What am I? he wondered. ‘Boyfriend’ sounded way too juvenile. Lover? Yes, but that didn’t begin to describe what he felt. Suddenly he heard Daphne’s voice in his mind from the day before, as they’d driven through the mountains. You want a mate. So do I. Warmth curled around his heart. He liked that. Very much.
As Daphne’s mate, her welfare was top of his agenda. Daphne’s welfare would be improved if her mother could forgive what had never been intended as a slight.
‘May I offer my opinion as an outsider, Simone?’
She lifted a shoulder. ‘Doesn’t seem like you’re an outsider anymore.’
‘Then I’ll take that as a yes. You’re angry and you have a right to be. But seems to me that the person you need to be angry with is Beckett. Not Daphne and not Maggie.’
She closed her eyes briefly. ‘I understand why Daphne didn’t tell me, but Maggie wasn’t a scared little girl. She should have told me.’
‘I don’t know about that. I think that Daphne’s having someone she could trust with her pain, someone she didn’t think she was hurting in the process . . . it made a difference. And kids know when you betray their trust. If Maggie had told you, Daphne might never have opened up again. And particularly not to you. Not because she didn’t trust you or love you. But in telling you, she would have hurt you. That would have pushed her deeper into herself. You might never have gotten her back.’
‘I’m her mother,’ Simone said stubbornly. ‘I should have known. I could have helped her.’ Then her eyes filled. ‘You think I was unaware of her pain? I knew. Every goddamn day I knew she was in pain, but I never knew how to help. Maggie knew. She kept that from me. She kept me from taking care of my own child. Do you have any idea how that feels?’
‘No, because I’m not a parent. I would never discount your pain. But at the same time, don’t discount how difficult this was for Maggie.’
Simone made a rough, scoffing sound in her throat and Joseph frowned.
‘Simone, don’t you think she always knew this day would come? That she dreaded it? She loves you both. Last night you heard Daphne’s pain and it nearly tore you apart. But last night it was only an echo of what it was twenty-eight years ago. What do you think it was like for Maggie, to hear it fresh and not have anyone she could share it with? She’s carried a heavy burden all these years. And I think, even knowing how angry this has made you, she’d do it again the same way. For your daughter.’
‘She could have shared it with me. She didn’t have to bear it alone. She had no right to.’ Her voice rang with conviction. He wasn’t getting through.
He mentally backed up, came back at another angle. ‘My dad taught me to drive.’
She blinked. ‘What?’
‘Yeah. I was a hothead when I was a teenager and not about to let anyone push me around. I remember sitting at a four-way stop. Another driver took my right-of-way and I wasn’t going to have it. I put my foot on the gas and went through the intersection. Next thing I knew I was in the ER getting stitches and my dad’s car was totaled.’
‘And the point of this is?’
He smiled at her, gently. ‘I’m getting there. My father wasn’t happy, especially when I tried to defend myself. I was in the right, the other guy in the wrong. Dad got real quiet and told me I could be right, but I could be dead right. You had the right to know, Simone. But you could have been dead right. And where would that have left your daughter?’
She faltered. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Beckett has killed to keep his secret. He killed your niece. Just last night he nearly killed a nurse at the hospital, just to steal his ID so he could sneak inside. We found that young man just in time. Beckett was smothering your grandson with a pillow when Daphne walked in on him and he stabbed the officer standing guard outside Ford’s door. God only knows how many he’s killed in the past twenty-eight years. He threatened to kill you if she told. He threatened her with that over and over again. Your daughter may have saved your life by keeping this secret. So be mad if you want, but be mad at the right person.’
‘Daphne didn’t tell me about the nurse,’ she said, as if that one fact was enough to tilt the scales toward belief from disbelief. Sometimes it worked like that, that one detail tipped the balance one way or the other.
‘I think she was pretty overwhelmed at the time. I don’t think a lot of this has sunk in. It may not for weeks.’
‘But when it does, you’ll be there for her?’
‘I promise.’ Because I’m her mate. He knew it as clearly as his own name.
‘Thank you,’ she said hoarsely.
