“I haven’t had a chance. I’ve been busy with other things, but we don’t need to worry about that right now. I would like to ask you something, though.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Remember the other day when you told me you’d lost your phone? Did you ever find it?”
Something flickered in Helen’s eyes before she glanced away. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was underneath the desk in my office. I must have knocked it off without realizing it.”
“Is it possible someone took it without you knowing and then returned it?”
“I can’t imagine such a thing. Who would steal a phone and then return it?”
“Someone who wanted to get information from it,” Addie said.
“What information?”
“You and I texted back and forth before I left on vacation. I reminded you of the alarm code and where you could find the extra key. All of that information was right there in our text messages.”
“How would anyone else know about that? And besides, I keep my phone locked just as a precaution against that very thing.” Her gaze met Addie’s. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Why on earth would you think someone had gotten your information from my phone?”
“I’m just trying to figure out how this person came by a key to my front door and possibly the code to my security system. The alarm went off last night after I’d changed the code. But night before last, I could have sworn someone had been in my house without setting off the alarm. That would only be possible if the person knew the code.”
Helen put a hand on Addie’s arm. “You’re scaring me with all this talk. Someone came into your house while you were asleep? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure about last night. We caught a glimpse of the suspect as he cut through my neighbor’s backyard.”
“We?”
“Ethan Barrow was there.”
“Oh, Addie.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but you don’t need to worry about me,” Addie said. “I know how to take care of myself.”
Helen lifted her hand to Addie’s cheek. “I know you do, but I’ll always worry about you, sweet girl.”
“Let’s just focus on David right now.”
Helen tensed. “We don’t need to mention this to him. You know how he feels about Ethan. His blood pressure is through the roof as it is.”
“I won’t say anything.”
“There he is.” Helen rose and squared her shoulders. She took a breath and pasted a smile on her face. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” Addie said.
But her mind was still on their conversation and the term of endearment that Helen had used. No one but Sandra Kinsella had ever called Addie sweet girl.
* * *
ADDIE SPENT MOST of the day at the hospital, only leaving for a short time to have the locks changed on her doors and then returning to relieve Helen while she went home to rest. David dozed for most of the day. When he awakened, he stared out the window, saying very little to Helen or Addie, but he looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Intermittently, Addie received text messages from Ethan. He had parked down the street from the subject’s house but hadn’t seen anyone coming or going for hours.
How are things at the hospital?
Fine. David is sleeping. Helen is reading. I may slip out of here soon. I hate hospitals. Even a stakeout is preferable.
Let me know if you’re coming. I’ll watch for you.
Okay.
Have to go now. Someone just pulled up in the driveway. I’ll see if I can get a closer look.
Be careful, Ethan.
“Who are you texting?” Helen asked.
Addie slipped the phone in her pocket as she glanced up. “A friend.”
Helen’s lips thinned. “A friend, huh? I’ll bet.”
David said weakly, “Did I miss something? What is going on with you two?”
“Nothing, dear. I’m just giving Addie a hard time.”
“Well, don’t,” he said. “What would our lives be without her?”
“I shudder to think,” Helen murmured.
Addie went to his bedside. “How are you feeling?”
He tried to muster a smile. “Cranky. I hate hospitals.”
“I know. So do I.”
“Then go home,” he said firmly. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, and there’s no point in both of you staying. I wish Helen would go home, too. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Well, that’s too bad, because you’re stuck with me.” Helen moved to the other side of his bed. “So long as you’re in here, I’m not leaving your side. Not tonight, not ever.”
David’s gaze turned solemn. “We’ve been through a lot together, Helen.”
“Yes, we have, dear.”
He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “I thought I was going to die this morning. So many things went through my head. There’s so much I need to say to both of you.”
“Shush. We don’t need to talk about any of that right now,” Helen said.
“Helen—”
“Please, David, not now.” Her voice came out sharper than she had undoubtedly meant it. “You need your rest, and we don’t need to upset Addie with all this talk about dying.”
“Addie?” He said her name as if he’d forgotten about her presence.
“I’m right here, David.”
“Your mother loved you very much. You need to know that.”
“David, hush. You’re working yourself up into a state, and the doctor said you need to remain calm.” Helen glanced across the bed at Addie. “Would you mind giving us a moment alone?”
“No, of course not. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
She moved toward the door, pausing for a moment to glance back over her shoulder. Helen was leaning over the bed, speaking to David in a low voice as she gripped his hand. He turned his head, and for one brief moment, his gaze met Addie’s before she slipped out the door.
Her phone rang as she headed down the hallway toward the waiting room. She glanced around as she answered. “Hello?”
“It’s Ethan.”
“Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“I’m sending you a photo I just snapped of Daniel Roby. At least I think that’s who he is. He went inside the house about an hour ago, and now he’s just come back out again. I’m going to have a look around.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Addie said. “What did you tell me earlier? We need to gather as much information as we can on this guy before we tip our hand.”
“I’ll be in and out before anyone knows I’m around.”
“Ethan, don’t do that. I’m just down the street from you. I can be there in ten minutes. Don’t do anything without backup. You know that’s what you’d tell me.”
He laughed softly. “Probably. And you’d do exactly as I’m doing. Don’t worry, Addie. I’ll be careful. Did the text come through?”
“I’m looking at the photo now.” She switched to the text window. “His head is turned away from the camera. I can barely see him.”
“Sorry. That was the best I could do. Hang on. I think I’ve found a way in. I’ll call you back in a minute.”
“No, Ethan! Wait for me.”
The call went dead. She swore under her breath as she walked over to the window to study the photo. She couldn’t see the man’s features, but she recognized the clothing and the ball cap pulled over his face. He was the man who had gotten on the elevator behind her.
The phone buzzed, and she jumped. “Ethan?”
“Addie?” His voice sounded strained. “You have to see this place. He’s blown up the crime-scene photos and plastered them all over his walls. And there’s trash all over the pla
ce just like in Naomi’s attic. He must have felt the need to hide out there for a while. Or else he was looking for something. The DNA sample most likely.”
“If that’s true, you need to get out of there before he comes back,” Addie said.
“He’s got pictures of you, too, Addie. He’s your stalker.”
Her heart thudded. “Who is he? How does he know me?”
“Whoever he is, he’s obviously been watching you for a long time. I’m sending you more images.”
“Ethan, the first photograph you sent me. I think I saw him at the hospital this morning. I was just getting off the elevator. But that doesn’t make any sense. How would he know I would be here?”
She heard a muffled voice in the background, a crash, and then the call dropped.
“Ethan? Are you there? What happened? Ethan?”
“Is something wrong?” Helen had come up behind her.
Addie whirled. “I don’t know. I lost the connection.”
Helen frowned. “Was that Ethan Barrow on the phone just now? Where is he? Did something happen?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. I have to go, Helen. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
“Yes, of course,” Helen said. “I’ll take care of everything here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Addie parked down the street from the address that Vivian DuPriest had given them. Since she didn’t know what kind of car Ethan had rented, she had no way of knowing whether his was among the vehicles lined up along the curb. She sat for a moment taking stock of her surroundings. The houses in the neighborhood were small, single-story cottages that had seen better days. College students gravitated to the area because of the rent and the proximity to MUSC. Someone wanting to keep a low profile wouldn’t attract much attention with the high turnover in renters.
Addie hoped that she had overreacted to Ethan’s dropped call, but she’d tried to reach him a half dozen times on the short trip from the hospital. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her gut.
Exiting the vehicle, she slipped her weapon in the small bag she wore across her body. Then she headed down the sidewalk, glancing over her shoulder to make certain she wasn’t followed. She’d texted the address to Matt, and common sense told her she should wait for her partner. But if Ethan was in trouble, timing could be everything.
She checked the front entrance and then circled the house. The back door stood ajar. She went up the steps and glanced through the crack. Drawing her weapon, she toed open the door and entered quickly, clearing each room before moving on to the next.
As she eased into the front room, her gaze lit on the giant photographs pinned to the walls. Slowly, she moved about the room scanning the macabre gallery. Her gaze went to the crime-scene photos first and then to the wall that had been devoted exclusively to her. She had been captured at the lake, at police headquarters, even coming out of her house. Every facet of her life displayed on a madman’s canvas.
The creak of a floorboard alerted her to danger, and she whirled. Helen had come in the back way behind her. She stood just inside the room gazing at the disturbing images.
“My God,” she whispered.
Addie lowered her weapon. “Helen, what are you doing here?”
“I knew you were in trouble, so I followed you.”
Addie started across the room toward her. “That was a foolish thing to do. We need to get you out of here.”
“What is this place?” Helen moved to the wall of crime-scene photos, lifting a hand to her heart as she took in the image of Addie’s mother lying in a pool of blood. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“Neither had I.”
Helen glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, Addie, she was so young and so beautiful even in death. How it must hurt you to see her like this.”
“It does hurt, but I can’t dwell on that now. It’s not safe for you to be in this house. The man who lives here could be back any minute, and he’s obviously unstable. Please, Helen, just go back to the hospital. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too.”
Helen seemed not to hear her. Her gaze was still on the grisly images. “She was beautiful, Addie, I admit it. But she was also selfish. You can’t imagine. She could be cruel, too. I need you to know that.”
