Protecting Their Baby

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  “He left when we got here. He wanted to get an early start on checking those alibis. He told us about Cathy and Nelson. Can you imagine if it’s them? Cathy always seemed so sweet.”

  “That’s what I told Rex.”

  Mom continued, “He spoke to the police this morning.”

  “He did?” Lisa’s pulse spiked. “Do they have any leads?”

  “No. There’s nothing, honey. Nothing at all.”

  “So it’s up to Rex.” Her one-night knight. She glanced wistfully at the fairies, replacing them in her mind with Cherokee Little People.

  “So it seems.” A pause, then, “You’re not falling for him, are you?”

  Yikes. She turned away from the figurines to look at her mom, who was wrinkling her forehead. “No, of course not. I already told you it wasn’t romantic.”

  The older, wiser woman wasn’t buying it. “He’s got an irresistible formula. Rough. Handsome. Protective. Who wouldn’t fall for that?”

  Although Lisa’s morning sickness was gone, her anxiety wasn’t. “We haven’t been together since that first night.”

  “Yes, but how long are you going to be able to resist him? With him living at your house, you need to be careful.”

  Shielding her emotions, Lisa went flippant. “What’s the point? I’m already pregnant.”

  “I meant careful in here.” Mom tapped her own heart, making a thumping motion with her hand.

  The advice was sound. Deep down, she knew that she and Rex weren’t a good match. “You’re right. He has an irresistible formula. But I know better, and I won’t let anything happen.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, okay?”

  “I am. I will.”

  For however long it took.

  At 11:30 p.m., Lisa curled up on the couch with a pillow and blanket, waiting for Rex. He’d called earlier to check on her, but she’d been in class, so he’d talked to her parents. He’d let them know that he’d gotten tied up and would be late. He’d also asked them to stay with her until he got home.

  When she heard his car in the driveway, she almost jumped up and ran outside to greet him. But then she controlled her emotions and stayed put.

  Waiting…waiting…

  He unlocked the front door and came inside. He looked frazzled, and her heart sank. Was something amiss in the case?

  He moved forward. “Lisa?” He glanced around. “Where are your parents?”

  “They got tired, so I gave them my room. It’s the only bed that’s big enough for two.”

  “You should be asleep, too.”

  “I wanted to wait up for you. I wanted to know how it went.”

  “It went fine.”

  “You don’t look like it went fine. Did their alibis check out?”

  “Actually, they did. Everything they said was true. Nelson was on a plane when the doll incident occurred, and Cathy was at the mall.”

  “How can you be sure she was there?”

  “Some salespeople remember seeing her. Mainly because of Barker. The puppy caused a cute stir wherever he went.” Rex stood near the sofa. “Cathy went in and out of stores, then had lunch at La Salsa. She was in the food court around one-thirty.”

  “Are you certain of the time?”

  He nodded. “I was able to view a security tape from that hour, and she was in it.”

  “So we’re back to square one.” Not to mention the apology Nelson and Cathy had coming. Lisa felt like a traitor.

  “Not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked. He had that frazzled look again.

  He finally sat next to her. When he made a tight face, she knew something was wrong. Or more wrong. Nothing had been quite right since they’d met.

  “You got another threat. Or we both did, I suppose. I dropped by my condo tonight to get my mail and catch up on a few things at home, and there was a package on my doorstep.”

  A shiver raced up her spine. She suspected the package contained something bloody. She couldn’t explain why she felt that way. Maybe it was intuition. Or a manifestation of a very real fear.

  He expelled a rough breath. “It was a dead rabbit in one of those hooded receiving blankets. The type you wrap newborns in.”

  “Was it messy?” Gutted, she thought. Bloody.

  “Yes, and it was a white rabbit, like in the Alice story.”

  She didn’t want to envision it, but how could she not? The slaughtered bunny was blinking in her mind. She clutched her stomach, protecting what was hers. And his. The baby belonged to Rex, too.

