Package Deal (28 page)

A cold dread filled her stomach. “Lacy,” she whimpered her name. Lacy was all she had in the world. Would she know if her child was in danger? “Where are you two?” It was more a whine than an appeal.

At four thirty, she decided she couldn’t afford to wait one minute longer. She called the police.

“I don’t know where she is,” she told the police, explaining about the storm and having to stay overnight in Tampa.

The person on the phone assured her she was doing the right thing. A police car would be dispatched immediately. When they arrived, she could fill out a missing person’s report, and the officer on duty would advise her. Kelly sat down to wait.

Ten minutes later the police pulled up in front of the house. An officer stepped from the car and came to the door.

“Ms. Pearson?”

“Yes, yes, please come in officer. Sit down.” She motioned him toward the couch.

A tall, lanky man with a square chin and kind eyes, he sat down, readied his pen over a clipboard thick with forms, and glanced around the living room. “Okay, Ms. Pearson, I understand you want to report your daughter missing?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell me what happened.”

She repeated the story of her trip to Tampa. “I’ve known Mr. McCarthy for less than two months, but I can’t honestly imagine he would harm her. I’m just so worried. I don’t know where they could be, and his message at the daycare was so cryptic. ‘I’ve got Lacy.’ It could mean anything. I’ve called his cell over and over, but he doesn’t answer or call back. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, for starters we’re going to fill out this MPR. Better safe than sorry, ma’am. Can you describe your daughter and tell me anything you know which might help us find her?”

As she handed him the photo of Lacy she carried in her purse Kelly’s hands trembled. She described Steve, giving the policeman some embarrassing, but necessary background on her brief relationship with him. She explained about his consulting to NASA, told him she’d seen him there, but admitted she had never met any of his friends or family—other than Connie the waitress at Murphy’s—then she gave him Steve’s address and phone number.

“I need you to sign right here.” He handed her the missing person’s report.

Kelly burst into tears.

“We’ll run a background on McCarthy, contact the space center, and put this MPR in the system as soon as I get back to the station.

“Try to remain calm,” he said. “We’ll get back with you as soon as we have something. Do you have a friend who could
come
sit with you?”

“I just moved here. I haven’t had time to make friends. Other than Steve.”

“Would you like to have a female officer sent over to sit with you?” he asked.

Kelly rose from her chair. “No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll just wait to hear from you.” She walked him to the door, thinking she might break down and go sit at Murphy’s. Maybe Connie was working.

Outside, a car door slammed, and two seconds later, Lacy ran through the door laughing. Kelly snatched her up and held her to her breast.

“Thank God! I’ve been so worried,” she moaned against her daughter’s cheek, so lost in her own relief she failed to notice the new cap adorning Lacy’s head.

Chapter Thirty-One

W
hen Steve entered the house and saw the policeman, his heartbeat sped up, fear rooting him in the doorway. He’d seen the car on the street but hadn’t suspected a problem at Kelly’s house.

“Kelly, is everything okay?” His regard switched between the police officer and the woman he loved.

Kelly paled, guilt washing all expression from her delicate features. She looked to the officer for help.

“Ms. Pearson was worried about her daughter,” the officer said. “Are you Steve McCarthy?”

Steve nodded, the situation dawning painfully clear.

“Well, it looks like everything is under control here, so I’ll take off, if that’s okay with you, ma’am?”

Kelly nodded, her tongue cemented to the bottom of her mouth.

Steve was pale, a mixture of disbelief and pain swirling in his green eyes.

“If you have any further questions, just call,” the officer said. “Here’s my card.”

“Thank you.” Her voice came out in a whisper.

As soon as he left, Steve glared at Kelly. “You called the police on me? Tell me I’m wrong, Kelly, please.”

She stiffened. He hadn’t called her Pearson. How could she explain, make him understand the position he had put her in? She couldn’t, so she got defensive.

“The daycare gave me your message. ‘I’ve got Lacy.’ What the hell kind of message is that?” She was almost screaming. She wanted him to leave. Leave them alone forever. “Why didn’t you answer your phone, Steve? I’ve been calling all day.” Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed a sob. “I’ve been sick with worry.”

“Jesus,” he groaned, staring at her in disbelief. “I don’t believe this! My cell was dead. I forgot to recharge it last night. I didn’t think I had to say anymore than I had Lacy with me. Simple message.”

“Why didn’t you use a pay phone? Did you give me all your quarters?” she said with sarcasm. “Couldn’t you have borrowed someone’s phone? For God’s sake, Steve. ‘I’ve got Lacy’? That’s the kind of message a kidnapper leaves!” Her rage mounted, matching his. “What was I supposed to think? I waited for hours. You weren’t home. I left a message. I was beside myself. You would have done the same thing if it was your daughter.” She wiped at her tears. “Where did you go? Where were you with
my daughter
all day?”

“Your daughter? Your daughter?” he screamed. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re the only adult human alive who’s capable of good parenting, so you called the damned police on me!” His face turned bright red. “I can’t believe you.”

Kelly was close to hysteria, blood pounding in her temples, her knees so weak she thought she might collapse at any moment. She didn’t want to hear his excuses or see the pain of betrayal on his face. The same feelings still burned fresh in her own mind after the Jill and Ken show last night.

