Pat Warren - A Mother's Secret

“You don’t get along all that well with Lenny, eh?”

She’d revealed more than she’d intended, Sara realized, but it was the truth. “I put up with him or I’d never get to see Mike.”

“And your sister, what does she think about Lenny?”

Sighing, Sara shook her head. “I don’t honestly know.” Privately, she thought that Meg had married Lenny so he’d help her take care of Sara through the difficult teen years and that Lenny married Meg for the free rent and a share of the family estate. But she wasn’t about to air all their dirty laundry to this virtual stranger. Besides, it was just her opinion.

Kincaid stared out the window thoughtfully. There was more here than she was telling him, and he wondered what. Still, they hadn’t come up with a motive for Lenny taking his son on a mysterious trip. “Do you know if Lenny and Meg are having problems? Is the marriage good? Could he have taken their son to deliberately worry her, to get even for something she did?”

Sara didn’t look at him, appearing evasive. “I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not exactly a match made in heaven, but they seem okay. Meg doesn’t complain to me, and he certainly wouldn’t.”

“Lenny’s not violent, never hit Mike or Meg?”

Her eyes widened at the suggestion. “Not that I know of. No, I’m sure Mike would have told me.”

“How’s the money situation between them? You mentioned that Meg hasn’t worked since the boy was born and Lenny drifts from job to job. Doesn’t seem as if he stays long enough in one place to warrant a decent salary.”

“Meg and I both have a trust fund from our parents’ estate, which was considerable. After age twenty-five, we could use the money any way we saw fit. I don’t know how much Meg’s taken out of hers, if any. She’s very frugal. They don’t live lavishly. They’re still in our parents’ home, which is very nice and half mine if they were to sell it…although I wouldn’t take my share. As far as I’m concerned, it all belongs to Meg for taking care of me all those years. A while back Meg wanted to sell it, but I nixed her idea. I didn’t think it would be good for Mike to change schools or leave all his friends.”

A fair woman and compassionate. Kincaid rose, stretched and walked to the window. Purple bougainvillea bloomed along a wide stucco fence, looking perfect as a painting under a cloudless morning sky. Nice yard, nice home and a nice woman.

But he couldn’t help her.

Turning back to face her, he leaned against the wall. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Sara, but I don’t think there’s a problem here. It’s not a case of a runaway or a kidnapping. You say that Lenny’s never hurt the boy so Mike’s not at risk. You indicate that the three of them get along fairly well together. There’s no crime and no motive here. While I think it’s irresponsible of Lenny to take the boy and not keep in touch with his wife, it’s not against the law. I think it’s simply what it appears to be, a father taking his son on a surprise trip and perhaps they’re having such a good time they haven’t gotten around to calling home.”

He pushed away from the wall, deciding it was time to leave. “Give it a few more days, Sara. Chances are they’ll be back by then or Lenny will call.”

Sara had thought she could get Kincaid to help her without revealing more, but apparently not. He’d probably find out, anyway. “Maybe I should tell you the rest,” Sara said quietly.

Frowning, he sat down at the table, facing her. “All right, what’s the rest?”

“I called and talked to one of the officers at the Mesa Police Department where Lenny works. After much hemming and hawing, he told me that Lenny had been relieved of duty almost two weeks ago pending an investigation into allegations of improprieties.”

Sara couldn’t look away from Kincaid’s eyes, which were studying her as if she were a bug under a microscope. Undoubtedly he was trying to see into her mind. In the bright, morning sunlight, his eyes were more green than gray. She wondered what he was thinking, worried again that she’d blown it by withholding information. Emotions had clouded her actions from the beginning of this whole affair.

“Is there a reason why you didn’t tell me this interesting little fact about Mike’s father before now?” he asked, his voice even. He couldn’t seem to get a fix on this woman with the big, beautiful eyes that seemed to hide a fair amount of secrets.

“I’m sorry,” Sara said finally. “I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t think his job status had anything to do with Mike’s disappearance.” And she’d planned to share only what was necessary.

“Mmm-hmm. And now suddenly you do?” He paused, thinking. “Let’s see. We have here a child taken on an unexpected trip by a father who can’t seem to hold down a job. The man is married to a woman who has a trust fund, but they live frugally, and now he’s accused of improprieties. Your word. At the worst, he’s a thief. At the very least, he’s guilty of poor judgment.”

“He’s not the brightest man I’ve ever met,” she offered.

“Are you going to eat your doughnut?” It occurred to Kincaid that he’d skipped dinner last night.

Sara pushed the napkin and doughnut closer to him. “No, go ahead, please.”

He took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully. “Did you say your sister went to college?”

“Yes, she graduated from ASU.”

“Where did she meet Lenny?”

“On a blind date. Later she hired him to do some minor repairs on the house.”

“A handyman? Doesn’t seem like he’s in her league.” Not if her sister was anything like Sara. “Is he handsome, charming, a life-of-the-party type?” There had to be some reason Meg fell for him, although who could ever say why one person was attracted to another?

Sara shrugged. “He’s not bad looking, in a rough sort of way. Medium height, brown hair, mustache. I’ll get a picture of him for you if you want. To be honest, I think, at twenty-one, Meg was overwhelmed at the thought of caring for a twelve-year-old all alone and married the first man who showed an interest.”

“They were married five years or so before they had Mike, right? Did they seem happy?”

She rose to put her paper cup in the trash container. “I was a teenager back then, pretty self-absorbed, and I’d just lost my parents. I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to their relationship. Besides, I’ve never been married, so how would I know what constitutes a happy marriage?”

Never been married. Why was he pleased to hear that? Wait a minute, Kincaid. The last thing you need is to get tangled up again, no matter how attractive she is. He brought his attention back to the matter at hand. “Maybe because you lived under the same roof with them and might have seen or heard something?” She struck him as intelligent and observant. Was she covering up something?

“I guess they were happy, from what I could tell. They quarreled occasionally, but I suppose that’s normal. What does the state of their marriage have to do with Mike being missing?”

Kincaid finished the second doughnut, drank the rest of his coffee and stood. “Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. I’ll know more after I talk with your sister. And Lenny’s commanding officer.”

Sara brightened immediately. “That means you’re taking the case?”

“That means I’ll let you know after I find out more. I’ll be in touch.” He walked out of the kitchen.

“Wait a minute!” Sara hurried after him. “I’m going with you.”

At the door, he swung about. “Sorry, but I work alone.”

She put on her most convincing expression, her most appealing smile. “Please, Kincaid, I need to do this. Mike…he means the world to me. I’ve arranged for time away from my business. I promise I won’t get in your way, and I might just be a big help.”