by Debra Webb
No. That couldn’t possibly be right. Old Harry worshiped William and his sister, but he loved that little girl even more. He wouldn’t dare risk her safety in an outlandish plot such as this.
As boring as the concept was, Scott felt confident the child’s disappearance was about her no-good momma. That Presley was a worthless slut. Knowing her, she’d taken the kid off into the woods and left her, hoping she’d never find her way home. God knew Presley showed no real motherly feelings toward the child, much less wifely feelings for her fine husband.
Scott’s teeth set hard enough to crack the high priced enamel of the crowns he’d lavished his daddy’s money on. William deserved a whole lot better than that worthless woman. But some men were stupid like that. Let a woman use and abuse them. For what? An heir?
Adoption was far less painful.
Carol Talbot, the chief’s cheating wife, patted her lover on the back. Scott’s lips curled in disgust. Sickening.
The chief had better get on the stick with his retirement. If he kept hanging around Bay Minette he was going to end up retiring alone. He would be rambling around in that big luxury cabin he’d built in Gatlinburg all by himself. What retired couple needed such an enormous home? But nothing would do for his cheating wife but to have the very finest. Far away from the sweltering heat of southern Alabama.
Actually, Scott was in no hurry to see the chief go. The deputy slated to step into his position was about as worthless as a hung jury. With the older generation like Reed Talbot retiring, those Scott’s age were stepping into positions of power.
Anticipation trickled into his veins. He couldn’t wait for old Judge Baker to retire…or die. Scott was the top attorney in town. Between his stellar reputation and his daddy’s money, he was a shoe-in for the judgeship.
Scott slid down in his seat as Harry Shepherd drove past. Scott had parked at the corner of the block just beyond the Talbot home, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Harry might be crazier than Scott knew.
When the coast was clear, Scott started his car and eased out onto the cross street. He had a client coming. A wife who’d worked up the nerve to divorce her husband. Poor slob. He had no idea.
As an attorney, Scott knew all about trickery and surprise attacks. But if dear old Uncle Harry was pulling a fast one on William, Scott intended to find out. William deserved the truth.
The chief of police had better get this investigation moving. The longer it took to find the child, the more William would suffer.
Scott considered the outsider Melissa had called in. Maybe this Jonathan Foley would prove more useful than the chief, who was clearly blind. Scott pursed his lips. Somehow he had to ensure that this Mr. Foley had all the facts. No one else would tell him the whole truth the way Scott would. He would have to make that happen, as soon as possible.
That child had to be found.
It was the only way to make William happy again.
And Scott would do anything to see him happy.
He couldn’t just sit around here and wait for the chief to get the job done. Every minute that William agonized was one that Scott suffered, as well.
Whether he slept or ate or kept all his appointments or not, Scott intended to ensure the job was done.
Then William would know that there was no one he could count on the way he could count on Scott.
Scott would be a hero.
Chapter Five
1:00 p.m.
William refused to talk to Melissa now. She shouldn’t have pushed the issue of Jonathan questioning Presley right away. They hadn’t learned anything new and now Presley was even more upset—which made William all the more miserable. Jonathan had kept quiet while Melissa and William argued about Presley’s story. She was leaving something out. Something she was too afraid to tell. Melissa wished she could make her understand that if whatever she was holding back helped find Polly, then nothing else mattered. But Presley hadn’t been raised in a safe, nurturing home environment. More like a dog eat dog world where only the most cunning survived.
Melissa shifted in the seat of her car and studied Jonathan’s profile. What was he thinking? That her family was a little messed up? Probably. Melissa rested her head back against the seat.
“Arguing with your brother isn’t going to make his wife confess to whatever wrongdoing she’s committed.”
Melissa turned to the driver once more. She wasn’t surprised that he’d read her mind. It didn’t take ESP to know exactly what she’d been thinking. She shifted her attention back to the street in front of them. “Whatever happened that night was a mistake. Presley would never hurt Polly. She’s scared and William is terrified. It’s easier not to know, even if it’s a mistake.”
