“Little wonder.” She heaved a sigh. “Do you think she should stop playing baseball this summer?”
“I couldn’t take that away from her. I’ll just have to be careful never to be late picking her up from practice.”
“Yes.” A frown made a V between her eyebrows. “Do you have any idea who might have taken her, or do you think it was random?”
Matthew shook his head. “I wish I knew. I suspected Ray.”
“Ray?” A gasp escaped her lips. “Do you really think he might?”
He scrubbed at his chin and expelled a frustrated sigh. “I think he’d do anything for a buck. Even try to use his daughter against us.”
“Your daughter,” his mother said firmly. “She will never be his.”
Affection surged through Matthew. He smiled. “I know that. But he could try to use her against us for profit.”
“We’ll never allow it. I’m calling the police.” She rose from her chair and reached for the phone on Matthew’s desk.
“Wait, Mom. Don’t. The St. Louis police have already got all this on file. We’ll be more careful with Jamie from now on.”
She dropped back into her chair, her face awash in color. “Do you really think it might have been Ray?”
“I don’t know. James described him with the same hair as Aunt Casey.”
“Red, huh? Well, that rules out Ray.” She sucked in her cheek and held it there with her teeth—the only nervous habit Matt had ever observed in his mother. “Unless he was wearing a wig.”
Matt gave a somber nod. “I know. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no one ever has the opportunity to take her again.”
“Dad?” Jamie’s sleepy voice halted their conversation. Matthew glanced up to find his daughter standing in the doorway.
“What are you doing out of bed, sport?” He rolled his chair away from his desk and patted his lap. Jamie came to him willingly. He pulled her close, breathing in the soft scent of baby shampoo.
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “I dreamed a man took me away from you and Grams and Aunt Casey.”
“Well, don’t you worry your sweet head about that.” Matthew’s mother moved around the desk and caressed the child’s hair. “Your daddy and I are going to make sure nothing like what happened today ever happens again. Now. Are you hungry? Your daddy said you barely ate anything today.”
Jamie nodded. “Can I have chicken fingers?”
Matthew hid a grin against the top of Jamie’s head. His mother was appalled at the very sight of processed food in her freezer, but Matthew insisted they keep it around for the times when they needed quick calories on a busy day. Jamie instinctively knew her grandmother would deny her nothing after what had happened today, especially after what might have happened.
Predictably, his mother gave a loving smile and held out her hand. “Chicken fingers it is, my sweet,” she said.
Matthew watched them leave, his heart nearly splitting in two with love, worry, relief. Becoming a parent had been the most incredible experience of his life and the most terrifying. And never more so than this moment. The thought of losing his little girl was intolerable and he wouldn’t allow it.
His thoughts shifted to Raven. She’d barely spoken a word during the rest of the day, except to encourage him not to pull up stakes and head home immediately after the incident.
“Matt,” she’d said, “Jamie feels badly enough. Don’t take the park away from her. The guy’s long gone. And if he’d wanted to kidnap Jamie, she’d be long gone too. Deal with this later.”
It was a crazy idea. He’d wanted to snatch Jamie up and take her home, lock her in a tower like the princess she was, and keep her safe forever. The last thing he wanted to do was expose her to thousands of strangers, hundreds of miles from home. But the remorse in his daughter’s eyes had melted his heart. They’d stayed, gone on rides, pretended to have a great time. But all day, he’d sensed watchful eyes upon them. He wasn’t sure if the creeped-out feeling came from the power of suggestion, or if his instincts were actually working for him. Either way, he’d made sure Jamie didn’t leave his sight except for the most necessary moments, in which case, Raven stood watch with the tenacity of a guard outside Buckingham Palace.
On impulse, he grabbed the phone and dialed Raven’s number. The machine picked up on the second ring. A grimace tightened his lips. He definitely was not in the mood to talk to technology. With a sigh, he dropped the receiver back into its cradle.
He tapped his computer keyboard to clear the screen saver, then downloaded his e-mail. He noticed it immediately. A user name he’d never seen in his box. Nothing in the subject line. His heart thundered in his ears as he double-clicked and a new box appeared on his screen.
How did Jamie enjoy the cotton candy? Do you understand now how serious I am?
Matt sat back and read and reread the e-mail. Lord, what does this guy want? He wasn’t asking for anything. Just making cryptic threats. If he asked for money and signed his name, Matthew could take this to the police, but without anything to go on, they’d never believe it was Ray.
The phone rang.
Raven. His heart gave a lurch.
“Hi,” she said, sounding a little breathless. Nerves? Or exertion? “I saw your name on caller ID. You should block your name, you know. Anyone can get your number.”
A jolt shot through him at her words. “Raven, how would someone get another person’s e-mail address?”
“Who are you looking for?”
“No one. But I got an e-mail just now from the guy at Adventure Park today.”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I were. When I tried to e-mail back, my server showed no record of that address.”
“Forward me the e-mail, I can find him.”
“How?”
“There are all kinds of e-mail-tracking methods and software. And if all else fails I’ll call a contact at the Kansas City P.D. We’ll find this bozo and get him off your back.”