‘Don’t thank me for that. It’s the smallest thing I can do for her. Simone, you’ve had a terrible shock and it probably hasn’t sunk in with you either. But Daphne’s in a different position.’
‘She’s still in danger.’
‘Yes, but we’ll find Beckett and we’ll find Doug.’ He knew that as clearly as his own name, too. He wouldn’t let Daphne go through life looking over her shoulder in fear. ‘I’m talking about her career. Everything she’s worked so hard for. This will all come out and even though she was a victim in all of this, people will ask why she didn’t turn Beckett in earlier.’
‘It’s nobody’s business,’ Simone said fiercely.
‘No, but she’s a prosecutor. She expects victims to come forward, to testify. That she didn’t . . . nobody will blame her per se, but as Grayson told me last night, she’ll become the story in the courtroom. It’ll die down eventually, but she’s going to need all of us around her, supporting her until it does. She’s going to need you and Maggie. She loves you both.’
Her shoulders sagged. ‘You’re saying I have to let my anger go for her own good.’
He shrugged. ‘You are her mother. Isn’t that what mothers do?’
She regarded him for a long, long moment. ‘You, Joseph Carter, are damn good.’
He smiled. ‘I know. Now, I’m going downstairs to walk Tasha and get coffee. Can I bring you anything?’
‘Coffee would be nice. But I’ll walk with you. I could use the exer . . .’
She trailed off as the door next to her opened and Maggie came out, a music box in one hand and a small suitcase in the other. She stopped short when she saw them, her expression carefully blank. ‘Joseph, Simone.’
‘Where are you going?’ Simone asked, pointing at the suitcase.
‘Home.’
Joseph frowned. ‘Maggie, the farm’s a crime scene. You can’t stay there.’
‘Not Daphne’s farm. My farm. I’m going home.’
‘To Riverdale?’ Simone’s face fell. ‘No. You can’t.’
‘I can and I should and I’m long overdue. I meant to stay with you two for eight weeks and it turned into eight years. I miss my own place.’ She drew her shoulders back. ‘It’s time I went home. I’ve already talked to Scott. He’ll take care of the horses until you find another hired hand.’
Simone’s mouth fell open. ‘You’re . . . you’re not a hired hand. Maggie . . .’
Maggie looked down, then back up again. ‘That’s not what you said last night.’
Joseph couldn’t control a wince. Ouch.
Simone let out a ragged breath. ‘Maggie, I’m sorry. I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. I was wrong. Please don’t go.’
‘No, you were right. I kept important information from you. You had every right to be angry. Maybe not to express it like you did, but that is what it is. I left my farm eight years ago because Daphne needed me. She doesn’t need me anymore. She’s got you and Ford. Grayson and Paige and Clay. And now Joseph.’ She extended the hand that held the music box. ‘The desk downstairs had some superglue. It’s not exactly like it was before, but it was the best I could do.’
‘Maggie . . . I know I said some terrible things and I can’t take them back. But we’ve got twenty-seven years of friendship.’ She swallowed hard. ‘We’ve seen each other through a lot, good times and bad. And we . . . we raised an amazing woman together, Maggie.
You and I. And she does still need you. She’s going to need both of us because this nightmare is far from over for her. Please stay, for just a little longer.’
Maggie hesitated. ‘I don’t know.’
Simone took a few tentative steps toward her. ‘You gave my daughter back her voice and for that I owe you a debt of gratitude. But you gave me friendship when I was all alone.’ Sadly she took the music box from Maggie’s hand. ‘Daphne gave this to me for Mother’s Day, the first one after Michael left us. You’d taken her to one of those pottery places where she got to paint it, and they glazed and fired it.’
‘I remember.’
‘It plays “Edelweiss”.’
‘From the movie. The Sound of Music.’ Maggie glanced at Joseph. ‘Her favorite.’
Simone shook her head. ‘She doesn’t love the song because of the movie. She loves the movie because of the song. Her father used to sing it to us, on the front porch at night when it was time for her to go to sleep. It was her lullaby.’
‘I never knew that,’ Maggie said quietly.