“I wouldn’t misread William’s long-suffering attitude for blissful ignorance.”
The statement hit a nerve. “I know my brother isn’t ignorant,” she snapped. “I didn’t say that.” Why was she biting Jonathan’s head off? Good grief, she had to get a grip here. “Sorry. I’m just tired.” She was. Totally exhausted, and worried sick. Part of her wanted to shake the hell out of both Presley and William. But more than anything she wanted to protect them…and find Polly.
Jonathan braked at an intersection. “Which way now?”
Melissa sat up straighter. “Sorry. Left. Then right on Blossom Street.” Jonathan had offered to drive considering the way her hands had been shaking when they’d left William’s. Now she had to focus. Of course Jonathan didn’t know which way to go. He’d never been to Bay Minette.
Not once during the six months they were together had he visited or even met her family. Obviously he hadn’t cared enough for her. More of that agitation churned inside her. It didn’t matter now. Their relationship had been over for three years.
Finding Polly was all that mattered now.
“This Johnny Ray,” Jonathan began as he made the turn, “is he going to be cooperative?”
“Depends upon his mood,” she answered. “Johnny Ray thinks he’s God’s gift to women. He can be charming when he wants and a total jerk other times. Honestly, I doubt he’ll be any help.” But they had to try. She doubted that the chief had pushed him for information. Johnny Ray Bruce had been getting away with just about everything in the book—except murder—since he was born.
Johnny Ray was the same age as William, twenty-five. The two had gone to school together. Had even been friends, sort of, at one time. But Johnny Ray preferred breaking hearts to settling down. As a teenager he’d had a knack for trouble—particularly because the chief of police was his uncle and he wasn’t worried about the consequences. Accountability had not been one of his strong suits. Thankfully he’d grown out of that part of his bad boy reputation.
Johnny Ray and Presley had a long, volatile history. One that hadn’t completely ended with Presley’s marriage to William.
Jonathan parked in front of the small house Johnny Ray’s parents had left to him. Neither was dead, just moved down to coastal Florida to retire.
“I guess we’ll see,” Jonathan said before getting out of the car.
Melissa stared at the small white house. A shiny red sports car sat in the drive out front. Johnny Ray worked as a certified nursing assistant at the same hospital where Melissa worked as a registered nurse. Johnny Ray was a kind and charming caregiver at work. It was only his sexual appetite when off duty that he didn’t appear to be able to control. Unfortunately his craving for Presley hadn’t lessened with age.
Melissa’s car door opened, startling her. Jonathan held it open, waiting for her to climb out. “Thank you.” When her mind began drifting off into disturbing memories, she stopped it. Focusing on the here and now was absolutely essential.
The air was thick with humidity, the sort they didn’t typically endure until late July or August. The idea that Polly might be trapped out in this heat made Melissa shudder despite the sweltering temperature. The child wasn’t old enough to understand that staying out of the direct sun was essential in tempe
ratures this extreme. Dehydration was a major concern. Some had speculated that Polly had gotten up in the middle of the night and wandered off. Every neighborhood in town had been searched. The woods, the parks, no place had been overlooked. She hadn’t been found.
Or someone had taken her to a place far enough away that she wouldn’t be found.
Tracking dogs had failed to pick up on her scent no matter that local hunters had shown up with their hounds mere hours after word got out that a child was missing. Two days of rain after that had rendered any trace of her scent undetectable.
As much as Melissa didn’t want to believe anyone could have taken that sweet child, defeat was crushing in on her now.
The high-pitched whine of the screen door being opened brought Melissa out of her reverie. She heard Jonathan rap on the faded green door, once, twice.
Melissa swiped at the sweat on her brow with the back of her hand. Johnny Ray had to be here. He worked eight to five most days, but today he was not scheduled. She’d called one of her friends and checked.
Jonathan glanced at her, then pounded on the door a third time.
