28

 

“I’m not leaving Layla.” Maria glared at Conrad and the others as they sat around Suzanne’s dining room table. She couldn’t keep her daughter safe if they weren’t together. Raymond was out there somewhere. He would find them and take her away from Maria forever.

“I know it’s difficult, but she’ll be safe here. But if you really want to take her with us, I won’t stop you. It’s up to you.” Conrad’s voice was calm and rational.

“Do you really want Layla exposed to the questions the FBI wants to ask you?” Suzanne looked at her. “And the answers you have to give them?”

Maria bit her lip. Neither option was good and as much as she hated leaving Layla, she definitely didn’t want her to hear the things she had to say about her father. Ever.

“Zink can take care of her, right? She’ll be safe here.” Conrad smiled at her with assurance. “No one knows the two of you are here except us and the chief. This is probably the safest place for her to be right now.”

Maria considered his words. The FBI would eventually let her go. She hadn’t kidnapped or killed anyone. And she had to keep Layla out of sight and away from Raymond. Trusting herself to make the right decision was so hard for her anymore.

Her gaze met Conrad’s. Trusting Conrad, she nodded. “She can stay here.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” Suzanne smiled. “I have an excellent alarm system I’ll set. Nobody’s going to get through that system.”

Conrad touched Maria’s shoulder. “And we’ve got BOLOs out for Raymond, David Hamm, and his rental car. He won’t get close to you or the motel. The FBI and the U.S. Marshals will make sure of that.”

Maria knew Conrad believed what he was saying. But he didn’t know Raymond or what the man was capable of. She nodded, but said nothing.

“Good,” Suzanne said. “Sounds like a plan to me. Maria can go in and answer the FBI’s questions, and I’ll keep Layla here with me.”

Conrad walked over to Maria. “If they ask about her, tell them she’s visiting a friend. They don’t have to know who or where the friend is. Once they’re done with their questions, the Marshals can escort you back, you get Layla, and you’ll be off to a new life.” Conrad stared at her.

She couldn’t meet his eyes. The spark between them was real, but now she would never know if it could have turned into more. “I guess that’s how it has to be. But...” What could she say? That she didn’t want to go? That she wanted to stay here—with Conrad? That he made her feel safe? But that was crazy talk, she barely knew the man. She certainly didn’t know him well enough to trust him. “Fine.”

Suzanne cleared her throat. “We have a little time before you have to go. Do you want to listen to the recording now?”

“Good idea,” Conrad said. “Maybe you’ll decide it’s not your dead husband back from the grave. According to Morgan Reed, it’s not possible that it’s Raymond. He’s dead.”

Maria prayed that would be the case—but she didn’t have much hope. She knew in her heart Raymond was alive, because she’d never felt safe since the day she’d discovered her husband was a monster.

Suzanne hit the button on the recorder, but her doorbell buzzed at the same time.

“I’ll get it.” Suzanne walked towards the door.

“How’re you holding up?” Conrad leaned close and picked up her hand.

“Truthfully, I’m numb. My mind doesn’t seem to be functioning.”

“You are a strong woman, Maria. Look at all you’ve been through, and you’re not only still here, but you’re smiling most of the time. I have nothing but admiration for how well you’ve handled all this.”

Tears welled up and she wiped them away. “Thanks. That means a lot.” She squeezed his hand.

“The chief’s back.” Suzanne came in, followed by the chief.

Chief Martin sat down and pressed the button on the recorder.

The group listened to the recording two times without comment.

Finally, Ben looked at Maria. “So, do you still think it’s your dead husband talking?”

If it wasn’t Raymond, then who was it? The thought that it wasn’t Raymond terrified her almost as much as if it was. “I’m not sure. It sounds like him, but not exactly. This man’s voice isn’t quite as deep as Raymond’s, but it is still, cold and unfeeling.” Hearing the voice made her sick to her stomach. “I can’t be sure.”

“Maybe Layla could—”

“No way, Ben.” Conrad said. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s just a little girl who thinks her dad is an angel. She doesn’t need to hear him talking about kidnapping her best friend.”

