“Riley! What
the hell are you doing here?” Clayton stopped in mid-stride as he entered the main door of the station, Ellie right on his heels. His brother vacated the olive-green, molded plastic chair he’d been seated in and made his way toward them.
“Hey, little brother.” Riley leaned close and gave him a friendly punch on the arm. “Just thought I’d drop by and say hello.”
Conscious of Ellie standing behind him, he flushed and looked away. His feelings for her were still so new, he wasn’t ready to share them with anyone, including his family.
Especially
his family. He swallowed a groan when she stepped forward and offered her hand.
“Ellie Cooper, nice to meet you.”
Riley eyed her curiously and returned her handshake. “Riley Munro. I’m Clayton’s older brother.”
“Yeah, by about three minutes,” Clayton snorted.
“Three minutes? You mean, you’re
twins
?” Ellie looked back and forth between them, confusion clouding her features.
“Yeah, fraternal twins,” Riley agreed easily. “As you can see, I was the one who got all the looks.”
Her gaze traveled over his bronzed skin. Closely cropped, black curly hair emphasized the piercing greenness of his eyes. A broad nose and well-formed lips hinted at an Aboriginal heritage. She shook her head, still staring in confusion.
Taking pity on her, Clayton explained. “Mom’s white, with English blood running through her veins right back to the days of the convicts. Dad’s an Aboriginal. Some of us took after Mom. Riley here looks a lot like Dad.” He shrugged, hoping she’d understand.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” She still sounded dazed. “Didn’t you say there were six of you?”
“Seven, actually. Five boys and two girls,” Riley replied, his mouth stretching into a grin that revealed straight, white teeth.
She looked over at Clayton, who was doing his best to ignore the conversation as he moved his weight from one foot to the other. He just wanted to get her away from his brother and his much-too observant eyes. He should have known it wouldn’t be easy.
She angled closer to Clayton, her curious gaze now coming to rest on his face. “So where do you fit into the line-up?”
Clayton snorted. Impatience surged through him. The longer they lingered, the greater the chance Riley would sense a closeness between them that was far more than what was necessary between partners. And his twin would know. He’d been a cop as long as Clayton. But with Ellie’s bright, questioning gaze still upon him, he had no choice but to reply.
“Fifth,” he muttered, groaning inwardly, catching the speculative gleam in his twin’s eyes when he looked from one to the other.
“So, Ellie, how long have you been working with my brother? He’s not a bad sort, is he? If you’re in the market, that is.”
Clayton shot him a murderous look. Ellie appeared not to notice as she laughed good-naturedly.
“Yeah, he’s not a bad sort. Once you get over a few minor character flaws.” Her eyes softened on his face and his heart thudded. He felt Riley’s gaze upon them, but was powerless to drag his eyes away from her.
“
Ah hm
.” Riley cleared his throat, breaking the spell. Clayton flushed again and refused to meet his twin’s eyes. In growing desperation, he cast around for an excuse to leave.
“We’ve got to get upstairs, mate. We think we might have just caught a break in the case we’ve been working on.”
He took Ellie by the elbow and steered her away from his brother.
“No worries, Clay. I’m in town a few nights. I’m staying with Declan. Give me a call when you get free. We might all meet up for dinner.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” he threw over his shoulder and hurried them toward the stairs and away from Riley’s knowing gaze.
“I can’t believe you have a twin!” Her eyes gleamed in amusement as they climbed the stairs.
He frowned and pushed open the door to the detective’s room that was alive with activity. “He lives up north, in the country. I don’t know what’s brought him down to Sydney. He hates the city.”
“Maybe he’s come to visit you. I take it you’re pretty close? Most twins are.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Clayton mumbled, swallowing a sigh of gratitude as Ben strode toward them.
“Clayton, Ellie. Here’s what we’ve got.” He handed them a computer printout containing a list of names. “These are the guys who cover the Penrith area for the Orange Cab Company. I’ve highlighted the ones who were on duty during the times our girls went missing.”
He pointed with his finger at the page Clayton had taken from him. “Of course, we don’t know for sure what time Angelina disappeared, but I had the cab company put anyone who was rostered on during the twelve-hours either side of the approximate time of disappearance. We’re going with the theory they all went missing on a Tuesday and we’d rather have too many than not enough.”
“Absolutely,” Clayton agreed, scanning the list. Nothing jumped out at him. He looked up at Ben. “Have you run this through the data base?”
“Cheryl and Luke are working on it. So far, nothing much has come of it. A couple have had minor scuffles with the police. No arrests. Certainly nothing to spark our interest.”
Ellie took the page from him and skimmed it. She frowned and bit her lip in concentration. Clayton tore his gaze away and fixed his gaze on Ben.
“I’m liking the sound of a cab driver more and more. It certainly fits the profile.” He moved away and paced the room as he relayed their latest brainstorming to Ben. When he finished, Clayton was breathing a little faster. His gaze remained fixed on Ben’s face.
“He’s a cab driver, Ben. We’re looking for a cab driver. I
know
it.”
Ben’s expression turned grim. He quirked an eyebrow at Clayton. “You still think our guy lives nearby?”
“Absolutely. The girls went missing within a couple mile radius. One after another in a fairly short time period.” His eyes narrowed. “He’s working from home.”
Ben clapped his hands. “All right everybody, listen up. I want every available body on this one. We know our guy works for the Orange Cab Company. His name must be on that list. There are about a hundred names on it. At least half of them live in the area we’re interested in. I want you to split the list between all of you and start door knocking. Make sure you have pictures of the missing girls. Ask some questions. Look for the body type. See if you get a reaction. Someone must know something.”
