by Rita Herron
SLADE RARELY SLEPT and this night was no different. When he did, the nightmares came.
He’d choose fatigue over the memories haunting him any day.
Antsy to get started, he brewed a pot of coffee and was at the phone by six.
The reporter, a guy named Hewey Darby, had quoted a Detective Swarnson from the neighboring county as the lead detective on the Dumpster case, so he punched in his number, anxious to hear what the man had to say.
When the receptionist for the police department answered, he asked to speak to Swarnson. “I’m sorry, sir, but Detective Swarnson is no longer with us.”
“Where can I get in touch with him?”
A moment of hesitation. “I’m afraid you can’t. He was killed last year in a random shooting. What is this about?”
He explained that he wanted information on the Dumpster-baby case. “Oh, then you can speak with his partner, Detective Little. I’ll connect you to her office.”
“Thank you.”
A minute later, a woman’s voice echoed back.
“Detective Little.”
“This is Slade Blackburn, Guardian Angel Investigations. I’m investigating the case of an infant who went missing eight years ago in Sanctuary, the same night as the deadly fire and explosion that caused numerous deaths.”
“Right. I read about the arrests.”
“One of the patients in the hospital at the time was told that her baby died, but her body was never recovered, so I’m investigating the possibility that the child might have been kidnapped.”
“I’m not sure how I can help.”
“Actually, I’m not sure you can either, but I’m exploring every possible lead. I found records of a case you and your partner investigated where an infant was found in a Dumpster approximately two weeks after the child in question went missing.”
“Oh, right, I remember that case.”
“What can you tell me about it? Did you ID the child?”
“As a matter of fact, we did.” Her voice warbled. “The mother was a crack addict. She delivered early, but the child wasn’t breathing so she freaked out and decided to get rid of it for fear she’d be caught.”
“Did you arrest her?”
“She’s in prison now.” A long sigh. “I’m sorry. I guess that’s not much help.”
“No, it means that the child I’m looking for might be alive.”
“If it’s been eight years…” Detective Little said. “You know the chances are slim that you’ll find her.”
Slade gritted his teeth. “I know. But everyone assumed she died in that fire. The fact that there was no body or proof means there might have been foul play.”
“Good luck, Mr. Blackburn. I have a soft spot for kids myself, that’s why I work Special Victims. If I can help you any other way, just let me know.”
He thanked her, then spent the next hour chasing down the other two instances he’d read about, but both turned out to be dead ends, too.
The rain died, the morning sun fighting through the storm clouds. His phone buzzed, and he checked the number. Nina.
He punched the connect button. “Nina?”
“Slade…can you come over?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone left a rag doll with a knife in its heart on my doorstep.”
Slade cursed, grabbed his weapon, shoved it in his holster, threw on a jacket and rushed outside.
NINA’S HAND TREMBLED as she hung up the phone. Nausea rolled through her as she stared at the doll, and her chest ached so badly it was as if that knife had been plunged into her own heart.
Someone had put the doll on her doorstep to taunt her with the past.
Who would be so cruel?
She rushed upstairs and threw on some clothes, then made coffee and tried to sip it while she waited.
Five minutes later, Slade’s SUV rumbled up the drive and she inhaled deeply. She had to pull herself together. She finally had someone on her side, and she couldn’t chance losing his services now.
Brushing her hair back into a ponytail, she rushed to the door. The sight of Slade Blackburn on her front porch sent a surge of relief through her.
The wind tousled his hair around his broad face, and the trees shook raindrops from the branches, scattering them across the ground. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, just shaken.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“Before dawn, I heard a noise outside.” She led him to the sofa table. Her hand shook as she picked up the doll. “Then I found this on my porch.”
His eyes flashed with anger. “Damn sicko. Did you see who put it on your porch?”
“No, but I saw a shadow outside. Then I heard a car leaving down the street.”
Slade’s jaw tightened. “Do you have a bag I can put it in? I’ll send it to the lab for prints and DNA.”
“Sure.” She rushed to the kitchen and returned with one, and he used his handkerchief to seal it in the bag.
The temptation to share what happened in the past taunted her, but she decided to hold off.
Maybe he’d find a lead from the doll and she wouldn’t have to divulge the humiliating details of her breakdown.
Chapter Five
Slade gritted his teeth. Nina looked shaken, fragile and exhausted, like a delicate flower that had been crushed in the wind.
But dammit, she also looked beautiful in that pale blue cotton blouse and that flowing black shirt. He itched to pull her into his arms and comfort her but gripped his hands by his sides to keep from touching her.
Someone, whoever had put that doll on her porch, had meant to torment her.
Or maybe the doll had been left as a warning. If she kept asking questions, the same thing would happen to her…
Hopefully Amanda could lift some prints. If not, she might be able to track down where the doll and knife were bought and the buyer.
Slade gritted his teeth. The fact that she’d received it the day after she’d hired him was significant.
Dammit, he didn’t like the fact that someone was watching her. Someone who obviously didn’t want her asking questions. That fact alone roused his suspicions and gave credence to her case.
