“Well, now, I heard you were somebody who offered child care in your home.” Barrymore gave her an even wider smile, the kind supposed to make her feel more relaxed, no doubt. “I’m interested in making arrangements for my kids. We’re thinking of moving down here to Konigsburg.”
Barrymore’s grin was bright, but it didn’t seem to go very far. His eyes were uninvolved. Jess felt a quick chill up her spine. “Sorry. I’m not licensed to look after children.”
Barrymore’s grin hardened. “So both of these are yours?”
“Both of them stay with me,” she temporized. “I can keep two children without a license, but I wouldn’t want to try to look after any more. I don’t have the time.”
“But you’re looking after these two, right?” Barrymore glanced down at Daisy again.
“Sorry, I can’t help you.” Jess took hold of the wagon handle again, keeping her arm around Daisy. She began walking toward the cabin, forcing herself not to hurry.
Barrymore walked alongside her. “It’s a shame you’re not taking any other kids. Both of these kids look well cared for.” He glanced down at Daisy again, his smile still wide. “You having a good time here, sweetheart?”
“I’m not your sweetheart.” Daisy stuck out her lower lip. Jess felt like applauding.
“Like I say,” Barrymore continued as if Daisy hadn’t spoken, “I need something reliable for my own kids. I’d be willing to pay. Maybe more than these kids’ families are paying you.”
“I don’t need any more money, Mr. Barrymore.” Jess hoped her nose wasn’t growing as she spoke. “And I can’t take care of any more children beyond these two.”
She climbed the porch steps, pushing Daisy slightly ahead of her and leaving the wagon behind. Barrymore climbed the steps behind her. She stopped for a moment, resting her hand on the door. Her cell phone was in her pocket. She could always threaten to call Daisy’s uncle the cop.
Barrymore gave her one last smile, his gaze darting around the porch. “Well, suppose I give you my card. Then you can call me if you change your mind. And what’s your number here?”
“I won’t change my mind, Mr. Barrymore.” Jess raised her head, staring straight at him. Always better to meet threats head on. “I’m not interested.”
Barrymore shrugged. “Too bad. Don’t suppose you could recommend anybody else in the area.”
She shook her head. “Sorry.”
“I need to go!” Daisy blurted. “Right now!”
“We have to go now. Emergency. Goodbye, Mr. Barrymore.” Jess unlocked the door, pushing Daisy ahead of her, then closed the door behind her.
She pushed the bolt across, wondering if Barrymore could hear her on the front porch. And wondering if the windows were all locked too. “Okay, Daisy.” Jess turned back toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you set up.”
“Okay.” Daisy followed her down the hall. “I didn’t like him. He wasn’t nice.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Jess muttered, pushing open the bathroom door.
Lars came to pick up Daisy a little early so that he’d have time to drop her off at the bookstore. Docia and Janie wanted her to try out their new children’s reading nook, giving Lars another rare opportunity to have a beer with his brothers at the Dew Drop.
Daisy galloped toward him after Jess Carroll opened the door. “Daddy! We cleaned the cabin and a nasty man wanted to know my name. Are we gonna see Aunt Docia? Jack has a new tooth.”
She bounced away from him before he could stop her, heading back toward the baby’s room. “Daisy, grab your backpack and your teddy bear,” Lars called. He figured she’d also say goodbye to Jack, which meant another five minutes at least.
He turned toward Jess, trying to keep his voice neutral. “A nasty man?”
Jess sighed. “Come in, please. I need to talk to you about this.”
Lars sank onto the couch as his chest clenched. “Is she all right?”
Jess’s forehead furrowed. “What? Of course, she is. Nothing happened—I would have called you if it was anything serious. A man was hanging around here when we got back from cleaning the guest cabin. He claimed he was looking for child care for his children. I told him I wasn’t interested and took the children inside.”
Lars let out a breath, trying to unclench. “So everything’s okay?”
“Not exactly.” She leaned forward. Her face looked oddly pinched, as if she were angry. Lars looked at her more closely.
