by Rita Herron
“She’s not with you?” Panic tinged his ex’s voice, stirring his own.
“No, why? Isn’t she with you?”
“No. I left her home earlier while I met some friends for dinner, and I just got back. She left a note saying she might spend the night with you.”
Will shot up from his seat. “Listen to me, Betsy. She’s not with me, but I’ll find her. Have you called her friends?”
“I’m going to do that now.”
“Is there any sign of a break-in at the house?”
A gasp escaped Betsy. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Was the door locked?”
“Yes,” Betsy said.
“Is her bike still there?”
Footsteps sounded, and he realized she was running to the garage. “It’s still here. God, Will, where is she?”
He wished to hell he knew. “Where would she go if she snuck out?”
“I don’t know,” she cried. “She was supposed to be with you!”
They’d planned to get pizza, but he’d let her down. Dammit to hell. If something had happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
“I’ll go look for her.” He tossed cash on the table to pay for his uneaten food and hurried toward the door.
Outside, the wind picked up. A storm was brewing, dark thunderclouds rumbling and threatening heavy rain.
Fear seized him. His baby was out in this. Alone.
Sweat broke out on his forehead, fear choking him. Three teenagers close to Piper’s age had disappeared the night before. And he had no idea what happened to them.
Dead God, was someone preying on young girls in the area? Did some crazy madman have his daughter?
The next two hours were a nightmare. Will thought he was going to lose his mind with worry.
Betsy called everyone she could think of. The officers in the Village were looking for Piper now, too.
Betsy wanted to join the search, but he asked her to stay home in case Piper returned or called.
He rode by the high school and checked the soccer fields, then the cove where he used to take Piper crabbing, but she wasn’t there. Next, he went to the ice cream parlor, movie theater, then the putt-putt course.
Nothing.
She was fourteen. Where the hell did fourteen-year-old girls like to go?
The mall.
It was at least three miles from their house, but Piper was a runner and soccer player. Three miles was nothing to her.
Except it was dark now, and a storm was brewing. Lightning zigzagged across the sky.
The mall closed in an hour.
He was driving his own vehicle but set the siren on top of the car and flipped it on. Heart racing, he bypassed slower traffic, taking a turn on two wheels as he spun into the mall parking lot.
He threw his SUV into park, jumped out and ran toward the entrance, scanning the lot for his daughter and for trouble. If a predator was stalking teenaged girls, this would be prime hunting ground.
Earlier, one of his officers had canvassed the stores and owners for the Darling girls. It was possible though that they’d come here, and a predator kidnapped them from the parking lot before they went inside the mall. An officer was reviewing security footage covering both the inside and outside of the building, but so far, no report of the Darlings being sighted.
He burst through the front door, scanning left and right. He was surprised stores were open today, but sale signs hung in various windows. He tried to remember what stores Piper liked, but truthfully, he hadn’t taken her shopping in ages.
He passed a teen clothing shop and glanced inside, but the store was practically empty. He flashed a photo of Piper at the store clerk, and she shook her head. He did the same with every store he passed. Finally, he spotted the food court.
He veered toward it, fear gripping him with every step. A group of teenaged boys were hanging out by a sports themed store. Families were finishing dinner and herding their kids to clean up, so they could head home.
He surveyed the area, perspiration trickling down his neck. He was just about to give up when he spotted her.
Piper sitting alone in a booth in the pizza place.
They were supposed to get pizza. She’d come alone.
Because he’d let her down. Again.
Relief mushroomed inside Will. It was so strong it nearly brought him to his knees.
A second later, anger hit him just as hard.
She’d scared the hell out of him and Betsy. She knew better than to go out alone at night.
He gritted his teeth, desperate to hang onto his temper as he strode toward her.
When he’d almost reached her, she glanced up and spotted him. Wariness flashed on her small face, maybe even a sliver of fear. But sadness tinged her eyes, too, and a deep loneliness that made him ache inside.
He stopped in front of the table. He didn’t know whether to hug her or yell at her.
He didn’t say a word. He hooked his thumb toward the exit, and she stood and walked with him to the door. In the car, he remained silent and so did she.
But tension simmered between them, fueling the air.
As soon as he parked, she reached for the door handle. “Are you gonna tell Mom?” she asked.
He muttered a sarcastic sound. “She knows you were gone. She called me frantic.”
Piper’s shaky breath rushed out.
He climbed from the car and the two of them walked to the front stoop together. Betsy opened the door, dragged Piper inside and burst into tears as she hugged her. Will blinked back his own emotions.
It had been one damn hard day.
“I’m fine, Mom,” Piper said, easing from her mother’s arms. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I was worried sick,” Betsy cried.
Didn’t she think he cared? For god’s sake, he’d been out of his mind.
