Mending Fences

by Sherryl Woods

  “What are you doing here?” Evan demanded, regarding her with fury.

  Bile rose in Dani’s throat. “Take your hand off of me,” she commanded, tears stinging her eyes. “I mean it, Evan. Let go right this second.”

  He released her at once, his expression chagrined. “Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

  The tiny victory over his attempt to manhandle her gave her courage. For the first time since the night he’d attacked her, Dani felt in control again. “Why are you anywhere near where Lauren Brown lives?” she asked. “Aren’t you in enough trouble?”

  Evan shrugged, his cocky demeanor back in place. “It’s no big deal, Dani. I can go anywhere I want.”

  “You’re hanging around out here just to intimidate her, aren’t you?” she accused.

  “Why would I need to do something like that?”

  “Because you’re scared, Evan, and you should be.”

  “I am not scared,” he said indignantly.

  Dani rolled her eyes at the blatant lie. She could see the fear in his eyes. “Whatever. I thought you were suspended from school.”

  He waved it off. “That’s just temporary. This whole bogus mess will be over soon.”

  “You think so?” she asked doubtfully.

  “I know so. Nobody will believe that lying bitch.”

  Still feeling in control, Dani leveled a look directly into his eyes. “I do.”

  He laughed at that. “You? You’re just a kid.”

  “A kid who knows exactly what you’re capable of doing,” she reminded him. “I have to go.”

  To her satisfaction, he looked bewildered—and maybe just a little scared—by her refusal to back down.

  “You don’t want to get in the middle of this, Dani.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. I don’t.” Then, drawing on a strength she was just discovering she possessed, she added, “But if I’m ever going to sleep at night, I may have to.”

  17

  Grady hung up the phone at his desk and muttered an expletive that had Naomi’s head snapping up.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Dani Dobbs just ran into Evan Carter,” he said, feeling a desperate urge to punch something.

  “I know you think there’s a history there, but they live in the same neighborhood. Wasn’t it bound to happen sooner or later?”

  “He found her in front of Lauren’s apartment building just off campus,” he said. “You care to count how many ways that scenario sucks?”

  “What the hell was he doing anywhere near that apartment?” Naomi asked, her expression alarmed. “Or, for that matter, why was Dani there?”

  “My guess is that Carter was there hoping to have a confrontation with Lauren or, at the very least, to intimidate her with his presence. I knew that would happen sooner or later, which is just one of the reasons I’ve had the police keeping an eye on the building.”

  “And Dani? What was she doing there?”

  “My theory is that she wanted to meet Carter’s other victim. When her mom suggested that Josh bring Lauren by the house, Dani reacted pretty heatedly, but I think it made her curious about the girl that Carter assaulted, the one who was brave enough to come forward and file charges.”

  “You’re really convinced that he hurt Dani, too, aren’t you? It’s gone beyond speculation.”

  Grady nodded.

  “Then hanging around that house isn’t all about Emily Dobbs. Wonder how she feels about that?”

  “I’m sure she has a whole lot of issues with it, but I am more and more convinced every day that something happened between the Carter kid and Dani,” he admitted, popping a Tums in an attempt to fight the acid suddenly swirling in his stomach. “And when Dani’s ready to talk, I want to be around.” He smiled ruefully. “Not that seeing Emily on a more regular basis poses any kind of hardship.”

  Naomi rounded her desk and sat on the corner of his. “Do you think maybe you’re getting a little too close to the Dobbs family?”

  His gaze narrowed. “Are you suggesting I’ve crossed some kind of line?”

  “One way or another, they’re all potential witnesses in this case. You’re losing your objectivity about them.”

  Grady couldn’t deny that. And with Dani somehow all twisted up in his mind with his own daughter, it had gotten that much more complicated. He hated that she might have been victimized by Evan Carter, hated it with a vehemence that sometimes scared him. When the patrol officer assigned to keep an eye on Lauren had reported seeing Carter grab Dani’s arm and jerk her around, Grady had literally seen red. If he’d witnessed it in person, there was no telling what he might have done to the kid. He suspected he would have reacted like a protective parent rather than a cop.

  He gave Naomi a plaintive look. “How the hell is it ever possible to remain entirely objective in a case like this? Can you tell me that? You’re a woman.”

  She gave him a wry look. “I thought you preferred to think of me as gender neutral.”

  Grady rolled his eyes. “You’re missing my point. Can you stay objective after listening to any of these victims tell you what the men have done to them?”

  “Not entirely, no,” she conceded. “But I do the best I can, because the second I get too involved, I can’t do my job. I certainly can’t go around choking the breath out of these creeps the way I’d like to. That’s what you’d like to do right now, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe. Are you saying you don’t think I can do my job when it comes to this case?”

  “I’m just saying you’re making it a whole lot harder on yourself.”

  She had no idea, he thought. If she knew that every time he imagined that creep’s hands on Dani Dobbs, he envisioned him touching Megan the same way, Naomi would freak out and insist he turn the case over to someone else. She’d probably badger him into seeing the department shrink while she was at it. Thankfully, Naomi had only joined the department a couple of years ago, after all the talk about Megan’s death had died down.