Frightened
. He’d bet good money that Jess Carroll was frightened about something.
“Did you tell anyone here in town I was taking care of Daisy?”
Lars shrugged. “My brothers and sisters-in-law. My receptionist. Nobody else. But they might have mentioned it to other people, particularly at work.”
“Somehow this man got the idea I was in the child care business.” She tried to smile, but her lips trembled slightly when she did.
“Did he give you his name?”
“Barrymore.” Jess pressed her lips together, thinking. “I think he said his first name was Lawrence. No, Lorne. Lorne Barrymore. Is that someone you know?”
Lars felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. “Lorne Barrymore. What did he look like?”
“Late forties. Thinning hair. Sort of pudgy. And he had a gold pinky ring with some kind of green stone.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know him?”
He exhaled slowly. “Not exactly. Somebody who looked like that came to my office earlier today. Only he called himself Lorne Haggedorn.”
“What did he want?”
“He claimed he was moving to Konigsburg and wanted an accountant.” Lars shrugged. “He asked about the town. Business prospects. Schools. Child care.”
He wasn’t sure it was possible for Jess Carroll to get paler, but he thought she just had. “Child care,” she murmured.
“I didn’t give him your name,” he said quickly. “I didn’t even give him Daisy’s name. However he found out she was here, he didn’t get it from me.”
She pressed her fingers against her lips, blinking. “Shit.”
Lars was still trying to figure out why Jess Carroll would be frightened of Lorne Haggedorn. The guy came across as a jerk and possibly crooked, but he hadn’t been particularly threatening. At least, not when he was asking about accountants.
“Look, it may not be anything, but I’ll check with my brother. Pete’s an assistant county attorney. If he thinks it’s a problem, we’ll go to the police.”
Jess managed a rather tremulous smile. “I thought your brother was a policeman. That’s what Daisy said. If I couldn’t have gotten rid of Barrymore on my own, I was going to call him.”
The clench was back in Lars’s chest. “That’s another brother. Erik. He’s a part-time Konigsburg cop.”
She sat still for a moment, then sighed. “Okay. I’ll leave it to you, I guess.”
He watched her run the tip of her tongue across her lips. She had a nice mouth, particularly when she smiled. All of a sudden, he really wanted to see that smile again. He felt a wave of anger at Lorne Haggedorn,
a.k.a. Barrymore, for taking it away.
He leaned forward, fighting the impulse to take her hand in his. He didn’t want her worrying about him along with Haggedorn. “Look, if anything frightens you, if you need to get in touch with somebody—you’ve got my cell phone number. Just call me, no matter what it is. I can be out here in ten minutes.”
Jess blinked at him. For a moment, her lips trembled as if she might cry. Then suddenly her expression closed off again. Her lips spread in a faint smile. “Okay. I’ll hold you to that. But it probably won’t be necessary.”
Lars nodded. “Probably not.”
He watched her for another moment. Her eyes were the color of sea foam, clear and deep.
Okay, enough
. If he was waxing poetic about the color of her eyes, it was past time to go. “Daisy,” he called, “are you ready?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Daisy padded back to him, her backpack over her shoulder. “I said goodnight to Jack.” She turned to Jess. “Can I have a hug?”
Jess knelt beside her, spreading her arms, her mouth sliding into a grin that showed the twin dimples in her cheeks as she pulled Daisy in.
Lars felt his throat constrict as he watched, while some other parts of his anatomy did the opposite. He resolutely ignored the whole thing. He had no intention of walking into the Dew Drop with a hard-on.
Lydia Moreland would never have admitted to anyone that she was waiting for a call. She didn’t wait on other people—other people waited on her.
With Smythe, though, she had no choice. The contractor was in the driver’s seat—she was along for the ride. And to pay for the gas, of course. Judging from the first expense statement she’d received from Westerman, a lot of gas was involved.
When her special cell phone rang around five, she picked it up immediately. Then she waited out two more rings. It wouldn’t do to let Smythe know how much she needed the information.