Relief swept through him, a sense that everything was going to be okay. “Thank you, Raven. I’m glad you’re around through all of this.”
A pregnant pause bloated the air between them until an intake of breath signaled her intention to speak. “I’m glad I am, too. Jamie is…”
He chuckled. “A brat?”
“I was going to say ‘a real keeper.’ You two are lucky to have each other.”
“She needs a mother.” The words left his mouth before he thought.
“Yeah, so do I.” Her snappy comeback flashed an image across Matt’s mind—Raven receiving the news of her mother’s death. The cry of despair, the phone crashing to the floor. She’d dropped to her knees, holding her head between her arms. Guttural moans had wrenched from her body. Animalistic, and yet grief that only the human soul could express. Matthew had never before or since observed such explosive emotional pain.
“Hey, you still here?” Raven’s voice cut into the image, drawing Matt from the horror of that day, the heartbreak of a couple of weeks later, when he’d watched her walk away.
“I’m here.”
“I’m sorry for making it about me. Of course a little girl needs a mom. But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve done a great job with Jamie.”
“I’m afraid I’ve treated her too much like a son. She’s such a tomboy.”
“She’d have probably been a tomboy anyway. If you had tried to dress her in pink and ribbons she’d have probably fought you tooth and nail. Look at my sister Keri. She could fish, play ball and climb trees with the best of them. Still can—which comes in handy with twin boys to raise. As a matter of fact, I imagine she could take most men in a one-on-one fight if she had to. And she still managed to snag her Prince Charming.”
“Okay, you’ve made your case. I feel better.” He smiled into the empty room.
“Good. Glad to hear it. Okay, I am looking at the e-mail you forwarded. This guy is really spooky, isn’t he?”
“Very.”
“Listen, any chance this is a personal thing? I mean not just some crazy stalker, but someone with a real reason to threaten your family? Personal vendetta stuff? What about Jamie’s biological father?”
Raven was too good. No sense keeping Ray’s extortion from her. Especially if she could help. “I don’t know. It’s possible. But I don’t want to go into it over the phone.”
If nothing else, today’s incident followed by this e-mail message had convinced him that he was not as secure as he’d once believed.
“Gotcha. How about meeting for breakfast tomorrow? We can go over everything and decide how to go about finding this creep.”
“Breakfast won’t work. We have church in the morning.”
“Oh, yeah.” Church.
Raven grimaced at the flatness of her own tone. The only times she’d stepped inside a church during the years since her mother’s funeral were for Keri’s and then Denni’s weddings. But of course, Matt would still attend.
“Okay, then…”
“Why don’t you join us and then come over to the house for Sunday dinner?”
Warning! Warning! Red lights and sirens strobed through her. “Uh, that’s a little too much like…”
“Me taking you home to meet the folks?” Matt chuckled.
“Sort of.”
“How about throwing caution to the wind and doing it anyway? I promise to inform the family that it’s a strategy lunch and they are not to read any white lace and promises into it.”
“Oh sure, just like you promised to tell Jamie I was nothing more than an old college chum?”
“Are you doubting my integrity?” His feigned offense brought a quick smile to Raven’s lips.
“Highly questioning it, as a matter of fact.”
“Look, what does it matter what conclusions they draw? I want you here. For any reason. Will you come?”
Raven hugged her knees to her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay,” she breathed out before her refusal could form on her lips.
“Okay? Just like that? Are you sure?”
Recovering a bit of composure, Raven nodded. So maybe no one else was in the room, but the physical confirmation bolstered her courage. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“I’m glad. I’ll be there at ten o’clock to pick you up for church. Oh, hey, I have to go. Jamie’s back in here and I need to tuck her into bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Panic seized Raven. “Matt, wait!”
Too late. The line went dead.
Her throat tightened and her pulse quickened with the beginnings of what could only be an anxiety attack.
She’d only agreed to lunch at the Strong mansion. Never, ever, in million years had she planned to go to church. Raven glanced at the clock, debating whether to call Matt back and set him straight. But no. He was busy with Jamie.
Gathering a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and resigned herself to a pew-sitting, hymn-singing, head-bowing church service.
After all, what harm could one service do?
Chapter Eleven
Drat! Parking oneself on a pew after fifteen years of no church attendance was like coming home after living in a non-English-speaking country for decades. Raven barely understood the language anymore. Churchese.
She sat stock-still, unsure what was appropriate, and unwilling to make a spectacle of herself by doing the wrong thing—especially if someone recognized her from the news broadcasts.
Seated next to Mrs. Strong, Raven felt as though she might as well have been Fergie sitting next to the Queen Mum, for all the warmth she received. Most horrifying was that, try as she might to stay stiff and unmoved, inexplicable tears burned just behind her eyes when the congregation began to sing “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”
Egads! Tears trickled down her face, first one, then another and another until there was no dignified way to hide the fact that she was crying. She sniffled. Mrs. Strong pressed a tissue into her hand.
Nodding her thanks, Raven kept her tear-blurred gaze averted to the hymnal on her lap. Mercifully, the preacher took his place at the pulpit next and she was able to regain and maintain composure throughout the rest of the service. When the service closed, she excused herself to the restroom where she wiped away smudges of mascara. Dread tugged at her heart. How would she explain this to Matthew? Especially when she didn’t understand, herself.
