Читать книгу Reunion On The Run - Amity Steffen - Страница 15

Claire struggled to force her eyes open as she fought against the sensation of water filling her nose, her mouth, threatening to fill her lungs. Her limbs vibrated with anxiety as a feeling of dread flowed through her body. She tried to move but her arms felt weighted down, too heavy to budge.

She gasped for air as she willed herself out of the nightmare that had plagued her since Jared’s death. She tried not to think of that awful day, but the memories consistently wound themselves into her dreams. Jared had drowned...and she’d nearly drowned trying to save him.

Blinking into the dimly lit room, she felt disoriented.

Where was she?

She scrambled into a sitting position, heart hammering wildly. Hazy light crept through the sides of the curtains, barely offering enough light to see by. Unfamiliar walls surrounded her. A strange door was straight across from her. Panic sizzled through her veins as the foreign room came into focus. She jerked fully awake as she tried to get her bearings.

A soft nudge against her hand immediately calmed her. Roscoe whimpered, as if sensing her panic. He nudged her again, the action instantly setting her at ease. She let her hand drift over his head. His silky fur felt familiar and comforting under her palm.

She hated reliving the moment she’d found Jared facedown in the pool. She’d jumped in without thinking, her fleece bathrobe weighing her down, pulling her under, anchoring her below the surface. She’d struggled with the tie around her waist, fighting to get it undone so she could slip free. Once out of the robe, she’d broken the surface of the water, gasping for air even as she swam toward Jared. She’d dragged him to the edge, pulled him out. Her efforts had been in vain. He had died within moments of being shoved into the pool. The blow to his head incapacitating him enough that he’d dragged in a water-filled breath and that had been the end of him.

Her own lungs burned as she dropped back onto her pillow. She shoved the nightmarish memory aside. Other nightmarish memories quickly seeped in, filling her mind with another brand of terror as she thought of the harrowing evening she’d had.

She’d escaped Xavier’s men by the grace of God, and the grace of God alone. She focused on that realization. God had been with her. He had protected her.

Eventually her heartbeat calmed to a dull, hollow thud.

She tried to tell herself she was safe but couldn’t quite force herself to believe it.

On the other side of the door rested another sort of threat.

Alex would never ever hurt her physically. Not like Jared had. But the man was hazardous to her emotional state. Last night the shock of seeing him had numbed some of the hurt.

Roscoe ducked out from under her ministrations. He moved to the closed door and treated her to a pathetic look as he silently pleaded to be let outside.

Claire tossed off the blankets and swung her legs around the side of the bed. She shivered despite the comfy sweatshirt and sweatpants she’d slept in. Her body still tingled with the echoing fear of her nightmare. Would her life ever feel normal again?

The bedroom door creaked when she pulled it open.

Alex’s blanket—an extra one she’d found in a dresser drawer—was already folded and tossed over the back of the couch. His pillow was neatly propped against the armrest. He stood before the window, his body alert, always ready for action.

Claire watched him for a moment. Mixed emotions swirled through her. He had left her. He left her alone. Scared. Pregnant. Grieving over the loss of her fiancé, her best friend.

Seeing him now, she couldn’t help but think of what could have been. They should’ve been married by now. They should’ve been a family. Alex, her and Mia. If things had gone differently, would Mia have had a little brother or sister? She could so easily imagine Christmas mornings by the tree, church together every Sunday. Family dinners, Saturday morning breakfasts.

She shook the thoughts away. That had been her dream once. But Alex had killed that dream.

He turned to face her, a cardboard cup of coffee in one hand. His hair was damp and he was clean-shaven. Despite wearing yesterday’s clothes, he managed to look put-together.

“The office carries a few essentials,” he said. “There’re powdered doughnuts on the table and a cup of coffee for you. I got Roscoe a couple packages of hot dogs. I know it’s not ideal but it’ll get us by for the morning. I got myself a razor, toothbrush, toothpaste. If you need anything, let me know and I’ll go get it.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“I’ll take him out so you can have a few minutes to yourself.”