  “There’s more,” he said.

  Lisa kept clutching. “Go on.”

  Rex turned, facing her all the way, putting them knee to knee. Then he glanced at her tummy, aware of how tightly she was holding on. He looked as if he wanted to hold on, too.

  “There were kid’s toys in the package, too. You know, those plastic made-in-Japan-supposed-to-be-Indian things. A headdress, a bow and arrow play set, a tomahawk. They were—”

  “Smeared in blood?” she asked.

  He nodded. “It’s becoming apparent that this is racially motivated. Detective Bell thinks so, too.”

  “You called him? Never mind, of course you did.” Still cradling her womb, she grasped for a ray of hope. “Maybe this time the police will get a lead.”

  “Maybe. I already questioned my neighbors when I was there, but no one saw anyone drop off the package.”

  “So this is why you called my parents and told them you were running late? Why didn’t you just tell them what happened?”

  “Because I wanted to talk to you first, and you were unavailable. Besides, I didn’t want any of you rushing over to my condo and seeing the rabbit. It’s bad enough that I’m putting the image in your head by describing it.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t see it.”

  “Me, too.”

  A pause stretched between them. A pregnant pause, she thought.

  “Maybe you’re wrong, Rex. Maybe this isn’t about me. Maybe it’s about you. Maybe it’s someone you know who’s doing it.”

  “I don’t think so and neither does Bell. Leaving the rabbit at my place was a message to me, but the e-mail threat indicates that the perpetrator is closely connected to you. And now that we’ve established a motive, we think it’s someone with white supremacist affiliations. We discovered a historic link between Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Birth of a Nation.”

  “The Birth of a Nation? I don’t know what that is.”

  “It’s a silent film made in 1915 that presents a positive portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan. It was the highest grossing film of its era. But in 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs surpassed it.”

  “So you think that whoever is threatening our baby used Snow White’s name to dethrone her and take back the power of the Klan?”

  “Yes, but they’re also referencing what happened to you at Disneyland. Between Snow White and Alice in Wonderland, they’re creating metaphors. The white rabbit is a probably symbolic of saying that the child you’re carrying isn’t pure. It’s all tied together.”

  “And it’s someone from my circle? How can that be? I don’t know any white supremacists.” Confused and frustrated, she rounded on him. “But I’ll bet you do. Surely, the Warrior Society has those types of enemies.”

  “Yes, we do. But—”

  “But what?” She spoke beneath her breath, careful not to wake her parents. “You refuse to acknowledge that this could be coming from you?”

  “The evidence says otherwise.”

  “Oh, really? Then consider us and how different we are. Up until this happened, my life was uneventful. But you’re part of an activist organization.”

  “And so is Kyle. He’s the founder, and he’s married to an Anglo woman with a mixed-blood baby on the way. If white supremacists were out to destroy our offspring, his wife and child would be targets, too.”

  “Then there has to be another reason.” She refused to believe that he was being impartial. “You
promised that you would investigate your side as fully as mine.”

  “And I will, but not at the expense of the evidence. If I head in the wrong direction, do you know how much time will be wasted? I’ve been an investigator for a long time. I know my job. And Detective Bell knows his. Between the two of us, we’ll get it done.”

  “By trashing everyone I know and leaving your side unscathed?”

  “Dammit, woman. This isn’t a competition. I’m trying to keep you safe.”

  “Safe?” Torn between anger and fear, she wanted to push him away or keep him incredibly close. Either way, she was doomed. “By telling me that I have family or friends who are some sort of secret Klansmen?”

  “I’m sorry.” He tried to comfort her, reaching for her hand and holding it tightly in his. “I know how scared you are.”

  “Too much is happening too fast. Every time we turn around, there’s another threat.”

  “I can sleep out here with you tonight. I can take the chair. Or we can snuggle in the guest bed if that’ll make you feel better. It’ll be a tight fit, but we can make it work.”

  The bed suggestion drew her in, but she willed it away. Sleeping beside Rex was a danger unto itself.

