T
he wall of noise that assaulted Lynda when she got off the elevator startled her into a near coronaryâuntil she realized that it was just her co-workers shouting “Surprise!”
Pressing her hand over her heart, she stepped back onto the elevator, and Sally grabbed the doors to stop them from closing. “It's a welcome back, Lynda!”
Lynda covered her mouth then and started to laugh, allowing Sally to pull her into the circle of her friends and associates. “You guys wouldn't do that if you knew how many surprises I've had in the last few weeks!”
Barraged with welcomes and pats on the back, she let them sweep her to the staff lounge where they had donuts and drinks and a “Welcome Back, Lynda” cake.
When the celebration was over and she wound up back in her office with Sally, she settled back in her chair and relaxed. “Gosh, it's good to be back.”
“We're just so glad you're alive,” Sally told her.
Lynda pulled Sally into a tight hug. “You've been a life-saver, holding down the fort the way you have. I really appreciate it.”
Sally took a deep breath. “Well, it'll be nice helping you get caught up. I'll admit, it's been a little hard juggling everything. Are you ready to dive into this mess?”
Lynda looked over the stacks of mail, messages, and papers on her desk. “I really need to get some things done on Paige's case first. Then we'll tackle the stack.”
“All right.” Sally shuffled the papers around and pulled out her pen and notepad. “Shoot.”
And as Lynda started doing what she did best, she felt as if the world were realigning itself, and things were on their way to getting back to normal.
J
ake helped Paige with the breakfast dishes as Brianna sat on a stool at the sink, “washing” the plates but getting more suds on herself than she did on the dishes.
He'd been quiet ever since Paige had told him that Lynda had gone to work today, but he couldn't pinpoint what bothered him about it the most. That she might not be physically ready to dive back into work yet? That she hadn't told him? That she wouldn't be the one to drive him to the hospital for therapy today? Or was it simply that she wasn't here, and he missed her?
“As soon as you're ready to go, I'll change Brianna's clothes and take you,” Paige said.
Jake shrugged. “No hurry. Buzz and Allie don't expect me today until ten o'clock.” He rolled his chair up to Brianna's stool and asked, “Why don't you and I go outside and get some fresh air, Brianna?”
Brianna's little smile faded, and she shook her head and kept scrubbing a plate. “No.”
Paige stopped what she was doing and shot Jake a look.
“Why not?” Jake asked.
“Cause.” It was a simple answer, but in Brianna's mind, it probably covered it all.
“Cause why?”
“Daddy might come.”
“She just insists that he's been out there,” Paige said quickly. “That day you got here, when she started screaming, I thought she was just mixed up. That she thought you were her daddy . . .”
“But she sure wasn't afraid of me later.”
“Yeah, that's been bothering me, too.” She walked to the back door and peered out the window into the back yard. “Maybe he really was here.”
To Jake, that seemed unlikely. Why would anyone take that chance? It would be crazy, coming here and talking to Brianna. If he were caught, it would show everyone, including the judge, that Keith lacked any kind of judgment, that he was willing to break the law, and that he was unpredictableâand dangerous. “Hey, Bri-anna, what if I go out there with you?” he asked. “Your mom and I want some fresh air. We could all go. Nobody's gonna take you with all of us out there.”
From her stool, Brianna looked down at him then thoughtfully considered her mother. When her eyes moved back to Jake, she said in her borderline baby voice, “You won't leave me? Even if he comes, you won't let him get me?”
“Of course not,” Jake said. “But your mom will never let him get you, either.”
“He's strong,” she said matter-of-factly as she slipped off the stool. “He can push her down.”
As Brianna scurried through the house to find her shoes, Jake and Paige exchanged troubled looks.
In seconds, Brianna reappeared with her shoes.
Paige's eyebrows rose. “Are we going out?”
“Only if Jake comes.”
“I'm coming, kiddo.” But as Brianna put on her shoes, he looked up at Paige and asked, “Why would that make her feel safer?”
