At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel)

by Barbara Freethy

  As he left the room, she blew out a breath, feeling a little disturbed by his pragmatic questions. She didn’t want to think about the future—not when the moment was so nice. Maybe this afternoon was all they’d have, or maybe not. But she wasn’t going to regret what had happened between them.

  Still, part of her wanted today to be the start of something, not the end. And as for him having a kid, she liked Megan. She liked the idea of helping Nick and Megan find their way back to each other. Stitching broken threads together was what she did best.

  But what about her thread? When was she going to take a chance and put herself in the picture? She had no idea; she never had visions about her own future. Those remained completely out of reach. Why?

  Her grandmother’s words echoed through her mind. Because you’re not connected to yourself, Isabella. You only look out, you don’t look in. You don’t take care of what means the most: your own soul.

  Maybe her grandmother was right, but she didn’t know how to accept this part of herself. To date, all it had ever brought her was pain. Shrugging the dismal thought out of her mind, she headed to the kitchen.

  She was just putting some pizza on a plate when the buzz of Joe’s cell phone drew her attention. The shower was still running, but she knew how eager he was to get information on Annie, so she picked up the phone. It was an L.A. number that she recognized. For a split second, she thought about letting it go to voice-mail, but curiosity got the best of her.

  “Hello,” she said. “Is that you, Rachel? It’s Isabella.”

  “Oh, it’s you,” Rachel said with some relief. “Teresa told me you’d gone to visit Joe. Is he there?”

  “He’s taking a shower. Do you want me to have him call you?”

  “Yes. Tell him it’s important. I really want to talk to him.”

  There was an urgency in Rachel’s voice that made Isabella worry. “Is there anything I can do? You sound upset.”

  “I need to talk to Joe. I think—I think I might have made a mistake.”

  Isabella’s stomach flipped over.

  “Make him call me, Isabella. I know he won’t want to, but he needs to. We have a lot of history together.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” She put the cell phone down. Did Rachel want to get back together with Joe?

  Joe walked into the kitchen, saw her with her hand on his phone, and shot her an inquiring look.

  “Your phone was ringing. I thought it might be the station, but it wasn’t.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Rachel. She wants you to call her back. She was very emphatic about it.” Isabella saw the stiffening of his jaw. “Rachel said she thought she made a mistake.”

  He drew in a breath and let it out, then opened the fridge and grabbed a beer.

  “Are you going to call her?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “I don’t know. Right now, I’m going to have some pizza.”

  “Joe—”

  “This isn’t your business, Izzy,” he warned.

  “Rachel wants you to remember how much time you have invested in your relationship with her.”

  “And you think I’ve forgotten?” he challenged. “Believe me when I say I remember everything. Every last thing.”

  THIRTEEN

  Charlotte couldn’t remember what she used to do at night before she’d stepped into Annie’s motherhood shoes. Now her life was all about the baby. She propped her feet up on the living-room coffee table as she fed him and flipped through the television channels. As usual, there was nothing worth watching on Saturday night, so she settled on a reality show about housewives who looked nothing like any housewives she knew.

  Her mother was out with her friend Peter again. Charlotte had no idea where that friendship was going, but she was trying not to think about her mother being with a man. It was too weird.

  She smiled as the baby waved his tiny hands while he drank his bottle. He’d been happier today, and she had a feeling that her growing confidence was having a positive effect on him. They were starting to get comfortable with each other. And now that he wasn’t crying so much, she was beginning to enjoy him. He was beautiful, with his perfect skin, so smooth and new. His little toes and fingers were works of art, and the fine hair on his head was adorably wispy. She’d fallen in love, she realized, she was head over heels for this little guy. She could spend hours just looking at him. And he wasn’t even hers.

  She sighed, feeling a yearning that she’d managed to push aside for most of her life.

  The baby stopped sucking, his eyelids drooping. She set the bottle down and put him on her shoulder, gently patting his back until she got a burp. Then she wiped his face and settled him on her lap again as he drifted off to sleep. Even though the last week had been difficult, she didn’t regret the experience. In fact, it was difficult to imagine not taking care of him; he had become a big part of her life.

  Not that she wouldn’t jump for joy at Annie’s return, because he needed his mother far more than he needed her. But there was no denying that this little boy had stolen her heart. He was so innocent, so deserving of all the best in the world. She wanted that for him with a fierceness that surprised her and scared her a little.

  She had to remind herself that he wasn’t her baby, and if Annie didn’t come back, other things would have to happen. The DNA tests would reveal who was the biological father, which would bring him into the picture, and there was no doubt that Social Services would also get further involved. They’d already had one visit from a social worker to make sure the baby was in a safe environment. Fortunately, her mother had an excellent reputation as a foster parent, so for the moment, they’d been okayed to keep him.

  The fact that the biological father hadn’t come forward since Annie’s disappearance really bothered Charlotte. If he was local, he had to know his son had neither of his parents with him. And if the man wasn’t completely stupid, he had to know that within days, his identity would be revealed. So what the hell was he waiting for?

