had that they might stay together as a family. She closed her eyes, trying to prevent tears from welling up.

  “So there’s no way you can run the charity from here?”

  He sighed. “I suppose it’s possible, but...”

  “But what?”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Why?” Before he could answer, Molly felt a dam break free inside her, and her words spewed out in a torrent. “Why can’t you stay here? Why can’t we try to be a family? We’re good together, you and I. We’ve always had a connection, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “But what?” Frustration bubbled up inside her, finding a release as she raised the volume of her voice. “I’ve never felt so comfortable with anyone before, Max. And these past few days showed me that the magic between us isn’t confined to the fun of your visits—it’s there in the everyday tasks, the mundane. Even the bad,” she said, her thoughts on Sabrina. She shook her head, focusing on the here and now. “Why can’t we just try to be together for real?”

  “I tried that before, Molly,” he said, his voice tight. “It didn’t work.”

  “She cheated on you!” Molly couldn’t believe he was going to punish her for the actions of his ex-wife. “Do you honestly think I would ever do that to you?”

  “No. But that’s not the point.”

  “Oh? Well, enlighten me, please.” Anger was burning away her frustration, loosening her tongue. “If you don’t think the worst of me, then why aren’t you willing to give us a shot?”

  “Because I don’t have it in me!” Max pulled into her garage and jerked the car into Park. He turned to face her, his green eyes blazing. “Beth didn’t cheat on me because she was a bad person, but because I left her alone in our marriage. Apparently, I’m only good for one thing at a time, and right now that’s K-9 Cadets.”

  Molly stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. “That is the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard in my life.”

  Max looked away. “It’s the truth.”

  “No, it’s not. Your ex-wife told you that to justify her actions. And for some reason, you believed her. Probably because you felt guilty about being gone so much. But believe me, Beth’s actions were her own. No one made her cheat on you, least of all you.”

  “You don’t understand.” His voice was low, barely audible in the stillness of the car.

  Molly shook her head, a sense of finality washing over her. “You’re right... I don’t.” She climbed out of the car and headed for the door. After a few seconds, she heard the car door slam and knew Max was following her.

  She stepped aside to let him unlock the door, then took the keys from his hand. Pushing inside the house, she walked past Furbert and dropped her purse on the kitchen table. When she looked back, Max was standing in the doorway, Furbert at his feet.

  “You do what you think is best, Max,” she said, reaching for a glass. “I’m not going to beg you to be with me.” She filled the glass with water, took a sip to ease the ache in her throat. “But know this—things have changed now. I’m not going to let you pop in and out of my life whenever you feel like it. That was fun for a time, but I deserve more. And so does our daughter.”

  “I know that.”

  “Good.”

  He was quiet a moment, then asked, “What happens now?”

  She made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Go home, back to your work. Just don’t expect me to take you back when you decide in a few years that you’re missing out on the most important parts of life.” Her hand came to rest on her belly, her tone defiant.

  Max studied her for a moment. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” he said tersely.

  “It does for me,” Molly said. “I need more than a part-time partner.”

  He looked down, clenching his teeth. “Fair enough.”

  “Besides, do you honestly think you can be a drop-in dad to this baby?”

  “You make it sound so terrible.” Max looked up, took a step closer. “Why can’t I have it both ways? Why can’t I run my charity and visit my daughter on a regular basis? I could fly out here once a month, stay for a week at a time. What’s wrong with that?”

  She nearly laughed at his suggestion. “I’m sure it would start out that way,” she replied. “But how long would it take before you got so busy you missed a trip? Just one at first. But as your organization expanded, or you needed to raise more funds, it would get easier and easier for you to push those visits aside. Then, you’ll turn around and it will have been six months since you’ve seen her, or a year. Finally, you’ll decide you may as well not come at all, since it’s already been so long.”

  Max didn’t reply. But she could tell by the expression on his face he’d heard her.

  “That’s not fair to this baby,” she said quietly.

  “So what are you saying?” His voice was flat, emotionless. “That you want me to walk away? That if I’m not willing to give you everything you want, I may as well stay out of your lives completely? I never thought you were one for issuing ultimatums.” He crossed his arms, glaring at her.

  “I’m not,” Molly replied evenly. “I will never keep you from seeing your daughter. But I won’t let you disappoint her, either.”

  “She’s my baby, too,” he said, a warning glint in his eyes.

  “Then I guess you’d better do right by her,” Molly said. “Hopefully you won’t let your hang-ups about commitment ruin your relationship with her the way they did ours.”

