Page 52 of The Girl in the River

Mark shook his head. “No, should I know her?”

Ellie and Derrick traded a look. “I hate to tell you this,” Ellie said. “But we believe that Mia was using an assumed name. DNA reports proved that her real name is Jesse Habersham.”

The color drained from Mark’s face and he blinked as if trying to absorb that information. “What? Jesus, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid I am,” Ellie said, gauging his reaction. He seemed genuine, the pain raw. “Jesse was a clothing designer and owned a boutique called Moonbeams in the small town of Red River Rock.”

Derrick laid a photograph of Jesse on the table, and Mark cradled his head in his hands as he scrutinized it.

“She changed her hair color and she may have been wearing colored contacts,” Ellie explained. “But it’s the same woman.”

Mark looked as if he was going to be ill. “Why… would she change her name?”

“That’s what we wanted to know, so we drove to the town to talk to people who knew her as Jesse,” Ellie continued.

Confusion clouded his eyes, impatience in his voice. “For God’s sake, just tell me what you learned.”

“Jesse Habersham was engaged to a man named Kevin Moon. He’s a real estate broker in Red River Rock, and his family owns most of the town.”

“Mia was engaged before?” he asked, his voice cracking.

“Yes,” Ellie said. “In fact she disappeared on her wedding day shortly after she and Mr. Moon exchanged vows.”

“I don’t believe this.” Mark started shaking. “If she was already married, why would she agree to marry me? Why would she buy a dress and flowers and pick a venue and… why wouldn’t she have told me about all this?”

“All questions we need to answer.” Ellie reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s possible she was running from something. Or someone. That she was afraid.”

Mark suddenly stood, anger sharpening his eyes. “I need to be alone right now.” His voice broke, and Ellie and Derrick stood.

“I understand this is disturbing,” Ellie said softly. “But if you think of anything that might help, something Mia may have mentioned, no matter how small, please give me a call.”

She and Derrick started toward the door, but Mark’s voice stopped them. “Did you talk to this other man? Mia’s hu… husband?”

Ellie slowly turned to face him. “We did.”

“What did he have to say about this?”

“He seemed just as shocked as you that Jesse had taken another name,” Ellie said. “That she was even still alive.”

She knew Mark well enough to believe him. But she didn’t know Kevin Moon at all.

SIXTY-SIX

RED RIVER ROCK

Kevin Moon stared at the river running behind his custom-designed house, watching the water ripple and crash.

He’d built this home for Jesse and the family they’d longed for.

Now she had a daughter.

He curled his hands into fists. Ever since his father had called the night before and told him about the child, he’d been tormented.

Was the little girl he’d seen on TV his daughter? If so, why would Jesse keep her from him? Why had she run away? He’d loved Jesse with every fiber of his being; this was tearing him apart.

The fact that she’d been living in another town and seeing another man made his head want to explode.

This little girl was four. Jesse had run out on him five years ago. Had she been pregnant at the time?

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