by LAURA HARNER
With short, jerky steps, Frank moved to his desk and added his datebook to the small pile of personal belongings he was going to take home. After a long minute, he removed a photograph from his wallet, tracing his finger along the worn edge, as he did nearly every day. Two beautiful faces looked back at him, caught forever in the happy moment of Annie's third Christmas and Michelle's last.
How could she have betrayed him that way? Anderson was nothing more than a sperm donor and blood wasn't thicker than love. The man was a stranger, with no right to what was Frank's. Annie should have come back home to him when Michelle died. Then none of this would have happened.
After a deep sigh, Frank pressed his lips to the photograph, then tucked it inside his datebook. He reached for his jacket and draped it over the top of the box, hiding the contents just in case there was still someone else on campus. Turning out the lights, Frank confirmed the parking lot was empty. Tucking the box under one arm, he shuffled his way out the door, feeling a hundred years old.
Two dead boys. Dear God. What could they have been thinking? This wasn't his fault. It couldn't be his fault.
Chapter Twelve
With a sense of dread and an aching back, Grant looked around his crowded house and wondered how he was going to survive the next couple of hours. He’d avoided watching the news and refused to talk about the dead boys last night, but there would be no getting away from the truth of the situation today.
To distract himself, he started counting heads. Roll call: a teacher’s automatic reaction to the start of class. Giving up after a minute, he wondered if it was even possible to jam one more person inside the small house. Michael Enwright himself was here, along with his attorney, Cade McMartin, Graeme, Jolynn, a court reporter, and a few others who hadn’t been introduced. The Enwright contingent also included a psychologist, who’d bundled Annie off to her bedroom, chatting away about the new Tinkerbell video and a Mario video game the therapist had on her iPad.
There were also FBI agents, the two Maricopa detectives, and someone dressed in black and introduced as Agent Black from the Department of Homeland Security. The man’s mouth twitched in an almost-smile at the name when Michael introduced him. Patti sat at the table next to Grant, but RJ couldn’t seem to settle. He kept himself busy in the kitchen making coffee, while his eyes moved restlessly over each person, as if he was mentally recording the meeting.
“For the record, I’d like to make my objection to the inappropriateness of this meeting.” Detective Parker’s voice cut across the quiet chatter in the room, signaling the start of the conference. “This should be law enforcement only, and held at the station—”
“Noted,” said Agent Black. “Now—for the record—shut up and take notes, Parker. The sheriff is expecting your report when you return.” There was a light purple tint to the overweight detective’s complexion and he looked ready to blow a gasket. All of the federal law enforcement officers seemed to expect that Agent Black would be in charge—or maybe Detective Parker was the only one foolish enough to express an opinion.
“Special Agent Trudeau, does the FBI wish to make any objections for the record?” From his position on the backside of the dining table, Grant saw several pairs of eyebrows raise at Black’s words. Apparently, they hadn’t expected him to ask.
“Nope.” The senior FBI agent fired her answer without hesitation or voice inflection. Clearly the DHS held the winning hand in this game.
“Michael?”
Enwright nodded at Graeme, who was apparently his pick to lead the meeting.
Graeme turned to look at him. “Grant, we have a few questions for you and then everyone here is at your disposal to answer your questions, if we can.” After clearing his throat, he read from a small green notebook. “You know Toby Kincaid?”
“Yes. He’s a senior at school…in my government class.” He looked down at the table and cleared his throat. “He was a student.”
“How about Mark Kender?” Graeme pitched his voice low, as if it was just the two of them talking about a sad event that happened to someone else.
“Yes, of course. He is…was another student…Jesus.” He made a move to stand, but Patti’s hand on his shoulder tightened, and he fell back on his seat. “Graeme?” His voice came out as a plea, even though he knew they had to go through all the details.
“Grant. I’m sorry. I know this is difficult. Unfortunately, with both young men gone—we have to try to piece this together as best we can. Is there any reason you can think of they would kidnap Annie? Any reason they might hold a grudge against you?”
