The shower stopped. Pocketing the money, Lucan left the room before the boy knew he was there. He couldn’t risk Kip taking the cash and running away.
Lucan didn’t have long to wait in the hall by the stairs before Kip came pelting out of the room, his clothes clinging to his still wet body.
“Give me my money,” he demanded on the verge of tears as he came to a halt the moment he saw Lucan.
“Your money?” The evasive dart of the boy’s eyes said it all. “Where did you get the money, Kip?”
“You had no right to take it!”
“Did you?”
Fear swept Kip’s young features. His small hands fisted at his sides. Lucan gentled his tone. “I understand, Kip. You had to feed yourself and your brother and sister. Believe it or not, I’m on your side.”
Clearly, the boy didn’t believe him. Fear had the upper hand and he stood there quivering.
“Tell me what happened.”
Kip looked away, blinking hard.
“Your aunt is worried about your mom. We all are.”
The boy remained rigidly silent. Lucan sighed. “We want to help you, Kip. All of you.”
“Then go away.”
He shook his head. “Not going to happen. But you know that. I need to find your mom. She’s in trouble, isn’t she?”
Sudden tears brimmed in clear blue eyes that reminded him of Kyra’s. Lucan ached to comfort the small boy as he had Kyra, but he knew any overture would be spurned. He kept his voice soft.
“Help me help your mom. Tell me what happened.”
The boy blinked back his tears and his expression hardened. Lucan wasn’t going to reach him. Maybe Kyra would have better luck.
“Okay, Kip. Come downstairs with me. My mom’s here making pancakes and sausages. My mom makes terrific pancakes.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Lucan sighed. “Then you can watch the rest of us eat.”
AS USUAL, MAUREEN O’SHAY had cast her Irish charm over the kitchen. Kyra and his mother were working together like longtime friends when Lucan stepped into the fragrant kitchen. Kip followed sullenly in his footsteps and plopped onto the nearest empty chair without looking at anyone.
“Ach, and you should have dried that hair, young Kip,” his mother scolded with a gentle smile, “but never you mind. I’m thinking you’re as hungry as your brother and sister. I’m Mrs. O’Shay and this brawny man,” she gestured at Lucan, “is one of my boys. Kyra, some juice for our lads?”
Kyra hastened to pour orange juice into two small glasses. She set one in front of Kip and placed the other at an empty setting before looking at Lucan. He gave a small shake of his head to indicate he’d gotten no answers. She sighed.
“Your mother’s a wonder,” she told him. “She brought all these supplies with her.”
“Lucan told me what was wanting,” his mother inserted, returning to the stove to lift a set of fluffy pancakes onto a plate. “It was no trouble at all.”
Lucan crossed to kiss the top of her white hair. “Now you see why I called my mother.” He poured himself a cup of coffee before taking his seat.
“Do we hafta go back in the closet?” Brian asked his brother.
Kip glared at Lucan as Kyra set the pancakes down in front of him.
“No, Brian,” Lucan told him. “No more closet.”
Brian nodded and gulped some milk. “Good. When’s my mom coming home?”
“As soon as we find her,” he told the boy.
“The bad men took her.”
Kyra jerked around to stare at the boy with a stricken expression.
“Be quiet,” Kip commanded.
“What bad men, Brian?” Lucan asked softly.
“Don’t tell him anything!” Kip commanded.
Brian scowled. “Why not?”
“Mom said.”
“Did not.”
Lucan interrupted. “Did she tell you to stay in the closet?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Shut up!” Kip ordered frantically.
“No! I don’t hafta do what you say anymore. Do I, Aunt Kyra? Mom said not to open the door for anyone, but she’s been gone a long time. I want her to come home.”
Kyra knelt beside him and hugged the boy. “She will, Brian. Lucan’s going to find her.”
He frowned.
“My Lucan can find her,” his mother put in. “And he’ll find those bad men and put them in jail where they belong. Don’t you fret.”