“Because you're a man,” Paige said. “I guess she thinks Keith is more of a threat to me than he is to you.”
As Jake let that sink in, Brianna ran to get her dolls. They followed her out the door, then watched as her gaze gravitated to the back corner of the yard. Timidly, she took a few steps into the grass.
Paige followed her gaze to the area beyond the fence where it would be easy for anyone to hide.
“What's on the other side of those woods?” Jake asked behind her.
“A street with a few houses.” She glanced back at him. “You think he was here, too, don't you?”
“I don't know, Paige.”
Feeling sick, Paige settled onto the swing as Brianna set her babies around the picnic table and began talking to herself.
“I can't believe this,” Paige whispered. “When I married him, I thought he was a dream come true. I thought he was my escape. But three days after we got married, his temper exploded, and I found out I'd just traded one nightmare for another.”
“Did he hit you that soon?”
“No. If he had, I probably would have left. But he broke things and yelled a lot. I started trying to walk on eggshells just to keep from setting him off. But it's like he doesn't think straight. There is no reasoning with him. Keith has a whole different way of viewing the world than most people.”
“So why did you stay with him?”
She considered that for a moment. “You have to understand him. He had been this brilliant kid raised in foster homes with no one who ever really got that involved with him. He had never had anyone of his own or anyone he could trust, and I had this stupid idea that if I just proved myself to him he'd settle down.”
“When did he start hitting you?”
“When I was five months pregnant with Brianna.” Her eyes filled, and she blinked back the tears. “And there I was with this little baby on the way . . . and my only real option was to go back to my familyâwhich wasn't an option at all. Besides, I wanted Bri-anna to have a father. And I wanted to give her a home. I kept thinking that once he saw her, he'd love her so much that he'd change. If not for me, for her.”
“Did you ever leave him before now?”
“Sure I did,” she said. “Several times. But he always talked me into coming back. You have to understand; we were in the military. He wasn't home half the time, so I told myself that I could manage the times he was. When I'd leave him, we'd be stuck in some town where I had no friends, no help.” She swallowed. “I owe a lot to Lynda. If she hadn't been willing to take my case and give me advice, I don't know if I would have had the courage to leave him for good, even after he hurt Brianna. I don't know why it's so hard for me to stick to my guns.”
Jake's eyes strayed to the child playing at the table then scanned the trees on the perimeter of the yard. “Did you say he was in the military?”
“Yes. The Navy.”
“No wonder he was gone so much.”
“Yeah. He'd be out on that aircraft carrier for weeks at a time. I wouldn't even hear from him. It was so peaceful.”
“Aircraft carrier?” Jake cut in. “What did he do?”
“He was an aircraft mechanic,” she said. “On the ships, theyâ”
“Wait a minute.” Jake stopped her and sat straighter. “Did you say he was an
aircraft
mechanic?”
“Yes. He . . .” Her voice trailed off as she saw his reaction, and she realized what he was thinking.
“Does Lynda know this?”
“Well, she knows he was in the Navy. I don't think she ever asked what he did there. Jake, you don't thinkâ”
“Paige, was Keith ever a suspect in the plane crash?”
Paige gaped at him. “I don't know. But anyway, they caught the guy who did that.”
True, Jake thought, they had. Yet he couldn't dismiss the uneasy feeling that had gripped him. “I'm just sayingâwhat if they were wrong? What if they got the wrong guy? I mean, if Keith knows airplanes, he would know exactly what to do to sabotage Lynda's plane. The cops may have overlooked it because you don't think of airplanes when you think of the Navy.”
“But why would he do that? To get Brianna, he would have to get
me
out of the way, not Lyndaâand I wasn't anywhere near Lynda that day.” She thought back to the day that had erupted so horribly, starting the bizarre chain of events that had brought her to where she was now. “As a matter of fact, he went to the day care that morning trying to get Brianna. That's when this whole thing started.”
