Assumed Identity(70)

The banking executive wore a suit and tie similar to the outfit he’d worn that day outside the Shamrock Bar when he’d warned her about a “life-or-death” problem. He was still preaching the same doom and gloom when he turned on Robin. “My sister is a sick woman. Whatever she’s done, she isn’t responsible.”

Robin braced her hands at her hips. “Are you the responsible one in the family, then?”

“I tried to warn you. My sister is unstable. Who knows what she’ll say or do?”

“She says she was assaulted by the Rose Red Rapist—that my daughter is the child of that rape.”

That bold statement seemed to take him aback as much as seeing Spencer Montgomery, Nick Fensom and Jake step out of the adjoining room to form a semicircle around him. “This isn’t about her vandalizing your car? Or sending those messages?”

“Or locking me in the refrigerator at my shop.” Tania Houseman’s misguided transgressions seemed minor, in retrospect, compared to what big brother had done. “She said you advised her not to report that she’d been raped.”

Bill Houseman’s hands went to the knot of his tie, needlessly straightening it. “I didn’t find out about it until after the child was born.”

“She’s tried to kill herself at least once, judging by the scars on her wrists. She needs to talk to someone about it.”

As the circle of armed men closed in around him, Bill Houseman grew more agitated. “I did what I thought was right. At first I thought she was less than thrilled about having a baby because she had just launched her art career with her first big show.” He raked his fingers through his perfectly styled hair and left a rumpled mess in their wake. “About halfway through the pregnancy, she changed. She became sullen, depressed. She stopped painting. That’s when I sent her to the Oak View Sanitarium. She had the baby and came home and was happy for a month or so. Then she woke up one morning and slit her wrists.” He turned to share his explanation with Jake and the detectives. But he wasn’t finding much sympathy there, either. “That’s when she told me about the rape. I had her sign away her rights and put Hailey up for adoption. I wanted to get any symbol of that monster out of Tania’s life.”

Jake stepped forward to defend Emma before Robin could. “There’s no monster in that little girl. She’s a beautiful, perfect baby.”

“I thought maybe getting that baby back would bring Tania back to me. It’s not easy to watch the talented little sister you grew up with waste away into an empty-eyed shell of herself.”

“That’s why you attacked me?” Robin asked. “Was Tania trying to kidnap my daughter while you dragged me into that alley?”

“No. That was all on me. I thought I’d knocked you out, and I was going to take the baby then. But you wouldn’t stay down.”

Spencer Montgomery had an idea on that. “So you tried to make it look like a rape so that we’d look for a different type of suspect. Not someone trying to kidnap a child.”

“I just wanted my sister to be happy again.”

“Billy?” Tania, barely vocal, shuffled a little faster down the hall as she went to greet her brother.

Bill Houseman wound his arms around her slender shoulders and pressed a kiss to the crown of her hair. “Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?”

“Better. The police department has a victim specialist I can talk to.” She glanced back at the woman behind her. “And Dr. Freitag says the hospital has a trauma-recovery program I can go to. Is that all right?”

“Whatever you need.” Billy gave his sister another kiss and then handed her back to the doctor. “Take good care of her.”

Dr. Freitag put a supportive arm around her patient to lead her down the hallway. But the fragile young woman who’d endured far more than she should stopped and turned to her brother. “It’s better for Hailey—” she flashed an apology to Robin “—for Emma, I mean—to be with Ms. Carter. She loves her, too.”

Billy nodded and winked at his sister. Once Tania and the doctor had left the floor, Houseman turned to Detective Montgomery, who must have been exuding enough authority that he assumed, correctly, that Montgomery was the man in charge. “Are you pressing charges against my sister?”

“That’s up to Ms. Carter.”

Robin shook her head. “Your motives might be in the right place, Mr. Houseman. Your methods, however, are unforgivable.”