Ellie’s gaze returned to the piece of paper in her hands. “Wilson,” she mused. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
Clayton frowned. “Wilson. You’re right. I’ve heard that name before, too.” He walked closer and peered at the paper over her shoulder. “The address matches up to the area we’re interested in. But then, so do a lot of them.”
“Yeah, I guess so. And hey, it’s a fairly common name out here.”
Clayton’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and checked the caller ID. Apprehension filled him when he recognized the number. He shot her an apologetic look. “I need to take this. It’s my mother-in-law. She’s looking after Olivia.”
He turned away abruptly and pressed the answer button. Tension set his jaw. She never called him during working hours. “Janet, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, Clayton, I’m sorry to call you while you’re working, but it’s Olivia.”
“Olivia? What happened? Is she all right?”
“Yes. No. I mean, she’s okay, but she’s had an accident at pre-school. She’s fallen off the flying fox and broken her arm.”
“The flying fox? What the hell would she be doing on a flying fox?”
“I know. That’s what I thought when the pre-school called to tell me. Apparently, it’s part of the playground equipment.”
His lips compressed. “How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad, I think. It’s been broken in a couple of places. They’re talking about taking her to surgery to reset it.”
“Christ.” Fear and anxiety coursed through him. His little girl was in pain and probably scared out of her mind. He had to be there for her. His mind raced and he cursed aloud. “I’m going to call the airlines and get the next flight to Canberra. Hopefully I’ll be there in a couple of hours. When did they say they’re going to operate?”
Janet sighed. “Well, they haven’t yet. We’re still in the emergency department of Woden Hospital. She’s had the x-rays done, but we’re waiting for a consult from the orthopaedic specialist. It was an intern that told me he thought they’d have to operate.”
“Tell her I’ll be there soon.”
“All right, Clayton. I will. And thank you. I feel so terrible.”
He heard the tremor in her voice and knew she was struggling to keep her own fears at bay.
“It’s okay, Janet. It wasn’t your fault. I’m glad she’s with you. I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call and immediately dialed the airlines, cursing again as he was placed in a queue. After what seemed an eternity, he managed to secure a flight that departed in just under an hour.
Striding over to where Ellie now sat at her desk, he propped his hip against the government-issued steel and sighed.
“I have to fly to Canberra. My daughter’s broken her arm pretty badly. They’re talking surgery.”
Concern and tenderness beamed up at him. His heart clenched with emotion.
“Oh, no! Clayton, go. Don’t worry about us.” She swept an arm around the room crowded with officers who leaned over desks or hunched in front of computers. “We’ve got it under control. As Ben says, there must be at least fifty or sixty names to get through. This isn’t going to get solved in the next twenty-four hours. We’re probably going to be at it for days. There’s no telling how many of them will be home when we call.”
She gave him another encouraging smile. “Go; your daughter needs you.”
He breathed a grateful sigh of relief, wanting so much to drag her into his arms, but knowing she probably wouldn’t welcome it in front of the curious eyes of her co-workers.
He settled for a lingering look, hoping to convey with his gaze what he felt. “Thanks, Ellie. I really appreciate it. I hate to run out on you like this, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Maybe even tonight, if I can.”
He checked his watch. “I’ll be in Canberra by eleven. Depending what happens, I might make it back on a late flight.”
“Hey, don’t stress it, Fed. I’m sure we can handle things here while you’re gone. Go, do what you have to do. And when you’re ready, come back and help us nail this bastard.”
Co-workers, be damned. He leaned in close and kissed her, leaving her sitting there, cheeks beet red, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed, while he made his way to Ben’s office.
A few moments later, he was out the door.
* * *
Ellie slumped back against her chair and watched him stride out of the squad room. Suddenly, everything seemed duller, dimmer, flatter without him. She couldn’t believe how quickly he’d come to matter.
It wasn’t just that they’d slept together, although that fact certainly accounted for some of the nervous excitement that had been jumping around in her belly since she’d woken that morning.
It was more the hope that maybe she
could
be healed, that there was a possibility, however slight, that the pain and loss which never left her would somehow become more manageable.
He had given her that. And she loved him for it. And other things.
She just plain
loved
him.
There. She’d said it. Maybe not out loud, but near enough. Fear and uncertainty warred with the nervous excitement. He’d told her he loved her. But what if he’d just mistaken good sex—no, scrap that…
Great
sex—with love? How was that possible? He still loved his wife. Didn’t he?
But his wife was dead. Could she hope that his feelings for Lisa had lessened, become more manageable, like the crippling pain she felt for Jamie?
Could she be that lucky? Did she
deserve
to be that lucky?
She shook her head in annoyance. What the hell was she thinking? Not more of that psycho-babble crap. Of course she deserved to find love. It wasn’t her fault Jamie had been killed. It had never been her fault. She knew that now.
On some sensible, sane level, way down inside her, she’d always known it. But the death of her child had a way of twisting her thinking, warping her outlook until she’d almost been buried beneath the guilt.
It was just another one of Clayton’s gifts. He’d made her see Jamie’s death as a tragic accident, made worse by the fact the perpetrator had never been caught. But it didn’t make her culpable.
She didn’t even blame Eva. She’d never blamed Eva. It was her, Ellie Therese Cooper, Jamie’s mother, who’d taken the blame, fairly and squarely on her shoulders until she’d almost broken under the weight of it. Rational or not, it was the way she’d felt.
She took a huge lungful of air and held it for as long as she could. Exhaling slowly, she shook her head and rotated the tension from her neck and shoulders. It had been a long couple of months. Hell, it had been a long three years. She couldn’t believe her baby had been gone for that long.
His cherub face swam before her and she blinked back tears when her memory of him smiled. The noisy bustle of the squad room receded. He looked different, a little older than she remembered, but that couldn’t be right.