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“Doesn’t that feel better, sweetie?” she murmured as she held the cloth at the child’s flushed cheeks. “We’re going to have a yummy supper, and you’ll even get to see some brand-new kittens this time. Molly found a litter in the barn just last night.”
“W-what color?”
Reaching for a hairbrush on the counter, Dana began gently working through Katie’s sleep-tangled curls. “I need you to tell me. Can you do that? I haven’t seen them yet. Maybe you and Molly can even think up some good names.”
“Do they have spots?”
“Are those your favorites?” When Katie nodded, Dana gave her a quick hug. “Well then, let’s hope so, okay?”
Katie followed Dana back to the kitchen table, where she picked up her dolly from the floor.
Zach regarded Katie with troubled eyes. “Maybe we should stay here,” he said heavily. “Wouldn’t you like that? We could put one of your DVDs on, and—”
“No! I want to go.” Katie’s lower lip trembled. “They got kitties.”
“I’m sorry I mentioned it, Zach,” Dana murmured. “I just thought being around people tonight might make everything a little easier for both of you.”
He stood in the doorway as if the weight of the world rested on his broad shoulders. “You’re right. This would be good for her. I’ll...um...go get Buffy and bring her inside while we’re gone.”
When Katie slipped out the door ahead of him, he stared after her. “Does she even understand all of this? It’s like she...”
“Forgot already?” Dana crossed the room and looped her arm through his. “No. At her age, she just doesn’t understand the finality. Maybe she’s even trying to block out what you told her. Some young kids barely seem to react over bad news, then fall apart later.”
“What if I mess this up even worse?”
“You won’t. Just love her, Zach. That’s what she needs.” At the pain in his eyes, she nearly reached up to lay a hand against his cheek but caught herself just in time. “My kids were older when they lost their dad, but I couldn’t tell you if that’s less or more difficult. We all just do the best we can.”
“It’s going to be even harder on her if she ever finds out how her mother died.”
“An accident?”
“Janet had a problem with substance abuse from her teen years on.” He sighed heavily. “I tried to help, but you can’t help someone who refuses to even talk to you.”
“So she died of an overdose?
He looked out the door to check on Katie, then lowered his voice. “I just got another e-mail. The autopsy showed that she died of a skull fracture. She also had a ruptured liver.”
“That’s awful. How?”
“The Medical Examiner’s report noted that someone tried to make it look like an overdose...smart move, given her history. Janet was murdered, and her body wasn’t found for days. If Katie ever finds out the truth, what will it do to her?”
* * * *
THE CHATTER OF DANA’S kids, the rich aroma of grilled steaks, the friendly warmth of her house all faded into the background as he mentally reviewed the facts.
It didn’t take long to add them up and reach a total that spelled danger. To Katie and everyone else around him.
Zach had figured Janet was on the run after some back alley drug deal had gone wrong. It wouldn’t have been her first.
But now, the relative timing of her murder and the e-mail from El Cazador were too close to ignore. Zach had learned to never discount anything as mere coincidence.
Maybe El Cazador hadn’t somehow traced Zach’s e-mail address. Could he have forced the address from Janet and then killed her after he had all the information he needed?
Despair rushed through Zach, threatening to crush his heart. She’d been just thirty years old, the mother of a beautiful little girl who would mourn her loss for a lifetime. She’d been badly beaten and had suffered before dying, and then her body had been left alone and undiscovered for days.
The sadness of it all was nearly unspeakable, the guilt almost unbearable. After all the years I tried to help her, I might be the real reason she died.
“Zach? Are you all right?” Dana set aside her napkin and studied him from across the table, her eyes filled with concern. “You look awfully pale.”