“Doesn't that seem coincidental? That Lynda and I crashed the same morning that he started aggressively trying to take Bri-anna? Whoever sabotaged our plane did it the night before the crash. He could have been anticipating that Lynda would be out of the way, so that when he kidnapped Brianna, you'd have no one to help you.”
Paige's face slowly drained of its color. “No, it can't be. Keith would do a lot of things. Sinister, mean things. But I can't believe he'd kill somebody.”
“When they questioned him about the fire, you thought he could, didn't you?”
She got up, unable to sit still. “No. I mean yes. I was confused, butâBrianna was in that house. Of course, he didn't know that at the time.” She turned back to Jake. “Keith
can't
be the one. He can't be. Because if he is, then the guy they've got locked up is the wrong guy. And Keith is still loose.”
“Waiting to hit again.”
The thought chilled her. Rushing across the grass, she picked Brianna up. “Come on, honey. We're going in.” Abandoning the dolls, she took her into the house.
“Mommy, I want to play!”
“No, honey.” She stepped back as Jake followed them in. Then she let Brianna down, closed the door, and bolted it. “We have to come in now.”
“Paige, I think it's okay if she playsâ”
“No!” Paige ran her trembling hands through her hair. “Bri-anna said he was here, and he was, Jake. He found out where we are, and he's been watching us! He's going to do something! I have to stop him!”
He watched her run frantically around the house, looking for something. Brianna stood watching her, not moving, and her thumb gravitated to her mouth. “Lynda took the cellular phone, didn't she? We haven't gotten a phone hooked up yet, Jake. Can I use the one in your car?”
“Sure,” he said. “Who are you calling?”
She was out the door before he could get an answer. Pulling Brianna onto his lap, he rolled out after her.
She was already in the car dialing. After a moment's wait, she said in a shaky voice, “This is Paige Varner. I need to speak to Larry Millsaps, please.” She closed her eyes and shook her head, apparently not liking the answer she received. “Then I'll speak to Tony Danks. Well, when will they be back? Do you know how I can reach them?”
She wilted and covered her face. “No, they can't call me back. Look, this is an emergency. Tell them to come to Lynda Barrett's house as soon as possible. And tell them I think they've got the wrong guy!”
Hanging up, she breathed a quick sob. “I'm going there.”
“Where?”
“To the police department. I'm going to wait there until they get back. We're not safe here, Jake. You come with me.”
“No,” he said. “I'll stay in case Lynda comes home.”
“Oh, no!” Paige wailed. “
She's
in danger, too. If he would mess up her plane and burn down her house, he'll do anything. If she's at work, she's a sitting duck. He knows where to find her!”
“All right,” Jake said, trying to calm her. “I'll stay here and call her, and you take Brianna and go to the police station. Don't worry. I'll make sure Lynda's careful, and Tony and Larry will take care of the rest.”
Sucking in a deep breath and wiping her face, she carried Bri-anna to her car.
Jake was dialing Lynda's office before Paige was out of the driveway, but the receptionist put him on hold for what seemed an eternity. When she came back, she told him that Lynda's line was busy. Would he like to hold, call back, or leave a message?
“Let me try her secretary,” he said.
“Her line's busy, too. But she could call you back.”
“Look, have her call me, but tell her it's an emergency. Tell her not to move until she talks to me. Did you get that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I mean it. This is very serious. Tell her to call me on my car phone at this number. Do you have a pen?”
He rattled off the number, and the woman jotted it down. “I'll give her the message, Mr. Stevens.”
Jake cut the phone off and sat still a moment, wondering whether Paige had overreacted, and whether his own concern had caused her to. If this were all just a wild tangent. . . .
Somehow, he didn't think it was.
He sat beside his car for twenty minutes or so, waiting for Lynda to call him back, and finally he dialed the number again.
“She's in a meeting, Mr. Stevens,” the receptionist said. “I gave her the message, butâ”
“Did she see it, or did you just put it on her desk?”
“WellâI gave it to Sally and told her it was urgent. But she was already in the meeting.”
“How could she be in a meeting if she was on the phone before?”
“I guess she hung up and went before I could get back there.”