The protectiveness in his voice warmed Maria’s heart. She looked at him with gratitude.

He smiled back at her.

“Fine, fine. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking about it from that point of view.”

“You certainly weren’t thinking, chief.” Suzanne glared at her boss. “Sometimes, I wonder about you.”

Maria ran her fingers through her hair. “None of this makes any sense. Whether this man is Raymond or not, he has to know I would never let him have Layla willingly. So why would he try to arrange an exchange? He knows it would be a setup.”

“Good point, Maria.” Conrad’s hand rested on her shoulder. “Why is he going through with this charade, whether he has Emily or not?”

She fought the urge to grasp Conrad’s hand. His touch seemed to keep her anchored, keep her from crumbling. Conrad thought she was a strong woman, but she had no strength left. Saying a silent prayer, she asked for wisdom and peace.

Chief Martin heaved a sigh as he plopped down in a chair. “Because he doesn’t know where you are. He can’t take Layla until he can find the two of you.”

“Perfect poker play,” Conrad spoke up. “So he’s trying to force your hand.”

Maria nodded. “So, he can steal her away from me again. So, you don’t think it was Raymond Layla saw at school?”

“If it had been him at school that afternoon,” the chief said, “he would have taken her and been gone before you knew anything was amiss.”

“It had to have been her imagination.” Conrad paced around the room. “I’ve heard of this phenomenon before. People believe they see the ghost of a deceased loved one. It’s not all that uncommon.”

Had that happened to him after the death of his wife?

“Add in the fact, Layla is a highly imaginative young girl and it all makes sense,” Conrad said. “It was simply a coincidence that it happened on the same day as Emily’s abduction.”

“I don’t buy it,” Suzanne chimed in. “It’s too coincidental that she saw him the same day Emily went missing.”

“But if it was Raymond, why wouldn’t he have just taken Layla and disappeared?” Maria asked. “And how did he find us here?”

Conrad picked up his coffee, but didn’t drink. “For what it’s worth, I agree with the chief. Maria, you didn’t get a call until after Layla was on TV. I think someone recognized her and decided to take advantage of the situation to get her.”

“Assuming it’s not Raymond,” Suzanne said, “who would do that?”

“I can’t think of anyone except Raymond or his family,” Maria murmured.

Ben leaned forward. “Can you get us a list of his family members?”

“I can’t. I thought he was Raymond Hammond from Brooklyn. I don’t know a thing about the real Rahmed Hamed.” To her horror, tears leaked from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m...I’m terrified. I can’t think straight. If something happens to Layla...”

Conrad sat beside her and picked up her hand with a gentle touch. “We understand. We’re not going to let anyone hurt Layla or take her from you.” The warmth in his gaze made her feel safe—safer than she’d felt in a long time.

She nodded. “There might be someone else who can help.”

“Who?” Ben and Conrad asked at the same time.

“His name is Marcus Hanks. He works for the FBI, but I don’t know how to contact him.”

“That’s OK. I do. I have a friend in the FBI. He’ll be able to get me some contact information.”

The doorbell rang.

“Who is that?” Maria jumped up, panicked.

“It’s Nick Johns.” Conrad looked out the window, and then turned to Maria. ”Another police officer from Sunberry.”

“Yeah.” Suzanne rolled her eyes. “And one who’s been missing for a day. He has some explaining to do as well.”

“He’s only part-time and he wasn’t scheduled to work.” The chief said.

“Still, I can’t believe he just left and went home and took a nap while Emily was missing. It’s pitiful.” Suzanne’s voice rose with outrage.

“Not everyone has your work ethic.” Conrad pointed out.

The doorbell rang again.

Conrad’s gaze moved to Maria. “The more people who know about you and Layla, the more likely it’s going to become public knowledge.”

To have people worried about her—taking care of her felt good. She stood.

“Zink, can you put her somewhere for a few moments until we get rid of Nick?” the chief asked.

“Go back to Layla’s room.” Suzanne waited for Maria to leave.

Maria hurried down the hall and slipped into Layla’s room.

“Hold on,” Susanne called. “I’m coming.”