While they waited he surveyed the yard. Melissa started to ask what he was thinking, but the door flew open sharply enough to have shaken loose some of the flaking green paint.
“What?” Johnny Ray demanded, his eyes slitted against the sun’s bright light. He stood in the open doorway, his jeans not even fastened and his muscled chest bare, looking from Jonathan to Melissa and back with blatant irritation. That was another thing Johnny Ray Bruce spent most of his spare time on, pumping iron.
“Johnny Ray, I hate to bother you on your day off,” Melissa said. Damn it! Why did her voice have to sound shaky? “But it’s urgent.” She gestured to the man beside her. “This is my friend Jonathan Foley. We need to speak with you.”
Jonathan extended his hand; Johnny Ray hesitated, but then gave it a shake. “Johnny Ray Bruce.” He smirked. “Guess you already knew that.”
“You work at the hospital with Melissa,” Jonathan said. The way he said her name made her chest ache with an old, far too familiar tenderness.
Johnny Ray nodded. “That’s right.” In Melissa’s direction he flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Course, unlike me, she makes the big bucks.”
Ignoring his jab, she got to the point. “Jonathan’s here to help with the investigation into Polly’s disappearance.”
Johnny Ray’s cocky expression softened a fraction. “They haven’t found her yet?”
Melissa shook her head. “We’re hoping we can count on your help.”
He took another look at Jonathan then shrugged. “Sure. Come on in.”
Melissa followed him inside, with Jonathan close behind her. The place smelled of stale cigarette smoke. Beer cans cluttered the coffee table and both end tables.
Johnny Ray cleared off a spot on the couch and took a seat. “Make yourself at home.” He gestured to the other available chairs but didn’t bother to clear the mess.
Melissa moved a stack of magazines. Her cheeks burned when she noted that they were the sort that featured unclothed females in lewd positions. Jonathan took the seat beside her.
Johnny Ray lit a cigarette. “What can I do to help?”
He sounded surprisingly amiable. Melissa looked to Jonathan. She knew what she wanted to ask Johnny Ray but getting emotional wouldn’t keep him cooperative. Better to leave this to Jonathan.
“Polly’s mother, Presley,” Jonathan began, “insists that on the night her daughter went missing, she turned in shortly after midnight and her daughter was in her room asleep. She claims she had no company that evening after her husband left.”
Johnny Ray flicked ashes onto the wood floor and shrugged. “Those two fight all the time. If I was a betting man, I’d wager Presley drank herself to sleep after Will left. That’s her M.O.” He turned to Melissa. “Wouldn’t you say, Mel?”
Melissa didn’t like when he called her that. No one called her that except him. “I imagine we’ve all done that at one time or another.” Presley had more than her share of issues, but she was Melissa’s sister-in-law.
“I’m sensing,” Jonathan went on, “that Presley isn’t being totally up-front about what happened after her husband left. You’re wired in to the local grapevine, from what I hear,” he added with something that sounded like respect. “Have you heard any rumors to that effect?”
Melissa held her breath. She felt guilty for sitting by while Jonathan talked behind Presley’s back, but if it helped find Polly, she would allow it.
And no one was more connected to the rumor mill than Johnny Ray. That was the reason she and Jonathan were here.
Johnny Ray’s expression went from relaxed to guarded despite Jonathan’s careful wording of the question. He poked his cigarette into a beer can. “I can’t say that I’m wired in to anything.” He shot Melissa an accusing look. “But I do know that Presley’s marriage has been less than the happily-ever-after she’d expected. Will just can’t seem to make her happy.” Johnny Ray shrugged. “Sometimes wives seek out that missing happiness in other places.”
Rage blasted Melissa. As if he’d felt the detonation, Jonathan put a hand on her arm.
“Are you implying that Presley is having an affair?” Jonathan ventured.
