Page 21 of One Cry Too Loud (Coastal Crime Unit #9)

“ A re you sure it’s him?” I asked, looking down at the picture in Holly’s lap. I examined it almost as hard as Holly was, peering at the photograph like it was an actual window into the past.

“It’s him,” the Englishwoman answered. “I know what my child’s father looks like.”

“This is insane,” Kat muttered from beside me.

“I’m so sorry,” Alice said as she walked back into the room.

After Holly’s outburst, she decreed that we all needed a drink and a snack.

As such, she strode into the living room with four bottles of root beer, two in each hand.

Eli followed her with a platter of buffalo wings.

They smelled amazing, and even though I wouldn’t have thought I was hungry my stomach started to rumble.

“And it looks like the snacks are coming just in time.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Kat said. “You were lied to. That’s not your fault.”

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t lied to,” Alice said, passing out the root beers and sitting across from on on a parallel couch.

“Of course you were,” Holly said. “Joe infiltrated your life in an attempt to get close to your daughter.”

“I know,” Alice said. “But he never lied to me about it.”

“Excuse me?”Kat asked. “Are you saying that you knew Joe was Cindy’s birthfather when you married him?”

“I knew long before that,” Alice replied, taking a sip of her drink. “I knew the first time I ever laid on him, and not just because I could see the resemblance.” She looked from Kat to Holly. “Cindy might have your face, but she has her father’s hair and his eyes.”

“I know,” Holly said. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I looked in on her a time or two.”

“I wish you would have called me. I could have introduced the two of you,” Alice said. “Cindy’s asked about her birth mother more than a few times.”

“She knows she’s adopted?” Holly asked.

“She does. She’s always known. I don’t believe in lying to my child, even if the truth might not be what she wants to hear at the time,” Alice answered.

“So she also knew that Joe was-”

“Her birth father? Yes. She did. She knew him as Harrison, though,” Alice said.

“He told me that wasn’t his real name, but he also never told me what his real name was.

He said he wanted to leave his old self behind.

I respected that, even if it did leave me with more questions than I was comfortable with some of the time. ”

“So, how did that happen?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat. “He just came to you one day?”

“He showed up on my doorstep,” Alice said. “I thought he was a salesman at first, and a bad one. He was fidgeting. He could barely look at me, kind of like the way you were when you came in here, Holly. He was sweet, though. I could tell that immediately.”

“I’m not sure ‘sweet’ is the word I’d use for someone who's done the things that Joe has done,” I said.

“Maybe not, but he sure put on a convincing front,” Alice replied.

“He was always good at that,” Holly murmured.

“He told me who he was and that he wanted to have a relationship with his daughter if I would allow it. He said he understood that he had no legal right to her and that, if I said I was uncomfortable with it, he’d leave and we’d never see him again.”

“But you weren’t uncomfortable?” I asked.

“Of I definitely was, but I thought about Cindy,” Alice said.

“I wondered what she would think about it. I envisioned having to tell her this when she grew up, about how I stopped her from having a relationship with her birth father. I wondered what she would think of that, of what she would think of me if I did.” She shook her head.

“I just couldn’t take the chance of her hating me for it.

So, I pushed through my hesitancy, and for a while, I was very glad I did. ”

“Because you fell for him?” Kat asked.

“We fell for each other,” Alice said. “It was slow at first, and then it seemed to happen all at once. Maybe it’s always like it. I don’t know, but it felt special. It felt real.”

“He’s good at convincing people of that too,” Holly said.

Alice’s face steeled over as she looked over at Holly. “And you think that’s what he was doing to me? He was convincing me that he was in love?”

“I didn’t-”

“What would the point of that be?” Alice asked.

“I had already allowed him to have a relationship with his daughter. He demanded I have a prenuptial agreement drawn up before we got married, and when he left, he didn’t try to fight it.

He didn’t want my money.” She sighed. “In the end, it seemed that he didn’t want anything at all. ”

“I didn’t mean to offend you. If Joe said he loved you, I’m sure he did,” Holly said.

“He’s the reason I was arrested. He’s the reason I lost a chunk of my life that I’ll never get back, and he’s the reason I had to give my daughter up for adoption.

And all of that happened while he was telling me how much he loved me.

So, I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t have the best opinion of him. ”

“I understand that,” Alice said. “To be honest, I don’t have a wonderful opinion of him myself. It doesn’t mean things weren’t real, though. Just because I was left doesn’t mean I was duped.”

“I guess that’s true,” Holly said.

“Tell me about when he left,” I said.

“There was a note on the refrigerator,” Alice sighed, looking away. “It just said he was sorry. He said he couldn’t give us what we needed, and that we’d never see him again.”

“What did you tell Cindy?” Kat asked.

“I don’t lie to my children ma’am. I told her the truth,” Alice said.

“She was crushed, just like me. We moved past it, though. We persevered, and then things happened with Eli.” She looked over at her boyfriend and smiled.

“And I don’t mean to put words in his mouth, but I think we make a pretty good pair. ”

“A great one,” Eli said.

“And Joe,” I said. “Do you have any idea where he might be now?”

“None at all,” Alice said. “He said we’d never see him again and we haven’t. He’s a shadow now, a memory.” She ran a hand through her hair. “But he wouldn’t have taken Cindy.” She shrugged. “I mean, he already had her. He left her. He certainly wouldn’t kidnap her.”

“You don’t know that,” I said honestly. “And right now, for a lot of reasons, he’s a suspect.”

“I suppose if you enjoy wasting your time,” she muttered.

“Jack, would you help me bring this stuff back into the kitchen?” Eli said, motioning to some plates on the table.

“Don’t make our guests work, honey,” Alice said.

“It’s hardly work, and I don’t mind,” I said, standing and grabbing a few plates.

“See? He doesn’t mind” Eli smiled.

His smile faded quickly as I followed him into the kitchen.

“I hope I didn’t offend you. I know Joe-or Harrison was your friend, but I don’t think Alice is seeing things clearing right now,” I explained once we were in the kitchen. “And it’s possible that you’re not either.”

“He’s a piece of crap,” Eli said. “Anybody who’d leave his child is garbage. Harrison is no exception.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then why did you bring me in here, because I know it’s not because you wanted help carrying plates.”

“I needed to get you away from Alice,” he explained.

“Alright. Why?” I asked.

“Because I’ve been lying to her, and I’d rather if she didn’t find out,” Eli said. “I’d rather if I didn’t have to tell you either, if I’m being honest, but if there’s a chance you can get Cindy back, then I have to.”

“You have to do what?” I asked. “What is it you’re trying to tell me?”

His face tightened as he replied. “I know where you can find Joe.”