Mason dropped her off at home and left. She chewed the inside of her lip as she watched him drive away. And frowned.
She waved to the unmarked car sitting on the curb. Mason had called in a friend of his. Another marshal giving up her day off to keep an eye on things at Lacey’s house.
Her heart clenched with gratitude. She was very blessed in spite of her daughter’s disappearance. She just had to keep reminding herself of this fact.
Entering the house, she found her parents in the den watching the news. Probably hoping to hear Bethany had been found.
“Hi,” she said softly.
Her father looked up, his lined face seemed to have a acquired a few more wrinkles just in the short amount of time Bethany had been missing. “Anything?”
“We thought we had caught her, but—” She bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m not sure what to think. It seems she was attacked, then rescued by a woman. But we still don’t know where she is!” Tears filled her eyes and this time she couldn’t hold them back.
Sinking onto the sofa next to her mother, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Warm arms enfolded her and she let her mother hold her as they shared their common fear in a flood of tears.
A hand covered the back of her head and soft whispers finally reached her ears.
Her father was praying.
But would God hear this man? She thought He might now. In the short time she’d been home, he’d proven to be a different person than the one she grew up with. Her mother had told her he was, and Lacey had to admit she had seen a huge difference in the man ever since they’d moved in.
She looked up and palmed the tears from her cheeks. Her mother did the same, and her father returned to his recliner, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
But his lips still moved. Her heart breaking at their anguish, she sighed and headed for the kitchen.
Her mother hurried after her, wiping her own tears on a tissue magically produced from one of her pockets. “What is it, Lacey? What are you not telling us?”
Lacey pulled the milk from the fridge and the cocoa, sugar and other items from the cabinet. “Want some hot chocolate?” So what if it was eighty-five degrees outside. She felt chilled from the inside out.
Her mother watched her, sighed and pulled two mugs from the cupboard. “Sure, that would be lovely.”
“Bethany loves this stuff,” Lacey murmured. “She always has. I never could fool her when I fixed the package mix. She would always shake her head and say I fixed her the fake chocolate and she wanted the real deal.”
“She’s turned into a wonderful girl, Lacey,” her mother said softly. “You’ve done a magnificent job. And all by yourself, too.”
Lacey watched her mom purse her lips and blink back tears. “Well, I did have a little help. God placed some amazing people in my path along the way.”
She wondered whether or not to broach the question she’d wanted to ask for years. Then went for it. “What did the congregation say when I basically disappeared that summer, never to be seen from again?”
Her mother drew in a deep breath. “Oh, my. That was one of the hardest summers of my life.”
Surprised, Lacey froze then turned to look at her. “Why?”
“Why?” Her mother gave an incredulous laugh that held no humor. “Because I had to send my baby girl away.” Tears filled her eyes and she looked away. “I didn’t want to but your father convinced me it was for the best.”
“He had an image to maintain,” Lacey said angrily. She couldn’t help it. The words came out wrapped in hurt and bitterness.
A resigned sigh filtered from her mother. “Yes, there was that. But it was more. He felt like you betrayed him—us—and everything that we taught you. He felt like you betrayed yourself.” Her mother shrugged and swiped a few more stray tears.
“Well,” Lacey admitted, “I suppose I did, but I think the punishment didn’t really fit the crime.”
“I agree.”
“So what did the church say?” Her mother had avoided answering that one.
The woman sighed. “Your father told them you’d decided to go to school in North Carolina.”
“Hmm. The truth. At least part of it.”
“Yes. Of course it was the truth. He would never lie, you know.” Surprised, Lacey wondered if she didn’t detect a hint of bitterness in her mother’s voice. With a start, she realized her mother had her own regrets. She poured the milk into the saucepan and turned on the stove. “Knowing what you know now, would you have done things differently?”
Her mother looked her in the eye. “In a heartbeat.”
Lacey expected to feel satisfaction, a surge of victory that she’d managed to make her mom regret sending her away. Instead she just felt sad for all the missed years, missed family time, and the missed granddaughter/grandparent time Bethany should have experienced growing up.
On impulse, she threw her arms around her mom and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn and unforgiving. I’m sorry I waited so long to come home and share Bethany with you.”
Her mother’s arms enclosed her in that embrace she remembered from childhood. “I know. I’m sorry, too.” When she pulled back, she cupped Lacey’s face and said, “But let’s not think about what we missed. Let’s think about what we have in front of us. A lifetime of love.” She tightened her lips. “As soon as we get Bethany back.”
“Deal. It’s not going to be about what was missed. It’s going to be about the future.”
Her mother patted her arm. “I’ve got to get your father’s medication for him.”
Lacey rubbed her bleary eyes. “I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.”
With one last hug, the two parted and Lacey started down the hall to her bedroom with her mug.
Settling on the bed, she pulled her laptop toward her. Might as well work while she could. Just as she powered up the machine, a knock on her door sounded.
“Come in.”
The door swung open and her father entered.
Surprised, she could only stare at him with one brow raised. He rarely sought her out since she’d been home. “Hey.”
“Hi.” He looked uneasy as he stood in the entrance.
Taking pity on him, she motioned him inside. “What is it?”
Blowing out a sigh, he raised one hand to rub his balding head. “I have something I need to tell you and it’s going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I’m working up my nerve.”
Puzzled, she simply looked at him.
“All right,” he said, moving to the chair by the small desk on the opposite wall. “I guess there’s nothing to it but to come out and say it.” She waited.
Clearing his throat, her father said, “I was wrong. And prideful.”
She drew in a deep breath. “About?”