The first suspect who came to mind was the doctor. But surely the man was too smart to pull such a stunt. He’d have to know that he would be the first person Slade would question.
“Other than Dr. Emery, who else knows that you hired me?” Slade asked.
Nina ran a hand over her forehead. “William.”
His gaze shot to hers. “Peyton’s father?”
She nodded and folded her arms across her chest. “He phoned last night.”
Slade growled, “How did he find out?”
“Dr. Emery called him.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Nina’s gaze jerked to his, and he forced himself to tamp his anger. “What did he say?”
“He was upset,” Nina said. “William doesn’t want anyone messing up his life by dredging up his past. Especially me.”
Slade frowned. “I don’t give a damn what he wants. He’s going to talk to me. And I’ll get the truth out of him one way or another.”
NINA’S HEART WARMED. For the first time in eight years, she actually felt as if someone believed her.
That someone else might care that her daughter had gone missing, when her father and Peyton’s own father had accepted her disappearance as if it had been a blessing in disguise.
“Do you want me to call William and tell him we’re coming?” Nina asked.
“No, I want the element of surprise on our side when I confront him.”
Our side? A warmth spread through Nina at the thought of this man defending her. For so long, she felt as if she’d been waging an uphill battle all alone.
The sun glinted through the clouds, the traffic thick as they left the mountain roads and turned onto the highway toward Winston-Salem. The interstate buzzed with early-morning traffic and commuters.
“Did you grow up in Sanctuary?” Slade asked.
“No, in Raleigh. I attended a private school. That’s where I met William. His father lived there before opening a practice in Winston-Salem.”
“So how did you end up in Sanctuary?”
Nina sighed. “When I got pregnant, my father rented a small house in town. He wanted to hide me away from the people he knew in Raleigh, especially his business colleagues. I stayed in the house until after Peyton was born, then Daddy wanted me to come back and live with him, but I…couldn’t.”
Slade’s thick, dark brows furrowed. “Let me get this straight. He moved you to a different town and left you alone when you were pregnant and just a teenager?”
Nina shrugged at the censure in his voice. “It was better that way. We weren’t exactly getting along back then.” She stroked the sides of her arms with her hands, shaking off the memories. “What about you? Where are you from?”
Slade’s jaw tightened. “All around. My dad was in the military. He died in combat.”
Nina wanted to soothe the anguish she heard beneath his calm veneer but sensed he wouldn’t welcome her touch, so she held herself back. “I’m sorry, Slade. How old were you?”
He maneuvered around an eighteen-wheeler. “Thirteen.”
“I’m sure that was difficult on everyone.”
He made a grunting sound. “Yeah. Two years later my sister disappeared, and my mother totally lost it.”
Just as she had when Peyton first went missing.
But she hadn’t abandoned a second child who needed her. “And they left you to fend for yourself,” Nina said softly.
Slade stiffened. “I was the man of the family,” he said. “I was supposed to take care of them and I failed.”
“Slade…”
“Drop it, Nina.” His expression warned her not to push. “Where does William live?”
“Downtown. He bought a half-million-dollar condo directly across the street from his law office.”
“He must be doing well.”
“Yes. Losing Peyton wasn’t even a blip on the radar for him,” she said, fighting bitterness.
He found a parking spot, parked and they climbed out and walked over to the condo complex. People clogged the sidewalk, walking to work; the coffee shop was overflowing with early-morning patrons and horns and traffic noises filled the air.
They stepped into the entryway of the high-rise building, then stopped at the front desk to speak to security. “We’re here to see William Hood.”
A middle-aged dark-haired woman greeted them. “Is Mr. Hood expecting you?”
“No,” Slade said. “But it’s important.”
Nina cleared her throat. “Just tell him that Nina Nash needs to see him.”
The woman buzzed his condo, announced their arrival then spoke quietly into the headset. A second later, she turned back to them with a frown. “I’m sorry, but he says he doesn’t want to see you.”
Slade slapped his hand on the counter. “Tell him he can talk to us now or we’ll be waiting at his office.”
The woman’s brows rose, then she spoke into the headset again. This time curiosity lined her face when she glanced back up. “He’s in the penthouse.”
Slade harrumphed. “Of course.”
The woman frowned again as they made their way to the elevator. Nina’s stomach thrashed as the elevator carried them up, her ears popping as they climbed to the twenty-ninth floor. The doors finally swished open, and she swayed slightly. Silently Slade took her elbow and guided her to the door, then punched the doorbell.
A snarling William opened the door dressed in a three-piece suit, his sandy-blond hair combed back from his forehead and set with gel, his blue eyes like ice chips. Looking at him compared to Slade made her wonder why she’d been stupid enough to give him her virginity.
“Nina, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” William barked. “Didn’t you understand my warning last night?”
“Warning?” Slade asked in a lethal tone.
Nina shifted. “William threatened to tell my coworkers at school that I’m crazy.”
“Is that so?” Slade glared at William. “Well, I’m working for Nina now, Hood, and I don’t like bullies.”
