Gone (47 page)

“Now I
really
have to go,” Clare said.

They both laughed and then Clare stepped onto the porch. The Burbys’ yellow lab snoozed in his usual position, head on forepaws. His eyelids opened a crack as Clare turned and waved to Beth before she closed the door.

After spending one week in a hospital in Columbia, Beth had gone to stay with the Burbys. Patty and Beth had renewed their friendship, and Patty had opened her home to her friend. Clare had spent most of her time in the week since Beth’s release at the Burby house as well, getting to know her sister.

Her sister.
As they always did lately, those words brought on a smile.

Beth had not rejected the notion of a sister. Beth had not rejected Clare. Even when Clare had told her where they’d come from, Beth had not turned her away and every day, Clare could feel the bond between them growing stronger.

She opened the door to her rental car, then took a step back from the heat emanating from the inside. In five minutes or fifty, the car would still be hot, and just got inside.

She drove slowly away from the Burbys. She had a plane to catch back to New York, but first she had one stop to make.

Jake’s house came into view. He was on a ladder, painting another section of the eaves trough. Clare remembered that he’d first abandoned the task on the day they’d gone to view a body they’d feared had been Beth.

He looked away from the eaves trough as she pulled into his driveway. He continued to watch her as she left the car and made her way to the hood where she leaned back against it.

His eyes narrowed on her. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.”

Clare had spent three nights in a hospital herself. A look in the mirror that morning had shown her an assortment of cuts and bruises. Lowney had damaged her ankle again when he’d stomped on it and she’d be using the crutch for some time to come.

Her first night in the hospital, as she’d drifted in and out of consciousness, she’d opened her eyes and saw Jake. She’d jerked awake several times that night, fighting pain and fear, and each time she opened her eyes, Jake had been there, holding her hand, murmuring that she was safe.

“How’s Beth?” Jake asked.

Clare smiled. “Mother-to-be and her unborn child are doing well.”

Jake nodded. “I’m glad.”

A group of neighborhood children ran down the sidewalk, in pursuit of a long-haired white dog. Clare frowned as the breeze carried the dog’s scent. By the smell of him, the animal had recently met up with a skunk.

Clare pushed back the cream-colored jacket she wore and jammed her hands into the front pockets of matching walking shorts. “I came by to tell you I’m going back to New York.”

His mouth tightened. “Today. I know. Word travels in Farley.”

His warm tone when he’d asked about Beth was gone. His voice was now cold, and Clare’s stomach fluttered. “My plane leaves at four.”

“Have a safe trip home.”

Clare shifted her weight on the crutch. “I called Cohen. He told me that you’d spoken with him on my behalf.”

“You’re a good cop, Clare. I didn’t tell him anything that wasn’t true. I take it he gave you the okay to resume your field post?”

She nodded. “He did, but I asked for a leave of absence instead. I need some time.”

“That son of a bitch Lowney.” A muscle pulsed in Jake’s jaw. “I’d like to drown him.”

Clare would not be forgetting that horrific experience soon. “How’s it going tracking down the other women on the tapes?”

“Tapes date back fifteen years. We’ve matched a couple of the women with missing persons reports that were filed. We’ll be trying to find bodies next. Lowney suggested to you that he’d buried the women in the woods, but there’s a lot of ground to cover.” Jake released a frustrated breath. “We’ll see.”

They would also see about Rich Dannon. He had been cleared of the murders, but not the assault against Clare.

“Beth is filing for divorce,” Clare said. “She’s been opening up about what her life has been like with Ryder. Physical and psychological abuse.” Clare shook her head. “He was controlling her life. He’d forced her to work at Connie’s so he would know where she was all day. Beth is terrified of him. She was afraid to accept Parker Burby’s help the time he’d walked in on one of Ryder’s beatings. She was afraid that Ryder would harm Patty and Parker. I’m going to make sure Ryder doesn’t hurt Beth or their child.”

“Going to be tough to do that, living in New York.” Jake’s cold tone was back. He wiped his hands with a rag laying across the top of the ladder, then when he’d finished flung it back.

“I’m going to New York to pack up my apartment and then I’m coming back here. I made an appointment with Dr. Amedes.”

Jake’s gaze on her sharpened.

Clare drew a breath that came a little hard due to the tightness in her chest. “I thought when I found Beth, my life would be complete. But it isn’t. Something is still missing. You, Jake. What’s missing is you. I don’t know if forever is possible, but I want to find out. If you still want that.” She took a chance. “If you still want me.”

Jake descended the ladder slowly and went to stand in front of her. Clare’s heart drummed, waiting for him to speak.

He reached out and framed her face between his palms, drying the tears trickling down her cheeks with his thumbs. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I met you. Do you remember when that was?”

“Training session. We were paired off.” Clare’s lips quirked. “I kicked your ass.”

Jake smiled. His eyes glinted as he teased. “Since you’re a girl, I held back.”

Clare laughed. “Those are fighting words, Sutton. Rematch. Take your best shot now.”

Jake pressed his lips to hers.

Clare wound her arms around his neck, holding him as if her life depended on it, and kissed him back.

About the Author
 

Karen Fenech is the author of romantic suspense novels
Betrayal
and
Unholy
Angels
. She lives with her husband and daughter. Visit Karen’s website at
www.karenfenech.com
.