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“No, Sutton, that’s not true. And besides, what if this Margaret person is a trap? You don’t know that she’s not working for Forrest,”.” Candice warned. “I know it sounds like a long shot, but everything that has happened in the last few hours has been completely outrageous. So why not this?”
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
I hoped and prayed she wasn’t right. My hand went down to cover my baby bump and I felt the slightest of movements. My baby wasn’t going to be in fear for his life. We needed to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. I wasn’t about to have my happily ever after ruined by some prick in California that I had never met.
CHAPTER 9
Mark
When I got out of negotiations, there were four missed calls from Earl. I had no idea the old man knew how to work the cell phone that Sutton had insisted he carry with him. Knowing that he wouldn’t be calling unless there was a problem, I called him right away.
Earl answered on the fourth ring. “You need to be here.”
As far as greetings went, this that wasn’t the most promising.
“What is going on, Earl?”
He grunted, “Your Sutton, she needs you here.”
“I tried to call Sutton before going into the meeting. Earl, you didn’t call me four times just to tell me to call my wife. What in the hell’s going on?”
Earl launched into the most incredible piece of nonsense that I had ever heard.
“I don’t believe it,” I stated flatly. “Hollingsworth spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to find this woman. If she was going by her maiden name, he would have found her.”
“Who do you think tipped off Hollingsworth that he had a daughter?”
That made me pause for a moment.
“I am not sure how he learned of it,” I said honestly. “Are you saying he knew that Jo and Judith Landry were the same person?”
Earl sighed and said, “I don’t know anything anymore. I am an old man, sir. I have lived my life trying to protect these girls. All I know is that your Sutton is alone and scared. She won’t admit it, but I have known her since she was in diapers.”
“I am on my way. I just need to catch the next flight. But I have an idea of someone who can be there immediately.”
“Who?” Earl’s tone was guarded.