“It turns out, Mother, that the police officer is Faith’s identical twin.”
“A twin? Good Lord, Faith,” Margaret said. “Who hurt that poor woman?”
Faith shifted in her seat, feeling more uncomfortable about this conversation. “The police have a name, but they’re still trying to figure out what motivated him to kill.”
Margaret set her cup down. “Kill. That’s terrible.”
Faith felt suddenly dizzy and wondered if being here now had been too much. “The thing is, Margaret, we have DNA tests linking me to two other half siblings.”
“We don’t need to get into that tonight, Faith,” PJ said. “My mother doesn’t need to be subjected to your theories.”
“You’re the one that told me about the first missing girl, PJ. Josie Jones.”
His lips flattened into a grim line. “She was listed in Russell McIntyre’s datebook, not my father’s. That leads me to believe he might have been behind all this.”
“Behind what?” Margaret asked. “I can see you are very upset.”
PJ began to pace.
Faith felt her stomach flip-flop and was certain now she was going to be sick.
“Faith, you look pale,” Margaret said.
She stood and looked toward the door. Her vision blurred, and she staggered.
Margaret stood and hooked her arm in Faith’s. “PJ, would you go and get some water from the kitchen? Faith does not look well. Maybe even a ginger ale.”
PJ shook his head. “Sure.”
When he was gone, Margaret guided Faith back to the couch. She carefully brushed a blond strand from Faith’s eyes and smiled.
“I know about the graves,” Margaret said.
Faith began to sweat as she stared into the face of a woman she’d known all her life. Margaret’s smile had hardened in a way that hurt more than it frightened her. “How?”
She dropped her voice a notch and said, “Because I handpicked all those girls. I chose them to give my husband children after I discovered I couldn’t.”
“You did this for Peter?” Everyone had a darker side, but she realized now that this couple, who’d always made her feel welcome in their home, were monsters.
“A wife is duty bound to give her husband a son. And I couldn’t. Broke my heart. The first girl gave us you and, as it turns out, Macy. I thought she had died the day she was born along with her mother, but she’s tough, isn’t she?”
Faith tried to stand but just a little pressure from Margaret now was enough to keep her in place. “That girl bled to death. You see, Garnet and my husband had a financial arrangement, and when Peter died, Garnet came to me and demanded more money. He thought I’d be shocked, overwhelmed, or terrified or whatever it is men think we women do when faced with a problem. He said he had evidence and would go to the cops if anything happened to him. I told him to leave my house, and I called Mr. Canada that day.”
Faith’s vision blurred. For an instant she thought it was related to the car crash but then as she stared at Margaret, who put her own coffee cup aside, an idea dawned on her. “Did you put something in my coffee?”
“A strong sedative. It will be enough to put you to sleep. It’ll give me time to talk to PJ. Once I’ve spoken to him, he’ll understand everything we did was out of love.”
Faith shook her head, hoping now that Hayden was listening closely. “Peter always gave the impression he was the master of his castle.”
“That’s what everyone believed. But in reality, Peter made no important decision regarding business or this family without me. PJ knows his father and I bent the rules from time to time. He knows when to look away.”
The front door slammed open, and she heard Hayden’s distant voice. He was demanding to see her. She could barely focus or bring herself to call out to him. She tried to stagger to her feet but couldn’t. She collapsed back against the couch as he stormed into the study. Hayden called out her name, and when she didn’t respond, he called for a paramedic.
Faith’s vision cleared enough for her to see Margaret’s face tighten with concern and worry. “Thank God you’re here, Captain Hayden. Faith is not doing well.”
Hayden took Margaret by the arm and pulled her away from Faith. She wanted to tell him that Margaret had poisoned or drugged her. She wanted to shout and scream for him to be careful. But the words wouldn’t form. Her eyes wanted to close, but she struggled to keep them open. The distant sound of wailing sirens grew louder.
Hayden’s voice was sharp and cutting as he read Margaret her rights. Margaret was calm when she demanded to see her son. And when that request was denied, she insisted on a call to her attorney. Faith felt a mix of satisfaction and sadness as she watched Brogan lead her away. She still couldn’t reconcile the woman she’d loved as a second mother with this monster.
Hayden touched Faith on her forehead and lifted her in his arms. “I heard everything she said.”
