Page 47 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

Heath reached across the table and took her hand. “If he comes for you, he’ll have to get through me.”

“Let’s worry about finding him first,” Owen cut in. “And Clara, I understand where you’re coming from wanting to help. But I really think you should stay put. Take care of yourself so you don’t overdo it. You need to be rested and healthy for when those kids come home.”

She shook her head then winced. “Not going to happen. Who all have you spoken with about Mitch? Where have you looked?”

“We’ve talked to his parents and coworkers from Bob’s. We’ve been to Town Tavern and tracked down as many of his drinking buddies as we can find, as well as searched his apartment for any clue where he could be holed up.”

“When you talked to his parents, were they both there?” Clara asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll talk to his mom,” Clara said on a drawn-out sigh. “If she’s with Fred, she won’t say a word. He’s a bully like his son, and she could never stand up to him. But she loves her grandkids.”

Laura slid a cup of tea in front of Clara. “I didn’t realize you and the kids had a relationship with Mitch’s parents.”

“I wouldn’t call it a relationship. Hope is a sweet woman, but I learned early on it was best to keep my distance from both of them. The kids have dealt with enough abuse from their own father, they didn’t need to take it from their grandfather, too. And it’s not often we could see Hope without Fred breathing down her neck. If you can find a way for me to speak with her alone, she might tell me something to help find my babies.”

“I can arrange to have Fred come into the station,” Owen said. “That should give you enough time with Hope.”

“Are you sure Hope won’t just go with him?” Heath asked. He didn’t know Mitch’s parents, but if his dad was as overbearing as Clara made it sound, he might not want his wife far from his side.

“She won’t go with him,” Clara said. “Especially to the sheriff’s department. It’d be too hard to explain the bruises.”

* * *

An hour later,Heath kept a firm hand on the small of Clara’s back as they made their way up the porch steps to Fred and Hope Parson’s house. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” He’d rather they had this conversation over the phone, where Clara was sitting and taking care of herself. But he’d let her take the lead as long as she was still on her feet.

Clenching her jaw, she gave a small nod. “I have to be, and we need to hurry. I want to be gone before Fred gets home. I need to look her in the eyes when we speak. I’ll know if she’s lying.”

“Tell me if it gets to be too much.” He pressed the doorbell and stood by Clara’s side as they waited for an answer.

The door swung open to Hope Parson’s wide, shocked eyes. She was a small woman with no extra meat on her bones. Her shoulders hunched forward as if she carried the weight of the world, and she circled her arms around her tiny waist. Her dyed-blond hair sat on her shoulders in a sleek long bob.

“Clara?” Hope took a step backward as if the mere presence of her former daughter-in-law was hard to handle. “Wh—what are you doing here?”

The fact that Hope’s first reaction wasn’t geared toward the obvious beating Clara had endured irritated the hell out of Heath, but he pushed that aside. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Parson. We’re here to speak with you about your son. Can we come in for a few minutes?”

Hope flicked her glance around as if searching for permission from someone who wasn’t there. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Besides, we already spoke with someone about Mitch.”

“We have more questions,” Clara said. “And if we stand out here much longer, you know Fred will find out. Might as well let us step inside and avoid upsetting him.”

Defeat—or possibly resignation—dipped Hope’s chin, and she allowed them into the foyer before shutting the door. She heaved out a long breath. “What is it? He’ll be home soon. I’d like you to be gone before he returns.”

“Where’s Mitch?” Clara asked.

Heath watched the lines in Hope’s face crumple for a few seconds before her mask slipped back into place. “We already told the police yesterday that we don’t know where he is. Nothing has changed.”

“Everything’s changed.” Clara’s voice caught and she clutched his arm.

Hope frowned. “What do you mean?”

Clara jabbed a finger toward the marks on her face. “Do you see what he did? He found me and took my kids. Told me I’d never find them. If you know where he has them, please. Please tell me. No one needs to know you’re the one who gave the information. Fred will never find out. But don’t protect Mitch at the cost of your grandchildren.”

Tears filled Hope’s eyes, turning the cobalt blue cloudy. “He wouldn’t hurt them. He loves them. All he’s ever wanted was to get his family back. To go back to the way things were.”

“You mean back when he hit Clara and scared the kids and nobody said a word about it?” Heath snapped, unable to rein in his temper. He could empathize with Hope, knew that she was as much of a victim as Clara, but he wouldn’t stand by and let her get in the way of bringing Davey and Avery home.

Hope winced and wrapped her arms tighter around her stomach. “He’s a good man. He’s just?—”

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