“Sending you away.” Looking down at his hands, she saw his fingers work and wring themselves together. Finally, his head lifted and he swallowed again. “The night you came to us and told us you were pregnant was surreal to me. I remember it in a haze—and with such disappointment and—anger.”
She really didn’t need this right now. “Dad…”
He held up a hand. “Just let me finish, please.”
Wilting back against the pillow, she conceded.
Her father rubbed his mouth then shook his head. “I had just counseled a father that day. His daughter was seventeen years old and had told her parents that she was pregnant. In my…stupidity…I essentially blamed him. Told him what a bad father he’d been and how the teachings of his household and his spiritual leadership had obviously fallen short. In a word, I judged him lacking.”
“Because his daughter got pregnant,” Lacey said dully.
“Yes.”
It all became startling clear. “I see now.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Tears formed in his tired eyes, and Lacey forced herself not to look away. Instead, she said, “So when I told you I was pregnant…”
He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Don’t think the irony escaped me.”
Her throat ached with the effort to hold back her tears. “And you certainly couldn’t have me show up in church, pregnant.”
“No, my pride wouldn’t have that.” He sighed and looked away. “So, the only option available was to send you away.”
Old hurt welled up inside her. She forced it away. The time had come to forgive. It was the reason she had come home in the first place. And what he was saying was nothing she hadn’t thought about. She knew his sending her away had to do with his pride, she just hadn’t realized how much. Only now, he sat before her a humble and broken man.
Rising from the bed she pushed the laptop aside and walked to her father’s side. Kneeling beside him, she took his hand in hers. “I forgive you, Dad.”
A sob escaped him. “How?” he whispered.
“Because God forgave me.”
He knew what she meant. In one move, he gathered her to his thin, shaking frame and buried his face in her hair. “Thank you, Lacey. I know I don’t deserve it.”
“I don’t, either.”
He pulled back. “Can we move on from here?”
Lacey stood, her knees popping. She gave a shaky laugh. “I think moving on from here’s going to be the easy part—as soon as we get Bethany home.”
Her father stood, too, and stroked her cheek. “You’re a fabulous mother. You’ve done a wonderful job with her.”
Tears threatened once again but she choked them down. “Thanks, Dad.”
With one last hug, he walked from her room.
Which left Lacey staring across the hall at another closed door.
Bethany’s.
On impulse, she took a deep breath, walked to it and put her hand on the knob. She closed her eyes and opened Bethany’s door. Slowly, she opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
The mess from the other night had been cleaned up. She shuddered at the memory and tried not to visualize Bethany’s features over that of the wig holder.
Lacey’s mother had washed and dried the bedspread and all was as it should be. Waiting for Bethany to return to her rightful place.
Oh, Bethany, where are you, darling?
Lacey sat on Bethany’s bed and picked up her pillow. Breathing in, she realized that the washing had taken away most of Bethany’s scent.
Hurrying to the closet, she opened the door and pulled up short. A strange faint smell greeted her. A smell that seemed familiar yet she couldn’t place it. It wasn’t Bethany, that much she knew.
Unless Bethany had changed perfumes.
A chill swept over her. How had a strange—yet familiar—scent gotten in here? Had someone been in this closet? And when?
Quickly, she took inventory. Unlike most teenagers, Bethany didn’t have a closet full of clothes. Lacey hadn’t been able to afford them, not if Bethany wanted to keep up with the karate. For a long time, it had been hand-to-mouth, paycheck-to-paycheck living. All of Bethany’s clothes were accounted for except for the ones she was wearing when she’d disappeared.
Except for her purple A-shaped shirt with the ruffled collar and a pair of jeans.
Why hadn’t she noticed this before? She’d gone through Bethany’s clothes when her mother had voiced concerns that Bethany had left willingly.
All of her clothes had been there at that time.
Including the shirt and jeans.
So when had these disappeared?
Last night when the person after her had been in her house? And why?
Because the person felt that Bethany needed a change of clothes? Maybe?
Again, why?
Lacey shuddered. Felt the hair on her neck stand straight up. This was so wrong.
She fingered the rest of the clothes. All accounted for. Moving from the closet to Bethany’s dresser, she opened the top drawer.
All looked undisturbed. Socks, underwear…Lacey’s diary.
Her breath whooshed out and she opened the book.
April 1st
Today MS kissed me for the first time. I laughed, I couldn’t help it. He was so cute and so nervous…and so gallant. I didn’t laugh too much, though. I can’t believe he waited a whole month of dating before kissing me. He’s so incredibly wonderful. I can’t wait to see where all this goes.
April 16th
MS told me that his mother left his father a couple of years ago. That she had a lot of affairs and lied to his dad about all of them. And his dad believed her. MS was so disgusted with her. I’m surprised he’s even interested in dating after watching his parents’ marriage fall apart. I want to do everything in my power to prove to him that I’ll always be there for him. I know he’d be there for me—through anything. I love him so much.
Lacey slapped the book closed. She couldn’t relive that right now. Replacing the diary back where she’d gotten it from, she decided to let Bethany decide when to approach her about it.
Closing the drawer, she thought about Mason confronting Daniel. She wondered what Daniel would say. Would he finally admit his big lie after all these years? Or would he continue to deny it?
Lacey swallowed hard and decided she didn’t care as long as Mason believed her. That was all she’d wanted for as long as she could remember.
She opened the next drawer. Scarves, belts, jogging shorts and T-shirts. Again, nothing out of place.
Wait a minute. Lacey picked up one of the scarves and flashed to the memory of Daniel finding the one at the scene.
The place Bethany had disappeared from.
The place where someone had dropped a scarf?
Raising the item to her nose, she inhaled. It smelled like Bethany.
But reminded her of someone else.
Someone who might be Bethany’s kidnapper.