Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

  ‘I’ll come out as soon as I can.’ She swallowed hard. ‘After we find Ford.’

  Scott dropped his head so that his brow touched hers and dropped his voice so that none of the curious ears behind them could hear. ‘If you need me, I can be here in twenty minutes. And if you need to brush a horse, I’ll bring Reese to you.’

  Daphne’s heart squeezed. ‘I bet my neighborhood association would have something to say about that.’

  ‘Fuck ’em,’ he said soberly. ‘Say the word and I’ll bring you the whole damn barn.’

  She tried to find her voice. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered hoarsely.

  ‘Don’t you worry about Ford,’ he said, ignoring her thanks. ‘He’s a smart boy. And tough. We raised him well.’ He walked her to the table, pulled out her chair, took off his jacket, draped it over her shoulders. She turned her face into the warm suede.

  He brought the barn to me.

  ‘I’m making tea,’ Scott said. ‘Anyone else want any?’

  ‘I’ll have some,’ Daphne’s mother said as she sank into the chair next to her. ‘You remember how I like it, don’t you, Scott?’

  ‘Of course, Simone. One part tea, four parts of whatever’s the highest proof.’

  ‘You’re the man,’ her mother said, but her eyes never left her daughter’s face. Daphne knew she had to address what had happened in the living room.

  ‘I’m sorry, Mama. About . . . in there. I wasn’t thinking.’

  ‘Nothing to apologize for, baby. You were remembering. So was I.’

  ‘You called me “baby” that night.’

  ‘Did I?’ Her mother’s mouth bent, her posture melancholy. ‘I didn’t remember that.’

  ‘I didn’t think about what you’d be going through today, reliving all that,’ Daphne said. And I should have. God. ‘It’s been a . . . difficult day.’

  ‘I know, baby. I know.’ Her mother sighed. ‘I wouldn’t have had you experience this for all the tea in China.’

  Hector sat down at the table, extended his hand to her mother. ‘Ma’am, I’m Detective Rivera. I’m working the abduction of your grandson with the task force.’

  ‘I’m Simone Montgomery and the woman standing behind Daphne is Maggie VanDorn, a family friend. And over at the stove is Scott Cooper.’

  ‘Scott owns the farm next to mine in Hunt Valley,’ Daphne said. ‘He helps Maggie take care of our horses and he’s been Ford’s trainer for more than fifteen years.’

  ‘Trainer?’ Hector asked.

  ‘Jumping,’ Daphne said. ‘On horses. Ford competes at the state and national level. He’s always trained with Scott.’

  And he will continue to do so. Daphne lifted her chin slightly. I believe this is true.

  Hector’s head bobbed politely as he greeted them all, then turned his gaze on Daphne. ‘So what happened in the living room?’

  Daphne’s cheeks heated, embarrassed now. ‘I had a cousin disappear when I was eight years old, nearly thirty years ago.’ She hesitated, then felt Maggie’s hand rubbing her back. She forced the words from her brain to her mouth, remembering too keenly how she hadn’t been able to speak that day or any of the days that followed.

  She’d come home that horrible day . . . mute. For months. She’d hadn’t lost her voice. She’d lost her words. They’d fled. Whatever pathways connected the verbal area of her brain to her mouth . . . they’d snapped.

  No matter how hard she’d tried or how much her father begged, pleaded, cajoled, even threatened . . . she could do little more than stare up at him, desperate to do the right thing. I’m sorry, Daddy. I never wanted that to happen to you. To Mama. To me.

  She was no longer eight years old, but the fear had never gone away. Now, at thirty-five she felt the words slow, start to recede. No. Not again. She concentrated, inhaled the scent of Scott’s jacket. Shoved the words free.

  ‘Me too,’ she said on an exhale. ‘I . . . disappeared, too.’ She swallowed hard, aware of every eye watching her. ‘I was just remembering the night the sheriff brought me home. Everyone was sitting there waiting, just like tonight. It was a life-defining moment.’

  Hector was watching her closely. ‘What happened to her? Your cousin?’

  ‘She was found, later.’

  Hector’s brows lifted. ‘Alive?’

  ‘No.’ Daphne swallowed, her mouth dry as sandpaper. Scott put a cup of tea in front of her and she sipped at it gratefully. Hector was waiting, his head tilted, and Daphne sighed. ‘My cousin’s body was found in some woods in Ohio, about a week after I came home. She was seventeen.’

