Jane Godman - Secret Baby, Second Chance

Laurie shook her head regretfully. “I can’t tell you that. If someone disappears the way Beth did, they do it for a reason. They don’t do it because they want to be found. We have to respect her privacy.” She gathered up her jacket and keys. “I wanted to come and tell you as soon as I found out because I knew what it would mean to you to know that she’s alive. I’ll be going to see her to question her about the Grant Becker case in the next few days. I’ll let you know how she is, but that’s all I can do.”

Vincente didn’t reply. Instead, he watched Laurie go, his body tense and his emotions raging. Beth didn’t want to be found. He’d got that message loud and clear sixteen months ago when he tried searching for her. At that time, it looked like Beth had walked out of Stillwater without a backward glance. The clients in the legal practice where she worked as a lawyer had been less than happy at her departure. Her boss didn’t have a clue where she’d gone. The landlord of the neat little house she’d rented out on the lake road had been bemused. She’d left most of her belongings and had paid her rent for the next quarter. When Vincente spoke to her friends they appeared genuinely bewildered...either that, or they were putting on a good performance for his benefit.

Then, four months after he had last seen her, the devastating news had emerged that Beth could have been one of Grant Becker’s victims. She had the same physical characteristics as the other women Grant had murdered. Beth had dark, wavy hair, blue eyes and the sort of smile that could knock a man sideways. Her looks made her the ideal candidate to attract attention from Grant, to get his token gift of red roses...and then be brutally murdered by him.

Vincente thought back to the last time he had seen her, seeking new clues to her disappearance in light of Laurie’s visit today. Beth had turned up at his apartment after more or less ignoring him for a month. The silent treatment had followed one of their fiery clashes. Theirs had always been a stormy relationship, filled with wild fights, frequent breakups and passionate makeups. Even though sex with Beth had always been explosive, that night had been one to remember. She had barely crossed the doorstep before they were tearing off each other’s clothing, dropping T-shirts and jeans on the floor and kicking off boots as they kissed their way to the bedroom.

As he’d tugged her underwear down, his hands had lifted her and her knees gripped his hips. “Why are you here, Beth?” He had managed to gasp the words out as he walked her backward to the bed.

“Because I can’t stay away.” Her voice had been anguished as she pulled his head down to meet her lips. “No matter how hard I try. That’s where the danger lies.”

Those strange words were the last thing he remembered her saying to him. They had fallen asleep in each other’s arms and when Vincente woke, Beth was gone. Although he had searched for her, it was only when he thought she had been killed that he realized how much the loss of her had torn him apart.

The police investigation had been one of the largest West County had ever seen. The search for women, including Beth, who had gone missing within the timeframe of the murders was wide-ranging and ongoing, but Vincente hadn’t been able to leave it at that.

Guilt gnawed at him over those missing four months before the police had begun their inquiries. Sure, he had tried to discover where Beth was before Laurie had told him she could be one of Grant’s victims, but had he done enough? If he hadn’t simply assumed she’d walked out on him, could he have saved her?

Twelve months ago, as Stillwater was being rocked by the news that one of its sons was a serial killer, Vincente had been trying all over again to discover Beth’s whereabouts. He had gone over every conversation, every confidence, every contact they’d ever had, searching for a clue. He’d even driven around the highways of West County late at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Even though his head had told him repeatedly to prepare for the worst, his heart had insisted on keeping a tiny flare of hope alight.

Now he knew she was alive and he was supposed to leave it at that? His lips tightened and his jaw clenched.

I don’t think so.

* * *

Beth Wade stared at the stack of papers in front of her with a mingled feeling of tiredness and despair. The deadline to have this paperwork completed was looming, but she’d hardly slept and her brain was refusing to cooperate. She thought briefly of her old job at E. Powell Law in Stillwater. Back then she’d have flown through a routine task like this...

Those days were gone. This was Casper, not Stillwater. She was no longer a rising star in a prestigious law firm, dealing with clients and grappling with difficult cases. She worked from home for an hourly rate and, if she didn’t get started, she wouldn’t get paid.

The knock on the door shook her out of her weariness. Twisting her hands together in her lap, she turned her head toward the sound. No one ever knocked on her door...

Cautiously, she rose from the kitchen table and walked silently down the hall. Maybe she could ignore it? Whoever it was would assume she was out and go away.

“Ms. Wade? My name is Laurie Delaney.” The voice was pleasant and confident and... Delaney? “I’m an officer with the Stillwater Police.”

With her mind spinning, Beth opened the door.

Her visitor smiled. “I’m also Vincente Delaney’s sister-in-law.” She said it as if it wasn’t an earth-shattering statement. As if, even though Vincente was always at the back of Beth’s mind, hearing his name spoken out loud wouldn’t make her go weak at the knees.

Beth waved aside the badge Detective Laurie Delaney held out. “I’m not questioning that you are who you say you are. I’m just...”

“Bemused?” Laurie supplied helpfully.

Bemused was an understatement. Stunned would be a more accurate summary of how Beth was feeling. The woman standing on her doorstep was a police officer, and she was Vincente’s sister-in-law. That was a hell of a chunk of information to assimilate on any day. Midmorning on a Monday, after a sleepless night? It was taking a while to process the information. Realizing they were still standing by the open door, she gestured for Laurie to come into the house.

She had known when she left Stillwater that she would miss Vincente, but she had never anticipated the depth of her longing for him. The feeling of loss was like a shard of glass lodged permanently in her heart. Even so, she couldn’t succumb to her desire to ask Laurie questions about him. Just hearing his name had intensified her craving for him, ratcheting the ever-present pain up to a level where it was almost unbearable.

Beth hadn’t left Stillwater to get away from Vincente. She had left because her life was in danger, and, if she’d stayed, she’d risk exposing him to the same harm. The anonymous person who was threatening her had made that clear.

No police. Whoever had sent the photographs and newspaper reports had included that chilling warning in the accompanying letter. But Laurie wasn’t here because Beth had contacted her. And no matter how scared she might be of that letter writer, Beth could hardly slam the door in a police officer’s face.

Once they were inside the narrow hall, a furry black-and-white shape trundled up to them, almost knocking Laurie off her feet. Beth hauled the wriggling, tail-wagging figure away from her visitor. “Sorry. He still hasn’t got the message that he’s meant to be a guard dog.”

Laurie, who was clearly used to dogs, squatted and clicked her fingers. “He’s beautiful. What’s his name?”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Melon. He’s a border collie. His previous owner named him. He thought it was funny.”