Kip pushed away from the table and ran into the living room. Lucan started to rise but Kyra waved him back.
“I’ll go.”
“It’s been hard on the lad. Let Kyra handle it,” his mother suggested.
Reluctantly, Lucan sat back down. He turned to Brian. “Will you tell me what happened?”
The small face showed remembered fear, but he nodded. “The ’lectricity went out, and Mom said we had to get inside the closet and stay there until she told us to come out. She said we had to be quiet no matter what we heard and that Kip was in charge. He wasn’t supposed to open the door until she said so.” His troubled gaze filled with guilt. “But she didn’t come back and I had to go to the bathroom.”
“Mommy cried,” Maggie put in.
Lucan tensed. He forced himself to relax. “Did she?”
The little girl nodded solemnly and reached for her bear. Her wide eyes held no discernable emotion. “She yelled at the bad men.”
“Did you see the bad men?”
Maggie hugged her bear tightly. It was Brian who answered. “No. We was in the closet.”
“Do you know how many men there were?”
The boy shook his head. “They made a lot of noise. Mommy kept yelling at them to stop. I wanted to help her but Kip said we had to be real quiet.”
“Kip was right, Brian. You did the right thing obeying your mother and staying put.” He could see the guilt weighing on the child.
“We were scared. Kip made us stay there even when we couldn’t hear anything.”
“They made a mess,” Maggie pronounced.
“They did indeed,” Lucan agreed, meeting his mother’s troubled expression. “Did your mom know the men?”
Brian shrugged. Maggie rocked her bear and simply watched.
“Where was your father?”
That brought an immediate reaction. “Daddy doesn’t live here,” Maggie piped up.
“They got divorced,” Brian agreed. “Mom got a new husband, but we don’t like him very much.”
“Does he hit you?”
His gaze was troubled. “No. Mommy won’t let him.”
“Does he hit your mother?”
Brian shook his head. “Daddy used to so we ran away.”
Even though it was a sadly familiar tale, Lucan tensed. “Was your dad here when the bad men came?”
“Nuh-uh. Jordan called when we got home. Mommy talked to him and got scared. The television turned off all by itself so she made us run upstairs and get in the closet.”
Lucan gripped his coffee mug. Had Jordan Fillmont called to warn his wife? Had he known the men were coming?
“What time was this, Brian?”
Brian shook his head.
“Had you eaten dinner yet?”
“Uh-huh. Mom took us to the restaurant where they make tacos.”
“Was it dark out when you came home?”
The child stared at him blankly.
“Were there Christmas lights on in the neighborhood?”
“Uh-huh.”
That didn’t help much in narrowing it down. Kip would be of more help there, assuming Kyra could get him to talk.
“Mama?” Maggie’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
Maureen stepped forward and put her arms around the little girl and her bear. “Your mama will be home soon, little one. Would you be wanting to help me like a big girl? I’m thinking we could bake some cookies to have after lunch. What do you think?”
“Me too?” Brian asked eag
erly.
Lucan shot his mother a grateful look.
“Well, of course,” she told the child. “Baking cookies means I’ll be needing a lot of help.”
“What kind of cookies?”
“Well now, what would be your favorite?”
Lucan didn’t wait to hear the answer. He stood and crossed to the hall, moving silently into the living room.
“I KNOW YOU’RE SCARED. I’m scared, too, Kip,” Kyra told the boy. “But we have to find your mom. We don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Kip remained standing with his back to her. Kyra wondered what she could say to get through to him. It was her own fault he didn’t trust her. She should never have let so much time pass without coming for a visit.
“I haven’t been a very good aunt, have I? I’m sorry, Kip. I’ll try to do better from now on. You did all the right things, but now you have to help Detective O’Shay find your mom.”
“I left the closet.”
She winced at the guilt in his soft mutter. “That’s okay. She didn’t mean for you to stay in there for days. You know your mom didn’t mean to be gone this long.”