“It just can’t be, Graeme. These were a couple of high school kids. Are you—fuck, of course you’re sure.” He rubbed his hands over his face…trying to wipe away the mental image of Toby and Mark, riddled with bullets, bleeding, dead. A shudder rocked through him.
“They were failing my class.” His voice was a whisper. “It’s a graduation requirement. Neither boy showed up for a make-up session I scheduled a couple of weeks ago for any seniors needing extra help.”
“And you think they kidnapped your kid because they were failing?” Parker asked, his voice derisive.
“No…I don’t. I mean, I can’t imagine anyone kidnapping my child. I’ve got no money, no rich relatives, no reason for anyone to think I could get fifty thousand. So if you’re telling me these two high school boys kidnapped my daughter—there is only one possible reason I can think of. They were in serious danger of not graduating. Toby and Mark had full ride football scholarships on the line. But no, Detective Parker, I just can’t…”
The detective snorted, but Graeme’s voice cut off whatever Parker had been about to say. “Okay.” He looked around the room, gaze settling briefly on the law enforcement types. “We established what we already knew…the suspects were familiar with the victim’s family. And just because failing a high school class seems like a stupid ass motive, we have to remember the scholarships and any potential future earnings should either or both of them move to the next level of play.” Graeme shook his head and blew out a breath. “I still have a feeling there might be more to this. Special Agent Trudeau? Did you have any luck with background on the mother?”
“Nothing beyond the surface. I’ll send someone to talk to her ex today. We’ve got the ransom note in for analysis. For what it’s worth, the profile team agrees with your field assessment of two minds at work, but for now, we have two dead suspects and that could be all…”
Two dead suspects. Mark and Toby. Grant rested his elbows on the table, and leaned his head into his hands, shielding his eyes, blocking out the voices. He didn’t want to hear any more. Two dead suspects. Mark and Toby. The phrase echoed around, bumping against random thoughts. Mark and Toby. Dead. Mark and Toby. Desperate enough to kidnap a child.
What twisted logic led them to believe this would make everything okay? Clearly, their combined scholarship was worth more than the money they’d demanded for Annie’s safe return. What had they possibly hoped? That he would be so relieved when he’d gotten Annie back that everyone passed his class? Or had they planned to take the money and kill her anyway—steal his grade book and effectively end his academic year early. It wouldn’t be the first time the school board would grant a blanket pass to all students touched by a crisis.
A sharp squeeze of his leg brought Grant back to the present and Patti’s hand on his thigh. Dropping his hands and blinking around the room, he realized the meeting was breaking up and most of the secondary players had already shuffled out, including the court reporter and most of Enwright’s people.
“Grant?” Graeme asked.
“Sorry, it was…thank you. Thanks to all of you for helping. I don’t—”
“Daddy?” Annie was smiling but her voice held an edge of uncertainty. The psychologist was holding her hand and smiling.
“See, honey, there’s your daddy. I think their meeting is over now. Would you like to go in the backyard?”
“Can Daddy come, too?” He sa
w her fingers tighten around Marissa’s hand.
“Sure, let’s go wait for him on the back patio.” The woman continued to guide Annie toward the back door. Not pushing in anyway, making it easy for his daughter stop.
Next to him, Patti rose. “I’ll go with you, too, sweetie. Come on.”
Grant watched as the two women eased Annie into the backyard, and he realized this was almost exactly where he’d been standing when Annie—
At that moment he knew—just knew—he could never live in this house again. He glanced toward the kitchen and caught RJ watching him. His friend’s mouth was a straight line, his lips pressed tight together. For just a moment the connection between them felt so strong, it wouldn’t have surprised him if RJ could see straight into his thoughts. RJ seemed to shake himself and pulled a small smile from somewhere, nodded once, then walked around the counter and stepped into the living room.