Faith blinked, struggling to speak clearly. “She’s put something in my drink,” she said.
“I know.” He carried her to the front door and down the steps. In his arms, she felt safe. He was the only thing in her life at this moment that made sense. She only hoped Margaret hadn’t poisoned her. She hoped she wasn’t going to lose the man she loved.
“You’re not leaving me, Faith,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “I love you too damn much to lose you.”
Lights flashed around her as she passed out in his arms.
EPILOGUE
Four Weeks Later
Restless sleep and nightmares had plagued Faith since her confrontation with Margaret. Her mind continued to replay the scene featuring Margaret’s almost serene face. Later, after Hayden had interviewed PJ, he’d relayed to her how confused PJ had looked, how he’d quickly recovered, and how in the end he’d sided with his mother.
A knock on her bedroom door yanked her from the terrifying replay, and she sat up to see Kat standing in her room. The girl had moved into Faith’s house immediately upon discharge from the hospital. So far the two were still getting to know each other. Like most teenagers, Kat wasn’t always easy. Throw in the stress of the adoption, and well, sometimes it was a study in patience.
The bright spot had been Nancy Ridgefield, who had proposed the idea of Nancy and her husband, Mike, adopting Kat’s baby. Faith had presented the idea to the girl, and the four of them had sat down and had several lengthy discussions. In the end, Kat had decided she liked Nancy and Mike Ridgefield and had agreed.
“My bed is wet,” Kat said. “I’m soaked.”
Faith tossed back her covers, surprised at the rush of panic and worry shooting through her body. She considered herself cool under fire. Crime scenes, autopsies, even a grilling from a defense attorney in court didn’t faze her. But this moment felt entirely different.
“Don’t worry. It’s your water breaking,” Faith said. “We just need to get you changed and to the hospital.”
“Is the baby going to fall out?” Kat asked, sounding panicked.
“No, it’s not going to fall out. We’ve got time. Let’s get you changed.”
She helped the girl change into clean clothes, dressed herself in jeans, a pullover blouse, and sandals, and then grabbed the go-bag she’d packed when the girl had moved into her house.
“Paige was in so much pain,” Kat said as Faith drove through the dark streets toward the medical center. “I remember her crying.”
“It won’t be like that for you. I’ve told you there are medicines that will help. It’s going to be fine. I promise.”
Each time Faith remembered Paige’s anguished cries in that drab room, she thought about Josie, Olivia, and Kathy. They’d not had any help. They’d suffered alone, or worse, with Danny Garnet offering his ham-fisted help.
But Paige was back home with her parents and her baby girl. She was trying to put her life back together. She’d survived.
Faith tightened her grip on the steering wheel, forcing a smile for Kat’s sake as she pressed the accelerator and sped through a yellow light.
“Where’s the Ranger?” Kat’s voice sounded strained as she shifted in her seat.
“Hayden is south of San Antonio. He’s working a case.”
“Top secret.”
“It must be,” Faith said. “He didn’t want to leave until the baby was born, but there was no avoiding it.”
“Shouldn’t you call him and tell him?” She grimaced and pressed her hand to her belly.
“I will as soon as I get you checked in to the hospital.”
“And you need to call Nancy and Mike. They’re going to want to see the show.”
“Let’s just get you to the hospital.”
“You look worried,” Kat challenged.
“Nope. Not. A. Bit.”
Faith pulled up in the circular entrance to the hospital, dashed inside, and returned quickly with a wheelchair. As a nurse pushed Kat toward labor and delivery, Faith parked the car and then ran inside with Kat’s bag.
Fifteen minutes later, she was changed into scrubs and in the room, the worried girl’s contractions rapidly growing closer. She called Nancy first, who answered on the first ring. Nancy sounded calm and focused and promised that she and Mike would be there soon.
The next call was to Mitchell. He answered quickly as well, and she discovered hearing his calm, even voice settled her own jitters and worries.
As it turned out, Kat delivered Baby Boy Jones three hours later, with Nancy and Mike looking on. The boy was healthy, perfect, and squalling in a way that reminded Faith a little of Kat when the girl was complaining.
Faith took lots of pictures of mother and son. She texted several to Hayden.
Nancy and Mike held back, watching nervously as the nurse laid the baby in Kat’s arms. For a long moment, the girl stared at the baby boy and then cried. “Nancy, come and get your kid.”