Lady in Red

by Stacy Claflin

  “I hear that. Give me a call if you want.”

  “Thanks. Might just take you up on that.”

  They said goodbye, and Alex headed back to his desk to prepare to clock out. His mind raced with ideas. What would he do if he did see the red dress woman? Confront her? Call the precinct? No reason he couldn’t do both. The woman needed to be stopped, and if she was on his street, all bets were off.

  Alex was so lost in thought, the ride home flew by. Once inside, everyone else was already gathered at the dinner table. “Am I late?”

  Kenji shook his head. “I just made the meal a little bit earlier.” He glanced over at Valerie and they exchanged a look. “We have something we want to tell everyone after the meal is over.”

  “What is it?” Ariana asked.

  Zoey made eye contact with each of her parents. “Is this something we should’ve gotten a heads-up about? Now I’m worried.”

  Valerie put a hand on Zoey’s. “Nothing to worry about. Let’s just enjoy the meal your dad prepared, then we’ll talk.”

  Zoey frowned but didn’t argue. She exchanged a concerned glance with Alex. He shrugged, having no idea what the news was. He just hoped it was good. That was something they all desperately needed.

  Once the last fork was set down, Zoey cleared her throat. “What’s going on?”

  Kenji rose. “Dessert time!”

  Zoey’s mouth fell open. “Not a chance. You can’t drop a bomb on us like that and then put off the announcement. What’s going on?”

  Her dad returned to his seat. “You’re right. But we’ll have dessert afterward.”

  Alex held Zoey’s hand. “What’s going on?”

  Valerie and Kenji exchanged a glance, drawing out the moment. It was almost enough for Alex to demand they stop procrastinating, but he kept calm for Ariana and Zoey’s sake.

  Kenji pressed his palms on the table and looked at everyone around the table, even the twins. “Valerie and I are moving to Japan.”

  Gasps sounded around the table and everyone asked questions at once.

  Kenji held up a hand and waited for everything to quiet. “I know this seems sudden, and it is. My father has fallen ill rather quickly, and I need to be there for my parents.”

  “For how long?” Zoey asked.

  “That’s unknown.” Kenji frowned. “We don't know—”

  “What about me?” Ariana asked. “Are you taking me, or am I staying?”

  Valerie and Kenji exchanged another glance. She scooted closer to her husband and looked at Ariana. “It breaks our hearts to leave you here—to leave all of you.” She looked around the table again. “But it’s for the best. We’ve been stepping back and letting your mom and dad do most of the parenting, and we’ve been trying to act more like grandparents than parents.”

  “So, you knew this was coming?” Ariana asked, her brows drawing together and her expression confused.

  Kenji glanced at his wife before looking at Ari again. “We’ve known that you’re growing up and you don’t need twice the parents as other kids your age.”

  Ari’s face paled. “I know I’ve complained, but that doesn’t mean I wanted you to go away! That wasn’t it at all, I swear. You don’t have to do this.”

  Valerie reached across and squeezed Ari’s hand. “It’s been a long time coming, sweetie. Your parents are married and are more than capable of parenting you. They’ve been doing that for some time now. We adopted you when they weren’t able to be parents—they were your age. And if they were still unable, we’d be thrilled to keep acting as your parents. But the best thing for everyone is if we step back and just be your grandparents.”

  Tears shone in Ariana’s eyes. It broke Alex’s heart to see her in pain, but that was only one emotion swirling around. The news of his in-laws moving to Japan left him with more questions than answers. What about the house? Would they sell? And if so, where would that leave Alex, Zoey, and the kids? Their vacation would almost certainly have to be put on hold, as they were barely able to save for it now, paying such a small amount of rent for the converted garage apartment.

  Silence settled around the table.

  “Does anyone have any questions?” Kenji asked.

  Zoey leaned forward. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Valerie nodded. “The house is yours while we’re away. You don’t have to worry about moving—we don’t want that. The house was recently paid off, so the timing of our move is good. In fact, we were talking about paying you to take care of it for us.”

  Alex’s mouth dropped open. “You want to pay us to live here?”

  Kenji nodded. “Someone needs to keep it up, right? The house and the garden aren’t going to take care of themselves, you know.”

  Zoey and Alex exchanged bewildered expressions. He was half-tempted to pinch himself to see if he was actually awake. He must’ve fallen asleep at his work desk while doing paperwork. That was the only reasonable explanation.

  “How sick is your father?” Zoey asked. “I’ve never met him. Any of your side of the family.”

  Kenji nodded. “You hardly knew me before you were Ari’s age. If you want to travel, we’ll find a way to make that happen. Think about it, and let us know if it’ll just be you, or all of you.”

  Alex could hardly think. Would their Hawaii vacation turn into a Japanese vacation? Not that he’d complain. Both were places he’d always wanted to visit.

  “Nothing needs to be decided now,” Valerie said. “We wanted to let you know now that everything is settled. Sleep on it, discuss it. But we’d really like for you all to stay in the house for us. There isn’t anyone else we trust with it as much as you two.”