  ‘And the perpetrator?’

  ‘Never caught. It was just . . . one of those times when the bad guy didn’t pay.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Hector said sympathetically, but his eyes were sharp. Watchful.

  ‘It was a long time ago,’ Daphne said.

  ‘It was yesterday,’ her mother murmured. ‘Any word on where Ford could be?’

  ‘No,’ Daphne said. ‘But good people are looking.’ She straightened her shoulders. ‘And we’re going to believe he’s all right.’

  ‘Of course we are,’ her mother said. ‘It’s all we can do. That, and wait.’ She met Daphne’s eyes, hers a steely determined blue. ‘We’ve been through hard times and we survived. Ford is your son. He’ll survive and he will come home to you.’

  ‘I believe,’ Daphne murmured. And I’ll continue to take one breath at a time.

  Chapter Seven

  Tuesday, December 3, 2.20 P.M.

  Joseph’s debriefing and strategy meeting between VCET and BPD was set to begin in ten minutes. Walking from the parking garage to the conference room, he checked his email on his phone. One message stood out, the subject header in all caps: READ ME ASAP.

  It was from his father. Damn. His father had been waiting for him to call back. He must be worried. Hell, his whole family would be. Joseph didn’t normally check in after a close call on the job, but then his close calls had never been on TV before. Ruby’s words came back to him in a mocking rush. I’m an Internet sensation. God.

  Waiting for the elevator, he read the email. Joseph, please call your mother. She and Judy were watching the news live when the bullets started flying. She needs to hear your voice. Plus, it seems we have houseguests that you didn’t tell us were coming.

  Joseph winced. He’d asked Bo to send officers to watch over his family but he’d forgotten to tell his parents about it.

  He dialed home and his mother answered on the first ring. ‘Hi, Mom.’

  ‘Joseph.’ His name came out on a little rush of air. She’d been holding her breath.

  ‘I’m fine,’ he said mildly. ‘I didn’t want you to worry.’

  ‘I wasn’t worried,’ she said archly.

  ‘Yes, she was!’ a woman chimed in. It was Judy, Grayson’s mother, on another phone extension. Joseph and Grayson shared no blood, but Joseph had considered them brothers since the day Grayson and Judy had come to live with them, close to thirty years ago.

  ‘Are you all right, son?’ his father asked, having picked up yet another extension of the landline at the house. ‘We saw it live.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ he assured them. ‘I was lucky. It could have been much worse.’

  ‘I wouldn’t call it luck, Joseph,’ Judy said. ‘That was skill. I was very impressed with you – after my heart started beating again, that is. It stopped when Grayson and that . . . killer were pointing guns at each other.’

  ‘You saved Grayson,’ his mother said proudly. ‘Then saved Daphne, too.’

  ‘Actually, Daphne saved Grayson,’ Joseph said. ‘She threw a cameraman’s bag at the shooter and that distracted her.’

  ‘We never saw that,’ his mother said.

  ‘Must’ve been a bad camera angle. Daphne distracted the shooter, then Stevie fired the kill shot.’

  ‘Really?’ His father sounded both surprised and relieved. ‘It looked like you did.’

  ‘Another bad camera angle. If I’d fire
d, they’d have put me on admin leave.’

  ‘That makes sense,’ his mother allowed, making Joseph smile.

  ‘We’re just glad you’re okay,’ his father said gratefully. ‘That bad camera angle gave us the scare of our lives. It looked like she’d shot you in the back.’

  ‘She did. I was wearing Kevlar, which thankfully worked as designed.’

  ‘Oh my dear Lord,’ his mother murmured weakly.

  ‘But I’m okay, Mom,’ he assured her again. ‘Just a little bruised.’

  ‘Oh my dear Lord,’ his mother said again.

  ‘Just breathe, dear,’ his father said. ‘How is Ford?’

  ‘And Daphne,’ Judy added. His entire family had known Daphne since she started working with Grayson. She and Ford were like family. ‘How is she holding up?’

  ‘The news said that Ford is missing,’ his mother said, ‘which your father apparently already knew,’ she added in a mutter, her panic attack apparently bypassed thanks to his father’s deft subject change. Many of Joseph’s deflection skills had been learned by watching his parents argue over the years.