When he was gone she carefully rummaged around in her backpack. A toiletry bag held enough to get her by for a few more days. She had several outfits in there, more than one would have thought. Each rolled into a tight, efficient bundle. Each plain and perfunctory.

In a side, zippered pocket was her second bottle of pepper spray. Like the one she’d used at the cabin, it belonged on the end of a key chain. Instead she’d put it on the end of a cord so she could wear it around her neck. She didn’t need it now but was grateful she had thought to buy more than one.

She grabbed what she needed and headed to the bathroom. By the time she got out of the shower, Roscoe was tended to, her coffee was cool and Alex looked apprehensive. An unusual look for him.

He patted the seat next to him at the table.

She dropped down into it, happily taking a doughnut. It was dried out, but she was ravenous. Even the lukewarm coffee was a treat. She was halfway through her coffee before she realized her wallet was open on the table. The plastic sleeve that held pictures was conspicuously absent.

Her last bite of doughnut tasted like chalk. She gulped some coffee to choke it down.

“I shouldn’t have dug through your things,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t wait any longer. I assumed you had a picture of her.” He held up the photos. “She’s the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.”

Claire met his eyes. His expression was guarded. Yet it was so like Alex to bluntly jump right into the conversation without preamble.

She appreciated his directness and intended to reciprocate.

“I need you to understand that I never wanted to keep Mia from you.” Claire paused, taking a moment to organize her thoughts. “It took me a while to realize I was pregnant. I wasn’t feeling well. I was sick for months. I attributed it to stress.” She’d attributed it to a shattered heart. She saw no point in laying that accusation on him. “By the time I knew I was pregnant, I had no idea how to find you. I did try. You had been behaving so recklessly, as if you had no regard for your own life. Each mission you took was more dangerous than the last. I was afraid of what I would find. I was so afraid you’d been killed. I had to stop looking.”

“I left the country for a while.” He cleared his throat. “I’m in a better place now.”

“I can tell.” His eyes no longer held the haunted, hollow look. “I’m happy for you.”

“I take full responsibility for how badly things ended with us.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I should’ve faced my problems, worked on our relationship. But when I needed the most courage, I ran.”

Claire felt all of her old arguments rising to the surface. He didn’t need to run. She would stand by his side always. They could get through anything, if only he would let her in.

It was too late for all of that. Though it surprised her to hear him admit to his past mistakes, she couldn’t get sidetracked by that right now.

She tamped down thoughts from the past, deciding to focus on the present.

“Does Gretchen know Mia is your daughter?”

“If she does, she figured it out on her own. At the time I sent her, I’d only known a few hours, having just run across an article stating you had a three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. I was still grappling with the information and didn’t feel I had the right to claim her as my own.”

“And now?”

“Now that the shock has worn off, I want more than anything to meet my little girl.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “If that’s okay with you.”

She swallowed the lump of emotion rising in her throat. When she’d first found out she was pregnant, she’d tried to track Alex down. She had wanted nothing more than to be a family. But now, so much time had passed. They’d gone their separate ways, were living completely different lives. Yet Mia was still his daughter and she couldn’t deny either of them the relationship they deserved. “We’ll need to discuss some ground rules,” she said firmly. “I don’t want you flitting in and out of her life. It will only confuse her. She’s been through enough. I won’t allow you to hurt her.”

“You think I’d hurt my own daughter?” Alex asked, his tone incredulous.

“Not intentionally, no,” Claire said. “But if you disappoint her one too many times, if she realizes she can’t count on you—”

“So what you’re saying is that you don’t think I can be a good father,” Alex said, cutting her off.

“That’s not what I said,” Claire argued. “What I am saying is that to be a good parent you need to be present. You need to be involved.”

His jaw clenched as he thought that over. “Look, I get where you’re coming from,” he finally said. “I understand why you might have concerns. But I will be a good dad.”

Claire studied his face for a moment. His gaze was intense, his expression determined. In that moment she believed he wanted to be a good father, but he knew nothing of how demanding a young child could be. He didn’t understand how one too many broken promises could lead to broken trust.

“Claire,” he said, his tone softening, “I realize you don’t have a lot of faith in me at this point. But if you let me, I’ll make Mia a priority in my life.”