‘I know. It hurt too much to say out loud. The day she gave it to me, it was hard to not break down in tears, right in front of her. She looked so hopeful that I’d like it, then so disappointed when I didn’t. But I couldn’t play it, not for weeks after. One day I came into my bedroom to find her sitting on my bed, the music box to her ear. She shut it off quickly, like she knew it hurt me.’ Simone sighed. ‘And she spoke her first words in eight months. “It wasn’t Daddy.” Then she ran to the barn. I had no idea that she blamed herself for Michael’s leaving because I was too busy blaming myself.’
Maggie’s eyes filled. ‘Oh, Simone.’
‘After that I made it a point to play it every night. Because I wanted her to know I didn’t blame her. That I was all right. Now I can’t go to sleep without it.’
‘It still plays,’ Maggie said hoarsely. ‘The box is cracked, but it plays.’
‘Last night I thought it was a goner.’ Simone wound it up, smiling sadly as the tune tinkled out. ‘Amazing what a little superglue can do.’ She met Maggie’s eyes. ‘I know I said some terrible things to you and although I would do anything to take them back, you can’t unring a bell. I just hope I haven’t broken us beyond repair.’
Maggie shook her head. ‘No. You haven’t.’
Joseph found his eyes stinging as Maggie dropped her suitcase and the two women embraced. And then his eyes focused on the music box. The broken pieces had been lined up precisely, the cracks barely visible.
Amazing what a little superglue can do. He frowned, then went still. Superglue.
‘Oh my God,’ he breathed. He laughed aloud. ‘Oh fucking hell.’
The women turned to stare at him, faces puzzled and mildly disapproving, but he barely noticed. He had his phone out, dialing Dr Brodie. ‘Come on, wake up.’
‘Joseph?’ Brodie sounded sleepy. ‘Meeting’s not till seven, right?’
‘Right, but this can’t wait.’ His heart was racing. ‘We need to get your techs back to that drugstore. The one that tried to card Doug.’
‘We tried to get the surveillance video, Joseph. I told you they’d taped over it.’
‘Did you get the superglue?’
‘What?’ There was a long pause. ‘No. We didn’t. We should have, but we didn’t.’
‘He wasn’t selling weapons to the Millhouses. He was just being a normal guy, buying school supplies for his brother. Maybe his guard was down. He could have left a print on the package.’
‘I’ll get right on it. It’s a twenty-four-hour store. I’ll get a uniform out there to watch the shelf until my techs can get there. It’s a long shot, but worth a try. I’ll let you know as soon as I have something.’
Hanging up, Joseph smacked a kiss on Simone’s cheek, then Maggie’s. ‘Wish me luck.’ He left them staring, and was still grinning when he got outside with Tasha, despite the fact it was snowing again and he’d left his coat in the hotel room. His cell rang and he answered it with near euphoria. ‘This is Agent Carter.’
‘Joseph, it’s Bo.’
‘Did Brodie call you already?’
‘About what?’
Joseph told him about the superglue, fighting the urge to dance.
‘That’s great,’ Bo said, but he didn’t sound enthused.
‘What’s wrong? How did the raid on Antonov’s warehouse go?’
‘Not well. It was empty when we got there. They’d just moved hundred of crates. Bomb dogs found traces of ammunition, but no actual evidence.’
‘Damn. I’m sorry, Bo.’
‘Me too. Antonov has been on ATF radar for months. Stopping him would have kept Russian organized crime from getting a toehold in the area, but now we’re back to square one. But that’s not why I called.’
‘Then why?’ Joseph’s mind clicked. ‘Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I haven’t had coffee yet. I sent you an email last night, asking for Agent Claudia Baker’s info. You got anything?’
‘Yeah. She doesn’t exist. She never did. The Bureau has no record of a Special Agent Claudia Baker, in the DC field office or anywhere else.’
‘Shit,’ Joseph snarled. ‘I was afraid of that.’
‘Are you sure Daphne wasn’t mistaken?’
‘As sure as I can be considering I wasn’t actually at their meeting twenty years ago. Did you check married and maiden names?’
‘I checked everything. I’ve been working it for hours. We need to talk to Daphne, because assuming she really did talk to someone, it wasn’t an FBI agent.’
