“I don’t think that will happen. After all, Sean killed your parents, too. You have something to bond over.”
“How did this become my life?” she said on a rush of breath.
Jack reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Don’t give up on me now.”
“I’m not giving up; I just feel so responsible for everything. My parents, Consuela, and my precious daughter. Not to mention Lyssa. I doubt he didn’t just sit back and ask nicely to have the baby. There it is,” Darby said, pointing to a modest Florida-style, single-story home with a tidy tiled roof.
The yard was neatly manicured, with colorful bushes in bloom against the bright yellow stucco. The air smelled of peppers and onions and in the distance, Spanish music played softly. Darby moved aside a tricycle as she and Jack went up the steps and knocked on the door. It was answered by a little boy Darby guessed was about five years old. A second later, a man appeared. “Yes?”
“My name is Darby Grisom. Consuela worked for me.”
His dark eyes grew darker. “I know who you are.”
“I know this is a difficult time, but could I please speak to Maria?”
He shook his head. “She’s crying her eyes out. Thanks to your husband, she no longer has her mother. Our children have lost their grandmother. You got her—”
“It’s okay, Manuel,” came a female voice from inside. “Let her inside.”
Darby and Jack stepped inside and found Maria’s house cluttered but clean. Several young children, oblivious to the pain and agony on Maria’s face, pushed trucks and other toys around the small living room. Maria was holding a baby Darby knew was six months old. Consuela had proudly showed her stacks of pictures of her newest grandchild.
“Manny, take the children outside.” Then she turned to Darby. “Would you like a drink? Some water, maybe?”
“Nothing, thank you.” Darby sat next to the woman on the sofa and found herself smiling down at the baby, who easily smiled back. “She’s prettier than her pictures,” she said.
“After three boys, my mother was glad to finally have a granddaughter.”
“Maria, I am so sorry,” Darby began. “I know exactly how you feel.”
She nodded. “The police explained it to me. And they suspect him in the murder of your parents? And he has your baby?”
“Yes. And I have no idea where he has taken her.”
“I’m sorry, but I have no idea either.”
“What about the last time you spoke to your mother?” Darby pressed.
Maria hung her head. “I thought her phone died,” she admitted. “My mother had a habit of forgetting to charge the phone so I didn’t really think anything of it when her call ended abruptly.”
“What was she telling you?” Jack asked.
“She was whispering and, like I said, I thought it was just poor reception or something. It was something about a man.”
“What man?”
“Glen. Glen Burnie.”
“What about him?” Darby asked.
Maria shrugged. “I think she was going to meet him.”
“Did she say she was with Sean?” Jack asked.
“No. I heard voices in the background but it was too hard to make out what they were saying.” Maria shifted the baby so she was up on her shoulder. She met Darby’s gaze. “I hope they find your baby safe and then I hope they kill your husband. I know I’m supposed to forgive but I don’t have forgiveness in my heart, only vengeance.”
“I know the feeling,” Darby said. “Thank you for talking to me today.” Darby reached for her purse. “Your mother was like a family member for me. I’d very much like to cover the costs of her funeral.” Darby wrote a check. “Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“This is too generous,” Maria said.
“No, your mother was too generous. And she died trying to protect my daughter. This is the least I can do. And if you ever need anything, please feel free to call me.”
As soon as they got back in the car, Jack called Declan and asked him to try to find a man named Glen Burnie, and to look in Charleston, since that was where Sean’s trail seemed to have gone cold.
“I’m feeling hopeful,” Darby said. Then she turned and read trepidation on Jack’s face. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Darby reached out and touched his upper arm. “Tell me.”
“Would Sean give the baby away?”
The hope she was feeling drained from her body. “I don’t think so. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t like the idea that he was taking Consuela to see a man.”
“What are you saying.”
“I’m not saying anything. I’m just thinking about possibilities.”
Darby felt nauseous. “You’re thinking he might be giving her to someone? As in human trafficking?”
“Forget it. It doesn’t make sense anyway.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because he and Roxanne went to a baby store to buy supplies.”
She let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “You scared me,” she said.
Jack reached out and placed his hand on her knee. Darby placed her hand over his and gave it a squeeze. “As long as he has Mia he can torture me,” she reminded him. “I think that’s all he wants at this point.”
“How well do you know Roxanne?”
“Not well,” Darby admitted.
“I think it’s time we gave her a good look. Maybe Glen Burnie is her uncle or something.”
“Her address is at the restaurant.”
“The crime scene people are finished there now. Let’s swing by there and see what we can find out.”
They arrived at Tilefish Grille and Darby unlocked the door but the alarm just beeped. The police couldn’t set it after clearing the crime scene. Darby didn’t much care. As far as she was concerned, the place could burn to the ground. Preferably with Sean inside.
Jack led the way to the office, which gave Darby an unobstructed view of his impressive body. His broad shoulders tapered to a trim waist and he was wearing khakis with his polo shirt, so he looked very much as if he could fit in with the horsey set. Just watching him navigate through the restaurant was enough to urge her pulse higher.