Graeme placed a sheaf of papers on the table and began to explain what the next steps in the investigation would be. Grant tried to focus, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit a large share of his attention was focused on the backyard.
“Grant…” Graeme said. He had the feeling the former sheriff might have called his name more than once.
“Sorry, Graeme. This all seems too much. What…what do you need me to do next?”
Special Agent Trudeau stepped forward. “Don’t worry, Mr. Anderson. You have the best there is working to solve the why of this. For now, you and your daughter should consider taking a few days out of town to avoid most of the media attention. Just make sure to keep us informed—” She glanced at Agent Black. “Through Enwright’s is fine.
“This case is going to generate a lot of publicity, especially since the identities were leaked.” Trudeau’s gaze flickered briefly to Detective Parker and back to the DHS agent. “Whether the final investigation proves the killings were justified—oh shut up, Black—I’ve seen the tapes and listened to the recordings. I know Enwright’s people didn’t have a choice—except maybe to trust us at the beginning. But justified or not, there are two dead high school football stars to explain, and the press and the public are going to be all over this. So, rent or borrow a car, go someplace beyond the metro area, but close enough we can get you back here in a hurry if the need arises.”
Graeme nodded in approval. “Agreed. Michael has a place—”
“I’ve got it taken care of,” RJ said, stepping back into the room. “I’ll give you our location, Graeme, once everyone clears out.” His words were casual enough, but he was looking directly at Detective Parker, as if he didn’t trust him not to reveal where they would be staying. A look at the detective’s face told Grant, RJ might be right.
“All right, everyone. Let’s get out of their hair so they can pack. The press is already starting to descend,” Graeme said with a glance at the front window. A news van rolled into place across the street. “Marissa? Bring Annie back inside.”
Turning back to Grant, Graeme said, “Go on, get out of here, we’ll take care of closing up your house. Take RJ’s rental—my folks brought it from the restaurant and parked it down the street. You might want to put the original license plate back on once you get where you’re going, though.”
Grant didn’t need any encouragement. He packed a bag for himself and another for Annie. Patti used cloth grocery sacks to collect an assortment of toys while RJ backed his rental into the driveway. Ten minutes later, the SUV was loaded and they were headed out of the subdivision while Graeme and Michael hemmed the van between their own vehicles.
“Where are we heading, RJ?” Grant asked as soon as they hit the 101 Loop.
“How do you feel about Sedona?” RJ asked with a smug smile.
Patti gasped. “You didn’t—it can’t possibly still—”
“It is and I did.”
The knot of tension that had been squeezing his gut for days unfurled at RJ’s words. Seated in the back next to Annie’s booster seat, Grant tugged at his seatbelt, then leaned forward. For a moment, all he could do was rest his hands on the shoulders of his two best friends. Swallowing hard, he said, “I don’t know how we would have gotten through this without you. Thank you. And have I mentioned that I seriously love you both?”
“What about me? Do you love me, too, Daddy? Is it okay to love all of us?”
Settling back against the seat, he reached across to take Annie’s hand and bring it to his mouth for a kiss.
“You bet it is, sweetheart. That’s just what I intend to do.” Then Grant began to laugh.
Chapter Thirteen
Recognizing it was too late to protect his heart, but still trying to salvage a little of his sanity, RJ stepped outside in order to give Patti and Grant their space while they tended to Annie. The rented vacation house just outside Sedona was even better than he remembered from all those years ago. The house was Frank Lloyd Wright inspired, with glass, stone, and wood set against a stunning backdrop of red rock formations, pinyon pines, and the oak trees for which the canyon and creek were named. When he’d called his real estate agent this morning in a last minute effort to try to find something similar that was available for the next few days, he’d been surprised to discover the place was still a by-the-day rental for tourists and wasn’t booked.
After spending the afternoon exploring the surrounding area, conversation at the dinner table had been quiet, but comfortable. Afterward, RJ had volunteered for kitchen duty, since Grant and Patti had cooked. While he’d loaded the dishwasher, RJ smiled at the easy laughter that spilled from the back of the house as the other two put a very tired Annie to bed.
