Don't Forget Me

by Stacy Claflin

  Maybe what she needed wasn’t air, but rather a cold shower. Ice cold.

  Brakes squealed as a car pulled into the parking lot.

  She squinted to see. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the car. Dad was finally home.

  Genevieve leaned against the door and waited as he pulled into a spot, then took his time getting out. Even in the dim light, she could tell he was exhausted as he plodded toward her.

  When he stopped a few feet away, the porch light revealed even more. Dark bands rested underneath his eyes, his skin was pale, and his hair was messy, like he’d been pulling at it.

  “You okay?” She didn’t budge from the door.

  He nodded. “I need to get inside. Long day.”

  “Where have you been?”

  “Fishing.”

  “All day?”

  He sighed and grimaced, the lines on his face all looking more pronounced. “Mostly.”

  “Mostly? What else did you do?”

  “We can talk about it later. Let me in.”

  She shook her head. “This isn’t a joke, Dad. You’re moving up on the persons of interest list, and you’re acting as guilty as sin.”

  “A man can’t go to the water to think? To get away from everything?”

  “Sure, but with everything going on, it looks bad. Especially since you’re not answering anyone’s calls.”

  “I talked to that police captain. I told him my phone was accidentally on airplane mode. He was fine with it. Let me in, so I can get to bed.”

  “Did you really know one of the victim’s dads?”

  He threw his head back. “Barely. We worked in the same place. I already explained all of this to him. Step aside before I move you myself.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I’m too tired to deal with this. You’re my daughter. I don’t need this from you.”

  She gritted her teeth. “I’m also an adult, and I’m involved with this mess, too. We all are.”

  “We can talk in the morning, Genevieve. For now, I need a shower and a long sleep.”

  “Fine. I’d recommend not taking off.” She stepped aside.

  “And I’m going to keep my phone off airplane mode, too.” He flung open the door, marched inside, and slammed it shut.

  Genevieve flinched at the noise, then glared at the door as if he could see her through it.

  What was going on with him? Was he really that clueless? Or did he just not care how his actions looked to everyone else? Nick was trying to clear his name, but Dad wasn’t doing a thing to help himself.

  Hopefully the facts would be enough to clear him, because he was doing everything to shove himself onto the suspect list.

  Genevieve stormed inside and went straight to bed. She needed to focus on herself and Tinsley for the time being. That and finding another precinct to work for, because she wanted to see what could happen between her and Nick more than she wanted her current job.

  Party

  Tony lowered his baseball cap as more shrieking kids ran past. One girl wore a shirt that read, Birthday Girl. It wasn’t Maisie. She and her mom were still setting up their party room.

  Maisie’s mom was practically asking for him to come and take her. She’d posted all the details of Maisie’s party publicly. It was like she wanted someone to come and snatch the girl. Why else would she post such details for the world to see?

  Another group of kids raced by. All boys this time, somehow managing to wrestle as they ran. One kid punched another in the eye, then both laughed.

  Girls weren’t like that. They were much more dignified. When they fought, they didn’t leave any marks. Their weapons were words, and once they got older, they knew how to use them to wound far deeper than any physical injury.

  All of them. Every single one. None made it out of the teenage years without that magical deathly ability.

  As if to prove his point, his phone rang.

  It was Gayle.

  Again.

  Why had he decided having a girlfriend would be a good idea? No good ever came from it. What he needed was to get women out of his life—all of them. They were bossy, vindictive things. Far more trouble than they were worth.

  Maisie raced by, giggling with one of the girls she’d been upset with at the jump rope the day before. How could she have invited that little brat who had upset her so much?

  He had half a mind to tell that girl off and scare her so bad, she’d never pick on another soul for the rest of her life. That would do the world a service. But this was neither the time nor the place. Besides, he couldn’t risk a scene.

  If he was going to lure Maisie out to his car, where he had a fresh balloon to go with the present, he would need to keep a low profile. He needed to look like he belonged there, and putting a brat in her place wasn’t the way to accomplish that.

  Patience was what he needed. And lots of it. That was how he had managed to earn all of his previous treasures. The girls who were sweet and never talked back. Well, eventually, they all did. They were part of the female species, after all. That was why they had to be buried.

  Maybe Maisie would be different. He always held out hope that his current prize would be the one. There had to be one out there he could groom to stay sweet and lovely. That was all he needed. Just one.

  Maisie definitely had the potential. Her idiot parents didn’t deserve her. That much was clear.

  He turned in his chair and watched as she bounced on one trampoline after another, laughing with other kids. Three girls and two boys chased after each other, jumping from one springboard to the next, darting around other groups of kids.

  The loudspeaker squeaked, giving him the shivers. A high-pitched voice called for a boy’s birthday party.

  Maisie and her friends exited the section of trampolines they were playing at and bounded toward a foam pit.

  He kept his distance, watching them from the corner of his eye so it wasn’t obvious he was following them.

  A couple of Maisie’s friends left the foam pit and headed toward him. He stuck his hand out for a high-five, and both kids gave him one as they passed. Another group raced by, all giving him fist-bumps.