  Her tension made her arms tighten, and the baby squirmed a little. “Sorry, baby,” she whispered. She rocked him gently until he fell back asleep, then leaned forward and put him into the car seat on the coffee table, where he liked to nap. Her mother had cautioned her against holding the baby all the time while he was asleep, for fear that he wouldn’t learn to sleep anywhere but in someone’s arms. Since her mother had raised three kids, Charlotte figured she knew what she was talking about. But she would have been happy to hold him while he slept. There was something about that warm weight in her arms that made her feel more content than she had in a long time.

  A sudden crash at the back of the house made her jump to her feet, her pulse racing. “Who’s there?” she yelled.

  She went down the hall, feeling a breeze, as if something was open. She quickly reached into the closet and grabbed an umbrella as a makeshift weapon. She peeked into her mother’s bedroom. It was neat as a pin. Next was Annie’s room, and she was shocked to see shattered glass on the floor under a broken window.

  She ran into the living room, grabbed the baby’s car seat and the phone, and raced into the bathroom. Heart pounding, she locked the door in case someone was in the house, then dialed 911. The house seemed quiet, but she could barely hear anything above the rush of blood in her veins and the dispatcher’s cool, calm voice telling her an officer was on the way.

  A few moments later, she heard a siren, and the dispatcher told her that an officer was at her door. At the peal of the doorbell, she picked the baby up in her arms and went out to answer it. She was relieved to see Jason Marlow on the porch. “Thank God!”

  “What happened, Charlotte?”

  “I heard a crash, and the window in Annie’s room is broken.”

  “Stay here,” he ordered as he moved down the hall. She remained in the doorway, prepared to make a quick exit if she had to. The baby had settled in against her breasts, oblivious to anything going on around him.

  Another car c
ame down the street, the headlights blinding her for a moment. It stopped behind Jason’s patrol car, and then Joe got out and jogged up the steps, his eyes filled with concern.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes. Jason is checking Annie’s room. The window is broken. I don’t know if someone was trying to get in.”

  “I’ll check the yard.”

  She waited by the front door. A moment later, she heard Joe and Jason talking to each other. Certain that whoever had broken the window was now gone, she went down the hall to Annie’s room. Jason was standing next to the window, and Joe was outside it, flashing a light around the ground beneath.

  “Someone threw a rock,” Jason told her, pointing toward a heavy, jagged rock lying next to the dresser. “It’s going to be difficult to get any prints off it, unfortunately.”

  She was shocked. “Why would someone throw a rock through the window?”

  “Vandalism could be one explanation,” Jason said.

  “And another?”

  “Burglary.”

  “It seems awfully coincidental that someone would choose our house to break into, and Annie’s room in particular,” she said.

  “I agree,” Joe said, entering the room. “There’s no one outside now. Jason, why don’t you check with the neighbors, see if anyone saw anything?”

  “All right.” Jason gave Charlotte a reassuring smile. “We’ll catch whoever did this, Charlie. Don’t worry.”

  “Let’s go into the other room,” Joe said, motioning her toward the hall.

  She returned to the living room and sat down on the couch. Now that Joe was there, she felt a lot more secure.

  Concern showed in his dark eyes. “Where’s your mother?”

  “She’s out with a friend. What do you think this is about, Joe?”

  “Probably Annie.” He paused. “Your car wasn’t in the driveway or in front of the house.”

  “I had it serviced today, and my mother took her car to dinner. Why does that matter?”

  “It’s possible someone thought the house was empty. Did you react to the sound of the glass breaking?”

  “Yes, I yelled, ‘Who’s there?’ Kind of stupid, huh? As if a burglar would yell back.”

  “Not at all stupid. You probably scared them off.”

  “They sure scared me. I hid in the bathroom,” she admitted.

  “Good idea,” he said with approval.

  “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to run outside, and I had the baby, and it all happened so fast. This kind of thing doesn’t happen in Angel’s Bay.”

  Joe sat down next to her and put a comforting hand on her thigh, which shook her even more. In protective mode, he was even more sexy.

  “I’ll find out who did it,” he promised. “But you’re safe now.”

  “Why would the break-in be tied to Annie? Unless . . . someone is going after her baby?”

  “I don’t think so,” he said with a shake of his head. “Maybe she left something behind, something that’s important in some way.”

  “We already know who the possible fathers are. What else could she have had?”

  “Any number of things. Besides the father’s identity, she might know something else about him. Perhaps something he doesn’t want anyone else to know. The guy can’t run from his DNA, but if there’s something else he wants to keep hidden . . .” Joe shrugged. “I can’t help thinking that this baby is the tip of some iceberg.”

  “I know a couple of the guys and their wives. I can’t imagine any of them doing this.”

  “You never know what goes on behind closed doors.”

  “I guess not.”

  “How are you and this little guy getting along now?” he asked, his gaze dropping to the baby.

  She stroked the baby’s back. “Much better. We seem to have a truce going.”

  Joe smiled, lifting his gaze back to hers. “That’s good.” When the look between them went on too long, he cleared his throat. “I’ll get some plywood to cover that window until you can get it replaced.”