Based on their brief conversation at the restaurant the other night, RJ knew Patti wanted Grant, and she sure as hell wanted children. Since Annie was crazy about Patti, too, RJ hoped Patti would get the family she wanted so badly. As for what he wanted…well, he really couldn’t say.
Ignoring the little voice in his head that called him a liar, RJ stood, looking up at the stars, and wondered at the true nature of the universe. He didn’t believe everything in life was pre-ordained, that free will was just an illusion. As an electrical engineer, he’d veered down the path of the measuring life in minute increments. Details down to the nth degree were important and the present always determined the future. Life was a conditional construct: if this—then that.
Yet now, looking up at the dense band of stars blanketing the sky in a wide swath, he had to wonder about the significance of any single detail, of any individual being. Earth was just one of four billion planets and stars in the Milky Way. How fucking important could any single life choice be?
Arms wrapped around him from behind. “Penny for your thoughts,” Grant whispered. “No, wait, don’t answer that. Let me guess…you were contemplating your place in the universe, right?”
RJ smiled. “Guilty as charged.” Resisting the urge to lean back into the embrace, he asked the question that had been on his mind all afternoon. “Are you okay? I can't even imagine what you've been through the last few days.”
Grant tightened his arms momentarily, then released RJ and started to pace. After a while, he said, “We didn't even use this patio when we stayed here last time.”
Stepping through the open sliding glass door from the living room, Patti watched Grant pace for a second, then moved to stand next to RJ. “We didn't use the kitchen either. Or the second bedroom. Or the third. In fact, I'm pretty certain, they had to replace the king size bed in the master suite after our weekend, because we probably busted a spring,” she said. “By the way, Annie is out like a light. I don’t think anything is going to wake that child up until morning. RJ, you flat wore her out on your little hike.”
“Yeah, well, she wore me out, too. I’m going to have to get online in the morning so I can answer all her questions about rock formations. As for the bed…it's different, this time,” RJ said. “We're not a bunch of young twenty-somethings out for one last good time. Hell, we have Grant's child with us.” He looked up at
the sky again, as if some answer was waiting to reveal itself. “A child. What's that like, Grant?”
Grant made a small sound, halfway between a laugh and a sob, then collapsed back on the bench built into the surrounding wall. “I don't even know how to answer. It's the most amazing, wonderful…” Grant smiled up at them, and RJ nearly lost his breath at the wonder on his friend's face.
“Six months ago, I got your email about this weekend, Patti, and immediately sent you my acceptance. I'd been so worried I would be the only one still not married. Or worse, the only one who remembered we’d made the promise. Two days later, I received an invitation to a lawyer's office and found out I was a father.” He shook his head. “It doesn't seem real. Or maybe…” He blew out a breath. “Maybe this whole…” Grant swallowed hard, then shuddered. “Damn…I'm sorry. Sorry. I keep thinking about those kids…about…they had…”
God. Grant was going to lose it. With a panicked glance at Patti, RJ took a step back and jerked his head in Grant's direction, indicating she should get over there. Pronto.
****
Patti rolled her eyes at RJ. Did he really think giving her a head jerk would cause her to trot over to Grant and ease his pain? Let RJ weasel out of any meaningful contact with the other man? Not likely. When Grant had first stepped outside to embrace RJ, she'd noticed how the two men moved apart fairly quickly, and assumed RJ was resistant to Grant's attempt at intimacy. The two men might be experiencing different types of pain, but it was pain none-the-less, and Patti was ready to move forward.
Taking RJ's hand, she withstood a glare she was sure he intended to melt her into the ground and instead gave a hard tug, pulling him in the direction of their friend. “Come on, honey, Grant bites, but as I remember, you liked that.”
“Oh, hey—” RJ looked away, but not before she caught a glimpse of the smile he tried to hide.