  Before long, each kid who passed him either gave him a high-five or a fist-bump. A few minutes later, Maisie’s other two friends exited the foam pit, but she remained.

  His pulse pounded throughout his body and his skin tingled. Once she came his way, he’d be able to talk to her alone. Build more rapport. Maybe even convince her to come to the car for his present—though that would be a tough sell with a pile sitting on a table in her party room.

  Maisie’s parents walked right by him—he recognized them as quickly as he did Maisie, thanks to all of her mom’s selfies. She loved the camera, that one. No surprise she took what had to be a hundred pictures of the birthday girl before she joined a friend and snapped pictures of kids on the trampolines. The dad stayed, clapping and calling out to Maisie.

  Today would most likely be a day to earn her trust a little more. He was nothing if not patient. He’d follow them home and see if she was the type of kid who was allowed to play outside without adult supervision.

  The helicopter parents rarely allowed it these days, but there were still plenty of lazy parents who just didn’t care. He still wasn’t sure which kind Maisie’s parents were. The mom was most likely a helicopter, but the dad could be the opposite. When the parents were a mixture, the kid always ended up outside unattended at some point.

  That was one of the situations where patience paid off. He only needed one lax parent. That was all it took. And if the dad was lax, Maisie’s parents were the perfect set for him—the mom would feed him everything he needed to know about the girl and the dad would allow her to walk right into the car.

  All he needed was a little time. It was all he ever really needed. Only rarely did patience not pay off.

  His palms grew moist and waves of excitement ran through him. The buildup was always just as exciting as the tak
ing and the treasuring.

  Maisie continued playing in the foam pit until her name was called over the loudspeakers.

  Her dad called to her. She groaned loudly before climbing out and marching his way. Her dad pointed in the direction of the party room, walked ahead of her, and spoke to someone who worked there.

  Maisie glanced over at him, then spun around and jumped back into the foam pit. She climbed out pretty quickly and raced toward her parents.

  She skidded to a stop and gave him a funny expression. Her brows knit together. “You’re the school janitor. Why are you here?”

  He stepped close and leaned next to her. “Call me Tony, remember. I still have that balloon and present any time you’re ready.”

  Her angelic face lit up. “I’m getting a whole bunch of presents upstairs!”

  He nodded. “Like I said, whenever you’re ready. Better get to your party!”

  She scampered up the stairs.

  Patience. That was what would pay off.

  Discussion

  “Come on, Ava!” Nick leaned against the door and craned his neck inside the house to see his oldest daughter.

  “I’m almost ready,” she called from down the hall. Probably in the bathroom. She spent more time in there than in her bedroom these days.

  Parker and Hanna ran around the front yard, chasing each other. Hanna squealed every time her older brother got too close.

  Nick poked his head back inside. “We’re leaving! Genevieve and Tinsley are already at the park.”

  “Hold on, Dad! You’re so impatient.”

  Nick held back a smile. He should probably be annoyed with his teenage daughter, but he was too happy to have his kids back again. They were with him full-time now, and Ava was safe and sound after being held captive by her mother’s ex-boyfriend.

  Now Corrine had a jail sentence. She wouldn’t get out before any of the kids were done with school. While he hated that his kids had to grow up with their mom behind bars, it did make his life a lot easier.

  Hanna and Parker came over to Nick, huffing and puffing from their game of chase.

  “Are we going yet?” Hanna asked between breaths.

  He gestured inside. “That’s up to your sister.”

  “Ava!” Hanna shouted.

  Nick covered his ears. “Not so loud.”

  Hanna marched past him and down the hall. “Come on, Ava! You look fine. I wanna see Tinsley.”

  A minute later, his youngest pulled his oldest out the door. “Lock it, Daddy!”

  Nick chuckled, then closed and locked the front door. He turned around and noticed how much makeup Ava had on. He almost said something, but stopped himself.

  After being abducted, she hadn’t worn any for a while. Or spent time with friends, unless Nick invited them over for her. Though he’d prefer her to wear less eyeliner and lighter-colored lipstick, at least she was getting back into her old routines. He sure wasn’t going to complain about her being a normal teenager.

  They made their way to his Mustang, and the kids chatted over each other the whole way to the park. Nick interjected his thoughts every so often but mostly just enjoyed listening to them.

  With everything going on at work, he’d only had time to get them ready for bed the last couple nights. They’d spent more time with his parents than him. But now that things were slowing down at work—everyone was waiting on the bodies to be identified—he could enjoy his weekend, not only with the kids but also with Genevieve. If he had his way, they’d get the kids together the following day, too.

  “There they are!” Hanna rolled down the window and waved at Tinsley as Nick drove around the lot, looking for a spot.

  As soon as he set the parking break, the kids piled out and raced each other. If only he could bottle that energy and use some of it himself.

  By the time he made it over to the field, the kids had already dispersed, having found others to play with. Even Ava was chatting with Braylon, one of their neighbors. She had to have told him they’d be there, as they were halfway across town. Tinsley and Hanna were looking at flowers, and Parker had joined a game of tackle Frisbee.

  Genevieve waved at him and smiled.