Addie’s heart fluttered in alarm. “Helen? What are you talking about?”
She turned and met Addie’s gaze. Something in her eyes...in her voice...
“She didn’t deserve you.”
Addie took a step back, her blood icy with shock. “No. Helen, not you...”
“David was wrong earlier. She didn’t love you. Not really. She only cared about herself. The last thing she needed was another baby.”
“You knew she was pregnant?”
Helen nodded. “I guessed. She didn’t deny it.”
Addie’s hands trembled as she lifted the weapon. “So you killed her? That doesn’t even make sense, Helen.” Her gaze went to the photographs. “None of this makes any sense.”
“It does if you look at it from my point of view.” Helen’s voice was soft and smooth and deceptively persuasive. “I loved you like my very own daughter. Cared for you when she didn’t have the time or the inclination. She wanted to take you away from me. She wanted you and David all to herself. She was going to give him the family that I never could.”
Addie’s hand tightened on the weapon. “How could you do such a thing? If you loved me, how could you take my mother away from me?”
“I never wanted to hurt you, sweet girl.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“I don’t want to hurt you now. I just want you to understand. I want you to hear my story.”
“I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, but I’ll never understand how you could kill my mother in cold blood. How you could pretend to love me after what you did. You’re sick, Helen. You must know that.”
Helen’s gaze hardened. “A mother does what she has to in order to protect her family.”
“You’re not my mother.”
“I was in all the ways that mattered. You were the child I always wanted and could never have again.”
“Again?”
“I had a baby once. I was young and just out of high school. The father left town when he found about the pregnancy. I made the decision to give my son up for adoption. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and I never got over the loss. They say you still feel pain in a severed limb. It’s the same with a missing child. Your arms never stop aching. Until you have a baby of your own, you’ll never be able to fathom my torment.”
“I’m sure it must have been difficult for you,” Addie said, willing to placate Helen while she waited for backup.
“Difficult? You’ve no idea. I told myself I’d done the right thing. He was better off in a good home with two loving parents who could give him everything he needed. But I never forgot him. I never stopped looking for him. And then I met David. He became my whole world, and I thought when we had a child together that I would finally be able to put the past behind me. But years went by, and it never happened for us.
“Then one day I saw you, Addie. I used to walk past your little house on my way to work. Sometimes you would be in the yard playing by yourself or looking out the window at passersby. You were always alone. You seemed so forlorn to me. So starved for a mother’s love, and I had so much love to give.”
“I had a mother,” Addie said. “And she did love me.”
“But she loved herself more. She wasn’t fit to call herself a mother. I saw how much needed me, so I started stopping by just to say hi. Sandra would sometimes invite me in for a chat. We became friends. She loved that I was so willing to look after you whenever she wanted to go out. She thought I was doing her a favor, but it was the other way around.” Helen smiled dreamily. “Our arrangement worked o
ut well for a time. We were all happy. I enjoyed her company, and I came to love you as if you were my own. I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone taking you away from me.”
“What happened that night?” Addie asked.
“She came to get you at ten, just as she said she would. She was acting very strange that night. Mysterious. She said the two of you might be moving away soon. She was sorry because she knew that I would miss you. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt me, but sometimes life happened. That’s how she put it. Life happened. So cavalier and self-centered. After everything I’d done for her.”
“So you lost your temper,” Addie said. “It was a crime of passion. I’m just trying to understand how someone I’ve looked up to and admired, someone I’ve thought of as family all these years, could do something so unspeakable. You must have been out of your mind with rage.”
“Actually, I was calm and resolved,” Helen said. “I knew what I had to do. I’d been thinking about it for a while, longer even than I wanted to admit. As it happened, James Merrick was a patient of mine. He’d been coming to see me ever since he arrived in Charleston. I knew about his blackouts, the memory loss, the disorientation. Do you know why memory-regression hypnosis is so unreliable? The subject is completely malleable. Completely susceptible to false memory implantation.”
Addie stared at her in horror. “You made him think he killed my mother? You did that to a man who already thought he was losing his mind? You deliberately pushed him over the edge. And then you planted his DNA at the crime scene.”
“I did what I had to do,” Helen said simply.
“But you overlooked one thing, didn’t you? You left your own DNA. What happened? Did you cut yourself in the attack?”
“It wasn’t very deep. I never gave it a second thought. The data banks were never going to find a match, because I’d never committed any crimes.”
“And then Naomi Quinlan submitted that sample to a public database. And she got a hit.” Addie glanced around. “Who lives here, Helen? Who is Daniel Roby?”
“He’s my son.”
Addie shuddered as she lifted her gaze to the crime-scene photos. “Where is he now?”
Criminal Behavior--A Thrilling FBI Romance Page 19