  ‘I asked Dad not to say anything until we had more information. We don’t know a lot and that’s the truth.’

  ‘Can we help?’ his father asked.

  Joseph thought about what he needed. A timeline around Ford and Kimberly’s relationship was critical. ‘Actually you can. I’ve got Ford’s laptop in custody.’ It had been retrieved by the uniform standing guard at the dorm. ‘But we can’t get into his system. Can you get that intern friend of Ford’s to give us Ford’s log-in info if he knows it or log back into Facebook and create screenshots of Ford’s posts?’

  ‘I’ve still got the Facebook page open,’ his father said. ‘How far back do you want to go?’

  ‘To the day he met Kimberly and then a few weeks beyond that.’

  There was silence on the other end. ‘Why?’ his mother asked.

  ‘I need a timeline.’ And then borrowing his father’s trick, he said, ‘So you’ve got guards now? I hope they’re not tracking snow on your carpet.’

  ‘Your father’s subject changes are smoother,’ his mother said dryly. ‘But yes, we’ve got guards now. It would have been nice to know they were coming, but we understand you’ve been a little busy. Don’t worry about us, Joseph, and we’ll try not to worry about you. You focus on finding Ford.’

  ‘Fair enough. I’ve got to go now. I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes and I called it, so I can’t be late. I just wanted you to know I was okay.’

  ‘Be careful, Joseph,’ his mother said. ‘Love you.’

  ‘Love you too.’ Stepping into the elevator, Joseph hit the button for his floor. The doors were nearly closed when a pair of hands shoved into the gap, pushing them back open. Joseph drew his weapon on reflex, then relaxed when Deacon entered the elevator with a scowl. ‘What the hell, Deacon?’

  ‘Didn’t you hear me yelling for you to hold the damn elevator?’

  ‘No. Sorry,’ Joseph added, unconvincingly.

  ‘No you’re not,’ Deacon said.

  ‘You’re right.’ Joseph eyed the deli bag in Deacon’s hand. ‘Did you get any extra?’

  ‘No. Sorry,’ Deacon added, mocking Joseph’s tone.

  Joseph chuckled, surprising himself. ‘No you’re not.’ As he followed Deacon to the conference room, Joseph’s phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from Judy.

  You never said how Daphne is. I’m worried about her.

  So am I, he thought. He typed his reply as he walked. She’s holding. She might welcome a phone call.

  He hesitated, then typed a new message. Believe. He entered Daphne’s cell phone number from memory, only a little ashamed that he’d known it by heart for nine months, having peeked at Grayson’s contact list shortly after laying eyes on her for the first time. Joseph sent the message and squared his shoulders. Time to get to work.

  Tuesday, December 3, 2.25 P.M.

  Oh, girl. Daphne sat at her vanity, regarding her reflection in the mirror with a serious wince. You look like you were rode hard and put away wet.

  She’d finally made it to her bedroom. Finally had a moment alone. She loved her family, truly she did. But sometimes they hovered. I hope I’m not that way with Ford.

  Her words hit her hard. I should have hovered. I’d have him with me right now.

  You can’t think that way, she chided herself as she plugged her phone in to charge. Then she placed it on the vanity’s surface, taking care to center it so she’d be able to see the screen, the moment it rang.

  Please ring. Please.

  A wet nose nudged her arm and automatically she smoothed her hand over Tasha’s wiry head.

  Daphne had gone her whole life without a dog, never wanting one. But within a week of the Giant Schnauzer’s arrival, Daphne didn’t know how she’d lived without her. Tasha always seemed to know when she was upset or stressed. And when Ford moved into the dorm, her wagging tail had helped make coming home at the end of a long day something she no longer dreaded.

  Until today. ‘He’s coming home, girl. He has to.’ Tasha rested her muzzle on Daphne’s leg and blew out a little sigh. Commiserating. A soft knock on her bedroom door made the dog growl. ‘I’m all right, Mama,’ she said firmly.

  The door opened a crack and in the mirror Daphne could see long black hair swinging gently. ‘I know you are,’ Paige said softly. ‘But I’m not.’

  The reflection suddenly grew blurry when Daphne’s eyes filled with tears. She was nowhere close to all right. ‘Come on in then,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Peabody too? He wants to play with Tasha.’