Melissa wanted to be equally angry with Jonathan for voicing the question, but time was slipping away. Painful questions had to be asked. Johnny Ray was the person to ask. He and Presley had carried on a love-hate relationship since she was fourteen. If she had gone that far, chances were the man who’d filled the room with unpleasant secondhand smoke would know.
Johnny Ray executed another of those careless shrugs. “I didn’t say that, but I couldn’t blame her if she went that route.”
This time Melissa couldn’t hold back a rebuttal. “William loves Presley. Yes, they have their problems but no marriage is perfect.”
Johnny Ray laughed as he lit up another smoke. “I can’t argue with that last part.”
Melissa bit her lips together. Arguing would be a waste of time, and it might hinder full disclosure. The cockier Johnny Ray felt, the more he’d run off at the mouth.
“So in your opinion her husband hasn’t showered her with the attention she deserves. Is that the case?” Jonathan wanted to know.
Melissa glared at him before she could school her expression. How dare he suggest such a thing? William had been deployed for the past six months. That kind of separation strained the best of marriages.
“That’s right.” Johnny Ray leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. “Fact is, she didn’t want to have a baby, but Will wouldn’t have it any other way. He forced her into going through with the pregnancy and she’s been miserable ever since.”
No way could Melissa sit here and listen to this. She lunged to her feet. “I need some air.”
“Come on, Mel,” Johnny Ray said, “you know it’s true. She wanted to get rid of the kid and your brother threatened to get a court order to stop her.”
Melissa pointed every ounce of rage she felt at the arrogant man. “William had every right to want to save his child. Presley was young and confused—”
“Maybe she couldn’t take it anymore,” Jonathan said, cutting Melissa off, “and did what she’d wanted to do all along.”
The room filled with silence.
Johnny Ray didn’t even blink beneath the weight of Jonathan’s stare.
The utter emptiness left by the silence held Melissa in a chokehold.
Presley loved Polly. Melissa would not even entertain such a notion. The idea was unconscionable, downright crazy.
“I’m not saying she did or didn’t,” Johnny Ray announced, shattering the silence first. “I’m just pointing out that everyone has their limits. Maybe Presley reached hers and made a mistake.”
Defeat sucked the anger and certainty right out of Melissa, left her swaying on her feet.
He was right.
Damn it. Johnny Ra
y knew Presley better than her own husband did, and the point he’d made was frighteningly correct. She hadn’t wanted a child. But that was before they’d all fallen in love with Polly, Presley included.
“Johnny Ray, if you know something—”
He held up his hands. “I’m just speculating here, Mel. Laying out some of the facts that some folks don’t want to remember.”
Jonathan stood, leaned across the cluttered coffee table and offered his hand once more to Johnny Ray. “I hope you’ll let us know if you hear anything that might help find that little girl.”
Johnny Ray pushed to his feet, gave the outstretched hand a shake. “Sure thing, man. I’ll keep my ears open. No problem.”
Melissa swallowed back the crush of emotions swelling her throat. “Thank you.” Then she walked out. She couldn’t look at him anymore. Not with the ugly truth of his words ringing in her ears.
She didn’t stop moving until she was in the car with her seat belt fastened. Her gaze frozen on the street ahead, she couldn’t speak as Jonathan started the car and drove away from Johnny Ray’s house.
“Is there any possibility he might be right about Presley?” Jonathan asked.
Melissa blinked back the sting of angry tears. Jonathan didn’t know her family. His questions were logical and reasonable. She wanted to shake him and make him see that for all her past mistakes and unwise decisions, Presley would never, ever hurt Polly. There were a lot of things about Presley that bothered Melissa. The way she treated William. Her immaturity. But she would not hurt her child. “No.” The single syllable echoed in the quiet of the car, the certainty in her tone reaffirming her resolve.
“We need to talk.”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” she said, rather than the barrage of excuses on her family’s behalf she wanted to offer. She dropped back against the seat, hauled in a deep breath and slowly released it, reminding herself that Jonathan was here to help. She needed to let him.
Jonathan took the next right.