  Max shook his head, dropped his arms. “This is getting us nowhere.”

  “On the contrary,” she shot back. “I think it’s been quite illuminating.” Her heart was breaking in two, but at least now she knew where she stood with Max.

  Or didn’t, as the case was.

  He drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding with the effort. “I’m going to go for now. But I’m not leaving town yet. As far as I’m concerned, we still have a lot to iron out.”

  “Really? Because it seems to me we’ve already covered all of the important stuff. The rest is just details. I’m sure your secretary is more than capable of handling those. I know how hard it is for you to do the little things, like returning emails or phone calls.”

  Max flinched, and Molly immediately felt guilty for the dig. She had promised not to punish him forever for that mistake. But her intentions were no match for h
er roiling emotions at the moment.

  Max nodded. “I suppose I deserved that.” He took a step back, glanced down. “Come on, boy,” he said to Furbert. “Time for us to go.”

  Furbert got to his feet, looking as worried as possible for a dog. He glanced between Max and Molly, as if hoping one of them would explain what was happening.

  Molly followed Max and the dog down the hall, intending to lock up after them. But just as she stepped forward to shut the front door, Max whirled on his heel, bringing them face-to-face.

  “I wasn’t lying earlier, Molly,” he said. His breath was warm on her cheek, his eyes flashing green fire. “I will be back. We aren’t finished here.”

  “You’ll forgive me if I don’t hold my breath.” She shut the door before he could reply, realizing only after she did so that he had no way to get back to The Lodge. For a split second, she considered letting him back in and calling for a cab, but decided against it. He could walk into town, or call Blaine for a ride if he was feeling lazy. Either way, she wasn’t going to worry about it.

  Emotions rattled inside her, bouncing around like bees in a bottle. Molly forced herself to walk into the den, sit on the sofa. It felt strange to be alone after being around Max and Furbert all weekend. The house seemed so much bigger without the two of them there.

  The adrenaline from the argument faded, leaving her feeling hollowed out and heartsick. Unable to think of anything else to do, Molly lay down on the couch. Staring up at the ceiling, she surrendered to her tears.

  * * *

  “Why, Deputy Sheriff Bloom, how nice it is to see you.”

  The booming voice stopped Daria in her tracks. She’d stopped in the diner for a quick bite to eat, and had seen the mayor and Russ Colton walk in together. She’d quickly finished her lunch and started for the door, hoping to avoid talking to them. But it seemed she wasn’t going to make a clean getaway after all.

  She turned and offered a smile to both men. “Nice to see you, Mayor. Mr. Colton.”

  “You, as well.” Mayor Dylan smiled up at her. “Do you have a minute? I’d love to bend your ear.”

  It wasn’t really a question, and they both knew it. She nodded, pulling out one of the free chairs at their table.

  Russ Colton sat across from her, a glass of tea in his hand. “Hell of a thing, that avalanche,” he said, turning to glance out the windows of the diner. “We were lucky no one was hurt.”

  “Yes, sir,” Daria replied. She studied his face as he took a sip from his glass, searching for her adoptive father’s features in his own. Joe Colton, former president of the United States, had adopted her when she was very young. He and his wife had been loving parents, and Daria had wanted for nothing while growing up. But Daria needed to make a name for herself based on her own merits, not because of her connection to her father. So she’d changed her last name back to Bloom and set off in search of her biological family in the hopes of learning more about them and her past. The trail had led her to Colorado, and Daria had fallen in love with the area. She’d settled in Roaring Springs, learning only after the fact that the Colton family’s reach extended here, as well.

  No one had discovered her secret...yet. And she intended to keep it that way. Most of the Coltons in town were nice—she certainly had nothing bad to say about Trey Colton, the sheriff and her boss—but Daria was quite happy to remain on the fringes of their lives, apart from the drama inherent in such a large family.

  Mayor Dylan leaned forward. “I’ll get right to the point, Deputy Sheriff. What’s going on with those bodies?”

  “We’re still investigating,” she began, but he interrupted.

  “Yes, yes, of course. But I was hoping you had some new information to share. Have you been able to identify anyone yet?”

  She glanced meaningfully at Russ Colton, hesitating. Mayor Dylan waved away her silent inquiry.

  “You can speak freely in front of Russ.”

  Daria wasn’t so sure about that, but she couldn’t very well contradict the mayor in front of the most powerful businessman in town.

  “We have positive confirmation that one of the bodies is that of Sabrina Gilford.” She was confident one of the other bodies belonged to April Thomas, a young woman who had been missing for over a year, and whose mother had come to town a few months ago searching for her. But Daria was keeping her thoughts to herself on that one until the forensic results were in.

