“Sure you are.” Jolene rubbed her back. “And so is Simon. I’m sure he’ll be home soon enough, bugging the hell out of you.”
Martina laughed and then pulled back. “I know he will and then I’ll threaten to pack his bags and send him off to his mother.”
Jolene schooled her face to look anxious. “You wouldn’t? Rosa is a great cook. He might not come home again.”
Martina shrugged. “Rosa is not me.”
Jolene smoothed Martina’s hair back from her face. “This is true.”
The coffee dripped into the pot and the rich aroma called to them.
Jolene stepped back from Martina’s embrace.
“So, do you want to tell me about last night? Mom told me you two talked,” Martina said while she filled the mugs. “And then you left.”
“We did.” Jolene slid onto a stool and accepted the warm mug Martina handed her. “And yes, I had to get away and think. Don’t ask me why. I just did.” She set the mug down and rubbed her hands together.
“I understand,” Martina replied. “I did the same. Blew my mind that I never suspected any of what she told me.”
“I know.” Jolene pressed the heart charm her mother had given her when she’d graduated high school into the pad of her thumb. The heart held both of their birth stones. How she had wanted to believe her mother loved her then, but she came to believe she hadn’t. Now she knew she hadn’t seen the truth.
“And I was older than you.” Cool air spilled from the refrigerator while Martina glanced over her shoulder at her sister.
“You still are,” Jolene answered and dropped her hands to the bar.
Martina laughed and handed her the French Vanilla creamer they both adored.
“I checked in with Mom around eleven.” Jolene poured her cream and then handed it back to Martina. “She told me everything was good. Lia gave her no problems and the kids were all tucked in.”
“She told me you called. I called her right after you had. I didn’t want Dad to run back to the hospital to keep me company. I knew Simon would be okay by then.”
“I should’ve been there.”
“I was fine. And you have a job to do.” Martina placed the creamer back in the refrigerator and slid onto the stool next to her. She took a sip and then peered over her mug. “So how is the chief?”
“How should I know?” Jolene sipped her coffee, ignoring her sister’s smirk.
Martina bumped her elbow against hers.
“Come on, sis. Anyone with eyes can see the attraction between the two of you. And I know you like I know myself. You didn’t drive around all night and you didn’t go to a hotel. You were with him last night. How was he?”
Jolene nearly choked on her sip of coffee. “I have no idea what you mean? I was—”
“Your dress is wrinkled. And you have whisker burns along your neck.”
Without thought, Jolene covered her neck.
Martina chuckled. “Your dress lay on the floor all night, didn’t it?
Jolene face grew warm. “You think you know me?”
“I know I know you.”
Martina’s cup didn’t hide her grin.
Jolene opened her mouth to respond when her cell phone in her purse chirped the first notes of Born To Be Wild. It was the ring tune sound she’d assigned to Norris. Why she had no idea. Wild was not a word she’d use to describe him. Maybe she had because she longed to get wild with him again. The thought of him inside her made a warmth flow outward from her stomach.
Martina set her mug down. “What the heck is that noise?”
“My cell.” Jolene dug her phone out of her purse and quickly muted the ringer. She walked into the family room, feeling her heart beating against her sternum at lightning speed. She tingled all over in anticipation of hearing Norris’ deep voice against her ear.
She also sensed Martina’s gaze on her back.
“U.S. Marshall Martinez.” Jolene spoke briskly into her phone, pretending the call was from her headquarters instead of the man who had rocked her world last night.
“I take it you’re not alone,” Norris said.
He didn’t need to be in the room for her to respond to him. Just the sound of his voice made her knees quake. She had it bad for Norris.
Behind her, flowing water splashed against metal.
Jolene glanced over her shoulder and saw Martina had vacated her seat to give Jolene some privacy by rinsing off the kitchen sponge and wiping off the already sparkling stove top.
“Affirmative. Did you get a solid lead?”
“Not sure. Our town drunk, who is not so drunk at the moment, swears on his mother’s grave he’s not only seen Lia, but has spoken to her?”
“Really? Where?”
“Outside the rear entrance to a local bakery. The bakery in a strip mall on Hudson Avenue.” Norris cleared his throat. “I’m going to drive over there and check with the management of each store in the mall. If the car was parked out back, it’s probably owned by an employee. Did you want to ride along?”
She glanced at Martina. She’d really would like to be there if the lead broke in the case, but Martina looked so tired...and she’d promise to stay. Never had she been divided been family and duty, but the choice was clear. “I promised Martina I’d stay and watch over the kids while she gets some rest. Maybe I can find more out from Lia. She might remember something about the bakery. But if anything breaks, call me and I’ll be right there.”
“Family first. Good. I’ll check in with your later.”
The connection between them was severed before she could respond. She imagined the excitement on Norris’ face while he headed out of the station. He loved the hunt as much as she did.
“So. Who was that?” Martina asked over her shoulder when Jolene laid her phone on the counter.
“Stiles. He has a lead. He’s going to check it out.”
Martina turned and arched her brow. “Without you?”
