Where Shadows Meet(87)

“She’s not yours?” The ramifications began to seep into her consciousness.

Matt was still talking in a monotone. “Caitlin seemed heaven-sent. With my position in the sheriff’s department, we were able to pull some strings and adopt her without turning her over to Child Protective Services. The pediatrician estimated she was only hours old, not more than a day or two.”

A day or two. Hannah couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Could Reece really have taken her baby and just deposited her on a doorstep? Yes, he could. He was capable of anything. “She—she’s mine?” Hannah couldn’t breathe for fear this might be a dream. Joy vied with terror.

“I suspect so. I don’t know for sure.”

“Could she belong to someone else?”

He hunched his shoulders. “Why would she be put on my doorstep? Reece had a connection to me.”

Hannah studied the photo again. “She looks just like the picture Reece sent me.” Her gaze traced the smooth roundness of the child’s cheeks, the gentle curve of her lips. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she is.” Matt’s voice held anguish. “We have to find her.” He disappeared inside.

Through the screen door, Hannah heard him telling his suspicions to the other deputies. Through a fog of confusion, she was aware they were calling for more help, putting out a warrant for Reece. With the thunder rolling over her and the lightning flashing overhead, a bubble of disbelief surrounded her. This couldn’t be happening. She’d begun to love Matt, to trust him. He’d proven to be no different from Reece. He wore a smiling mask that hid the true man. And now her daughter was in Reece’s clutches. She shuddered.

She’d tell the deputies Caitlin belonged to her. When she was found, she’d have her daughter and she’d never have to look Matt Beitler in the face again. She rubbed her forehead. That wouldn’t work. Matt had friends, connections. He had adopted Caitlin. Sorting out the mess would be no easy matter. And if Reece really had Caitlin, finding him might be impossible.

She knew what she had to do. Call Reece and, to rescue Caitlin, go crawling back.

Her cell phone rang. Of course. She didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. In a dreamlike state, she dug it out of her purse and flipped it open. “Hello, Reece,” she said in as sweet a voice as she could muster. “I’ve been thinking. I want to come home.”

“Wh-what?” Reece’s voice quivered.

“We’re attuned to one another. I was sure it was you when the phone rang. You’re right. We have to work things out. I miss you.” It was as if she stood outside herself listening to her lies. God forgive her, but she had to save Caitlin.

“I’m so glad, hon.” His voice grew stronger. “And when you get here, I have a wonderful surprise for you.”

A cold stone formed in her belly. He had Caitlin. An unnatural calm descended on her. She wasn’t the same weak woman Reece once knew. He would find a bitter adversary. And she would protect Caitlin with her life.

“Where should we meet?” she asked in a soft and low voice that was sure to attract Reece.

“I’ll pick you up at the coffee shop. Have your Angien friend drop you off and leave us alone. No tricks,” Reece said as though he suddenly thought she was setting a trap.

Hannah didn’t intend to tell anyone what she planned. The safest thing for Caitlin would be for her to go in alone, then slip out with the child the minute Reece went out to the store or to work. The problem would be that Reece might expect a lot from her until that time. A real marriage. He’d always had a strong sex drive. The thought of him touching her made bile rise in her throat, but she forced it back. She could do this. She had to do it.

“That sounds wonderful.”

“What’s brought about this sudden change of heart?” Suspicion vibrated in his voice.

“Being with my family, being back where we met. It brought all the love back.” The words nearly gagged her, but she put tenderness into them.

“I should have made sure you stayed in touch, then.” He chuckled then, a self-satisfied sound.

“I’ve missed you. I can’t wait to see you. When can you come get me?”

“I—I’ve got something to take care of. Your surprise. Give me two hours. Don’t be late,” he said.

“I’ll be early,” she said. She put her phone away. Somehow she had to slip away without raising suspicion. Get her things from the house, get to the coffee shop. In a fog, she went inside and listened as Matt barked out orders. Every time he looked at her, she glanced away.

In the end, it was surprisingly easy to arrange. When Angie arrived, Hannah told her she needed migraine medication and needed to run home for it. The detectives were out slogging in the mud and searching the woods behind the house for Caitlin. Hannah simply told Angie she’d be right back, then drove to the house, packed her things, and went to wait at the coffee shop with her suitcase. She bound her hair up in a bun on the back of her head, then sat at a table by the door to wait.

“Hannah?”

She looked up at the sound of a woman’s voice. Ellen Long stood in the doorway. The old anger surged at the sight of the woman’s face. Hannah had always believed Ellen knew more than she would admit to. “Ellen.”

“Mind if I sit down a minute?” Without waiting for an answer, Ellen slid into the chair across from Hannah. “I’d heard you were back in town.”