Claire forced a smile, trying to ease some of the tension hanging over them. She wasn’t necessarily persuaded by his words, but she needed to give Alex the chance to know his daughter, without her old hurts clouding her judgment. “We’ll see.” Her tone was clipped and she wasn’t sure what more she could say right then. There would be time to figure it out later.

“You don’t sound too convinced,” he said in annoyance.

“I guess time will tell,” Claire replied.

Alex nodded curtly. “Fair enough.”

He glanced down at the photo he still held. Claire heard his breath catch. “She really is beautiful.”

“She is,” Claire said. “She has your eyes.”

“She has your smile.” Alex finally lifted his gaze to meet hers.

“You should have this.” Claire took the plastic sleeve from him and slid one of Mia’s photos from it. She’d looked at it so many times she had it memorized. “It seems only fair that I should share.”

Alex didn’t argue, confirming Claire’s suspicion that he wanted it badly.

“Thank you.” He gave it a long, hard look before taking out his wallet and sliding it inside.

* * *

“The sooner we get your name cleared, the sooner I can meet my daughter,” Alex said. His heartbeat sped up at the thought. There had been a time when he couldn’t wait to start a family with Claire. That dream had vanished like vapor when he’d allowed his past to own him. Yesterday, when he’d run across the article mentioning Mia, he’d had to reread the line countless times before the words made sense. Even now, he wasn’t sure the news had completely sunk in.

A full day later and it still seemed so surreal.

He fought to tamp down the frustration he felt. He wanted to tell Claire that he wasn’t the person he used to be. Like her, he’d found a connection with the Lord and it had changed him. He didn’t want to see the look of doubt in her eyes. He was pretty sure she wished just about anyone else had come to her rescue. He’d be lying if he said that didn’t hurt, at least a little.

“Did you look through the information I gave you?” Claire asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“I did.” He was impressed. She had compiled detailed information regarding sales made by Xavier. She had buyers’ names, dates of sales, pickup sites and purchase prices. “You’ve built a very good case against Xavier. I don’t think there’s any disputing he’s fencing stolen antiquities. Why haven’t you taken this to the police?”

“Does anything in that file prove he murdered Jared?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Exactly. Having him locked up for fraud wouldn’t get me off the hook for murder.” She fidgeted with her coffee cup. “I was hoping to tie him to Jared’s death using the information in the file I gave you. I haven’t been able to do that yet.”

“You’ve compiled a lot of information on the antiques Xavier was fencing,” Alex said. “How were you able to get the documentation?”

“Jared.” She winced. “I took most of it from him.”

“He was involved?”

“Yes. It’s what got him killed.”

Alex could use another cup of coffee, but he wasn’t about to walk away from this conversation, not even for a minute.

“In order for me to help you, I need the whole story. Can you start from the beginning? You need to tell me everything.”

“‘The beginning’?” she echoed.

Claire was strong and determined, always had been. Now she seemed hardened, world-weary. It was a burden Alex was familiar with and never wanted Claire to have to carry. She’d always been welcoming, open, quick to smile. Now she seemed closed off, cynical.

“I’m supposed to tell you all about how awful my marriage was?” She squeezed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She looked defeated as she slumped into her chair. If there was a way he could spare her from this, he would. But if he was going to help, he needed the facts. All of them.

“I am at fault somewhat,” she said. “I rushed into the marriage. After you left, I was angry. I was hurt. I was missing you terribly. I had a new baby and I didn’t want to be alone. Jared was charming. He treated me well at first.” She picked up her coffee cup, realized it was empty and set it back down. “Looking back, I realize he was too charming. Too perfect. But after we were married that changed. I have no doubt he wanted a wife because it fit the image he was trying to create. His investors were more comfortable with a family man. Many of them saw him as altruistic, taking in a child that wasn’t his own. He doted on Mia in public, putting on a wonderful show, as always. But in private, he ignored her. It was probably for the best, but it was very confusing for Mia.”