“We were worried sick,” he corrected her, his tone harsher than he’d intended. “What were you thinking, Piper?”
“It was just a white lie,” Piper said. “You and Mom tell them all the time. You say you’re coming and then you don’t.”
“It was more than a little white lie,” Will growled. “It was stupid as hell, Piper. You realize I’ve been out hunting for three missing girls today, three girls around your age?” His voice rose with pent up anger and frustration. “You could have been kidnapped or raped or even killed tonight!”
Piper burst into tears, the terror in her eyes sucker punching him.
“Stop it, Will,” Betsy snapped. “You’re frightening her.”
“She should be scared,” Will said. “Girls her age are perfect targets for perverts and murderers—”
“Don’t pretend like you care,” Piper screamed. “You’re just mad because you had to leave your job to come and look for me!”
Will was about to explode. “That’s not true,” he said in a quiet but lethal tone. “You have no idea the thoughts that ran through my head, young lady.”
“Just go back to your job, that’s all you care about, not Mom and me!”
He started to reach for her, but she bolted up the stairs. A door slamming indicated she’d locked herself in her room. The house vibrated with tension.
Betsy crossed her arms, her expression pained. “You should go now, Will. Thank you for bringing her home.”
Dammit, he wanted to pull her and Piper both in his arms and assure them that they were important, that he loved them.
“Go,” Betsy said. “I’ll talk to her.”
Their gazes locked, the memory of the day Piper was born taunting him. They’d been so happy.
That day he’d vowed to be a good dad just like he’d vowed to be a good husband.
But he’d failed at both.
He swallowed hard to keep from begging her f
or another chance. She’d made it clear when they’d separated that as long as he was on the force, there was no chance for them.
So, he turned and left.
Piper’s words echoed in his ears. Her cries. The pain in her eyes.
Then her statement—It was only a little white lie.
What little white lies had the Darling girls told their parents?
Three weeks later
The case had virtually gone cold.
Will spoke on the nightly news one more time. “I promise you the police won’t give up until this case is solved. But we need your help.” Photos of the Darling girls appeared on screen. “If you have any information regarding the disappearance or whereabouts of these three young ladies, please call our tip line.”
Since there was nothing new to report, the questions were minimal. He couldn’t tell locals that their children were safe. He couldn’t tell them anything.
At least Piper was okay. She was still angry at him. He tried to make up to her for their missed pizza date, but she’d declined offers to have dinner with him. Betsy kept telling him to be patient, but every day that passed, he felt as if Piper was slipping farther and farther away.
At least she was alive. That gave him solace. He’d visited the Darlings again and again, and their despair kept mounting.
He was almost to the door to leave when one of the news staff approached him. “You have a call, Detective Flagler.”
They’d chased so many false leads that he knew better than to get his hopes up. But false or not, they had to follow each one.
He stepped over to the desk area and took the phone. “Detective Flagler.”
“Those girls had to be punished.”
Will’s blood went cold. “Who is this?”
“They got what they deserved.”
The phone clicked silent. Will cursed and called Chief Mantino to see if they could trace the call.
“Did it sound like a man or a woman?” the chief asked.
“The voice was muffled,” Will said. “Hard to tell.”
“Let me know if you hear from the caller again. I’ll see what I can do about the trace.”
Will rolled his shoulders as he left the TV station. He hadn’t slept a decent night since he’d been assigned the case. He probably wouldn’t until he had answers.
Every day that passed lessened the chances that the Darling sisters would be found alive.
Weary and discouraged, he walked outside. Another storm threatened. The dark clouds kept coming, the winter wind picking up and beating him as he crossed the parking lot.
He climbed in his car, tempted to drive to Betsy’s and beg Piper to see him again. When she was little, he could pick her up a candy bar or a stuffed animal, and all would be right with them again.
Nothing was right now. He didn’t know if it ever would be.
That phone call disturbed him. What had the caller meant, that the girls deserved to be punished? Punished for what?
They got what they deserved. The caller implied he or she knew where the girls were and what had happened to them.
He drove from the precinct through the Village, the glow from the lighthouse twirling across the stormy sky, a guide for the ships at sea to find their way home.
He turned onto a side street, drove toward the beach and the place where he used to take Piper crabbing. How he longed for those sweet days again.
Just as he rounded the corner and drove across the causeway, a car crept up on his tail. He checked his rearview mirror, irritated at the vehicle’s blinding headlights. The car inched closer, then suddenly slammed into his rear.
He braked and gripped the steering wheel to keep from losing control, grappling to stay on the road. But the car sped up and rammed into his rear again.