“It’s his case. I am authorized to assist him, when and if he needs me. Right now, he’s not sure how reliable the source is for this lead. If something comes of it, he’ll call me.” Jolene sipped her coffee and grimaced. It was cold. She placed her mug in the microwave and then looked at Martina who now scrubbed the hundreds of tiny handprints from the refrigerator door. Jolene knew well the effects of stress.
Martina was a ball of energy at the moment, but soon she’d crash. “Why don’t you go lie down in the guest room? I’ll make breakfast for everyone. Then I’ll take the kids to the park and out to lunch so the house is quiet for you.”
“What happens if you need to go?”
“Then I would bring the kids home to you before meeting him.” She took the sponge from Martina and shoved her out of the kitchen. “Go. Sleep well.”
Getting breakfast ready for nine people was a challenge but Jolene handled the job fairly well she thought and within two hours everyone was fed and dressed, teeth were brushed and they were all out the door, leaving Martina sleeping soundly. Thankfully, Jolene’s parents had filled their travel mugs with coffee and left immediately for her dad’s appointment. She wasn’t ready to speak to them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The sun warms my face and the salt air laces my tongue and fills my lungs while I cruise through town past quaint shops and busy cafes. This two-hundred-year-old seaside settlement is my home, even if I wasn’t born to it. Just the same, I love it and it loves me in return. But I think I must go away for a while until this hype about the girl quiets down. I need to go somewhere peaceful where I can think and not worry every moment that I will be jailed for what I did.
I didn’t mean to harm the girl. I meant to give her back to her family, but would anyone of sound mind believe me? Hell, I wouldn’t believe me.
It shouldn’t take long for Lia’s story to become old news. A few months perhaps. The media hounds will sniff blood somewhere else in a few days. I simply can’t take the chance my supposedly better half would do something to ca
use the police to look in our direction.
“Stop!”
The shrill voice cuts off my next thought and without hesitation I slam on the brakes, sliding, tires squealing, coming to a halt mere inches from one of the old sycamores lining the street. My lungs, like bellows, suck back my exhale.
“There,” she wails. “It’s Lia. It’s my little girl.”
I feel the veins in my neck strain. My head throbs as if it’s been hit with a sledge hammer. My hands become steel grips around the metal they grasp and I fight back against the anger welling up inside me. I must remain calm and in control. I can’t let her ruin my life, again.
A seaward gust swirls through the row of buildings, cooling my brow and a bead of sweat rolls down my back.
I see the curiosity in the eyes of those passing by. They wonder what is wrong with me. I tell her to shut up. She grows silent but continues to fume.
Ahead, parked near the traffic light, I see a police car.
I need to leave before they wonder why I’ve stopped, but I can’t. She is holding me in place.
I close my eyes against the sting in my temples. I know she is watching Lia. I feel her longing to run to the girl and embrace her. I know her pain is great but she needs to let the girl go back to her own mother.
What I did was the right thing to do.
I repeat the words: “What I did was the right thing to do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Above Jolene the clouds swirled in the blue sky, reminding her of pinwheels in a feisty wind. She threw back her head and laughed freely while the swing she sat on spun and then slowed to a halt and then twirled her even faster in the opposite direction. How foolish she must look to the other women who sat on the nearby benches chatting while keeping one eye trained on their children.
If she ever became a mother she wouldn’t behave like them. Sharing gossip had never held an interest for her. She intended to be as she was now, acting like a damn fool and enjoying every moment of making memories with her kids.
Jolene dropped her feet to the ground. Over the past week, while tending Lia, more and more she considered herself in a mother’s role. Before she’d come home to visit this time, she’d brushed away the notion like swiping a fly off her arm, but now freeing herself from the idea wasn’t easy. The longing she’d kept buried for so long grew stronger each moment she was with her family, and with Norris. He was definitely the kind of man she’d imagined for a life partner when she’d allowed herself to indulge in the dream of having her own family to come home to.
“Don’t stop, Aunt Jolene,” Diego her oldest nephew whined. “The swing will take you back again. Daddy said it’s called send-triple force.”
A woman sitting on a nearby bench smiled at her and then drew in a deep breath and rested her hand on the arm of the older woman sitting next to her. The younger woman appeared to be of the sandwich generation, caring for a grandchild while the child’s mother worked and caring for her own mother too.
“You mean centrifugal force.” Bringing her attention back to her nephew, she pronounced the word again slowly so he’d hear each syllable. Then she glanced over his head and did a head count of the other children. When he pronounced the word correctly, she smiled and mussed her nephew’s hair. “And good for you for listening and learning.”
“My dad is pretty smart.”
She noted the pride in his eyes before Diego’s gaze dropped to his scuffed sneakers where he jabbed the rubber mulch with his shoe tip.
Jolene could see the nine-year-old was worried about his father. For a while she’d been able to take Diego’s mind off his father’s accident, but the mere mention of his daddy had brought last night’s event to the forefront of the child’s mind. He was too young to have the weight of such worry on his shoulders. She grabbed him into a bear hug. “Yes, he is. Now, you better help me stand.”