“Yes?” she murmured into the cell.
“Good. You’re there. I was afraid I’d have to leave a voice mail. And this isn’t anything you’ll want recorded.” Smythe still used the electronic distortion device. Even so the voice sounded faintly amused again, as if he knew exactly what Lydia had been up to.
“That won’t be necessary,” she snapped. “Do you have anything to report?”
“I’ve found your daughter-in-law. She’s living in a small town in Texas.” Smythe’s voice now sounded matter-of-fact, even slightly bored. Like he hadn’t just dropped a hand grenade into her afternoon.
“What town?” she gasped. “Where?”
“
A
town. Before I tell you anything more, we need to discuss what the next step should be.”
Lydia pictured the mythical Smythe leaning back in a chair, smiling. She always saw him as a dangerously civilized man, rather like James Mason in the fifties. In reality, of course, she had no idea what he looked like—or even if he was a man. The voice sounded like a robot.
“There’s nothing to discuss. I’ve already told you what I want you to do. Give me the name of the town and send me another bill.” She used the voice that had proven effective over the years with bankers and lawyers, underlings who still had some limited power of their own.
Smythe chuckled. “That attitude won’t work with me. I have the information and you need it. We’re negotiating here, Mrs. Moreland. What do you really want?”
She pressed her fingers against her eyelids, trying to force back the migraine she knew was developing. “I want my grandson. Safe and sound. In my home.”
“But not your daughter-in-law?”
“Certainly not!” she snapped.
“It’s not certain at all. She’s the child’s mother. But possession is possession, and I imagine your lawyers can distract her once you’ve gotten hold of her son.”
She pressed her lips together to avoid cursing. Barrett’s slut of a wife probably would try to get the child back—she hadn’t listened to reason before. Lydia would have to make sure she didn’t have the opportunity. “What is it you want, Smythe? More money? I do need the name of the town, but I don’t necessarily need it from you.”
“No,” he agreed. “Of course, I could just as easily inform your daughter-in-law that you’re onto her. Give her time to take off again.”
Lydia’s head began to pound. She ran her fingers along her forehead. “All right, I repeat—what do you want?”
“I’ll deliver your grandchild. In your specified condition. In return, you’ll pay me five hundred thousand. Once the money has been deposited in an account I’ll specify, I’ll bring you the child.”
“That’s outrageous!” she blurted.
“No, Mrs. Moreland, that’s cheap. I could have asked for a million. Clearly, the child is worth that much to you.”
She sat listening to the silence for a moment, considering her lack of options. “If I’m going to take your offer, I need a way of getting in touch with you. No more of this waiting for your call.”
After another moment, Smythe sighed. “All right, I’ll give you a number where you can leave a message. Tomorrow.”
Lydia assumed that meant he’d buy a throw-away cell phone for that purpose. She didn’t particularly care what he did as long as it worked when she needed it to work. She rubbed her eyes again. “All right. I accept your deal.”
“Wonderful.” Smythe sounded vaguely amused again. “I’ll be in touch.”
Chapter Six
Lars slid into the booth at the Dew Drop a moment before Cal dropped onto the other side. Wonder and Pete were already in place, squinting into the darkness of the bar. No beers were on the table.
“No barmaid?” Lars glanced back at the bar where Ingstrom was doing his usual desultory cleaning job.
“Two barmaids.” Pete sighed. “Good ol’ Ruby and a new recruit. They just haven’t been around yet.”
As Lars watched, Ruby appeared at the bar with a tray full of empty beer bottles. Ingstrom said something, and she sneered in reply. Instead of the plunging neckline from last time, she wore a bright blue T-shirt. The picture on the front looked like a smashed hamster.
“What’s with the T-shirt? That drawing looks like an obscenity.”
Wonder shrugged. “It’s supposed to be a drawing of the Dew Drop. Mrs. Ingstrom designed it. Ingstrom figured it would class the place up if he had the barmaids wear matching T-shirts.”