His vehicle went into a spin, skidded toward the edge of the bridge, snapped through the metal edge and careened over the ledge. He fought control again, but there was nothing he could
He flew through the air then, his SUV nosedived into the marsh. Glass shattered. Metal crunched. The impact jarred his body. He heard a bone snap. His head hit the windshield and dash. His chest slammed into the steering wheel.
The car sank deeper into the marsh, cold water seeping into the car through the crack in the window.
God help him. He didn’t want to die without making things right with his daughter.
Then the world went black.
Two weeks later
They were going to pull the plug on him if he didn’t wake up soon. They didn’t think he could hear, but he’d heard every damn word they’d said. The doctors. Nurses. Betsy. Mantino.
Piper.
He didn’t want to die and leave them. He had to drag himself out of this stupor.
Every time he’d tried before, his body felt so weighted and exhausted that he couldn’t lift a finger, much less claw his way back to life.
Crying woke him this time. Piper. And Betsy.
“Shh, honey, I know it’s hard,” Betsy was saying.
“But I yelled at him the last time I saw him,” Piper wailed. “And I wouldn’t talk to him when he called. He thinks I hate him.”
“No, honey, your father knows you loved him.”
He did know that.
Memories returned. He’d been working the Darling case. Betsy called thinking Piper was with him. She snuck out to get pizza because he’d broken their dinner date. He nearly lost his mind looking for her.
Then he yelled at her.
If she’d been kidnapped or raped or murdered, it would have been his fault.
A warm hand touched his cheek. “Will, wake up and talk to us,” Betsy whispered.
“Please, daddy.”
Piper sounded so young. So terrified. Like she had when she was five and she had nightmares. He would slip into her room to soothe her, and everything would be alright.
He had to make it right now.
He blinked. Tried to move a finger. Blinked again and slowly opened his eyes. Just a sliver. The light hurt. His body ached. His head throbbed.
That soft hand again. Then another, Piper picking his hand up and cradling it in hers. Her palm felt so warm. So tender. It took away some of the ice coldness in his body. “Daddy?”
Her haunted whisper wrenched his gut. He summoned every ounce of strength he possessed and forced his eyes open. His fingers curled around hers.
“He’s waking up!” Piper squealed.
“I’ll get the doctor.” Mantino’s voice.
“Will?” Betsy whispered.
He blinked her into focus. Saw her tear-stained eyes searching his face. Heard Piper sniffle.
Then his daughter pressed a kiss to his hand. “Daddy, I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Piper said in a raspy voice. “If you’ll just be all right, I won’t ever do it again.”
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He shifted his head slightly and squeezed his daughter’s hand. Then he reached for Betsy’s.
He tried to speak, but his throat was so dry, he had to swallow twice to make his voice work. “Love …you…both so much.”
“I love you, too, Daddy,” Piper whispered.
Betsy pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Me, too, Will.”
Hope mushroomed inside his aching chest. A second later, the doctor and nurse appeared. The doctor introduced himself, then shined a light in his eyes, and the nurse checked his vitals.
“You’re going to be okay,” the doctor said. “But you broke your leg and some ribs and have been in a coma for three weeks, so you’re going to need some rehab time.”
He didn’t care. He was alive.
“We’ll discuss a plan after you rest a couple more days here.”
The doctor and nurse left, and Mantino moved up to the bed. “You scared the hell out of us,” the chief said
. “Thought we’d lost you.”
He’d thought so, too.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Will struggled to recall details. “A car crash.”
Mantino nodded. “You lost control?”
Again, a blank hole swallowed his memory. “I…don’t remember.”
A grave expression carved his boss’s face. “The head injury. Doc said you might not recall the accident at all.” Mantino leaned forward. “Your car nosedived into the marsh. It was pretty banged up, but we’re going to make sure there was no foul play.”
Mantino thought someone caused his accident?
The chief patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it now. You have to rest.”
“The case?” he asked.
Mantino’s mouth dipped downward into a frown. “Nothing new. I took over, but for now, the case is cold. We’ll keep working it though.” He patted Will’s arm. “Just rest up so you can come back to work.”
Will gave a small nod, although the movement wore him out.
“I’ll let you spend some time with your family,” Chief Mantino said. “They’ve barely left your side since you were hauled in here.”
Will swallowed again, his heart hammering as Betsy and Piper slipped up beside him again.
“I know you’re upset and worried about the case,” Betsy said. “But you’re going to need time to recover, Will.”
He did want the case solved. But most of all, he wanted his family. “I’m not going back,” he said.
“What?”
“Daddy?” Piper said, her voice cracking.
He reached for her hand again. “I almost lost both of you. I want my family back. You two are more important to me than any case.”
Betsy’s face crumpled, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Are you sure?”
He brushed her tear away with the back of his hand. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”
Betsy pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “Then you’ll come home with us.”
“If you’ll have me.”
