Baz knew what she wanted him to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Even if it was a lie, he couldn’t tell her they could be together now. Not even to get her to come out of hiding.
“If I come home now, we can go to Brantley and Reese’s wedding together, Sebastian. I’m Brantley’s best man, remember?’
His gaze shot to JJ.
He could see the terror on her face when she realized what Molly was saying. She was assuming JJ’s life as her own. It was exactly as JJ had said it was. Molly wanted to take JJ’s place in Baz’s life.
That was enough to have Baz willing to lie about anything if it would mean her being locked away in a mental hospital where she belonged.
“It’s time for you to come home, Molly,” Baz told her as he met JJ’s stare. “It’s where you belong.”
“I love you, Sebastian.”
“Will you come home, Molly? Will you come … back to me?”
JJ nodded, urging him to continue.
“Do you really want me there?”
“Yes.”
This time, he could make out some of the mumbling in the background, and it sounded like, “He’s lying to you.”
“I’m not lying. Who is that, Molly?”
More mumbling.
“It’s Sonny,” Molly blurted, then covered the phone again.
He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they were obviously arguing.
“We need to trace this call,” Baz whispered to JJ.
Her eyes widened, and he could tell she was surprised she hadn’t thought about it. If it hadn’t been the middle of the damn night and they weren’t talking to a woman responsible for kidnapping her, perhaps she would have.
JJ nodded, then hurried out of the room. She returned a moment later with her laptop, plopping it at the foot of the bed.
“Molly? Are you there?”
“Yes.” She sounded like she was crying. “I’m here, Sebastian.”
Knowing he had to drag this out for JJ to trace it, he kept talking.
“I want you to come home. That was our plan, remember? When the baby was born? We were gonna raise him together.”
In a sense, that had been true about the baby Molly had told him was his.
“Sonny says you don’t love me.”
“Is Sonny there?”
“Yes.”
Baz was glad JJ was recording this conversation. It would give the police something to go on. He wasn’t sure what that staged scene would get Molly or Sonny, but they’d been planning something. Since they were both batshit crazy, there was a good chance they were simply recreating something they saw on television and hadn’t considered the next steps.
“Molly, tell me where you are. Let me come get you.”
JJ rolled her hand again.
