“I might be overreacting, but I don’t want to put anyoneelse in danger.”
Adele shook her head. “Trust your instincts. Better to err on the side of caution in this case.”
Tara let out a long sigh. “Thank you.” Adele’s support meant a lot. “I just hate letting Jenna and Mick down. I promised to be here and now I have to bail.”
Adele put a hand on Tara’s arm. “If anyone will understand your reasons, it’s Mick and Jenna. And no one can argue withprotecting Robbie.”
Tara nodded, still feeling like a piece of crap, even if she was doing the right thing. And she was pissed that this whole mess was interfering with her time with Robbie. She’d been looking forward to hanging out with him. Not to mention getting to see Jenna and Mick, and meet Mia.
Tara huffed, her blood warming. This whole situation was bullshit. She was sick of running,sick of being on the defensive, sick of walking around on high alert. She needed to figure out how to end this.
Going to the police might be a start.
She collected her things and said her goodbyes to Robbie and Adele. At least Robbie was feeling better, and he seemed happy to have his aunt here. Tara tried not to be wounded that he hardly cared she was leaving. The kid was three.
And heloved her. She knew that. Enough to trust her when she told him she’d be back as soon as possible.
From her car, she called the Arlington police department and spoke to the detective in charge of Annette’s case. Tara told her about her encounter with the woman who’d been leaving Annette’s house, and her suspicion that the threat to Tara’s own life—and the early morning attempted break-in—mightbe related. “I might even have her fingerprints,” Tara said, belatedly remembering that the woman had helped her gather her things.
Detective Niegard agreed that the timing of the encounter with the blonde made it worth looking into. “How soon can you get here?”
“I’m currently in Myrtle Beach, but I could come in tomorrow morning.” It was almost eleven a.m. now, so depending on I-95 traffic,she could be home by seven or eight p.m. She’d checked flights, but driving would be quicker—and far cheaper—than catching the next plane out of town.
“You might want to hire some protection.”
“I’ll be careful.” Once she got back to Virginia, Kurt would be home from Boston and she could bring him up to speed.
She and the detective set an appointment for nine the next morning and ended thecall.
Tara sat in the rental car in silence, her gaze bouncing between the windshield, the rearview mirror, and the side mirrors. Was anyone watching her?
What if the earlier attacks had been Greg after all, and she was seeing danger where none existed? Even if the woman who ran into her had been present for Annette Collier’s death, that didn’t mean she was trying to kill Tara. The other ladycould be a scared witness, or just a woman in a hurry who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Tara gripped the steering wheel and clenched her jaw.
There was one way to find out.
Just before eleven in the morning, Jeff’s dad stood at Evan’s bedside, looking down at the boy with a fond expression on his face. “I’m so glad you found him.” His face was lined, his jowlsstarting to sag, his thick brown hair turning gray.
When had his father gotten old? “Me too.”
“What a trial he’s been through,” the man Evan called Papa said.
Jeff could only nod. Despite the fact that his dad had never realized how much Ian tormented him, they had a good relationship overall. After a drunk driver stole Jeff’s mom from them six years ago, he’d tried to let go of the blame,to forgive his parents for their blind spot when it came to their older child.
In all fairness, Jeff hadn’ttoldthem how badly Ian treated him. He’d hidden it. As a kid, he’d been afraid they wouldn’t believe him, or might stop loving him. As an adult, he figured there was no point.
He’d even started to let go of his hatred toward Ian. Clearly, his brother had needed the validation, the egoboost that picking on Jeff had given him. There was something sad about that.
Jeff might be able to move on, but that didn’t mean he would welcome Ian into his life anytime soon. Sadly, his brother hadn’t changed.
But Jeff wanted Evan to have a relationship with his grandfather, so he’d learned to release the bitterness and hold onto the good. Now he was grateful.
“How are you holding up?”his dad asked.
Jeff rubbed the back of his neck. Excellent question. “I’m fine.”
Dad circled to the foot of the bed to adjust the heavy covers. “You don’t look fine. A solid night’s sleep in a comfortable bed would do you a world of good.”