Thinking of another man raising his daughter was like an emotional sucker punch to the heart. So much had changed in the past twenty-four hours. He was still trying to comprehend that he had a daughter. Not just the fact that he had a daughter but all the emotional turmoil that entailed, including having abandoned her. Having missed out on three entire years of her precious, young life.

“He treated her okay?”

“He never hurt her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

It was. He pushed ahead with the next question. “And you? Did he hurt you?”

“We weren’t married long before I realized he wasn’t the man I thought he was. I knew he was a man of power. I didn’t realize he was a man of unscrupulous morals. Looking back, I wonder if I missed the signs. Or maybe there were no signs. He hid his dark side from the world. When we met, he hid it from me. Once we were married, it emerged. It came out swinging, quite literally,” she murmured.

“Why didn’t you leave him?” Alex asked as he struggled to keep his voice even.

“I tried to leave him once. It didn’t end well,” she said quietly. “He threatened to take Mia from me if I filed for divorce. He had no claim to her, but I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk him winning even partial custody because he would’ve only done so out of spite. With high-powered lawyers and bottomless pockets, I was afraid he could pull it off. I wouldn’t have put it past him to pay off the judge. I knew if I was going to try to leave him again, I had to be able to remove myself from his reach.”

“How did you plan to do that?” Alex asked. “Get out of his reach, I mean.”

“Last spring we had Xavier over for dinner. I went upstairs to put Mia to bed. When I came back down the two of them were in Jared’s office arguing. Jared told Xavier he knew all about his ‘special endeavor.’ That’s what he called it. It piqued my interest and I couldn’t get my feet to move. I knew it was a conversation I shouldn’t overhear, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Alex nodded, indicating he was following.

“At the time I didn’t realize they were talking about the black market. However, Jared made a comment that stuck with me. He said he had proof Xavier terminated those who got in his way.” She forced a bitter laugh. “I thought ‘terminated’ meant he fired them. I’m so naïve. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that there are people in the world evil enough to kill someone over a business deal.”

“Is that what happened with Jared? He got in Xavier’s way and was going to turn him in?”

“No,” Claire scoffed. “Oh, no. Jared didn’t have the moral aptitude for that. He used the information to threaten Xavier. He didn’t want to shut the operation down, he wanted in on the action. He was using what he knew to blackmail Xavier into cutting him in on the deals. Xavier didn’t want to share. That’s what got Jared killed.”

Claire’s words hung in the air as Alex took a moment to think over everything she’d told him.

“That night, Xavier agreed to Jared’s demands. I knew they were talking about some sort of illegal activity, I just didn’t know what. Jared was gone a lot, checking out potential locations for new hotels. He was careless with his files because as far as he knew, I had no reason to be digging. It didn’t take me long to realize they were fencing antiquities on the black market.

“I started making copies of everything I found. I had every intention of taking it to the police. I knew if I could get Jared locked up, it would provide me the chance to escape.” She shook her head. “I waited too long, wanting to be sure my proof was solid enough. I knew the two of them would hire the best lawyers. I wanted to be rid of Jared. I didn’t want to take the chance of them getting off. Xavier has less patience and isn’t the sort of man to tolerate being blackmailed. He took Jared down and set me up.”

Alex patted the black file. “This is the information Jared was using against Xavier?”

“Part of it. I think there has to be more, but I’ve been unable to find it. As soon as it was determined Jared was murdered, the police confiscated his computer.” She offered a small shrug. “I don’t think they’ll find much on it. I never did. I think he was afraid if he stored information on the hard drive, Xavier would find a way to hack into his system. The files in the binder are off a Jumpdrive.”

“Where is the Jumpdrive now?” Alex asked.

Claire shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. About a week before he was killed, it disappeared. He’d been keeping it in his desk drawer. Maybe he realized I was onto him.”

“You don’t think the information you have is enough to put Xavier away?”

“At this point, he could claim Jared was the front man. What if Xavier walks? It would be like kicking a hornets’ nest.”

“He’s already after you.”

“I thought he only wanted to frame me.” She pulled in a breath. “After your phone call with Beth, he knows I’m onto him. If her line really was tapped—and judging by the appearance of the men last night, it seems likely—he would’ve heard her say I knew I was framed, that I was searching for evidence. I don’t think framing me is enough anymore. I think he wants me dead. If he knows I’m looking for evidence, he’ll do anything in his power to stop me.”