  A shadow crossed Russ’s face; Sabrina was his niece. Daria didn’t think Russ had been an especially doting uncle, but the news had likely come as a shock.

  “I had heard that,” the mayor said. “But what about the others?”

  “We’re still in the process of trying to make identifications. We’ve sent the remains to the state lab in Denver. Some of the bodies are in advanced stages of decomposition, making the process more difficult.”

  Mayor Dylan nodded, running his hand down his face. “I see.”

  “I’m happy to keep your office updated on the progress of my investigation,” she offered, hoping to put an end to this conversation.

  “I’d appreciate that,” the mayor said. “Do you think this is the work of a serial killer?”

  “I do, yes.” Both the mayor and Russ Colton gaped at her, as if they’d been expecting a different answer. “Six bodies buried in the same location is not a coincidence.”

  “No, I suppose it’s not.” Dylan frowned. “Do you think he’s still here?”

  “If it is indeed a he, I imagine he’s still around, yes. Ms. Gilford hasn’t been dead for very long. That suggests whoever killed these women is still active in the area.”

  “My God.” The mayor leaned back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. “Here in Roaring Springs.”

  “I’m afraid so,” she confirmed. Daria glanced at her watch; she really needed to get back to the station. Hopefully the mayor would let her go soon.

  “What are you going to tell the public?”

  Ah, she thought. That’s why he wanted to talk to me. “I’m going to tell them what we know so far. We’re obviously not going to release all the information we have, but the fact that we discovered six bodies here is national news.”

  Mayor Dylan frowned again, clearly unhappy that word of the gruesome find had spread beyond Roaring Springs. “Be that as it may, I think you should downplay the serial killer angle.”

  Daria lifted one brow. “Mr. Mayor, with all due respect, I don’t have to say the words serial killer. The press is only too happy to speculate about that without any input from me.”

  “But you can help shape their reports,” he insisted. “The way you react to their questions will determine how sensationalistic their angle becomes. If you make it seem like you agree with the idea there’s a serial killer using Roaring Springs as his hunting ground, that will turn into the story.”

  “It seems to me that is the story,” she replied.

  “But you can’t be sure the victims are all connected until the medical examiner has finished his work.”

  Daria conceded his point with a nod.

  Dylan leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees. “Listen, I know you have a job to do. And I’m not in any way trying to stifle your investigation. But the film festival is scheduled to begin soon. You know how much money that puts in the town’s coffers.”

  And your friend’s as well, Daria thought to herself. Russ was the CEO of the Colton Empire, the name his father had given to the corporation that encompassed The Lodge and The Chateau, two locations that were always sold out during the annual film festival. Daria knew several of Russ’s children, as well as some of his nieces and nephews, also had local businesses in town or nearby. The Colton family was so entwined with Roaring Springs that anything that was good for the area was good for their bottom line, too.

  “If the media get fixated on the idea of a serial ki
ller here,” the mayor continued, “people will start to worry. They might decide the film festival isn’t worth the risk of staying here. If the festival goes under, that’ll be the end of it. The town won’t be able to recoup that lost income, and the festival itself will likely never be successful again. We can’t let that happen.”

  Daria sighed quietly. She understood the point the man was making, and his concerns for the town. But she had to balance his worries about money with the very real possibility that greater publicity about this case would generate more leads for her to follow as people contacted the department with tips. These five unidentified women, whoever they were, hadn’t been invisible. People around town had seen them, talked to them. Someone out there likely had information that could help Daria catch the killer. But if the mayor insisted she keep things quiet, she might never get to hear it.

  “A certain amount of publicity is a good thing,” she began, hoping to explain her reasoning and draw the mayor to her side.

  Dylan was having none of it. “I’m asking you this as a favor,” he said, though his tone made it clear that was far from the truth. “Roaring Springs cannot afford this scandal right now. By all means, continue your investigation. But do it quietly.”

  Daria took a deep breath, then nodded. Agreeing with the mayor was the only way she was going to get out of this conversation. Besides, his request made a certain kind of sense.

  “All right. I won’t emphasize the possibility we have a serial killer in the area.”

  He smiled broadly, pleased to have won.

  “But,” she continued, causing his smile to freeze, “I won’t ignore those questions, either. I understand your concerns about the film festival and the financial future of this town. But I have a responsibility to protect the residents of Roaring Springs. At some point, they will need to know if there is a predator in their midst.”