He turned around. His expression was far too old for his eight-year-old frame. “Is she going to come back?”
Kyra swallowed hard against the sudden thickening in her throat. She blinked fast to keep tears from filling her eyes. Looking into that young-old face she knew she couldn’t lie to him. “I don’t know, Kip. But I won’t leave you. That, I promise.”
She didn’t know if he moved or if she did, but she was holding him as he sobbed, wanting to let her own tears fall as well. Her eyes burned, dry and scratchy with need, as her mind whirled with the inconsequential things she needed to do to rearrange her life.
The idea of taking over her sister’s role as the children’s mother was terrifying. She didn’t know how to be a mother. And what was she going to do with three children in her tiny apartment?
They would cope somehow. These fragile lives needed her. She knew what Lucan hadn’t said in so many words, what she herself didn’t want to think and couldn’t stop thinking. Casey was dead. Kyra would have to come to terms with that without shattering. She had children to care for now.
She raised her head to find Lucan watching from the hall. His strong features were sympathetic. Inclining his head, he disappeared back into the kitchen.
After a few minutes, Kip’s sobs lessened. He pulled away, wiping furiously at his eyes. “Is Mom dead?”
“I hope not, but I don’t know.”
He gave an adult nod.
“I do believe Detective O’Shay will do everything he can to find her. But you’ll have to help him.”
“You look like her. My mom.”
Her heart wrenched. “Yes, I do.”
“She said we were going to take a vacation with you.”
“That was the plan,” Kyra agreed gently. “I hope we’ll still be able to do that.”
He watched her steadily. She didn’t want to give him false hope, but she didn’t want to crush his hope either. Kip shuddered and sighed. Her heart nearly broke. She had to steady herself before speaking again or she would cry.
“I know you probably aren’t hungry, but let’s go back in the kitchen and try to eat a little. We can’t afford to get sick and we don’t want to upset Brian and Maggie. The four of us have to decide what to do next, all right?”
His nod was small, but he let her put her hand on his thin shoulder and walk with him back into the kitchen. Maureen silently placed fresh plates of food in front of them as they joined the others at the table. After one glance at Kyra and Kip, Lucan continued his story about one of his brother’s antics when he’d been Brian’s age.
Kip said nothing. He didn’t look at anyone as he ate with surprising appetite. Kyra barely tasted her food. Her mind continued spinning helplessly.
“Talk to you a minute?” Lucan asked when she put down her fork.
Relieved at a chance to be doing something, she stood and followed him upstairs. Lucan dumped the contents of Kip’s backpack on the dresser in the master bedroom. Together they counted out the money. Placing it in an evidence bag, he wrote her a receipt. He gazed at her intently, his cop face firmly in place. “We need to know where he got this.”
“I know. But he’s a little young for a rubber hose, don’t you think?”
His lips pursed. “That wasn’t called for.”
Kyra sighed. She hadn’t meant it to sound like criticism. None of this was his fault and he did have a job to do. “No, it wasn’t. I’m sorry.”
“Are you willing to take responsibility for the children?”
“Of course I am!”
“There’s no ‘of course’ about it.” His tone was mild. “You’re a single woman. Having three children will change your life completely. You should take some time to consider a decision of this magnitude.”
Angry despite his conciliatory tone, she narrowed her eyes. “My sister isn’t dead and buried yet, Detective. And I don’t need time to make any decisions. These children are my family.”
He smiled then. A full smile. Her lips parted at the remarkable change to his features. How had she not noticed how handsome he was? He took her breath away. His hand rested warmly on her shoulder.
“Besides,” she added, unaccountably ruffled, “you’ll find Casey.”
His body tensed. So did hers. He dropped his hand without commenting.
“What are we going to do about Kip?” she asked to defuse the moment.
His expression changed once more, becoming the cop she had first met. “I have to talk to him, Kyra.”