Pete peered toward the bar. “Covering up Ruby would definitely class up any place. However, the T-shirts were probably not his best choice.”
“What’ll it be?”
Lars glanced up guiltily, expecting to see Ruby glowering down at them. Instead, the girl who huddled next to the table was considerably smaller. Her bright blue T-shirt enveloped her from shoulders to mid-thigh. Her very black hair had what looked like a streak of magenta along the side, and silver balls rimmed the outer edges of both ears. She also had a spike through her right eyebrow. Her name tag read
Dahlia
.
“Spaten,” Wonder croaked.
“Lone Star.” Pete gestured to himself and Lars. “Two.”
“Dos Equis.” Cal smiled at her. “You’re new here.”
Dahlia shrugged her thin shoulders. “Yeah. That all you want?”
Cal nodded, his smile fading.
She turned and scuttled back toward the bar.
Wonder shook his head. “Amazing. A woman immune to the famous Toleffson charm.”
Cal shrugged. “I’m not trying to be charming, just friendly. Being a barmaid at the Dew Drop doesn’t strike me as anybody’s first job choice.”
“Given the amount of metal she’s got embedded in her head, the Dew Drop may have been a step up from whatever she was doing before.”
“Still.” Cal turned toward Lars. “So what’s new with you? Haven’t seen you since the last family dinner.”
Lars might have imagined it, but he had the feeling they were all trying hard not to snicker. “Okay, zip it. Jesus, would you just forget about the damn boobies?”
The guffawing had begun to settle down by the time Dahlia reappeared with the beers.
“Eight bucks,” she muttered, placing the beers on the table in no particular order.
“Got it covered.” Pete slipped her a ten, then waved off the two singles she tried to hand him. “Keep it.”
“Big spender.” Wonder arched an eyebrow as Dahlia slipped away again.
“Maybe she’ll spend it on food,” Cal murmured.
“Here’s hoping.” Pete picked up his bottle, pushing the other Lone Star toward Lars. “So, I repeat, what’s new with you?”
Lars took the beer, letting it dangle from his fingers. “Actually, I need to talk to you in a sort of semi-professional capacity.”
Wonder grabbed his bottle and slid off to the end of the booth. “C’mon Calthorpe, this sounds boring beyond belief. I’ll challenge you to two out of three on darts.”
“You’re on.” Cal followed him through the tightly packed tables toward the back room.
Lars blinked. “That was fast.”
“That was self-preservation.” Pete swallowed some Lone Star. “Wonder has a low capacity for serious stuff. Besides, I think he’s trying to convince Cal to have Docia work on Allie. He’s already tried with me and Janie.”
“No progress on the proposal?”
Pete shook his head. “Stupidest proposal in history, but normally I think she’d make allowances for it being Wonder. Maybe she’s decided it’s time for him to step it up a little.”
Lars took one last glance at Wonder before he disappeared into the back room. He stood maybe five ten, slight love handles, thinning brown hair, horn-rims. Stepping it up didn’t seem likely. “Maybe she just wants him to stop being a jerk.”
“In that case, she’s out of luck. So what’s the problem you wanted to talk about?” Pete leaned back again.
Lars pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not sure there is one. Just…weirdness.”
“Okay, what’s the weirdness?”
“This morning a guy named Lorne Haggedorn came to my office. Said he was going to relocate his business to Konigsburg and was looking for accounting help. Then he started asking about what the town was like, and he ended up asking a lot of questions about child care and my kid.”
Pete narrowed his eyes. “Why would that qualify as weird? Aren’t most parents concerned about child care?”
Lars shrugged. “Part of it was his attitude, which was sort of, I don’t know, shady or something. But the rest of it comes later.”
“What’s the rest of it?” Pete leaned back again, picking up his beer.
“This afternoon when Jess got back from cleaning the guest cabin with the kids, a guy was snooping around her cabin. When he saw her, he gave her a big song and dance about looking for child care. Asking her if she was looking after kids. Daisy said he was, and I quote, ‘a nasty man’.”