  Besides, he already knew what a shrink would have to say. He was substituting his inability to protect Megan years ago for a grim determination to find justice for Lauren Brown…and for Dani. The two situations could not be more different, but both involved his ability—or inability, more precisely—to protect a girl he cared about. That same motivation probably drove him on every case, but he was seeing the connection now more clearly than ever before.

  “You’re not going to rest until you get Dani Dobbs to talk to you, are you?” Naomi asked.

  “I can’t,” he said simply.

  Naomi regarded him curiously. “For her sake or yours?”

  Grady shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure anymore. I want to believe it’s for hers.”

  “You ever going to tell me what drives you like this?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing I can talk about.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

  “I suppose I could find out just by asking around. You’ve worked with most of these guys for years.”

  “How do you think they’d feel about you trying to invade my privacy?” he asked.

  “Okay, bad idea,” she agreed, “but Luis would probably tell me if I asked.”

  “I doubt it,” Grady said. “My uncle may be putty in your hands when it comes to most things, but this is private, Naomi. He’d never betray me.”

  “Not even if he thought you were in danger of losing perspective on a case?”

  “Not even then,” he said with conviction, then gave her a halfhearted smile. “Of course, you might succeed in motivating him to beat some sense into me. I hope you won’t do that.”

  She gave him a weary look. “I hope I won’t have to.”

  An hour later, Grady was too restless to stay in the squad room another second. “I need to get out of here,” he told Naomi.

  “And go where?” she asked, on her feet at once and striding along beside him
.

  “To find Evan Carter.”

  “Grady, you know we can’t question him without his lawyer present,” she protested.

  “I’m not going to question him,” Grady replied grimly.

  “Oh, shit,” she muttered under her breath, but she kept pace with him.

  Ten minutes later they were cruising the streets that wound through the campus. Grady kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Carter. Naomi kept her gaze glued to him.

  “You could help me look for him,” he commented.

  “Frankly, I’m not sure I want you to find him,” she retorted. “This strikes me as a really bad idea.”

  “And yet here you are, along for the ride.”

  “I’m just hoping to keep you from doing something you’ll regret.”

  “I wouldn’t regret punching the kid’s face in,” he said. “But I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to give him a little advice, see how he takes it.”

  “What kind of advice?”

  “I’m going to suggest he stay far, far away from Lauren Brown’s apartment. I’m going to remind him that there’s a restraining order that says the same thing.” He glanced at Naomi. “And then I’m going to tell him that the exact same thing applies to Dani Dobbs.”

  “Dani doesn’t have a restraining order against him.”

  “Not yet,” he agreed. “I just want to gauge his reaction when I bring up her name. Finding her outside of Lauren’s apartment clearly rattled him, according to the officer who called me. I want to see just how unhappy he is about running into her on campus.”

  “Then this is just a fishing expedition?” Naomi said, clearly relieved.

  “Something like that.” He grinned at her. “Of course, if he happens to take a swing at me while I’m pushing his buttons, it would make my day.”

  Emily was surrounded by a huge pile of midterm reports, when Marcie tapped on the kitchen door and stepped inside. “Mind another interruption?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about Dani again. Is she avoiding Caitlyn for some reason? I didn’t want to ask earlier and create a problem where there was none, but when she didn’t call or show up, I felt I had to ask for Caitlyn’s sake. She’s really hurt that Dani hasn’t been talking to her.”

  Emily clenched the red pencil she’d been using to grade papers more tightly. “Dani’s not at your house now?”

  Marcie shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen her. Why?”

  “After you left here earlier, I spoke to her. She told me she was going over to your house to spend the afternoon with Caitlyn.”

  “When was that?”

  Emily glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “About two hours ago,” she said.

  “And you’re sure she’s not here, that she didn’t just change her mind?” Marcie asked.

  “I’ll check,” she said, praying that Marcie was right and that Dani was in her room, lost in some homework assignment.

  Upstairs, though, she found no sign of her daughter. Her purse was gone, as well, which meant she hadn’t simply left the house to take a walk and get some fresh air. She’d deliberately defied her mother. Emily knew a lot of girls Dani’s age rebelled and she’d always counted herself fortunate that her daughter wasn’t one of them. Today, though, after lying about her destination and sneaking away, she was making up for lost time.

  Emily’s step was heavy when she returned to the kitchen. She was angry and disillusioned, but most of all, she was scared. “She’s not there.”

  Marcie’s expression reflected Emily’s gut-wrenching worry. “Where on earth do you think she might have gone?” she asked.

  Emily was at a loss. “I have no idea. What could possibly be so important that she’d not only leave home to go somewhere other than your house, but lie to me about it?”

  “I can ask Caitlyn if she has any ideas, but I really don’t think they’ve talked that much lately.”

  Emily agreed. “If she’s sneaking around, I doubt she’d tell Caitlyn about it. She wouldn’t put her in the position of having to lie for her.”

  “Not that it would be the first time,” Marcie said.

  “What?”