She faked acute dizziness which lightened the boy’s mood and caused Diego to laugh.
In the distance she heard the musical chime of the mobile ice cream vendor. It grew louder as the cart drew closer to the north side of the small park. She stopped and Diego looked up at her. “I think everyone looks really hot, don’t you?” Jolene glanced toward the mock pirate ship where the rest of the Gomez gang and Lia played.
“Aye,” Diego answered as if addressing his ship’s captain.
Staying in the seafaring mood, she responded, “Man and wench needs more than water to quench the thirst don’t you think?”
Jolene saw the spark of recognition and delight take hold in his eyes before he turned his head and searched for the ice cream truck.
She reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Do you think you could fetch us some ice? Cherry for all of us,” she said with the best seafaring voice she could muster.
“Aye, Captain. I’d be your man.” He snatched the money from her fingertips and raced off across the park, beating out other children who’d heard Mr. Icicle’s call.
Jolene grabbed her bag off the nearby bench and retrieved a container of hand wipes and headed toward the other children.
Ten minutes later, she sat crossed legged on the grass surrounded by the children enjoying a fruity flavor that took her back to her childhood. Their chatter and the joy on their little faces made her heart ache in a strange way. The yearning moved downward to her belly. Even the muscles in her arms craved to hold a little one, a part of her and someone else.
Jolene turned her head and blinked away the moisture clouding her vision. She had managed to walk the group by herself for several blocks without incident. So far there had been no cuts or bruises to the children while they’d scampered around the playground. Nor had any fights broken out between them. She had managed to keep them safe and entertained. Maybe one day she could be a mother.
Her cell phone on her belt buzzed. She looked at the screen and saw Norris was calling her. Thinking he might have news, she checked Lia’s position and scrambled to her feet. “Norris, give me one second.” She spoke into the phone and then looked down at Diego. “I need to take this call. You’re in charge. Everyone stays seated until I return.” She looked directly at each child before backing away.
She dropped her cherry ice cream into a nearby garbage can and then put thirty-feet between herself and the children before she again acknowledged Norris. “I’m back.”
“Where are you?”
Norris sounded exceptionally gruff and she wondered what had changed since she left his bed five hours ago.
“I’m at the playground near Martina’s house. She needed to sleep so I brought the kids here.”
“Is Lia with you?”
The nape of her neck prickled. She swiped the hand, still chilled from the icy treat, over her hairline. “Yes. Why? Did you learn something?”
“The owner of the bakery in this strip mall remembered Lia. A woman brought her in last week to pick out a theme for her birthday cake. I’ve met Tessa the owner a few times. She’s a sharp lady. I think she can help us.”
Out of nowhere, jealousy pricked at Jolene’s heart and immediately she wondered about the circumstances under which Norris had met the bakery’s owner. She locked her jaw, knowing she was being idiotic. Norris had met hundreds of townsfolk over the past nine months since he’d become Cape James’ Chief of Police. She had no claim on Norris and he had none on her. They each had a past.
She pushed away the feeling and focused on what Norris was saying.
“The woman had been in a few other times, but always by herself. Tessa said the woman told her she was Lia’s mother and they would be celebrating Lia’s birthday on June 12th.”
Jolene’s stomach rolled. “The day we found her.”
“Right. The cake she ordered was never picked up.”
His simple statement added to the sorrow she already felt for Lia. “Are you thinking something happened to the mother?”
“No one has reported anyone missing, yet.”
That was
true. And in the hours since the media picked up on Lia’s story and her picture was released to the public, many sightings of her being accompanied by both a woman and a man had been reported, but none in connection with a missing woman. “Did the woman leave personal information with the bakery?”
“No.”
Jolene rubbed an itch under her bangs and then swatted away a gnat. “Not even a phone number?”
“No. She paid cash in advance.”
“That’s odd.”
“I haven’t ever ordered a cake but I’ve ordered flowers and...”
His voice died and Jolene wondered if he thought of his ex-fiancé.
Norris cleared his throat. “It could be our mystery woman didn’t want anyone to know where she stayed.”
“Did she at least give a name?”
“Martha. No last name.”
“A first name is at least something,” Jolene replied.
“I think we need to look at home rentals again,” Norris spoke in a wistful manner. “If she was hiding from someone—”
“They could’ve found her,” Jolene cut him off.
“Yeah. She has to be somewhere she wouldn’t be missed or discovered for a few days.”
Jolene heard a car door open and close and knew Norris had climbed into his Jeep.
“Tessa is going to meet with our sketch artist later this afternoon,” Norris continued. “Since she was up close and personal with the woman for a short time, her sketch should be reasonably precise. With a picture of both of them, maybe we’ll get closer to learning who they are.”
“Right.”
An engine starting broke into the silence hanging between them.
“What are you thinking?” Norris finally asked.
“I’m wondering why Martha parked in the back of the building... It’s not the safest place to leave a child, even if she was locked inside the car.” Jolene saw the Gomez gang had finished with their treats and were beginning to get restless. Her parents should be back from Norfolk soon. Then she could catch up with Norris. “That’s where your witness said she parked, right?”
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