Pete leaned forward quickly. “Did he say anything to Daisy? Try to touch her?”
Lars shook his head. “Not that kind of nasty. He was mainly concentrating on Jess. She didn’t tell him anything, but she said she had a hard time getting rid of him.”
“And you think it’s the same guy?”
“I know it’s the same guy. He said his name was Lorne Barrymore, and Jess said he had a pinky ring with a green stone. So did Lorne Haggedorn.”
Pete stared down at his hands, frowning. “It doesn’t sound like he’s done anything illegal. Just…unsettling.”
“I know. But it worries me. And it upset Jess.”
Pete gave him a quick look. “Jess?”
“Okay, Mrs. Carroll.” Lars pinched his nose again. “Don’t give me a hard time. She’s doing a good job. Daisy’s happy. I don’t want her to be bothered.”
“You think this is about Daisy?”
“I don’t know what it’s about. It could be anything, but I don’t like the idea of this guy hanging around where my daughter is staying.”
“Right.” Pete leaned back again. “The thing is, I can’t do much to help you with this. It isn’t at the county attorney level. You know who you need to talk to, bro.”
Lars took a deep breath, then blew it out. “Yeah. Erik.”
“You could talk to one of the other cops, but from what I’ve seen over there, Erik’s about the best they’ve got. Him and Nando Avrogado.”
“Okay. Maybe I’ll go talk to him tonight, while it’s still fresh in my mind.”
Lars and Pete stared at each other for a moment. Lars was willing to bet they were both thinking the same general thing, remembering some time when they were little and Erik had done something that hurt. He had a lot of those memories. So did Pete. So did Cal. They were all trying to get beyond it, but it hadn’t happened yet.
“Janie still wants to meet her, you know.” The corners of Pete’s mouth edged up. “So does Docia. You can only hold the two of them off for so long.”
It took Lars a moment to remember what woman they were talking about. Then his shoulders began to tense. “She’s a nice woman, but she’s my daughter’s babysitter. That’s it. Whatever else they’re trying to stir up isn’t going to happen.”
Pete moved his bottle through the wet ring on the table. “You mean not with her? Or not with anybody?”
Lars sighed. “I’m trying to raise my daughter, Pete. That’s all I’ve got time for.”
“Any word from the former Mrs. Lars Toleffson lately?”
“She called a few days ago. Usual stuff.”
“Which is?”
“Complaints about money. How she doesn’t have enough and how I owe her more.” Lars peeled a strip from the label on his bottle, crumbling it between his fingers.
Pete shook his head. “She signed the agreement, Lars. It’s not that easy to get a settlement amended.”
“She’s just rattling my chain. She knows I don’t want her anywhere near Daisy, and she figures threatening me over Daisy is always good for a few bucks. But we both know she doesn’t really want custody.” Lars moved his shoulders, trying to loosen them. “Anyway, I’ve got enough on my plate with the fallout from the divorce. I don’t need any other women in my life, believe me.” Not to mention that he still didn’t trust his ability to choose a woman who wouldn’t turn out to be the second coming of Sherice.
Pete shook his head. “Sherice shouldn’t be the end of your life, bro. You need to get out there again. Look at Cal and Docia. Hell, look at me and Janie.”
“Okay, both of you hit the jackpot.” Lars picked up his beer again, then set it down. “Look, Pete, I know Janie means well, but if you could get her off this matchmaker kick, I’d appreciate it.”
Pete’s mouth spread in a slow grin as he leaned back against the booth again. “You want me to control Janie? And Docia? Seriously?”
Lars didn’t figure that question really rated an answer. He picked up his beer again and drained half of what was left. At least he could walk to the police station from here. No way did he want his brother Erik to arrest him for DWI.
Jess sat at her window, watching the darkness gather beyond her front porch. She should have been working on her last few changes to the Synchronicity site while Jack dozed on his blanket. Instead, she sat watching the woods, waiting for something to happen and thinking about running.