  Alex gave his head a rueful shake with a small grin on his face. She smiled genuinely at him. Despite the issues they’d had with each other early on, clearly he’d proven himself. He returned the smile. “We appreciate it.”

  Kenji rose. “Now, who wants dessert?”

  Alex tried to take in the news and all of its implications. It would probably take some time to fully wrap his mind around it.

  Chapter 24

  Alex paced in front of the window, hoping he wasn’t scaring away the woman in red—if she was even coming by that night. What were the chances of her actually showing up twice in a row?

  His mind kept returning to the news his in-laws had just dropped on them a few hours earlier. It hardly seemed real—they were leaving, and not trying to bring Ariana with them. Especially given the previous tension between the two couples raising Ariana. Early on, when Alex started coming back around, Zoey wanted full custody and was ready to bring in attorneys to make that happen.

  Now, Kenji and Valerie were willingly leaving the country without her? How had they managed to come so far in such a short time? They’d raised Ariana since she was a baby. Alex had only been back in the picture a few years, and it felt like even less time. The days had flown by so quickly.

  Were they going to remain Ariana’s legal parents? Or were they going to give that up, too?

  He’d thought he’d had a lot of questions at the dinner table, but now he had at least three times as many as before. His in-laws’ move affected everything. And as unrealistic as it may have seemed in the past, it was actually true. Alex and Zoey were now free to live as a full nuclear family, including Ariana.

  It made his head spin. Made his heart swell at the thought of Valerie and Kenji actually trusting him with Ariana. The trust had been hard-earned, but Alex had actually won them over. Proven himself despite all his challenges and mistakes. He’d overcome his alcoholism, selfishness, and joblessness, and become a real family man with a respectable career.

  And now his family would be the unit it was supposed to be all along. He and Zoey would be full parents to all their children—even if Zander wasn’t his biologically. No, the family would never be normal, but they were moving closer toward the ideal.

  Would he, Zoey, and the twins move out of the garage apartment and into the bedr
ooms upstairs? Would Ariana want to move into the bedroom that was currently an office space? She’d had her eyes on it for a while since it was the biggest of the non-master bedrooms. And what about—

  “Dad?”

  He spun around to see Ariana in the hallway. She wore pajamas and had green stuff all over her face. “Yeah?”

  She scratched her chin. “What are you doing?”

  Alex sighed. “Thinking.”

  Ari came over and sat on the couch. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” He plopped down next to her. “How are you taking the news?”

  She shrugged. “Are they moving because I didn’t want four parents?”

  “What? No. Papi wants to spend time with his dad before he passes away. If Grandpa was sick, I’d travel across the world if they weren’t next door.”

  Ari frowned. “What does it mean for the house? Are you guys going to keep living here?”

  “I really don’t know.” Alex put his arm around her. “All that will get figured out eventually. Do you still want to move into Mimi and Papi’s office?”

  “The office?” She tilted her head. “I want the apartment. Do you know how cool that would be?”

  Alex held back a chuckle. He should’ve thought bigger. Of course Ari would want the apartment over a typical bedroom.

  “What? Do you think that’s stupid?”

  “No, not at all. The thought just hadn’t crossed my mind. I’m still trying to take it all in.”

  “Same here.” She sighed, then glanced out the window. “Oh, I almost forgot in all the excitement.”

  “Forgot what?” He glanced outside, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, much less a woman in a red dress.

  “I saw some lady in a red gown outside the school this afternoon.”

  “What?” Alex exclaimed. “You didn’t call me? Or the station?”

  She frowned. “By the time I was going to, she was gone.”

  “You still should have called, or texted me at the very least.”

  “What’s the point? She’d already left.”

  Frustration clawed at him. He silently counted to twenty before speaking. “Officers could’ve patrolled the area. Figured out where she went.”

  “Oh.” Ariana looked down. “I didn’t think of that.”

  He took a deep breath. “Next time, okay? Let someone know immediately. Where was she? What was she doing?”

  “She was across the street from the school, kind of kitty-corner from the parking lot.”

  “And what was she doing?”

  “Just walking. I wanted to confront her.”

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

  “I didn’t. But I wanted to.”

  “You didn’t because she left?”

  Ari shrugged.

  “Promise me you’ll stay away from her.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “I promise I won’t talk to her.”

  “Thank you. This woman is dangerous.”

  “And she wants me. That’s why I need to confront her!”

  Alex shook his head. “Let the professionals handle it. Your job is to stay safe.”

  She sighed. “Do you think she’s after me, too?”

  He considered his wording. “Actually, it’s more likely to be me.”

  “She wants to take you?”

  “To get under my skin. To send a message.”

  “Why?”

  “Remember when I told you that there are a lot of people working with Cal? A whole ring of dangerous people around the world?”

  She nodded.

  “They see me as a threat. That’s why I took down my blog—for all the good that did.”

  “Why do they care? You did what they wanted.”

  “Exactly my point.”

  “Huh?” She lifted a brow, cracking the mask on her face. “What point?”