Lacy jumped off the couch, eyes wide and frightened. “Mommy! Steve! Stop screaming! Mommy, please!”

Kelly’s mouth snapped shut, and she hurried to Lacy’s side, regretting the scene her daughter had just witnessed. She couldn’t expect her daughter to understand what was happening.

“I’m sorry, honey.” She smoothed Lacy’s curls. “Everything will be all right.”

“Look, Mommy, Steve bought me and Gary these neat hats, and we saw the b-
i
-
i
-g rockets.” Lacy stretched her hands to either side to demonstrate the enormity of the rockets they’d seen.

Kelly’s eyes snapped back to Steve. “Gary? Gary went with you, too?”

“Yeah. I got a call from the Cape in the middle of the night,” he spat, his tone ripe with bitterness. “A problem developed in some of the cultures, and since the shuttle is scheduled to take off next week, they needed me down there early. The daycare didn’t open until six thirty, so I had to take Lacy with me. Gary has been dying to go to the Cape, so I took him with us. When I was finished smoothing out some of the problems, I gave them the tour. We stopped for an early dinner. It never occurred to me you wouldn’t trust me.” Pain sharpened his voice and his eyes glassed over. “Guess I was a jerk for thinking we had something special, Pearson.”

Kelly glanced over at Lacy, noticing for the first time the Kennedy Space Center hat she proudly wore. Not knowing what to do or say, she grabbed the bill of the hat and pulled it down over her daughter’s eyes. Lacy giggled and repositioned the hat on her head.

“So what did you think? I was going to murder her, kidnap her, what? Rape her? Sell her on the black market, what?” His eyes had darkened with anger, any hint of green long gone.

Kelly didn’t want her daughter to hear another word. “Lacy, honey, why don’t you go to your room and show Skunk your new hat? Go on, honey.”

Lacy stared at them with painful bewilderment then ran down the hall and slammed her door.

Kelly watched her then spun back to Steve. “I did what I thought I had to do.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

God will he never leave!

Steve squared his shoulders. “Right.” He shook his sandy head in disgust. “I can see this whole thing has been a huge mistake. I hope you’re happy, lady.” As he closed the front door behind him, he added, “Alone.”

Kelly staggered down the hall, exhausted beyond any fatigue she could remember. Passing Lacy’s door, she peeked in. Her daughter was fine, playing house with her beloved pet rat. Afraid she might throw up, Kelly sagged against the wall, trying to breathe, to center herself,
then
she moved down the hall to her own bedroom. Too upset to do anything else, she climbed into bed and curled into a ball, sobbing into her pillow, afraid to think about tomorrow.

Chapter Thirty-Two

S
teve turned down the long, densely forested drive to his home, wanting nothing more than to be alone and to stay there until he could breathe again, He’d invested his heart in a possible future with Kelly Pearson and her daughter, and his efforts had been rewarded tonight by a visit from the Daytona Police Department.

He’d tried to be patient, give her the space he knew she needed, but he had limits. He was only human.

That Kelly
had actually believed he could be a child molester or kidnapper, or whatever, tore a rift in his pride. A fiery pain seized his heart. He loved Kelly Pearson. He loved her so much it hurt, but there was no way he could fight her distrust. Even if he tried, he couldn’t live with her, knowing she might turn on him like she had
today.

Kelly Pearson was all closed up, inviting no one into her safe little world. He’d had a glimpse inside and had guessed the roots of her pain. Pain he might have soothed, given a
chance, but…he sighed aloud. Hadn’t he done everything possible to show her he cared about her and Lacy? Still, she hadn’t trusted him.

He’d been so sure, after losing his wife years ago due to impatience, he could win Kelly by taking their relationship one day at a time. Granted, they’d only known each other for a short while, but he’d fallen in love with her from the moment he’d seen her. He thought Kelly loved him, too. But she didn’t trust him. He’d always thought the two went hand in hand. It didn’t make any sense to him, but he knew when to give up.

Steve parked the Jeep under the carport and climbed out, dragging his feet across the gravel. He hadn’t thought anything could be as devastating as his divorce. He’d been wrong. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought he’d been kicked in the stomach. The pain of Kelly’s distrust was physical. All day long, he’d anticipated seeing her, eager to hold her in his arms, taste her lips, feel her skin silky and soft against his. He shuddered, unwanted waves of passion stirring between his legs. God, he wanted to hate her, but instead he longed to make love to her tonight and hold her until morning. Damn! The woman messed with his mind.

He strode up the sidewalk leading to the house, his loins tight and uncomfortable, the wild spicy fragrance of carnation—growing thick in a nearby flowerbed—filling his nostrils and reminding him of Kelly, the scent she wore. He ached with disappointment and the kind of tension only a woman or a cold shower could cure. With no choice, he headed for the kitchen, poured himself a stiff drink, and took a cold shower.

Chapter Thirty-Three

K
elly pretended to listen while Lacy regaled her with the splendid details of her day with Steve and Gary, but her heart wasn’t in it, her concentration somewhere down the river road following Steve’s Jeep home. She hadn’t wanted to care but, driven by curiosity, had taken the opportunity to question Lacy about her adversary, Gary Benson. However, her six-year-old’s perspective differed from an adult’s, and Kelly gleaned little information about Steve’s mysterious fishing buddy.