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He nodded. “Okay, I can see why you’re so convinced she didn’t run away. And after what Georgia told us about someone trying to kidnap Bethany the night of the wreck…” He blew out a sigh. “I’m afraid that whoever was after her that night may have finally caught up with her.”
Lacey felt her heart plummet, although he hadn’t voice anything she hadn’t already thought. “I know.”
His arms came around her and this time she let him hold her.
“This feels right, Lacey,” he whispered into her ear.
She shivered. It did feel right. But the timing…
The door opened and Lacey pulled away from Mason to settle back against her side of the swing.
Her mother stepped out into the sunroom. “I thought I heard voices.” Her eyes landed on Mason and grew wide. “Mason Stone?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sounded hesitant as though not sure of his welcome.
Lacey watched a warm light come into her mother’s eyes. “Well don’t just sit there, come on in.”
Relief filled Lacey. Her mother’s reaction to Mason’s presence told her that the past was well and truly forgotten. Or, if not forgotten, at least forgiven.
By her mother anyway.
Mason’s forgiveness was still another story.
Lacey always suspected that her mother hadn’t agreed with her father’s decision to send Lacey to the home for pregnant girls, but the woman hadn’t had the guts to stand up to him.
It hadn’t taken long to see how her father had mellowed with age.
And retirement.
She supposed it didn’t matter what his former congregation thought about him now. From the casseroles and baked goods she’d seen lining the kitchen countertops this morning, the people of the church were bound and determined to take good care of their former pastor and his prodigal daughter.
Once inside, Mason filled the room and Lacey shivered at the reality of him back in her childhood home. He’d been a frequent visitor before she’d found out she was pregnant…and before Daniel had driven them apart.
Mason’s phone rang as her mother led them into the kitchen. He stepped back outside to talk, and Lacey’s mother zeroed in on her. “We’ll talk about Mason later. For now—nothing about Bethany?”
Lacey shook her head as she took a seat at the kitchen table. “We’re waiting to hear from the lab about some DNA and some other stuff, but so far nothing.”
“She didn’t just take off, did she?” Real fear colored her mother’s eyes for the first time since learning of Bethany’s disappearance.
“No, Mom, I’m afraid not.”
Lacey debated about whether or not to tell her mother the details of the day. Before she had time to make a decision, Mason returned, a grim look on his face.
“We have a fingerprint from the car.”
Lacey raised a brow. “Already?”
Mason gave her a humorless smile. “I have friends in high places.”
“So who does it belong to?”
“We don’t know. He’s not in the system.”
Lacey felt her shoulders sag. “Then what good is the print?”
“Because we have something to match up to any suspects we might come up with. The print doesn’t match any of the girls’ or the girls’ list of friends Daniel got from Kayla’s mother. My hope is that it’s going to be a match to our guy with the limp.”
“If you can catch him.”
