Keeping Katie (A Mother's Heart #1) (25 page)

Alan stood in the shadows and watched the stranger as he left the Double Time Bar and Grill. The man headed across the parking lot, and then stopped beneath a copse of trees at the edge of the lot, looking around, evidently searching the darkness. For a brief moment, his gaze seemed to light on the spot where Alan stood across the street, and he thought he’d been spotted. Then the other man turned away, slipped a little farther into the dimness beneath the trees, and pulled out a cell phone.

Alan took a deep breath, willing himself to stay put. He wanted to stop that call. He didn’t know why, but something told him the call was important. And it had to do with Maureen.

But the man hadn’t done anything wrong. Not yet. And as ominous as it felt for him to be making a call in the middle of night outside a bar on Main Street—a local’s bar filled with town news and gossip—there was no law against it. So Alan remained in place and waited, wishing he could hear what was being said.

There was no telling how long the stranger had been in town. And that made Alan even more uncomfortable. At any other time of the year, he would have spotted this man immediately. As it was, with summer tourists overflowing the town, Alan couldn’t say for sure how long the stranger had been hanging around asking questions.

But Alan knew him now, and there was no doubt in his mind that the man was watching Maureen. Strangely enough, Alan would have preferred to think that the stranger had picked her at random—just a woman alone—as a likely victim. But he had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

He glanced around, trying to find a way to get closer. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of the street, and street lamps lighted the closed storefronts on both sides, The only cover was provided by the building he hovered near and the trees where the stranger stood talking on his cell.

Alan had become aware of the man this afternoon, during Bud’s little scene in the diner. The stranger had been sitting alone in one of Lynn’s corner booths, sipping coffee. Like everyone else in the room, he’d been all eyes. But there had been something else as well … a tension, a readiness about the man that made Alan’s skin crawl. If he and Bud had come to blows, Alan had no doubt that the stranger would have been ready.

But ready for what?

The stranger turned his back to the street, and Alan saw his chance. Still, he didn’t move. It would only take a slight shift in stance for the man to spot Alan, and he wasn’t ready for a confrontation. Besides, he doubted that he would be able to get close enough to hear what was being said anyway. Cursing silently, he resigned himself to staying put.

Once Alan had left the diner this afternoon, he had forgotten about the stranger. He had been too preoccupied with Maureen. He’d wanted to confront her immediately, but he was so angry that he dared not go near her. But as usual, he was aware of her activities. He knew when she left the diner for the day and he’d stepped to the windows in his office to watch her and Katie make their way to the park.

That’s when he had noticed the stranger again.

The man sat on a park bench near the playground, a newspaper open in front of him. Only he wasn’t reading. His eyes remained locked on Maureen and Katie, following their every move.

But even that wouldn’t have been enough to make Alan skirt around after midnight, scrutinizing this guy’s every move. It was the last time Alan had seen him that was responsible for this particular vigil.

Alan had been distracted when he left Rita’s earlier this evening. He had confronted Maureen about her involvement with Tommy Simmons and been disturbed by what he’d found out. Then he’d asked her about her hair, and he knew she was lying to him.

But he’d noticed the stranger right away.

Once again, the other man was all innocence. He stood across the street from Rita’s, talking to one of her neighbors. From what Alan could gather from the conversation, the man was asking for directions.

Alan couldn’t put his finger on it—call it gut instinct if you will—but something about the man’s presence didn’t seem right. He was alone, for one thing. If he was a tourist, where was his family? Wyattville wasn’t exactly on the businessman’s circuit. He was dressed like a vacationer … only he wasn’t. Then there was the little matter of his watching Maureen.

Shaking the distracting thoughts, Alan brought his attention back to the present. Across the street, the stranger ended his call. For a moment, he just stood there, his features hidden by the darkness of the trees. Then abruptly, he turned and crossed the street, coming straight toward Alan. And again, he thought he’d been spotted. When the stranger reached the sidewalk, however, he turned, heading toward the outskirts of town.

Alan never considered letting him go. It was time to see what this man was up to. He let the other man pass before stepping out of the shadows behind him. “Pretty late to be roaming the streets.”

The stranger stopped, his back suddenly rigid. He turned slowly, hiding any surprise he might feel to find the town’s sheriff facing him in the middle of the night. “ ‘Evening, Sheriff.”

Alan got his first close look at the other man and knew his instincts had been right. This was no tourist. He towered over Alan by a good three to four inches, but it was the hard lines of his face and his well-disciplined stance that spoke the loudest.

“Mind telling me what you’re doing out here this time of night?” Alan asked.

The man glanced around at the empty street before bringing his focus back to Alan. “Have I broken the law?”

“Not that I know of.” Alan crossed his arms. “Just seems mighty peculiar, your wandering around this late.”

The other man smiled and shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“And what about the person you called? Couldn’t they sleep, either?”

To his surprise, the other man chuckled softly. “Not anymore.”

When Alan didn’t respond, the stranger’s smile faded. Silence enveloped the two as they stood their ground, each sizing up the other.

“How about some ID?” Alan said finally, knowing he was on shaky legal ground here but not really caring. This man was up to something, and it had to do with Maureen.

“Sure thing.” The man reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. Pulling out a driver’s license, he offered it to Alan. “Name’s Cooper. Sam Cooper.”

Alan took the plastic-laminated card and quickly memorized the details. He knew the man’s credentials would appear in order. But what would he find if he ran the name through his contacts in Seattle? Out loud he asked, “What are you doing in Wyattville?”

Cooper shrugged. “Just passing through, Sheriff.”

“I think not.”

Alan saw a spark of anger in Cooper’s eyes. “Well maybe I don’t care what you think.”

“Maybe you should start. You’ve been hanging around, asking a lot of questions. I don’t like that.”

“You don’t say.”

“What’s your interest in Maureen Adams?”

Cooper shook his head. “Don’t know the woman.”

“You sure? Maybe you’d like to come over to my office. That might refresh your memory some.”

“Don’t threaten me, Sheriff.” Cooper met his gaze. “I’m not one of your local boys.”

Once again, the two men locked gazes while the air around them sparked with tension. This time, it was Cooper who spoke first. “I’m not here to cause any trouble, Sheriff. And I’m sure not looking to lock horns with you.”

Alan studied the man for a moment longer before returning his license. Cooper made him uneasy, but there was truth in his words, in his eyes. Besides, the man had done nothing illegal—yet.

“I think it’s about time you moved on, then,” Alan said.

Cooper returned his wallet to his back pocket and smiled. “I was planning on leaving first thing in the morning.”

It was almost dawn before Cooper got around to calling Anderson again. This time, he didn’t bother going out, but called from his tiny motel room at the edge of town.

Anderson was awake and picked up the phone on the first ring. “Yes.”

“I’m coming in,” Cooper said, rubbing his eyes. Damn, he was tired. It had been a rough couple of months. And he sure didn’t need that little confrontation with Parks. “The sheriff’s spotted me.”

He could almost hear Anderson’s disapproval. Cooper no longer cared. He’d done his job. He’d found the girl and her kid. Now he was looking forward to a little time off.

“Do you have somebody else who can keep an eye on her?” Anderson asked. “Someone you trust?”

“Yeah. Couple of guys. They look like college kids. I’ll put them in scruffy jeans and boots and they’ll fit right in around here.”

Anderson paused a moment. “What about the envelope I sent you?”

“Got it a couple of days ago.”

“Good. Make sure she gets it before you leave.”

“Okay. I’ll hand deliver it.” Cooper leaned his head against the wall, eyes closed, and stifled a yawn. Maybe he could catch a couple hours’ sleep before heading back to Seattle. “I’ll be by in a day or two to pick up the rest of my money.”

“No.”

Cooper opened his eyes. “What?”

“We’re not done yet. Fly to Miami and check in at the Airport Hilton. I’ll meet you there.”

Anderson hung up, leaving Cooper holding a dead line. Cursing under his breath, he considered calling Anderson back and telling him to go to hell. Instead, he dropped the receiver into its cradle and lay back on the bed.

“Damn!” he said aloud.

On Saturday, Friday’s headache had intensified, and so had the crowds at Lynn’s. The combination left Maureen short-tempered and irritable. One man repeatedly snapped his fingers at her, calling her everything from girl to waitress, and then grumbled about slow service. Maureen’s temper snapped and she suggested he and his partner try the burger place in the next town down the road.

The couple stormed out, complaining loudly to Lynn as they went through the door. Lynn shrugged and shot Maureen a reassuring grin.

Maureen wanted the day to end.

She told herself that now she had made the decision to leave Wyattville, she was ready to go. Anxious, even, to put this town and everyone in it behind her.

At two o’clock, she gathered her things from the back storeroom. She said goodbye to the cook, waved to one of the kids helping out for the summer, and headed for the kitchen door. The moment she stepped back inside the dining room, however, she couldn’t go any farther.

Lynn sat at the counter laughing and talking with one of their regular customers. It suddenly struck Maureen that after today she would never set foot in the diner again—never see Lynn again, either. On Monday, instead of showing up for work, Maureen would be on a bus heading west.

She walked over to the counter.

Lynn broke off her conversation and smiled. “Don’t worry about the jerk who was in here earlier, Maureen. We’ll survive without his kind.”

“Thanks.” Maureen nodded and forced a smile, saddened at the thought of betraying this woman. Lynn had been good to her. A friend. And Monday morning, she’d be short one pair of hands. It was no big deal. Lynn would hardly notice it. She’d call any one of a dozen locals to help her get through the morning. That didn’t stop Maureen from wishing she could tell Lynn everything, or even just say goodbye.

“Are you okay?” Lynn asked.

Maureen snapped back to the moment, realizing that she’d been standing there staring, lost in her own thoughts. “Yeah. It’s just a headache.”

“Well, you go on home. Skip the park today. Get Rita to watch Katie and lay down for a while.”

“I think I’ll do that.”

“Good. Now go.” Lynn shooed her toward the door with a wave of her hands. “And have a nice day off.”

Maureen nodded, feeling the sudden urge to cry. “Sure.” There was nothing else to say. Nothing else she
could
say. She left quickly before she did or said anything she would regret.

She’d take Lynn’s advice. She picked up Katie and headed home, finding Rita in the kitchen.

“Rita, would you mind watching Katie for a little while?” Maureen hated to ask, but her head was pounding and she needed some time alone. “I’m not feeling very well, and I’d like to lie down.” Except for her excursions to see Tommy, Maureen had made it a point not to impose on the older woman by asking her to watch Katie too often. Not that Rita ever seemed to mind. Maureen just hated being a burden. But then, she told herself, after tomorrow, she and Katie would be out of Rita’s hair for good.