Get a grip, she thought as she tried to vanquish images of their lovemaking from her brain. Easier said than done. However, standing in the small space where Consuela had lost her life was a sobering experience.
They each took a file cabinet and in no time Darby said, “Got it!” then she waved a folder in the air.
She opened it on Sean’s desk and flipped through until she came to the application. Darby scanned the document. No mention of a Glen Burnie. “Now what?” she asked.
“She lists three references. Let’s go chat them up to see if any of them know anything about her whereabouts. If we find Roxanne, we find Sean and Mia.”
“Let’s hope. Unless she’s done something to piss him off and he’s killed her, too.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Roxanne’s first reference was a girl named Ali Hoines. They found her at home in a small apartment in Hobe Sound.
“Yes?” she asked.
Jack handed her his card. She took it and surprise registered in her hazel eyes. She was an attractive girl, all of nineteen, and a former co-worker of Roxanne’s.
“May we come in and ask you a few questions about Roxanne?” Jack asked.
“Sure, but the police have already been here,” she said. They entered the apartment, which could’ve used a good dusting, and Ali offered the two of them the sofa. She sat on the floor across from them, the space between separated by a flimsy coffee table. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder T-shirt and shorts that left very little to the imagination. Her brown hair was in a messy pile on top of her head, secured by a few twists.
“I’ll tell you what I told them. Roxanne came by three days ago. She owed me some money so she signed over her car title as payme
nt.”
“Was she alone?” Darby asked.
“No,” Ali answered. “There was an older guy with her but he stayed downstairs in a black Mercedes. I only caught a glimpse of him when I walked Roxanne down to the parking lot.”
Darby thought for a moment, then asked, “Did she seem nervous?”
“Very,” Ali said. “And she was in a huge hurry. Her car is worth about ten grand and she only owes me three hundred bucks.”
“So why would she do that?” Jack asked.
Ali sighed. “Roxie and I had a falling out about the money. We haven’t spoken in months. The last thing I told her was that she could have access to the storage as soon as she paid me my money.”
“What did she have in storage?” Darby asked.
“Just a couple of boxes. I helped her carry them in and they weren’t sealed, just the cardboard edges tucked closed. I could see paperwork in the boxes but I don’t actually see what the papers were about but the boxes were marked ‘Important Papers.’”
“Did the police impound the car?”
She shook her head. “No. They went down and opened the doors and gave a quick once over but they seemed more interested in asking me where she would go if she was in trouble.”
“What did you tell them?” Darby asked.
She shrugged. “Roxie had a lot of friends. Until about six months ago when she started seeing her mystery man, she partied with us all the time.”
“Mystery man?”
Ali smirked. “She wouldn’t tell anyone anything about him. So he must have been married or something. All I know is that once he came into her life it was as if she was on call twenty-four-seven.”
“I know the feeling,” Darby grumbled under her breath.
“Anyway,” Ali continued. “I picked up on a few things that made me really uncomfortable.”
“Like what?” Jack asked.
“Like I ran into her in City Place and her lip was puffy. I asked her flat out who punched her and she just tossed me some shade. Tried to tell me she had tripped on her tile floor.”
Darby cringed. Perhaps Roxanne had fallen for Sean’s BS just as she had. “You didn’t believe her?”
“No,” Ali answered. “And I don’t think she signed over her car just to pay a small debt.”
“Why do you think she did it?”
“I think she was just finding a place to ditch the car. Like maybe she’d been in an accident. But there’s no damage to the vehicle.”
“Mind if we take a look?” Jack asked.
“Go ahead,” she said, standing and going into the small kitchen and returning with a set of keys. “It’s the beige Camry parked behind the building.”
Jack splayed his hand at the small of her back as they walked across the parking lot to the Camry. The midday sun was high and there was heat coming off the cement. Along with her nervous anticipation, the little thrill of having Jack touch her made Darby begin to perspire.
He used the key fob to open the car, then he walked around to the driver’s side while she took the passenger side.
The car wasn’t the cleanest she’d ever seen. There were a number of receipts balled and cast aside on the floor. Darby opened each one, not sure what she was looking for. She got down on her knees and moved the seat as far back as it would go. Then, using the flashlight feature on her smart phone, she scanned under the seat for possible clues.
Her flashlight glinted off an item tucked between the carpet and the seat track. Darby had to do any number of contortions to reach the item. Finally, after stretching her arm to its limit, she retrieved a small gold ring.
“This belongs to Consuela,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Jack asked.
“Positive. I saw it on her hand a zillion times.”
“So we have Consuela’s body at the restaurant and your housekeeper’s ring in Roxanne’s car. Put it back where you found it and I’ll call the detectives about it later.”
“You think she was involved in the murder?” Darby asked. “I don’t know, Jack. Sean can be charming but I can’t believe he’d be able to talk someone into helping him commit murder.”