A vein throbbed in William’s forehead. “And I don’t like smarmy P.I.’s nosing into my business.”
A nasty grin slid onto Slade’s face. “You don’t, huh? Well, you’d better get used to it, because I’m just getting started.” He shouldered his way past William into the foyer of the condo. “And no one, especially some skinny-assed lawyer, is going to stop me.”
SLADE GROUND HIS TEETH in an attempt to rein in his temper. He couldn’t tolerate any man who’d abandon his own child, and this man had rejected his before his baby had even been born.
To think that Hood would use his money, status and weight to intimidate Nina infuriated him.
If it were his own child and he were in Nina’s situation, he’d move hell and high water to find out the truth, just as she was.
“Mister—”
“Blackburn,” Slade cut in.
“Either leave or I’m going to call security.”
“William, please,” Nina interjected. “All we want is a few minutes.”
William gave her a seething look. “There’s nothing to talk about, Nina. We’ve been over this a thousand times.”
“You never wanted to have a child, did you?” Slade asked.
William glared at him but drew a breath, adopting a professional mask that Slade was sure he used in court. Probably to free any low-life slimeball who paid his salary.
And judging from the condo and the pricey modern furnishings, he either had a lot of clients or his fees were enormous.
Hood checked his Rolex. “Excuse me now, I have work to do.”
Slade caught his arm. “First you’re going to answer some questions.”
Hood jerked free of Slade, his suit jacket crinkling as he squared his shoulders. Finally he gave a labored sigh. “Five minutes.”
The temptation to hit the bastard was so strong, Slade rolled his hands into fists. “What makes you so sure that your baby died in the fire in Sanctuary?”
A cold look settled in Hood’s eyes. “If you’d seen that explosion, the chaos, the debris…you’d know there’s no way that anyone left inside survived.” He paused. “And Nina and the sheriff certainly questioned everyone at the hospital.”
“Maybe not,” Slade said. “You’re a lawyer. Kidnappings happen in hospitals all the time. Can you honestly say that it wasn’t possible for someone to have carried your baby outside and disappeared with her?”
For the briefest of moments, Slade saw Hood’s mind working, saw the hesitation in his eyes, a moment where he actually considered the possibility. But it quickly disappeared, and the uncaring façade returned, his skepticism firmly tucked in place.
“Even if it were possible, it didn’t happen,” Hood said. “According to the police, every other baby was accounted for. The unit exploded before the rescue workers could save Nina’s child.”
“She was your child, too,” Slade pointed out.
Beside him, he felt Nina’s wave of pain as if it had washed through him. But she didn’t react. In fact, he admired the way she maintained her composure.
“Nina and I came to an agreement before the child was born,” Hood said sharply.
Slade gave a sarcastic laugh. “You came to an agreement? You mean you acted like a spoiled, selfish prick and declared that you didn’t want the child.”
“I was only nineteen,” Hood said defensively. “I had plans.”
Nina folded her arms. “So did I. But that didn’t mean that I could walk away from our baby.”
“That’s right, Nina. You’re such a damn saint,” Hood bit out. “You can’t even let the child go when everyone has told you she’s dead.”
A brunette with wavy hair and catlike eyes appeared with a frown, her silk pantsuit flowing freely.
“What’s going on, honey?”
Hood jerked his head toward her. “Mitzi, we have company,” Hood said. “Nina and her new detective, Mr. Blackburn.”
“God, Nina,” the woman muttered. “Don’t tell me you’re nagging William again.”
Hood wrapped his arm around Mitzi’s shoulders. “Sorry, sweetheart, but she’s still as crazy as ever.”
“We were discussing the night of the fire in Sanctuary,” Slade cut in. “You seem certain of the facts, Hood, but I spoke with Dr. Emery, the ob-gyn, and I think the case is worth investigating.”
Slade removed the bagged doll from inside his jacket and held it up. “In fact, last night someone left this on Nina’s doorstep.”
Mitzi made a shocked sound, then clung to William’s arm as if she feared Slade had stabbed the doll himself just for effect.
Slade directed his comment to Hood. “Where were you last night?”
Mitzi answered before Hood could respond. “He was with me. All night,” she said with a suggestive smile.
Hood made a clicking sound with his teeth. “Blackburn, you poor, dumb sucker. Obviously Nina forgot to mention a few details about her past.”
“William, don’t,” Nina said in a choked whisper.
“Don’t what, Nina?” Hood scowled at her. “Tell him the truth, that you’ve pulled this same stunt before?”
Slade shot Hood an angry look, but something about the guilt in Nina’s eyes warned him to tread slowly. He was here to investigate, find out the truth, whether or not Nina liked it.
Whether or not he did.
“What are you talking about?” Slade asked.
William’s expression turned pitying. “Nina has a habit of suckering people in with her sweet smile and big, sad eyes. But she’s unstable. She has been for a long time.”
“If you’re referring to the fact that she had a break down after her baby went missing, then yes. I am aware of that.”
Hood arched a brow. “So she explained the details of her psychosis?”
Guilt and worry slashed her face. “William, don’t—”