Alex knew she wasn’t exaggerating. The gunmen at the cabin attested to that.

“What’s your game plan?” he asked. “You said you’ve been doing research the past few weeks. What are you looking into?”

“It goes back to that first conversation. I thought jobs were on the line. I didn’t realize lives were on the line.” Her fingers tapped listlessly against her thighs. “Jared said Xavier terminated someone who got in his way. Terminated. Past tense.”

“Meaning it wasn’t a threat, but something he’d already carried out.”

“Yes.” Claire frowned. “I’ve looked up every name in this file.”

“You only have a list of buyers.”

“Right.”

“Any of them dead?” The question was blunt but necessary.

“No.”

“So chances are,” Alex said as he thought it over, “if Xavier took someone else out, it was a middle man. Maybe someone in charge of sales.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Claire agreed. “Maybe even a competitor. He probably made it look like an accident.”

“Like he tried to do with Jared?”

A grim look settled on Claire’s face. “That was the initial report. Jared had a gash on the back of his head. I assumed he’d tripped and hit his head on the edge of the pool. When the emergency responders first arrived, they seemed to think so, too. However the autopsy showed there were flecks of paint in the gash. They matched the paint on a lawn statue in our backyard. Whoever killed Jared hit him with the statue before shoving him into the pool. His official cause of death was drowning.”

“But whoever hit him over the head wanted him dead,” Alex finished. “Did they find the statue?”

“The statue was in the garden where it had always been. There were still traces of blood when the investigators came back.”

“No fingerprints?”

She winced. “Only mine. It’s my flower garden.”

“How convenient,” Alex said sourly. “That’s when you became a suspect?”

She nodded. “I was brought in for questioning, but they let me go. I already had my suspicions by then. As soon as I knew Jared had been murdered, I knew Xavier was involved. They questioned him, as well. He told them Jared and I had a troubled marriage. Things went sideways pretty quickly from there.”

“You didn’t tell them you suspected Xavier?” Alex asked.

“Of course I did,” Claire said. “But I don’t think they took my suspicion seriously. One of the detectives asked if I was accusing Xavier out of retaliation because of what he’d said about my marriage to Jared. The information I have regarding the antiquities just as easily points to Jared being the front man. I have no proof that Xavier was dabbling in the black market, let alone that he’s a murderer.

“When I left the station that afternoon, they told me not to leave town.”

“So that’s exactly what you did.” Alex shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like the Claire I knew. You’ve always been a rule follower.”

Her spine stiffened, and she sat straighter. “That’s because the Claire you knew didn’t have a daughter to protect. She’s already growing up without her father. I’m not going to allow her to grow up without her mother.”

“Keep that attitude,” Alex said, refusing to take offense at her words because he knew she didn’t mean for him to. “I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

“What I need,” Claire said firmly, “is to prove that Xavier really did have someone killed and that Jared knew it. That would give him motive to keep Jared quiet. Permanently.”

“You hit dead ends with the names in the file,” Alex said.

“True. But I know someone who might know something.”

“Yeah?” Alex raised an eyebrow. “Who would that be?”

“Ruth Crenshaw. She was Jared’s secretary. She left a message saying she needed to speak with me. Her message wasn’t detailed but she did say she had information about Jared that could be important,” Claire said. “By the time I got the chance to contact her, she was gone.”

“Gone?”

“She left A & M Inc. after Jared’s funeral. It makes sense. Jared was her boss. Though, to be honest, I think there was more to it than that. She was afraid when she left the message. I could hear it in her voice.”

“How do you know she’s no longer at A & M?”

“After I left, I tried getting in touch with her. I was told she no longer worked there. I asked where she’d gone but I was told they couldn’t give out that information. I found her home phone number but it was disconnected.”

“Do you know where she lives?” Alex asked. He was already reaching for his phone.

“No. Her address wasn’t listed.”

“Give me a few minutes. I’m sure I can figure it out.”