Jack shrugged. “Then maybe he used the car without her knowledge. Would Consuela get in a car with Sean?”
“Without question,” Darby told him.
“It could be that he strangled her in the car and just dumped her body in his office. That would explain why the office was basically undisturbed except for her body.”
“I’m worried for Roxanne,” Darby said, then she watched the surprise register on Jack’s face. “She is young and vulnerable. Sean is obviously using her and if she’s already been seen with bruises, my guess is the controlling behavior has been going on for some time. If I had to register a guess, I’d say Roxanne probably has some variation of Stockholm syndrome.”
“You’re justifying the behavior of a woman who most likely helped your husband steal your child?”
Darby raked her fingers through her hair. “I’m just saying that Sean is a master manipulator. Hell, I’m on the ugly side of thirty and he was able to do it to me.”
“How exactly did that work?” Jack asked when they had finished their search of the car.
“He makes you feel like you’re the most special person on the planet. It’s really quite flattering. Then he starts to twist everything around. Like complaining about me spending time with my parents. He never said not to do it, he just made me feel guilty for taking time away from our relationship. Somehow, I started to cut ties with people and thought it was my own idea. It’s hard to explain.” Tears welled in her eyes and each breath was a gulp of air. “Especially after the physical abuse started. It was nothing major in the beginning and he had this way of apologizing and making me feel like it was my fault he had to hit me. Then it got worse and worse and then I finally decided to get out and it cost my parents their lives. I’ll never forgive myself for that.” Darby wiped away her tears but that wasn’t enough to wipe away the guilt she would probably carry with her always.
* * *
Jack took her by the upper arm and gently positioned her against the side of the apartment building’s breezeway. It was a zillion degrees cooler in the shade but Jack wasn’t feeling cool. In fact, he felt the exact opposite. He was aware of her on so many levels. The way her blond hair sparkled in the sunshine. The way her eyes switched from green to gray depending on her emotions. He admired her strength, the way she stayed focused on Mia but managed to keep it together no matter what. And her body—well, that went without saying. Images of her had haunted his brief dreams the night before. All he seemed to think of when she was close was the way she had responded to him. The sexy little noises she’d made and the gentle slopes and curves he could spend hours exploring.
Jack held her in place with his body and braced his weight on his palms, which were flattened against the stucco on either side of her head. “Your parents died because a maniac killed them. You had no way of knowing Sean had wired your home and phones for sound and audio.”
“But if I hadn’t made that call…”
Hooking his thumb and forefinger beneath her chin, he forced her to look at him. He was going to tell her none of it was her fault but instead he dipped his head and gave her a tentative kiss. Slow at first, barely touching her pliant lips. He knew the timing was off just as he knew he should stop. But when she responded by reaching up and urging him closer, all his good intentions flew out the window.
He deepened the kiss and she pressed against him. His response was quick and noticeable as his erection pressed against her abdomen. He loved the taste of her, the way she used her tongue to make tiny little movements against his lips. He loved the feel of her hands as she bracketed his waist, then slowly and deliberately allowed her fingers to explore at will.
Jack’s head was spinning with conflicting thoughts. He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath but this wasn’t the right way to go about it. Her emotions were raw and expos
ed. Her daughter was in peril and it was his job to help her, not seduce her.
Reluctantly, he broke off the kiss and took a step back so his body could return to normal. He heard her breathing, quick and shallow.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I just got caught up in the moment.”
She tilted her head slightly and held his gaze. “I’m not sorry.”
“Well, you should be. Finding Mia has to be my priority and I’m having a hard time with that because you’re such a tempting distraction.”
She gave him a sexy half-smile and he could almost hear her brain working. “Distracting?” she asked as she grabbed his belt buckle and pulled him against her. “I don’t think anyone has ever called me distracting.”
“Then you don’t know the right people,” he promised.
“I know it feels wonderful when you kiss me. And the sex was incredible.”
“You’re making my self-sacrifice very difficult to maintain.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Jack asked.
“For making me feel like a woman again.”
Was that what this was for her? Some sort of affirmation? That would make sense. She had met and married Sean quickly and now here they were, barely two months after their first meeting, sneaking passionate kisses in a breezeway. Jack pulled away. Normally he could read a situation pretty well but Darby was a puzzle. He couldn’t figure out if, like him, her curiosity was evolving into something more, or if he was just part of her healing.
“Let’s see if Ali will give us access to the storage unit where Roxanne stored her stuff,” Jack suggested.
They went back up to the second floor apartment and knocked on the door. In their absence, Ali had changed into scrubs and applied makeup.
“Here are the keys to the car,” Jack said. He told her about the ring and told her not to drive the car until the cops came back and did a more thorough search. “We’d like to go see if there’s anything the storage unit.”
Ali went to the kitchen and brought another key.” It’s at the self-storage on Federal Highway at Salerno. I’ve got to be at work in less than thirty minutes.”
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