  Still, she wanted him to hold her. Still…nothing. She couldn’t let it happen.

  “We’ll stay out here,” she said, fighting off her urges.

  If he was disappointed, he didn’t let it show. “I’ll get changed and grab a pillow and blanket.”

  He left the room, and she fussed with her own pillow and blanket, trying to get more comfortable on the couch.

  When Rex returned, he was bare-chested and wearing a pair of sweatpants. He looked rough and gorgeous.

  He dropped his bedding on the chair and came over to her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing.” He leaned over and tugged her blanket tighter around her. “I just want to look at you.”

  And touch her, apparently. Lisa got tingly all over.

  He glanced down, then back up again. “How long before the baby starts doing things to get your attention?”

  “Like move around?” If they had a son, would he grow up to look like his father? Would his eyelashes be long and thick? Would his complexion be warmly bronzed? “Not until the fourth month or so. They say that the first time you feel it move, it’s like having butterflies. Not the nervous kind. More of a sweet flutter.”

  He searched her gaze. “When can the dad put his hand there and feel it move?”

  “Soon after the mom feels it, I think. I’ve heard that some people play womb games. They tap on the mom’s tummy so the baby can respond and tap back.”

  “Really?” He seemed perplexed or fascinated or maybe both. “A fetus will respond like that?”

  “So they say.”

  He smiled a little. “The infamous they who knows everything?” He stopped smiling. “I’m sorry I haven’t caught the perpetrator yet.”

  “I know.” She wasn’t sure what to do or how to feel when he got tender. It was almost easier fighting with him. Her heart ached inside her chest. “Let’s go to bed.”

  “You mean, let’s go to couch and chair?” He pulled up on ottoman for his feet, turned out the light and settled into his sleeping space.

  But neither of them slept. In the still of the night, in the pitch of what seemed like brutal darkness, they didn’t need to compare notes.

  They were both thinking about their baby—along with a butchered rabbit and blood-soaked toys that had been left on Rex’s doorstep.

  Chapter 8

  Two days later, Lisa sat beside Rex in his sporty black hybrid. They were headed to her parents’ house for the usual family gathering, and she was apprehensive about it.

  She glanced at his profile, analyzing what was about to take place. Rex trusted her parents, but he would be looking at everyone else with a critical eye.

  The very idea was preposterous. She would know if someone in her family was racist.

  Wouldn’t she?

  Of course she would. They were people she loved, who loved her, who’d helped raise her. Even Annabelle, her judgmental eighty-seven-year-old “Auntie,” would never condone such a thing.

  Lisa turned down the radio, where Justin Timberlake was bringing sexy back. At any other time, she would have welcomed the pulsing beat. “Have you run backgrounds on everyone who’s going to be there?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did anything surface?”

  “No. But you can’t see into someone’s soul from a background check. I still want to meet them.”

  With her hands placed primly on her lap, she lifted her eyebrows. “You can see into other people’s souls?”

  “I try.”

  She wondered what he saw in hers. Could he tell that she was fighting her feelings for him? Not just their sexual attraction, but the closeness her mother had warned her about? God, she hoped not. She didn’t want him to know that her mixed-up heart was getting involved.

  “I can’t believe my parents are okay with this,” she said, purposely interrupting her own thoughts.

  “They’re not thrilled about it, but they understand that it’s part of my job. All I want to do is meet your extended family and see where they’re coming from.”

  Her defensives were still up. “They’re coming from a good place.” And by now, they’d been told about the threats.

  “Then quit stressing about it. They know I’m going to be interviewing them.”

  “Interviewing, yes. Accusing, no.”

  “I’m not going to accuse anyone to his or her face. If I’m suspicious of someone, I’ll investigate further.”

  “You accused Nelson and Cathy to their faces.”

  “And I admitted my mistake.”

  “For all the good it did.” The other couple wouldn’t accept the apology that had been extended.