  “Oh, for goodness’ sakes, those two have been covering for each other since they first met. Knowing how they idolized their big brothers back then, they probably copied Josh and Evan and took some kind of blood oath. The stakes might be bigger now, but I doubt the pattern has changed.”

  “How did I miss that? I’m the cynical teacher who’s seen and heard just about everything, especially when it concerns teenagers.”

  “It’s different when it’s your own kid,” Marcie said. “We all want to believe they’re perfect.”

  Emily thought she heard an edge of weary resignation in Marcie’s voice. She wondered if she was coming to accept the possibility that Evan was guilty, after all. It wasn’t a question she dared to ask, though. She had a more pressing situation on her hands.

  “Could you take a drive, maybe look for her?” she asked Marcie. “I don’t want to leave the house in case she turns up back here.”

  “Absolutely,” Marcie said. “I’ll take Caitlyn along. Maybe she’ll have some ideas about where to look. I’m sorry if I set this in motion when I asked you to give her permission to spend time with Caitlyn. If I hadn’t, she’d be in her room.”

  “This is not your fault,” Emily assured her. “My daughter knew exactly what she was doing when she went out the door and flat-out lied to me about her destination. If she thinks being grounded for a few weeks wasn’t much fun, just wait till she finds out what’s in store for her now. She’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to her friends outside of school again.”

  Marcie leaned down to give her a hug. “I’ll call you if I spot her anywhere.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to start making some calls to some of the kids she hangs out with at school. I’ll let you know if I locate her or if she turns up here.”

  But after Marcie had gone, Emily couldn’t seem to make herself dial the first number. She knew she had to get to the bottom of this, but she hated it. She hated that her daughter had lied, hated that she was in the position of having to admit to some of her students that she didn’t know where Dani was, hated what all of it said about their deteriorating relationship. She’d always believed that she and Dani were closer than most mothers and daughters, but obviously that was no longer true. Her daughter was clearly in trouble and Emily didn’t have the first clue how to go about helping her.

  There was still no sign of Dani when Derek showed up unexpectedly. Emily was so frazzled by then, she was tempted to throw herself into his arms and burst into tears, but she didn’t.

  Instead she took all of her anger and frustration and fear out on him.

  “Why didn’t you call before coming over here?” she snapped. “You can’t just pop up whenever you feel like it. I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”

  Derek looked thoroughly nonplussed by her tone. “I’m picking Josh up. I assumed he’d told you. We’re going to dinner.”

  “Well, Josh isn’t home yet.”

  “So, what? You want me to wait in my car?”

  She heard the subtle rebuke behind the question. She bit back another sharp retort and sighed. “No, of course not.”

  “Want to tell me what put you in this mood?”

  She debated getting into this with him, but he was Dani’s father. He had a right to know that she’d vanished. And though she’d never given him much credit for his insights into their children, maybe he’d have more objectivity about this than she had.

  “It’s Dani,” she said eventually.

  Derek pulled out a chair and sat down. “What’s she done now?”

  “You know she’s been grounded?” she began.

  “I’ve heard it mentioned a time or two, though she never once said you weren’t justified in doing it.”

  “Today I made an exception so she
could spend some time with Caitlyn. At first they were going to get together here, but then Dani shouted up to me that she was going over to the Carters?”

  Derek looked taken aback by that. “Really? She voluntarily agreed to go over there?”

  “Why do you say it like that?”

  “We’ll get to that in a minute. Finish telling me what happened today.”

  “She lied to me. She never went over there at all. Derek, I have no idea where she is.”

  He didn’t seem nearly as distressed as she was by that.

  “Probably somewhere she knows you wouldn’t want her to go,” he said.

  “Well, that’s obvious, don’t you think?” she said sarcastically.

  “Despite what this behavior suggests, basically Dani’s a responsible young woman. I’m sure she’s fine, wherever she is.” When Emily was about to object, he held up his hand. “I am not excusing what she’s done. It’s inexcusable. But I don’t think you need to worry about her. She’ll be back here soon and then you can deal with the consequences for her actions.”

  “You’re really not the least bit upset about this, are you?” she asked incredulously.

  “Of course, I’m upset that she lied and broke the rules, but I’m not worried.” He frowned slightly when he glanced at the clock. “Not yet, anyway. It’s still early.”

  Oddly, sharing her own concern with Derek had calmed her, as well. She’d forgotten what it was like to share her emotions and fears with another adult, especially with a man who had as great a stake in the situation as she had. For all of his lack of involvement in their upbringing, Derek loved their children as much as she did.

  Pushing aside the immediate situation, she said, “Maybe we should get back to your reaction when I mentioned that Dani was supposed to be over at Caitlyn’s. Why were you so surprised?”

  “Come on, Em, you know the answer to that. She hasn’t wanted to be anywhere near Evan since this whole mess started. We both know why, too. Or at least we have our suspicions. Have you let the detective talk to her yet?”

  Emily shook her head. “I keep hoping she’ll open up to me. I’ve given her every opportunity, but if she has anything to say, she’s not saying it to me.”