  Nick’s insides turned to mush. If they weren’t in the middle of a park, he’d pull her close and kiss her until he couldn’t see straight. Instead, he gave her a friendly hug. “How are you holding up?”

  She glanced over at Tinsley then back at Nick. “Better. We all got some more sleep last night.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Do you need anything else?”

  “No. You’ve already done more than enough.”

  “Well, I’m happy to do more.” His gaze lingered on hers and took in her beauty—her long black hair, enchanting gray eyes, perfectly tanned skin, and full lips. Which were moving. She was speaking, and Nick didn’t know what about. He stepped back and focused.

  She was talking about Tinsley doing better since the day they’d found the bones. “Is it weird that it’s seemed to help her?”

  He thought about Tinsley’s life before coming to Genevieve—her dad had been killed robbing a bank, and the girl had been forced to help her mom abduct and torture grown men. “Maybe it’s a sense of familiarity. Or it could’ve reminded her of what things used to be like, and now she realizes how good she has it. It’s hard to say. Has she seen her therapist?”

  Genevieve shook her head. “Not since then. She has an appointment on Monday.”

  “I’d bring that up, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Progress is progress.”

  She glanced back over at Tinsley, who was now swinging with Hanna. Both girls were laughing.

  Nick wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Tinsley laugh.

  “Want to sit?” Genevieve nodded toward a nearby bench.

  They sat, and she slid her soft hand into his. He threaded his fingers through hers and scooted closer, not leaving any space between them.

  “I’m worried about my dad.” She sighed. “He went fishing again this morning. Left a note, at least. My mom called, but he didn’t answer. He did text her back, but they didn’t actually speak.”

  “That’s how he deals with stress normally? Goes fishing?”

  “Or hunting. Or whatever the weather allows. Mom says he’s just one of those guys who can’t sit still. She tries to keep him busy with their garden, but he still wants to get out in nature by himself. I can’t get it through his head that right now it makes him look guilty. He’s not,” she added quickly.

  Nick squeezed her hand. “There are plenty of guys like him. They throw themselves into work or a hobby, no matter how it affects those around them. Or how it might look in times like this.”

  She met his gaze. “Do you do that?”

  “I don’t think so, but Corrine’s biggest complaint was that I spent too much time at work. You know how it is as an officer, especially when there’s a big case. We seem to get so many of them around here. More than towns far bigger than ours.”

  Genevieve nodded. “Yeah, my last relationship ended for similar reasons.”

  Which meant they would understand each other if they ever had a relationship. That thought hung in the air between them, unspoken.

  Nick traced her palm with his thumb, and they sat in a comfortable silence, watching the kids play. Parker took a pretty good hit, but gave back twice as hard to the kid. Hanna and Tinsley were now spinning on a tire swing. Ava and Braylon were playing a competitive match of tetherball.

  Nick’s phone alerted him of a text. It was tempting to ignore it, but with such a high-profile case at work, he couldn’t ignore anything.

  He pulled out his phone and glanced at the text, his stomach twisting.

  “What is it?” Genevieve’s eyes widened.

  Nick met her gaze. “They’ve identified the twins you found.”

  Truth

  Zoey unlocked the door and walked into her parents’ house. Everything was quiet.

  “Hello?”

  Nothing.
/>   Zoey glanced at her fitness watch for the time. She was only a couple minutes early. “Ari!”

  Silence.

  Maybe they’d gone out for breakfast and had decided to go shopping or for a walk to enjoy the outdoors. She wandered into the kitchen for something to drink, and as she was pouring herself a glass of juice, she noticed her parents out back.

  She took the drink with her and went to the backyard. “Is Ari out here?”

  Her mom glanced up from the bush she was trimming and wiped her forehead. “No, she spent the night next door. Alyssa made pie last night, then a big pancake breakfast this morning. She managed to get both Ari and Alex to stay the night.”

  Alex was there, too? Zoey’s stomach knotted. She’d really been hoping to avoid him and the whole conversation they needed to have. “Thanks, Mom.” She forced a smile. “I’m supposed to take Ari to play with Tinsley at the park. Do you need her back at a specific time?”

  “No, but she needs to be back in time to work on her science project for a few hours.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I’ll make sure she’s back in plenty of time.”

  She said goodbye to her parents, then headed over to Chad and Alyssa’s house. With any luck, Alex would still be sleeping. It was already nearing one-thirty, though. Even with how much he’d been sleeping on the weekends lately, it was doubtful. Especially with Ariana there.

  Zoey knocked. A minute later, Chad answered. “Oh, hey Zoey. You know you can just come in.”

  “Thanks. Mom said Ari’s here?”

  He nodded. “Alyssa’s showing her how to make stew in the slow cooker.”

  “Oh, fun.”

  Chad moved aside and let her in. Zoey headed up the stairs. When she reached the top, she nearly crashed into Alex.

  So much for him being asleep. She forced another smile—something she’d been doing a lot of lately—and hugged him, careful to keep her stomach from pressing against him.

  He smiled widely. “What a nice surprise. What brings you here?”

  “I’m taking Ari to play with Tinsley.”