  He turned onto her parents’ street. “Nelson and Cathy will get over it. In another week, she’ll be asking for her job back.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Says the all-knowing P.I.”

  He parked at the curb. “Just wait and see.”

  They exited his car and took to the walkway. Lisa’s parents lived in the same two-story house where she’d grown up. The cheery yellow structure, hummingbird feeders and carefully trimmed hedges breathed familiarity.

  Lisa didn’t knock. She simply opened the door, and she and Rex went inside. She guided him into the kitchen and adjoining family room, where everyone gathered. The aroma of pot roast filled the air. Snacks and side dishes cluttered the counters.

  Dad greeted them first, then Mom. Overall, there were fourteen people in attendance, including Rex, Lisa and her parents. That left ten for him to interview. No, wait, she thought. Two out of the ten were kids, which left eight.

  Gosh, this was making her nervous. All eyes were on her and the handsome investigator at her side. The father of her child. Her one-night stand.

  Introductions were made, and Rex seemed to make a favorable impression, except on Auntie. She treated him like an outsider, glaring at him from her wheelchair.

  No one said anything about the threats, at least not out loud. But Lisa could tell it was on their minds. Later, of course, Rex would start the interview process. At the moment, he and Lisa were merely socializing with her family. For her, nothing could have been more surreal.

  While Rex watched a sporting event on TV with the men, Lisa went into the kitchen to help the women with the meal, and Grandma approached her with a much-needed hug.

  “How are you feeling?” the older woman asked.

  “I’m still sick in the mornings.” And even more restless at night. “But it’s supposed to get better.”

  “It will.” Grandma added more milk to the mashed potatoes. She was wearing a classic cook’s apron from Williams-Sonoma, embroidered with her name. “Annabelle doesn’t trust your young man.”

  “She doesn’t trust anyone. And he isn’t mine.”

  “Th
en whose is he?”

  “No one’s. Rex belongs to himself.”

  “Annabelle is worried that you don’t know enough about him, but your mom says that he’s doing his best to keep you safe. Thank the Lord for that. Grandpa and I have been praying for you.”

  “Thank you.” Lisa needed all the prayers she could get.

  “Have you met his family?”

  “They’re in North Carolina.”

  “What about his friends?”

  “I haven’t met any of them, either. But I’m supposed to. His friend Kyle teaches self-defense, and Kyle’s wife, Joyce, is a homicide detective.”

  “Homicide? Oh, my. Annabelle won’t like that.”

  “Then tell her that they’re having a baby, too, only theirs is due this month.”

  “Oh, that’s good. She thinks people should be married to have babies.”

  “There’s another couple Rex talks about. They’re not married, but I think they’re in a committed relationship. Daniel Deer Runner and Allie Whirlwind. Pretty names, huh?”

  Grandma blinked. “Whirlwind? Like the female serial killer?”

  Lisa started. “What? Who?”

  “Yvonne Whirlwind. She was all over the news. But that was a while ago. I think she’s on death row now. Goodness, you don’t think Rex’s friend is related to her, do you?”

  “No, of course not,” Lisa responded, when in fact she didn’t have a clue.

  “I won’t mention the Whirlwind girl to Annabelle. I’ll just tell her about the baby couple.”

  “Thanks. No need to rile Auntie any more than she already is.”

  Soon dinner was ready and everyone gathered around the table. Lisa filled her plate, her thoughts spinning.

  Was Allie related to a serial killer? And if she was, why hadn’t Rex mentioned it? To her, it seemed extremely relevant. It proved that his friends were far more dangerous than he’d let on. Him and that damn Warrior Society. She was beginning to agree with Annabelle. Just how trustworthy was he?

  By the time the meal ended and Rex interviewed Lisa’s family, her nerves bundled into knots. All she wanted to do was go home and question him about Allie.

  Finally the evening came to a close and they said their goodbyes. Rex hadn’t appeared to make enemies with anyone. Annabelle wagged her finger at him, but he only smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek.