What Echoes Render Read online

  “Oh, Mr. Hathaway.” She blinked at him and he watched as her eyes grew wide. “Oh.”

  She was staring at him, having already put two and two together. He crossed his arms and waited. For what, he didn’t know.

  “Vivienne, you’re a married woman. Stop staring.” Ian’s voice held more dry humor than anything else. She waved him off.

  “I’m a doctor, Ian. It’s hard not to appreciate the human form.”

  David felt his lips quirk into a grin as he looked at Ian.

  Ian shook his head. “Go put some clothes on, Hathaway.”

  He smiled. “I’ll do that. And I’ll wake Jesse, let her know you’re here.”

  “Jesse’s napping?” Vivi frowned, causing David to pause in his path. “It’s two in the afternoon.”

  David glanced at Ian, who waved him on. “I’ve got this. Go get dressed.”

  “Oh, for god’s sake, I get it,” he heard Vivi say as Ian chuckled.

  Ten minutes later, he and Jesse emerged from her bedroom. He’d pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt, she’d thrown on a dress and pulled her hair halfway into a ponytail. She still looked sleepy and rumpled and he wished he’d had a chance to wake her properly.

  “Vivi, Ian. Is everything okay?” she asked, checking the coffee pot one or the other of them must have started.

  “I’m fine, how are you?” Vivi looked at Jesse and no one was fooled by her innocent expression.

  Ian hid his laugh behind a cough; David leaned against the counter and avoided the other man’s gaze, fighting his own smile.

  “Uh, I guess you met David. Again.”

  “I did. He was just getting out of the shower. Practically naked. It was quite a surprise. Visually, not a bad one, I’ll admit, but a surprise, nonetheless.”

  David was pretty sure that, until this moment, he hadn’t blushed since he was fourteen. Jesse shot him a startled look before turning her attention back to her friend.

  “The, uh, the coffee is done. Maybe we can go out on the porch and chat?”

  Vivi arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I think we have quite a bit to catch up on. But before we do, I just want to make sure I understand something. You,” she said, turning to her husband. “You knew all about this, correct?” Her finger wagged between David and Jesse.

  “I asked him not to say anything,” Jesse offered Ian her protection.

  Vivi’s eyes narrowed on her husband, not in anger, but in calculation. “Hmm, somehow I doubt that. Let’s go have that chat, Jesse. And, you,” she said, with another look at Ian. “You, I will deal with later.”

  David watched in silence as the good doctor and Jesse poured coffee into their mugs then headed out to the porch. When the door shut behind them, he turned to the sheriff.

  “You at all worried about that?” David asked with a gesture in the direction of Vivi.

  Ian grinned and grabbed a muffin from a basket on the counter—a remnant of the decadent breakfast David had just tried to run off.

  “Nah,” he said, taking a bite. “I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

  David had to laugh at the man’s easy-going nature when it came to his wife.

  “So, anything new in the investigation?” He raised the topic Ian and Vivi had no doubt come to discuss. Pouring the remaining coffee into two more mugs, he took a seat at the breakfast bar. Ian sat across from him.

  “The shoes were Converse sneakers, which makes the footprint useless. They’re unisex, so it could still be either a man’s or woman’s shoe. Other than that, nothing. Have you had any luck getting Jesse to think about who this could be, or if not who, why?” Ian asked.

  David shook his head slowly, thinking of the building schematics at the station.

  “There something you want to say, Hathaway?”

  “Did you know Mark Baker?” he asked. He wasn’t sure what kind of ground he was treading here, so he was trying to tread lightly.

  Ian shook his head. “No. He and Jesse met around the time I left for the service, and I came back right after he died. I always thought it was kind of weird, their age difference and all, but I never heard anything bad about him and by all accounts he seemed like a good husband and father. Why?”

  David was gratified to hear that someone else thought the fourteen-year age difference between Jesse and Mark was odd. It wouldn’t have been all that strange if she’d been in her thirties. But she had barely been an adult, eighteen, when she’d married a thirty-two-year-old man. It might have turned out fine, but when David thought of his daughter dating a man fourteen years her senior, it had big creep factor to it.

  “David?” Ian prompted.

  “I was just thinking about something someone said to me about why these things might be happening to her. I hadn’t told him all the details, like the fact that Mark is dead, but when I told him about what was happening to Jesse, his first theory was a jealous lover followed by his second suggestion of a jealous spouse. Since I’m the boyfriend, I ruled myself out, but it made me think about the spouse. Obviously, it’s not Mark doing all this, but what if it’s about him?”

  “Meaning?” Ian leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter.

  “I’m not sure. But I figure there are only three options that possibly make any sense whatsoever.”

  “Lay it on me. At this point in the game, I’m open to anything.”

  “Well, since someone else, namely Kit’s charming brother Caleb, pointed out that the things didn’t start happening until after Jesse and I met, I wonder about a stalker.”

  “Someone stalking her?”

  “Or me. Either option would work. Someone is stalking her and gets mad when she meets me.”

  “Or someone is stalking you and gets mad when you meet her.”

  “Seems weird to say it, but it’s a possibility.”

  “Have you been keeping your eyes open, then?”

  David took a sip of coffee and picked at a muffin. “I have, sort of. I don’t actually go out that much and when I’m on the job, I’m pretty focused and it’s hard to be aware of anything other than the job.”

  “Not to mention not very safe.”

  He inclined his head. “That, too.”

  “So, what’s the third option?”

  “Maybe all this has something to do with Mark.”

  “Like?”

  David shook his head. “I don’t know. I really don’t. And I can’t explain why it would be happening now, when he’s been dead more than two years.”

  “But?”

  David looked toward the porch, making sure the women weren’t headed back in before he spoke. When he heard nothing but the murmur of their voices outside, he answered. “I may not find anything, but I pulled all the files on the fire that killed Mark. I know nothing about him, but if what is going on now had something to do with something that was going on then, maybe the fire will tell us something.”

  Ian sat back. “You’re seriously looking into his death? What do you think you’re going to find?”

  Again, David shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Probably nothing. But like you said, at this point we’ve drawn so many blanks I can’t think it will hurt.”

  “It might if Jesse finds out.”

  David set his mug down. “Which is why I’m telling you and not her. And neither of us will mention a word of this unless, or until, I find something worth mentioning.”

  Ian regarded him for a long moment before finally giving him a nod of agreement. His face was expressionless so David had no idea if the sheriff thought he was crazy or on to something. Either way, it didn’t matter, he needed to do something and this was something he could do.

  “Don’t you all look so serious,” Vivi said, entering the kitchen with Jesse right behind her. David had been so focused on making his intentions clear he hadn’t heard them coming back in.

  “I was just telling David what I can expect from you when we get home. You know, for keeping this from you and all.” Ian wagged a finger
between David and Jesse, mimicking what his wife had done a short time ago. David was pretty sure the man was goading her on purpose.

  “Dr. DeMarco,” David started.

  “Call me Vivi.”

  “Vivi, thanks for coming by. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you why Jesse and I made the decision we did. It was our decision to make. But all things considered, MacAllister might deserve whatever you plan to dish out. After all, she is one of your closest friends.”

  He draped an arm around Jesse as he watched Vivi’s eyes go from him to her husband. Ian winked at Jesse.

  Vivi rolled her eyes. “Come on, you big lug,” she said, hooking an arm through her husband’s. “I think it’s time to leave these two alone. Not to mention, you and I need to have a little chat.”

  “A chat, eh. So that’s what we’re going to call it—ow!” He cried out as she stomped on his foot.

  “Bye Jesse. Bye David. Do stay in touch,” Vivi said.

  And they were gone.

  David and Jesse listened to sound of the car making its way down her drive. When they could no longer hear it, they both started to laugh. Turning toward her, he wrapped his other arm around her, encircling her.

  “So, was she mad?” he asked.

  Jesse wagged her head from side to side. “More curious than anything.”

  “About?” He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

  “About us—how long we’ve been together, why we’ve kept it secret. Those sorts of things.”

  “But not mad?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe I underestimated my friends. Maybe she won’t try to steamroll me into having the same kind of relationship she has.”

  “Maybe she just wants you to be happy.”

  “She definitely wants that. But it’s also possible that at this very moment her shrink mind is dissecting everything I’ve just told her and I’m becoming a case study.”

  David chuckled. “I doubt it. My guess is Ian will keep her too distracted to do that. Or at least do too much of that.”

  “He did look a bit gleeful about all this, didn’t he?” she agreed with a smile.

  He moved his hands to the back of her head and began to massage her scalp. Her head fell back and she closed her eyes. It was all well and good that their friends were taking things in stride, but there was one topic he and Jesse hadn’t covered in all this.

  “What about the kids?” he asked. One of her eyes popped open for a moment, then closed again.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, my teammates know, a few of your friends know. Do we need to tell our kids so they don’t hear it from anyone else?”

  Both her eyes opened now and began to search his. He was ready to tell Miranda, had been for a while. But his relationship with his daughter was very different than Jesse’s relationships were with her sons. Miranda had never had a mother and was off at college starting her own life. That wasn’t the case with Jesse’s boys.

  “Do you think we should?” she asked, her voice tentative.

  “I think Miranda would want to know, but your situation is different than mine. Do I want Matt and James to know? Yes, but only if you feel it’s the right thing to do and only when you feel it’s the right time.”

  Her eyes never left his as his fingers continued to massage her. “It would change things,” she said.

  He nodded. But things were already changing.

  “I don’t know how they would react,” she added.

  He didn’t either. Putting himself in their shoes, he wasn’t sure how he would feel. But the man in him wanted her to be sure enough of him to take on whatever reaction her boys might have. Of course the parent in him understood her hesitancy.

  “But then again, I’m not all together certain they’d be surprised. And even if they are, while they will always be my kids, at some point, my life is my own. Just as their lives will be their own.”

  David said nothing, not wanting to interfere with her reasoning process. It had to be her decision and her decision alone. She knew where he stood; the rest was up to her.

  “I think I should tell them.”

  His hands stilled. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “But I want to tell them in person. Matt will be home at the end of September for homecoming. I’ll do it then.”

  It was about a month away. Part of him wanted her to tell them now. Right this minute. But another part of him, a much bigger part, was just as ready to take this next step at whatever pace she set. They’d done the right thing starting out as they had. And he trusted that as they moved forward, as long as they continued to do what felt right for each of them, they would figure out what worked for them, what was the best for them, what would make them the strongest. Because there was one thing they both knew all too well and that was that life didn’t always make things easy. But, if you had someone in your corner, sometimes it was easier.

  CHAPTER 18

  JESSE REACHED FOR HER RINGING PHONE and checked herself moments before she growled a sleepy, grumpy greeting. She didn’t want to sound like she’d just woken up on the off chance it was one of the boys calling; they would find it weird that she was still asleep at close to ten o’clock in the morning.

  “Hello?” she said, trying to sound more chipper than she felt. David slung an arm around her waist and tugged her close. They’d stayed up late watching BBC’s Inspector Lewis and because she had a bit of a crush on the series' character Sergeant Hathaway, her own personal Hathaway had felt the need to prove just how much more crush worthy he was, which had kept them up even later.

  “Jesse?” Kayla’s voice came across the line. Instantly, Jesse was more awake.

  “Yes, it’s me, Kayla. Is everything okay?” There was very little her assistant couldn’t handle so that fact that she was calling wasn’t a good sign.

  “Everything is fine, it’s just that, well, I wanted to let you know we’ve had an abandoned child brought in,” Kayla said.

  Jesse pulled herself into a sitting position as she tried to process what she’d just heard. “An abandoned child? Who? Where?”

  “A toddler really, we think she’s about a year and a half. She was found in the park a few blocks from here, the one at the top of Philips Street. Someone called the police and as a matter of procedure, the police brought her here.”

  Jesse knew the park; it wasn’t far from the hospital. “Is she okay?”

  “She appears to be fine, but we’re waiting for a child advocate to get here before we do an exam.”

  “And where is she now?” Jesse asked.

  “She’s with Gabby Sanchez, the pediatric ER nurse, and Roxanne Bly, the social worker.”

  Everything sounded under control. But an abandoned child? Occasionally, they had women abandon their babies in the nursery, but this was the first time in her career an abandoned child had come to the hospital.

  “And the police?” she prompted, knowing Kayla would have any necessary details.

  “They are working on it. Checking missing persons reports and AMBER Alerts and talking to anyone who might have seen the person who left her.”

  Jesse’s mind was working a mile a minute. The poor little girl must be terrified, but it was also potentially a media issue—which was no doubt one of the reasons Kayla had called. If word got out about the child, the local media would most definitely show up, since, in their area, most news consisted of reporting community events and high school athletics. They didn’t have a lot of stories like this, not even in Riverside, and it would be a big news day for the few media outlets in the region.

  “I’m going to call Colin at the Riverside Police Department. He’s their head PR guy. I’ll make sure that we’re on the same page with who handles the media and what they say. I’m sure you’ve already told everyone to keep this quiet?” Jesse asked.

  Kayla gave her confirmation.

  “Good, not only do I not want any media crawling around the hospital, I don’t want anyone at the hospital to
do anything that might hinder the police investigation or get in the way of helping the child,” Jesse added.

  Kayla rattled off a few of the precautions she’d already put in place. Together they came up with a few more ideas to ensure that the little girl stayed safe and any media stayed away and then hung up.

  Jesse slid out of bed, pulled on a robe, and padded out to the kitchen, leaving David to sleep. Turning her computer on, she found Colin in her contacts and placed the call.

  The department was as baffled as anyone but was following procedures, just as Kayla had told her. She learned that the little girl had been found sleeping in some blankets under the swing set at eight o’clock that morning and, with the exception of having been left there, seemed relatively happy and healthy. They agreed that the police would handle all inquiries and that she would instruct her staff not to give any comments. She also learned that the child would be placed in protective custody until they had more information, and while the police would release general information about her, like her approximate age and gender and where she was left, they wouldn’t release her picture or any details.

  It all made perfect sense to her, even though the situation in general made no sense. Who would abandon a child in a park? She didn’t have an answer for that but called Kayla to give her the update.

  She was still pondering this question over a cup of coffee when David walked in. He’d pulled on a pair of shorts but still looked sleepy—yawning, rubbing a hand over his bare chest, and sporting a serious case of bedhead.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, dropping a kiss on her head before pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down beside her. Still contemplating the plight of the little girl, she filled him in.

  He reached out and rubbed her arm in support. “Are you going to go in?”

  She shrugged. “I thought about it, but Kayla has things under control. She’s worked with Colin from the police department before, so I think they’ll cover all the bases. I’ll stay on call today, but I think that once the child’s exam is done, as long as it doesn’t show anything, they’ll take her into custody and move her from the hospital.”

  He picked up her hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what would cause a parent to abandon his or her child.”