AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Someone sent me more hate mail.”
“What do you mean?” He moved closer.
She backed away from the desk. “Another picture.”
Only this one was of her and Bethany seated at an outdoor café, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.
Lacey clenched a fist and stuffed it against her mouth. Anger clamored inside her. Pointing at the picture, she asked, “Why? I don’t understand. If the person doing this would just send me a letter telling me what I’ve done…”
Mason placed his hands on her shoulders. “Lacey, unfortunately, I don’t think the person doing this is reasonable—or even sane.”
Lacey leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She needed comfort right now and he was offering it. “What do we do now?”
He pulled in a breath as he reached for his phone. “Let me call Catelyn and Daniel and we’ll get them here to process your office. However, if that came through the interoffice mail, my guess is that our perp never set foot in this office. We’ll need to question Pete, too, but if it came during the day, he wouldn’t know anything about it.”
After he made the call, Lacey grabbed the sheet she needed from the side of her desk and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m so tired of having this person one step ahead of me every time I turn around. How did he know I’d be in my office today? This was totally spur of the moment.”
“When was that sent?”
She looked at the date stamp and pulled in a deep breath. “The day after Bethany disappeared.”
“So, it’s been here all this time.”
Lacey groaned then looked at the picture once more. “I can’t believe all this,” she whispered.
“Come on,” Mason urged. “I’ll take you home. Catelyn and Daniel will take care of your office, talk to Pete and fill you in on anything they find.” A thought seemed to hit him. “Are there any security cameras around here?”
Lacey thought. “Just on the front entrance and the back door. I don’t think they have any in the halls or anywhere else.”
“All right, it was just a thought.” A car door slammed and Mason headed for the front door. “That’s got to be Daniel and Catelyn.”
Mason let them in and after explaining the picture, motioned for Lacey to join him in the hall. “Do you have what you need to finish your project?”
“Yes.” She gripped the sheet, wondering if she’d even be able to work anymore tonight.
After extracting the promise from Catelyn to call if they learned anything, she was back in her car with Mason following behind her. Still, she couldn’t help but examine every road she passed, every car that pulled up beside her at a red light.
When she turned into the drive, he pulled in behind her, got out and walked her to the door. They stepped inside and he shut it behind him.
Taking her hand in his, he stopped her from going farther into the foyer. She looked up at him. He said, “It’s going to be all right, Lacey, I promise.”
“You can’t make that promise, Mason, but thanks.”
He dipped his head in acknowledgment to her words then leaned down and placed a light kiss on her upturned lips.
Shocked, she went still and stared up at him. “Mason?”
“I’ve never gotten over you, Lace,” he said, conflicting emotions clearly displayed in his blue eyes. His husky voice set her heart to shimmering and her pulse to racing. Clearing his throat, he stepped back. “After we find Bethany, can we have that long-overdue talk?”
Lacey’s heart flashed a cautious warning. He still didn’t believe her about Daniel. Or maybe he did, he just wasn’t willing to admit it yet. Surely he’d noticed how she didn’t want to be around Daniel, how she found excuses not to double-date with him and whoever he was dating. She looked at Mason and sighed. Then again, maybe he hadn’t. He’d always had a blind spot where his friend was concerned. “We can talk,” she promised.
Relief flickered across his face and Lacey practically shoved him out the door. Her pulse pounded. Her lips tingled. She’d wanted to throw herself into his arms and forget the past. But she couldn’t do that. She had to protect herself against the possibility that Mason wouldn’t truly be able to believe her when she said she was innocent of leading Daniel on.
Blowing out a sigh, she said goodnight to her parents and hurried to her room. She placed her laptop and the sheet she’d just retrieved from her office on the small desk under the window. Her eyes fell on the picture next to the laptop. The one of her and Bethany when her daughter was around twelve years old.
She picked up the picture and stroked the small cheek forever encased behind the glass. “Oh, baby, where are you?”
Her heart ached for Bethany so much she thought it might crack wide open.