Matthew stood waiting in the foyer when she emerged. A tender smile touched his lips. “Ready?”
“Where’s Jamie?”
“Mother picked her up from Kids’ Church. She’ll drive her home.”
He opened the church door and allowed her to precede him outside. The air smoldered in the summer breeze.
“Whew,” Matthew said, loosening his tie. “Leaving the air conditioning to come out in this is a shocker.”
“No kidding. Tony, our chief meteorologist, says we’re in for another week of this heat without much chance of rain.”
“Well, it’s his job to know, isn’t it?”
“Yep, and our Tony is the number-one weather guy in Kansas City.”
The small talk helped Raven’s taut nerves begin to relax as they drove out of the parking lot and into the traffic. The farther away from the church they drove, the better she felt.
To her relief, no mention was made of her meltdown during the service.
“So, how was Jamie this morning?”
“Not great. She had trouble sleeping last night—nightmares.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He pounded the steering wheel. “I’ve got to find this guy and get him out of our life. I hate the feeling that he’s a real threat to Jamie.”
“What about going to the police?”
“We did that in St. Louis.”
“I know, but that was over what happened yesterday. You have more now. Maybe you should show them the e-mail, let them do a trace.”
“Could they do anything you can’t do?”
“Well, no. Not until he’s actually caught.”
“Then let’s not take a chance the press will get wind of this. Jamie doesn’t need to see reminders on the news. She’s shaken enough as it is.”
Raven knew he hadn’t considered her employment status when he’d made the “press” remark. Rather than being insulted, she enjoyed the idea that he trusted her. Apparently it hadn’t crossed his mind that she might report this incident with Jamie as news. And amazingly, she hadn’t even considered it.
A definite sign of character growth.
“Here we are,” Matthew announced.
She drew a delighted breath at the sight of Matthew’s home as they drew up before it. “I’d forgotten how beautiful this house is.”
Matthew smiled. “Thank you.”
“You were one lucky kid growing up in a place like this, Matt. You must have had a lot of friends inviting themselves over.”
“Well, only from kids whose parents were in Dad’s political party.” He laughed. “Just kidding.”
“Is Jamie going to your fancy old alma mater?”
“Mother wouldn’t have it any other way,” he drawled. “To tell you the truth, I’d love to take Jamie and raise her in a normal house in the suburbs somewhere. Away from so-called upper-class society. Mother’s a wonderful woman, but she has her notions.”
“That’s an intriguing idea. I think Jamie would love to live in a neighborhood with other kids to hang out with.”
“Intriguing, but not practical, I’m afraid. Especially now that we’ve become some sort of target.”
Raven reached across the seat and touched his shoulder. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise.”
He covered her hand with his. “I’m glad you’ve come back into my life, Raven. For whatever reason. It helps having someone to talk to about this.”
“What do you mean, ‘for whatever reason’?”
Matt released a heavy sigh. “Kellie told me about your race for anchor.”
Her pulse quickened. Raven fr
owned. “Kellie Cruise?” The interloper, climber, daughter of the station manager? How on earth…Oh, yeah…
“My parents know hers. Mother is great friends with Kellie’s mother. She was just a kid last time I saw her until I ran into her the other night…coincidentally, the same place I first ran into you.”
Ignoring the innuendo, she worked at wrapping her mind around the reminder that Kellie had the same edge as she had for Matt’s story. “At the gym?” The little sneak.
“Yep. At the gym.”
Unable to bear the questioning look in his eyes, she averted her gaze, cleared her throat. He laced his fingers with hers. “I have a pretty good idea that you didn’t walk into Randy’s that night by mistake.”
A feather-soft kiss warmed her fingers, drawing her gaze upward to his. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t admit that she’d callously looked him up in effort to use the love they’d shared for her personal gain. But awareness shone in his eyes and she knew she didn’t have to confess. He chuckled.
“You never could tell a lie, Raven. You have guilt written all over that pretty face.”
“Matt…I…”
“Don’t…” He pressed a finger to her lips, and allowed it to linger, as warm and gentle as a kiss. “If that was your motive for looking me up, I can live with it. It doesn’t say much for my manly charms, and that’s a little ego-bruising. But, as I said, I can live with it.”
Raven opened her mouth against his finger. “Wait,” he said gently, applying more pressure. “Let me finish.” He slid his hand upward to cup her cheek.
She nodded, fighting the urge to lean into his palm.
“I want to pursue the feelings I’m having for you. But I need you to know I will not put Jamie on display for anyone. Not even you. So you have to make a choice. If you want a place—your rightful place, I might add—in my life, it’ll mean giving up the story you’re looking for.”
Raven closed her eyes, envisioning her career going round and round in circles until finally flushing down the bowl of life.
The balance scales in her mind weighed her options.
She cared about him…she really did. But what if they didn’t work out again? Where would she be? Stuck in a low-position job, reporting to Kellie—the cheerleader—Cruise. She swallowed hard. “Matt…”
Betrayal of Trust Page 9
