Kathleen Long - Without a Doubt

She smiled, tucked her tiny fingers into his hand and skipped all the way down the hall. Ah, the wonders of refined sugar.

Ally settled at the kitchen table and lost herself in her coloring books. Gary absentmindedly nodded encouragement as she showed him page after page of brightly colored scribbles. All the while, however, his brain clicked through everything Sophie had said at their meeting.

She’d seen someone.

So at some point in the recent past, Sophie had seen someone who looked enough like what she thought her niece would look like to raise her suspicions.

A child.

Ally bounced away from the table, having lost interest in her works of art. He watched as she danced around the kitchen, swinging her lollipop as if it were a magic wand, her short brown hair bouncing with the motion. Her blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

A child the right age and coloring.

Gary’s throat tightened as he flashed on the images of Robin Markham’s photos. The little girl who would have been five years old.

Just like Ally.

Gary had given Sophie step-by-step instructions on what to look for. Fingerprints. Bone structure. Eye color.

“Wanna lick, Uncle Gary?” Ally waved the lollipop in his face.

He shook his head. “No thanks, kiddo.”

“Miss Sophie gave it to me.” She gestured dramatically as if he didn’t know what he was missing. “It’s good.”

DNA.

The puzzle pieces flew into place.

Disbelief and fury tangled inside him as he turned away from Ally and headed back to where Sophie and Maggie were finishing up.

Sophie had met Ally at the fund-raiser, then she’d sought out Gary only because of his relation to his niece. Not because she’d needed him. She’d needed his connection. Furthermore she’d used him for information on how to ID a kidnapped child.

What a fool he’d been.

How typical of Sophie Markham to walk back into his life without so much as an apology or an explanation of the past. He should have known she had her own agenda.

Well, he had a news flash for the woman.

If Sophie thought she could use him against his own family, she had another think coming. And when she lifted her gaze to his, the look of surprise on her pretty features told him she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Sophie straightened, willing herself not to wilt beneath the fury emanating from Gary’s gaze. He crooked his finger, and she turned to Maggie, pasting on a phony smile.

“You were wonderful. I’ll be sure to let you know when your segment’s going to air.” She tipped her head toward Gary. “I think your brother needs me for a moment.”

Maggie eyed her warily as she excused herself, and Sophie wondered just how much the woman knew about her and Gary’s shared past.

The question evaporated when she stepped into the kitchen and took in the sight of Gary, hands on hips, color blazing in his cheeks.

He gave Ally’s shoulder a pat and nodded toward the hall. “I think your mommy’s calling you.”

The little girl took off like a shot, leaving her lollipop glued to a page in her coloring book.

“Just who in the hell do you think you are?”

Gary’s words hit her like a slap, and she adopted a tone of indignation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But she did. She knew in that instant exactly what he was talking about. The man wasn’t an award-winning journalist without reason. He’d put the pieces together and knew she’d been talking about Ally when she’d questioned him the day before.

“Do you want to start, or should I?”

Sophie flinched. “Why don’t you.” She wasn’t a fool. She could formulate her response as he spoke. No sense giving away any information he hadn’t already figured out.

“You spot my niece at the fund-raiser, learn she’s adopted, and decide—for whatever reason—she’s your niece.” He dropped his voice low and stood so close Sophie could feel the heat of his anger.

“Then you butter me up for a how-to on identifying a kidnapped child.” His voice cracked with emotion and he looked away momentarily.

“What do you think?” he continued. “Do you think my sister and brother-in-law stole your sister’s child?”

He gripped Sophie’s shoulders and gave her a quick shake. A whisper of anxiousness filtered through her. She knew he’d never hurt her. He wasn’t that type of man, but she’d never seen the depth of fury in his eyes she saw there now.

“Your niece is dead, Sophie,” he continued. “I’m sorry, but she’s gone. Forever. Stay away from my family.”

No, Sophie screamed silently. Robin wasn’t dead. She was in the next room singing to the woman who had adopted her.

Someone cleared his throat, and Sophie and Gary both turned quickly to spot Trevor James standing in the doorway. Instead of showing any concern over his intrusion, he instead wore an expression of annoyance, as if they were in his way.

He tipped his chin toward the refrigerator. “Need to grab one of my beverages.”

They both watched wordlessly as he crossed the room, opened the appliance door and took out a bottle of vitamin-enhanced water.

“Carry on,” he said glibly as he headed back out into the hall.

Gary’s eyes narrowed, focused on James’s back. “Pompous—”

“Look at her birthmark,” Sophie interrupted, forcing her voice through her throat, now tight with emotion. She kept her speaking volume low, not wanting to be overheard by the others down the hall. “Robin had an identical mark. Identical.”

The heat of her determination fired in her cheeks and she knew she’d lost all semblance of professional cool. She could care less.

“People can have similar birthmarks.” Gary dropped his hands to his sides and stepped away from her.

Sophie’s frustration soared, overwhelming her. She jammed her finger into his chest, flinching when he caught her hand in his fist.

“Not similar. Identical.” She pressed the point, refusing to be intimidated by anything Gary said or did.

“It’s impossible.” He leaned close, not letting go of her hand. “That little girl out there is the light of my sister’s life. She’s my niece. My niece.” He shook his head. “Not yours.”

Sophie wriggled her fingers free. “What if you’re wrong? Are you willing to live with not knowing? I know you, Gary. You live for the story. Live for the truth.

“Are you going to look me in the eye and tell me you can walk away from the possibility I may be right?”

Gary stood his ground, not giving her the satisfaction of so much as a blink.

Yet another male throat cleared and Sophie snapped her attention to the doorway. Cookie leaned against the doorjamb, the look on his face making it abundantly clear he’d heard every word.

Sophie grimaced. She could only hope their voices hadn’t carried to where Maggie and her daughter sat.

“I hate to interrupt,” Cook said. “We’ve got to go. Breaking story.”

Sophie welcomed the excuse to walk away from the argument, even though her anger had reached its boiling point. Blood roared in her ears, and she was certain her normally pale complexion was flush with color.

Gary reached for her arm as she passed, but she dodged his touch. “We’re not through discussing this,” he called after her, anger heavy in his voice.

Sophie paused at the doorway, turning back to pin him with her gaze. “That’s where you’re wrong. This discussion is most definitely over.”

But as she headed out of the house toward the van, she knew Gary would never let the topic drop that easily. He’d make contact again, and before he did she had better get her thoughts—and emotions—in check.

HOURS LATER, JOHN COOK PULLED the news van back into the WNJZ parking lot. Sophie didn’t know about the older man, but she was exhausted and hungry. Her head had been pounding ever since she’d left the Alexanders’ home, and spending seven hours covering a hostage situation hadn’t done much to ease her tension.