  “I took too long. Didn’t take it down when they asked. It wasn’t until things got bad.”

  “You mean what Cal did to Mom?”

  Alex nodded. “That and using Damon to get to me through you. They wanted me to shut down my blog before all that happened, and I refused, wanting to help find as many kids as possible.”

  Ariana frowned.

  He kissed the top of her head. “But I don’t want you worrying about any of that. I’m going to get to the bottom of this before any of it touches you.”

  “Dad, do you trust Damon?”

  Alex gave her a sideways glance at the sudden shift in conversation. “Do I trust him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How do you mean?”

  She sighed dramatically. “I mean, I want to spend time with him outside of tutoring and outside of you being literally in between us when you’re around.”

  “You know why that is.”

  “Dad, we’ve been punished long enough. He’s probably the most responsible guy you could want me to have as a boyfriend. You can’t hold him accountable for what his dad made him do. Damon didn’t want to turn me against you. He just wanted to keep from getting beaten.”

  Alex couldn’t deny that. “I know.”

  “Then why can’t we have a normal relationship? You used to let me go to Scout’s place all the time after school. Remember that?”

  He thought back to Ariana’s first boyfriend, who was a toothpick of a boy that jumped at the sight of his own shadow. “You have to admit there’s a huge difference between Damon and Scout.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Like what? Their ages? Because Damon isn’t much older than me.”

  “No, but …” His voice trailed off as he considered his wording.

  “But Damon looks like a man and Scout was just a kid. Right? That’s the problem, isn’t it?”

  She’d nailed it on the head. “Bingo.”

  “Dad, I’m growing up. No boyfriend is going to be a preteen. I’m past that. And seriously, if I had a boyfriend that young, wouldn’t that be an issue?”

  She had him there. He took a deep breath. “Let’s discuss this later, okay? Right now, we’re all trying to take in the news about Mimi and Papi. And we’re all tired.”

  “You’ll think about it?” She pleaded with her eyes.

  He nodded. “I promise. But you have to keep your promise, as well.”

  “I’ll let you know if I see that psychopath.”

  “Or call the station. Either way.”

  “Yep.” She hugged him and then headed upstairs.

  Alex watched until she was out of sight, then turned his attention back to the window. Nothing. It was dark out, and the only light came from some overhead street lights.

  He paced, letting his mind wander. It went from the news of his in-laws moving to the kidnapping ring to the case he was supposed to be focused on. It was looking worse and worse for the son the longer he stayed in hiding—either he was guilty or dead himself. At this point it could go either way, given how little evidence they could find.

  A movement caught his attention outside. A flash of red.

  Alex froze in place and focused his attention on the dark outdoors. He held his breath as he looked around. Could it actually be her? Had she returned?

  He checked his pockets to make sure his phone and gun were both ready for action because he sure was.

  A woman stepped out from behind a minivan. She wore a long red dress and had waist-length hair.

  Chapter 25

  Alex’s breathing hitched as he stared in disbelief. Was this a trap? Of course it was. The woman had been there the night before, as well as at the middle school. She’d been there the night Tinsley disappeared, and his daughter had been at each of those locations.

  No way was he going to let anything happen to Ariana. Not on his watch. Not again.

  He reached for both his phone and weapon, but froze.


  The woman was looking directly at him. It was impossible. She couldn’t see him through the mostly-closed blinds. He could see out, but nobody should be able to see in.

  Yet she was facing that window. Looking, watching.

  Waiting.

  His pulse pounded so hard his hand shook.

  “Keep yourself together,” he muttered and took a deep breath.

  This was the moment of truth. He would march out there and demand answers. And nobody could blame him. The woman was nearly on his property.

  Alex started to call it in, but there was no time to lose. He needed to deal with this himself. It was personal. These people had directly attacked his family. Even after he shut down his blog at their demand, they were still not leaving them alone.

  He marched toward the front door then stepped outside, making sure the door locked behind him. Nobody was going to sneak in while he was distracted.

  The lady remained in the same place across the street, only now she was looking at Alex on the porch instead of at the window. His heart hammered, but he ignored it.

  It was time to put an end to this once and for all.

  He clenched his jaw and sauntered over, narrowing his eyes. Half-expected her to flee, but the woman didn’t budge. As he neared, he looked for a weapon. Didn’t see one. But she could easily hide something in the folds of the dress.

  Alex would have the upper hand in a thick hoodie and jeans. She had to be freezing in the sleeveless gown. It was in the forties outside—he’d be shivering before too long.

  He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and stared her down. She straightened her back, but otherwise didn’t budge. The only thing that stood between them was the street.

  Who would cross first?

  Alex squared his shoulders, daring her to take the first move. To approach him and his property.

  She continued standing in place. An icy breeze blew by, ruffling her hair and dress. She didn’t seem to notice.

  He clenched his fists. “What do you want? Are you lost?”

  No reply.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  She scratched her chin. First sign of life, other than the fact that she was standing there. She could’ve been a mannequin for all her movement.