  Daphne huffed a watery chuckle. ‘As long as he stays off the bed.’

  ‘He knows not to jump on the bed.’ Paige closed the door behind her. The Rottweiler sauntered in, ready to play, but Tasha remained where she was, giving comfort the only way she knew how. ‘Besides, all this pink lace gives him a complex.’

  Daphne tried to laugh, but it came out a sob. Once the first tear broke through, she couldn’t stop, the sobs ripping at her chest. I should have hovered. Why didn’t I hover?

  Paige stood behind her, massaging her shoulders, saying nothing. Letting her cry. Finally the tears were shed and Daphne closed her swollen eyes. ‘My head hurts.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. If you take off the wig, I’ll give you a scalp massage and use pressure point therapy to make your headache go away.’

  Daphne jerked her chin up, meeting Paige’s knowing eyes in the mirror. ‘How long . . . ?’ She looked away, embarrassed. ‘Never mind.’

  ‘Do you remember the day I met you last April? You were wearing a lime green suit with a miniskirt and four-inch stilettos, dyed to match. And big hair. I mean big.’

  Daphne’s puffy eyes narrowed. ‘So?’

  ‘You offered to go undercover as my rich sponsor and Grayson turned you down.’

  Daphne scowled. ‘He said I was “too memorable”.’ But Joseph hadn’t found her so. He’d met her that very day but had never called her afterward. Not once. ‘So?’

  ‘So . . . you left Grayson’s house and an hour later you were back, unrecognizable. Shiny French twist. Wearing a dress I dreamed about trying on for months after.’

  ‘The McQueen,’ Daphne said. ‘I told you that you could have it, that same day. You can have the whole damn closet.’

  Paige’s eyes widened in the mirror. ‘Hold that thought, but first, fast forward to last August. You and Maggie took your mother to Vegas for her birthday.’

  Paige started massaging between her shoulders and Daphne’s eyes grew heavy. ‘If you do this for Grayson, how does he stay awake for all that sex you brag about?’

  ‘I never said where I massage him. Stick with the program, girl.’

  ‘Vegas. Mama’s birthday.’

  ‘While you were gone, I watched your house, got your mail. Watched your DVDs and soaked in your Jacuzzi. And I tried on your clothes.’

  Daphne sighed, k
nowing where this was headed. ‘You went in my closet?’

  ‘I did. I have to admit was a bit startled by all those Styrofoam heads staring at me.’ She met Daphne’s eyes in the mirror, an affectionate smile on her face. ‘All those months I’d wondered, how the hell did Daphne change so fast that day I met her? The clothes weren’t the problem. But the hair? It should have taken you three shampoos just to get all the hairspray out of that beehive. There was no way you could have made it back to Grayson’s place in an hour. When I saw the wig heads it made sense.’

  ‘Didn’t you want to know why?’

  ‘Of course I did. I still do, because I’m nosy. I figure it has something to do with your having cancer. I also figure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.’ She lifted a shoulder. ‘Or if I ever “accidentally” knock it off your head in self-defense class.’

  Daphne hiccupped a laugh, but whatever she’d been about to say fled her mind as her phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was from Joseph. One word. Believe.

  She exhaled in a rush. ‘Oh.’ Thank you, Joseph. I needed that.

  Paige leaned over to look. ‘Huh. Brother Joseph finally got off his damn stick.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Oh, come on.’ Her black eyes widened. ‘You’re serious. You never noticed?’

  ‘Obviously not,’ Daphne said stiffly. ‘Noticed what?’

  ‘Joseph has been watching you for nine months, Daphne.’

  ‘He has not.’ Daphne stared at his message. ‘He’s just doing his job.’

  ‘Whatever. I’m just sayin’ that Peabody’s got nothing on Joseph Carter in the puppy dog eyes department.’ She stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest. ‘You do know why he transferred from Homeland Security to VCET, don’t you?’

  Daphne met Paige’s eyes in the mirror. ‘For . . . ?’

  ‘Little old you. Yeah.’ Paige tilted her head. ‘Do you wear that hair to bed?’

  Daphne’s cheeks heated. ‘No.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Oh God. Thanks for putting that worry in my head.’ But for a few moments she hadn’t been out of her mind with worry for her son. Her friend was smart that way. ‘I mean that. Thank you.’