  “That would be great.” As they stood up, the doorbell rang again.

  It was Andrew. He gave her a worried smile and sent a tense nod in Joe’s direction. “I saw Jason next door. He told me what’s going on. Are you all right, Charlie?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What can I do to help?” he asked.

  “Stay out of it,” Joe said sharply.

  “I was talking to Charlotte,” Andrew returned calmly.

  “Why don’t you come in?” she said, not wanting to continue this conversation on the porch. It wouldn’t be long before the neighbors descended, once they heard about the break-in.

  “I’ll check with Jason,” Joe said shortly. “And I’ll get some plywood for you.”

  “I’d appreciate it. And thanks for coming so quickly.”

  Andrew stepped into the house as Joe left. “Are you really all right?”

  “I’m a little unsettled. I just wish I knew who threw the rock and why—whether it was random vandalism or something more deliberate. My mother is going to freak when she gets home.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Out with her boyfriend.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriend? Is that new?”

  “She calls him a friend, but they’re spending a lot of time together. His name is Peter Lawson.”

  “Oh, right. She brought him by the church the other day.”

  “She did?” Charlotte was surprised. The church had been her father’s sanctuary. For her mother to take another man there was unthinkable.

  “He seemed like a nice guy,” Andrew added as they returned to the living room. “Do you like him?”

  “I don’t know him. They’ve taken their friendship out of the house, and since Annie disappeared, I’m aware of little else going on outside these walls.”

  Andrew moved forward to take a closer look at the sleeping baby. “He looks like an angel.”

  “Sometimes he does,” she said with a smile. “Not always. So, were you coming over here anyway, or did you just run into Jason and decide to check up on me?”

  “I was on my way over. I spoke to Dan McCarthy and Steve Baker today.”

  “I thought you were staying out of it.”

  “I appreciate the chief’s desire to run a clean investigation, but I know these guys. Dan went to school with us, Charlie.”

  “I know. I can’t imagine that he would be the father. Or Steve, for that matter. Both Tory and Erin are sweethearts. It’s crazy. But Andrew, Joe had a right to be upset with you for sharing that information. I’m annoyed, as well. It was Annie’s secret, and I gave the information to the police to be used in their investigation not for you to share around town.”

  Andrew frowned. “I apologize if I overstepped, but I thought someone might open up to me. At any rate, I asked Steve and Dan to reconsider their positions and remember the big picture. This child needs a father. And if that’s one of them, he should step up, because the truth will come out in the DNA.”

  “How could they not know that? Are they complete idiots?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “They’re scared. And they’ve been friends a long time—a friendship that’s been solidified by their struggles with fertility.”

  “You think it’s one of them, don’t you?” she asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “I wish I didn’t. I thought I was a better judge of character. But I would never have suspected either of them of trying to perpetrate such a big lie.” He paused. “So, what about Annie? Is there anything new?”

  “No.” As the bell rang again, she got up to answer the door. Joe and Jason were together.

  Something had happened. She could see it in their eyes. “What?” she asked worriedly.

  “Just before you reported the break-in, Delia Simmons saw a man in army fatigues driving a beat-up truck down the street,” Jason said.

  There was only one man who f
it that description. “Annie’s father?”

  “Possibly,” Joe put in. “Mrs. Simmons didn’t recognize him, but her description sounds a lot like Carl Dupont.”

  Charlotte’s heart began to race. “Why would Annie’s father try to break into the house? He hasn’t had anything to do with her in months. Do you think he wanted to see the baby? Or . . .” A half-dozen other scenarios leaped into her mind, none of which made her feel any better. The man had mental problems, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

  “It’s impossible to say,” Joe replied. “I’ll put a patrol on your house, but I don’t think he’ll be back tonight, Charlotte. He took off when you yelled earlier, and that’s a good sign. Whatever he wanted, he didn’t want to get caught or to use force.

  “Mr. Hooper, your next-door neighbor, has some plywood. He’s putting it up for you right now,” Joe added as they heard the sound of hammering. “When will your mother be home?”

  “Not till later,” Charlotte said.

  “I’ll stay,” Andrew quickly offered. “I can sleep on the couch.”

  She wanted to say that wasn’t necessary, but she was still a little shaken, especially by the idea that Annie’s father might be involved.

  “You might want to consider staying with friends,” Joe suggested.

  Did his suggestion come from a desire to get her out of the house or away from Andrew? “That would be difficult with the baby and my mother,” she said. “It would be easier to stay here. And my mother will be home later, so we’ll be okay.”

  “Don’t worry, Charlotte,” Jason said reassuringly. “I’m on duty tonight, and I’ll keep a lookout. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

  She felt absolute confidence in the three men surrounding her. “Thank you all. I really appreciate it.”

  “I’m going to dig deeper into Annie’s father’s past,” Joe said. “Call me if you have any concerns, Charlotte.” He shot Andrew a dark look, then followed Jason out to their cars.

  As Charlotte closed the front door, she turned back to Andrew. “I’d love your company until my mother gets home, but you don’t have to spend the night. You have to get ready for church tomorrow.”