They’d done it before. She knew just how she’d go about doing it now. Load anything she couldn’t replace into the Honda. Tuck a sleeping Jack into his car seat. Get into the driver’s seat herself and take off without ever looking back.
She wasn’t even sure the Morelands and their hired trackers knew about the Honda. She’d bought it at a used car lot somewhere in Tennessee on the way down, trading in her old Buick. If she’d been lucky, whoever the Morelands had on her trail hadn’t figured out what she was driving yet, let alone where.
The odds were the Moreland family had nothing to do with Lorne Barrymore, of course. He was probably just some local creep, playing some kind of game whose rules only he knew. Maybe he was a garden-variety stalker.
Jess shivered. Why exactly was that idea supposed to reassure her?
She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes, seeing Barry in the hospital again during those awful last days.
Keep away from her, sweetheart. She won’t let anybody get in the way of whatever it is she wants. And when she’s done, she throws you away like so much trash.
She thought of Michelle, who’d been her best friend, then her only friend, then nothing, someone who wouldn’t return her calls. Michelle in the ladies’ room at work.
Look, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but they’re under a lot of pressure about you and your job. It’s coming from the top, Jess. Watch your back.
And Lee, who was, well, hard to say what Lee had been exactly. Although she knew what he’d tried to be. His voice on the phone, sounding almost apologetic.
Look, Jessamyn, they’ve got more juice than either of us. Just give her what she wants.
What she wanted was Jack. And Jack she would never have, not so long as Jess was still able to keep two steps ahead of her.
She blew out a breath. Probably they ought to leave Konigsburg. Tomorrow, if not sooner. But she’d felt so comfortable here. Almost safe. Even though she’d been careful not to do too much in town, not to let too many people see her. Except for Lars Toleffson.
She still wasn’t sure what he’d been offering when he’d said she could call him if she got frightened. She didn’t think he was coming on to her. But she’d felt…something. Some kind of vibe between them.
Which was another reason they should probably hit the road. Soon.
The shadows of the oaks and pecans had spread two-thirds of the way across the small meadow in front of her cabin. No one was in the guest cabin tonight. Just her and Jack, out here in the back country. Or what passed for the back country two miles from Main Street.
Jess rubbed a hand across her face. Maybe Daisy was right. A dog might be a nice idea, preferably one that combined the qualities of Lassie, Rin Tin Tin and the Hound of the Baskervilles where intruders were concerned.
Jack gurgled in his sleep and Jess looked down at him. One small hand was tucked beneath his cheek. Jess felt the familiar constriction somewhere around her heart.
Not the Hound of the Baskervilles then. But definitely a breed that would stand up for Jack no matter what. And one that could make a lot of noise.
The shadows outside were entirely too quiet.
Lars studied the Konigsburg police station building. He didn’t think he’d ever been here before. Light streamed through the window into the small lot where a single police cruiser was parked.
Pete and Janie were taking Daisy on to their house for this week’s family dinner. Lars figured it wouldn’t take him long to talk to Erik and join them there. Assuming he could get himself to open the door and walk in.
Since Erik had moved to Konigsburg, a couple of months after Pete and Lars had moved in themselves, the four of them had managed to develop a polite, if distant, relationship. When Lars saw Erik on the street they nodded to each other. When Daisy was with him, she gave Erik the same hug and kiss she gave her other uncles, and Erik accepted it happily enough.
But polite or not, Lars doubted they’d ever be close. Not after all those years of Erik the nightmare bully, of Pete trying to defend his little brothers against his older one, of Lars and Cal finally growing big enough to fight back themselves, although they frequently got beaten up just the same.
He knew Erik had reformed, that he’d done his best to make up for what he’d once been, even that he tried to stay out of their way so they wouldn’t feel they had to talk to him if they didn’t want to. Lars even knew he should want to. But he didn’t much.
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, and walked up the steps to the glass station door.
Erik was sitting at a desk behind the front counter, typing at a computer keyboard. So far as Lars could tell, he was by himself. He glanced up when Lars walked in, his expression becoming blank. “Hey, Lars.”