Page 8 of Deadly Past

She smiled. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have you.” While that high praise was ringing in his ears, she surprised him even more by leaning over and hugging him.

Her touch froze him in place. He couldn’t move—not knowing how to respond. When she gently closed the door without expecting a hug in return, he was grateful because his mind had already begun to read too much into the gesture.

Heaving a silent breath, he returned downstairs. After stoking the living room fire, he carried both their cups to the kitchen and rinsed out Wynona’s before pouring himself another cup.

Simone watched him from near the fire as he stepped outside to do a check around the place before returning. JT was right. The likelihood of Wynona’s stalker returning tonight was slim, but he did know where she was staying now. It might be best to pack up and move to Declan’s small fishing cabin on Breakers Island off the coast of Hope Island.

After making sure all the locks on the doors and windows were secure, he killed the living room lights and grabbed the bag of files before heading for the kitchen. He set the bag on the table and sipped his coffee. Pulling out one of the chairs, he settled in for the long stretch until daybreak. Some of the information in the file he’d seen in the past. Wynona had shared it with him when she needed a fresh set of eyes to spot something she couldn’t.

Instead of starting from the beginning, he went to the last pieces of information contained there. Most were about the young girl who had been taken recently. She was older than Lacey. There was a photo of the child smiling at the camera probably taken by the parents or grandparents. It turned Declan’s stomach to think someone could hurt a child so innocent.

The parents had reported nothing had been out of order the night Jenny disappeared. She’d gone to bed at eight. When her mother went to wake her for school the following morning, she wasn’t there. A window nearby had been left open. The police had dusted for fingerprints and had tried to gather DNA but there was neither. Unlike Lacey, Jenny wasn’t diabetic.

Declan pulled out the photo of Lacey. The two girls were similar in appearance despite the age difference—both blond. He set the photos down. Nothing about the two incidents added up. Were they connected, or was Jenny’s disappearance just some random act completely unrelated?

Wynona had written some notes detailing her talks with the detective handling her sister’s case, and apparently she’d spoken to the detectives working the latest victim’s case as well. The detective clearly didn’t believe they were related, yet Wynona wasn’t so sure.

He sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee while thinking about what was happening to Wynona. It was strange that after twenty plus years, Lacey’s abductor had returned and seemed to be fixated on the family—and Wynona by default since she was the last remaining family member. Had he made a mistake by taking the younger sister? Was Wynona the actual target? If so, why wait so long to come after her, and how did the latest missing-person’s case fit into everything?

Declan rubbed his tired eyes. Simone came into the kitchen and meowed up at him.

“Are you hungry, girl?” The cat moved to her food dish in anticipation. Declan chuckled and opened a can of Simone’s favorite seafood medley and dumped it into her bowl. “Enjoy.”

Simone responded with a flick of her tail.

He went over to the window that faced the beach. Darkness shrouded everything in an inky black. Not one to normally get spooked, Declan was now. This had been a morning of surprises so far, and it was still a couple of hours from daybreak.

He lowered the blinds so that anyone outside couldn’t see inside. Once the darkness was shut out, he relaxed. He’d tucked the Glock into the waistband of his jeans. Declan removed it and placed it on the counter. If he couldn’t do anything else for Wynona, he’d protect her with his life. She deserved that and so much more from him.

Chapter Three

Bright sunlight filtered through the curtains in the bedroom when Wynona finally opened her eyes. She’d slept like a log--a miracle in itself. When she’d slipped under the covers, her mind had been spinning since the attack the evening before, the long drive to reach Declan, and how difficult it was seeing him again. It had been like reopening the worst scars of her heart and having to relive the cause of them.

She stretched and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Noises came from the direction of the kitchen, and something delicious-smelling wafted through the house. Was that bacon?

Wynona slipped out of bed and dressed in fresh jeans and a red sweater. She stared at the woman in the mirror for a long moment while trying to prepare herself for seeing Declan again. When she stepped into the kitchen, she froze. Declan stood over the stovetop frying bacon. Against her will, buried memories came to mind when she and Declan would be home at the same time before their marriage fell apart. He used to love to make breakfast for them. Occasionally she’d even wake up to breakfast in bed.

The tiniest of sobs escaped as the bittersweet memory threatened to sweep her away. Declan must have heard her because he turned. Their eyes met, and for the life of her, breathing normally wasn’t an option.

He cleared his throat. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded because she couldn’t push the words out.

“Come and sit.” Declan indicated the table and then turned back to the stove flipping the bacon while Wynona slipped into the closest chair.

Get a grip!

Declan added bacon to two plates and eggs and toast. He set one plate in front of her and the other on the opposite side of the table. “Want some coffee?”

Again, she managed a nod while she tried to pull herself together.

He poured them coffee and then pulled out the chair across from hers. “Do you mind if we say a prayer?” Declan held out his hands for her to hold.

If she hadn’t heard the words come out of his mouth, Wynona wouldn’t have believed it. In the time they’d been married, he’d never shown any interest in God or attending church with her on those occasions when she’d attended.

“No, not at all.” Wynona clasped his hands and bowed her head.

“Father, we come to you asking for Your help. Help us figure out why someone is coming after Wynona, and help us to bring the truth about Lacey’s disappearance to light once and for all. Give some measure of closure to Wynona, and thank You for protecting her and bringing her here. Amen.”

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