My Wife Is Missing(72)
Sarah’s eyebrows went up in a way that made Natalie feel sick to her stomach.
“You think his father may still be around? Or that his mother might not be dead?”
Sarah bit at her bottom lip.
“I’m saying it’s a possibility,” she offered in an apologetic tone.
Tina sent Natalie a crumpled look.
“Natalie,” Tina said, leaning forward to cup Natalie’s hands in her own. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“It’s good advice,” said Sarah. “I don’t have any real facts about your husband before he became Michael Hart, so we shouldn’t assume anything. Maybe he changed his name for career purposes. For all I know it could be that he started calling himself Michael Hart without doing a formal name change. If he did that, there’d be no public court record for us to track down. Basically we’d be at a dead end, unless we got Michael’s cooperation.”
Sarah’s assessment gave Natalie a second jolt.
“So what am I supposed to do? I sleep next to this man. You’re saying it’s possible he’s a killer—and he’s not even who he says he is?”
Sarah gave her a slight shake of her head.
“Natalie, I am so sorry to bring you this news.” She tapped a finger on the folder. “This is all the information I’ve gathered on your husband. Have a look. See what aligns with what he’s told you. Start there. You give me whatever you can get—a real birthplace, maybe his birth certificate—and I can go from there. Most states will indicate when an amendment has been made to a birth certificate. Some states even cross out the old name and put in the new one.”
“Okay,” Natalie said, sounding quite unsettled as she locked eyes with Tina.
“I’ll help you,” said Tina. “You won’t be in this alone.”
“Thanks,” Natalie said. She felt utterly hollowed out, numb, as if all feeling had been drained from her body.
“I guess there’s one other bit of advice I should give you,” Sarah said cautiously. “I can’t say for sure if Michael had anything to do with Audrey Adler’s murder, but I’m a hundred percent certain that he changed his name. If I were you, Natalie, I would put some serious thought and effort into figuring out why.”
CHAPTER 31
NATALIE
The bus trip was the best part of her journey so far. The kids were tired, she was tired, and for once everyone slept. For Natalie, it was a deep, dreamless slumber. There were no lights in the back of the bus, and the darkness hid their identities far better than the dye job ever could. For a blessed six or so hours on the road, she and the children were safe.
When Natalie’s internal clock woke her, they were somewhere outside St. Louis. Off to the east, glimmers of dawn cast an orange streak across a glowing horizon. She stretched creaky limbs—her neck was especially tight—before checking on the children, who were sleeping beside each other, their tiny heads touching. She wanted to hug them, caress their arms, their hair, but they needed rest as much as she did, so she let them sleep.
She got to her feet carefully, checking her balance, well aware that a few hours of shut-eye wouldn’t be enough to offset the long-term effects of her insomnia. She knew from experience that a full night’s sleep could actually make her symptoms worse—and sure enough, Natalie felt groggier now than she had before. What she needed was a consistent sleep schedule, but that would have to wait until they were settled at Kate’s place.
The Greyhound station in St. Louis was a massive, modern, glass structure that had the appearance of a sports arena. Natalie woke the children fifteen minutes before their scheduled arrival so they could adjust to the daylight. All three exited the bus in silence and began the long walk down an emerald green–tiled corridor to the exit.
At some point, Natalie had the wherewithal to phone Kate and tell her they’d be arriving by bus now, knowing her friend would insist on picking them up at the bus station in St. Louis. Yes, it was an inconvenience, and for that Natalie felt a little guilty, but the children needed a break from the hard travel, and Kate had insisted an hour’s drive each way wasn’t a big deal at all.
There were few cars in the passenger pickup area when they arrived, making it easy for her to locate her friend. Kate, dressed in blue jeans and a red T-shirt adorned with the Hildonen Farms logo, a cow sporting a toothy grin, stood next to a dust-covered four-door pickup truck. When she saw them, her face lit up.
“Nat!”
Kate came running over, arms open wide, and wrapped Natalie in a tight embrace. The warmth of Kate’s touch, the imperative of her hug, made Natalie want to cry. A flood of emotions, mostly relief and gratitude, overwhelmed her. She didn’t realize how much she’d been holding in until that moment.
“Hey there, you all right?” Kate whispered in Natalie’s ear. “You’re trembling.”
“I’m fine,” Natalie assured her in a low voice. “It’s been a hell of a trip, is all.”
When they finally broke apart, Kate turned her attention to the children, who were gazing uncertainly at the woman with the round face and genial smile standing before them. She placed a calloused hand upon Addie’s slender shoulder.
“Look at you two,” Kate said, a tinge of awe in her voice, her bright blue eyes beaming. “Your mother and I haven’t spoken in quite some time, but I’ve seen pictures of you both—and, well, if you two aren’t the cutest things ever, I don’t know what. I bet you’re hungry though. What do you say we stop at a doughnut shop I know? The frosted glaze will perk up even the weariest traveler.”