“I know that. I think he feels responsible for what happened.”
“That’s to be expected. He became the man of the house when his mother put him in charge. Kids have an uncanny knack for thinking things are their fault even when they aren’t.”
He ran a hand over his unshaven jaw. The stubble gave him a roguish appearance and she realized how tired he must be. She’d cost him a night’s sleep.
“I won’t push Kip,” he promised. “For one thing, we don’t know that this money is tied to anything criminal. And wherever it came from, Kip used it for survival. I need him to talk to me, but I don’t browbeat children.”
“I know that.” And she did. “You’re good with kids. I saw the way Brian and even shy little Maggie responded to you.” They liked him. So did she. “I’m frustrated because I hate feeling helpless.”
His lips curved. “Helpless is one thing I’d never call you.”
“Was that a compliment or a complaint, detective?”
His eyes twinkled. He changed the subject without answering. “What are your plans?”
“Long-term?”
“No, now. What are you going to do with the kids today?”
That had been one of many thoughts whirling through her head. She sighed. “I don’t know. We can’t stay here.” She waved her arm at the destruction. “I can’t fix this mess completely in a few hours, so I guess I need the name of a motel nearby, in case Casey…” Her throat threatened to close and she swallowed hard. “If she can, she’ll come here looking for her kids.”
Lucan started to speak and stopped.
“Intellectually I realize she may be dead, Lucan. I do.” It was hard to keep the sudden swell of tears from her voice. “But I have to cling to the chance that she’s okay.”
“There’s always a chance,” he agreed, despite the doubt filling his eyes. “I have a suggestion. “My mother offered to take you and the kids to her place until things get a bit more settled.”
The words were so unexpected it took her a minute to process them. “Why? She doesn’t even know us.”
“My mother has never met a stranger and she loves kids. A motel is no place for children, especially at this time of year. Mom raised four of us and didn’t do a half-bad job. Just don’t tell my brothers I said that.”
There was deep love and affection behind his words.
Kyra was touched by the unexpected offer, and seriously tempted. She’d liked Maureen O’Shay the moment they met.
“It’s your decision, of course,” he added, “but Mom wouldn’t have offered if she didn’t want to. She has plenty of room. And I think she’s kept every toy we ever had, which should help you keep the kids occupied.”
The more Kyra considered the magnanimous offer, the more tempting it was. “We’d be a huge imposition.”
“Not really. There’s always someone coming by. Mom loves to cook.” He rocked back on his heels. “Just think about it, Kyra. What are you going to do with three kids in a motel room all day?”
Good question, and one that seriously worried her. “Kip will want to stay here.”
Lucan nodded. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing back some of the strands that stuck out at odd angles. There hadn’t been time this morning for either of them to worry about personal hygiene. Their focus had been on the children. She was suddenly aware of her own bedraggled state. And she had the most outlandish urge to reach out and stroke Lucan’s firm jaw.
Their gazes locked. Kyra turned away before she did something utterly stupid. “I’ll go talk with your mom.”
Chapter Six
Maggie and Brian were excited at the idea of going to Maureen’s to make cookies and play with some of the toys Maureen had told them about. Predictably, Kip was upset over leaving the house. He refused to talk with anyone, sitting on the steps with his arms folded and his jaw so tightly shut it made Kyra hurt to look at him.
She plopped down on the step below him. “I don’t want to leave, either,” she told him quietly.
Kip continued to glare but she could tell he was puzzled. “We have to go for Maggie and Brian.”
“Why?”
“Because the furniture’s a mess. The beds are torn and there’s no place to sleep. I don’t think even you want to go back in the closet.”
Kip flushed, but set his jaw. “Mom won’t know where we are.”
His voice broke, taking her heart with it.
“I worried about that, too, but we can leave her a note.”
“What if she doesn’t see it?”
“We’ll tape it to the bookcase outside the closet. That’s where she’ll go first, don’t you think?”
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