Assuming? ‘She’s not lying, Bo. Somebody lied to her.’
‘And you weren’t there twenty years ago, Joseph. Playing devil’s advocate, it wouldn’t look good for her to have kept that information secret all these years. She’s a prosecutor now. She might have found herself grasping for an out.’
Joseph’s temper rattled its chains. ‘I’ll talk to her. Find out exactly how and where she met this alleged agent. I’ll have her sit with a sketch artist if necessary. Because whoever was pretending to be Claudia Baker stopped her from reporting a murder.’
‘Why would anyone want to do that?’
‘I don’t know. I do know she was living with the Elkharts at the time. If they found out her plans, they might have feared she was going to cause a scandal. Most rich families don’t like scandal, especially if they have political aspirations. Travis Elkhart is a judge – that wouldn’t have looked good for him.’
‘He wasn’t a judge then.’
‘Maybe he already wanted to be. I don’t know. I can stand here speculating all day long but it won’t get us any closer to the truth, plus I’m standing outside freezing my ass off. We’re having a status meeting at seven. Should I patch you in?’
‘Yes. I’d like to hear Daphne’s story for myself. Be careful, Joseph. You might think you know this woman, but remember you weren’t there. You can’t know.’
‘I’ll talk to you at seven,’ Joseph said, grimly re-entering the hotel. He took the stairs, needing the mild burn of a seven-flight run to cool his temper and figuring it’d be a good work-out for the dog as well.
When he came out of the stairwell into the hall the first thing he heard was a bloodcurdling scream coming from down the hall. Daphne.
Joseph started to run, passing a few hotel guests who’d opened their doors to investigate. Another, louder scream met his ears as he reached Daphne’s room. It was coming from inside. Oh, God. I shouldn’t have left her alone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wheeling, West Virginia, Thursday, December 5, 6.30 A.M.
The screaming woke her. Daphne’s eyes flew open and she sat up in bed, breathing hard. Her throat was raw.
That was new. Her throat had never been raw before. She lifted her hand to her throat, trying to control her breathing. The bed was empty. Joseph was gone.
And then the door flew open and there he was, weapon drawn, shouting her name, and she clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her sh
riek.
Joseph ran through both rooms, checking every closet, the shower. Under her bed. Through it all she sat motionless in the bed, the blankets tangled around her legs.
‘Joseph? Everything okay in there?’ Deacon Novak’s voice spurred her into action and she jerked the covers up to her chin.
Joseph sprang up from checking under the bed, poised on the balls of his feet. Slowly he turned and stared at her. ‘What happened?’ he panted.
‘I don’t know.’ She coughed, her throat dry as dust. ‘Should I assume that I screamed out loud this time?’
‘Did you ever.’ Deacon stood in the doorway looking rattled, his white hair askew, like he’d been sleeping. ‘If everything’s okay, I’ll get out of here until seven.’
‘We’re all right,’ Joseph said. ‘Thanks.’
‘Wait,’ Daphne said. ‘If you’re here, Agent Novak, who’s with Ford?’
‘Hector. We switched places so that I could sleep. Which I’ll get back to.’
Joseph sank to the bed when Deacon had gone. ‘Oh my God,’ he said, still panting. ‘You scared the fuck out of me.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She closed her eyes, mortification setting in. ‘I didn’t mean to. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.’
Joseph lightly grasped her chin. ‘Bad dream? Open your eyes, honey.’
She obeyed, finding his expression both fierce and gentle at once. ‘I think so. It wasn’t the same one. I was at Beckett’s, but as I am now. Older. I was always a little girl before, but this time I was me. A shrink would have a field day with this.’
‘Don’t worry. Talk to me. You were at Beckett’s. What happened?’
‘The gas man came in his truck and I climbed inside, but I was too big and he and Beckett caught me. And then they were . . . monsters. Like you can’t see them, but you know they’re bad?’
‘I’ve had those dreams too. What did they do?’
‘Chased me through the woods. I was just running through the woods.’ She eased from the bed, testing the stability of her legs. When she didn’t fall down, she started for the bathroom. ‘What did Deacon mean about coming back at seven?’