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“And your name?”
“Eric Laine.”
The trooper’s brows jutted high on his forehead, but his attention quickly went back to Jenna. “Mrs. Black, have you and your daughter’s father been involved in a custody dispute?”
Tears streamed down her face. “N-no, h-he isn’t her f-father.”
“Mrs. Black?”
Eric coughed as if something scratched at the back of his throat. “Chambers is Janie’s biological father, but he has no legal…” The words dissolved on his breath.
“Still, there’s no reason to believe he’ll harm her.”
Jenna screamed. “He’s a monster!” The icy bite of shock made her tremble more violently.
“Parents don’t generally—”
“He isn’t her father.”
With his shoulders raised, the trooper glanced over at Eric.
“Jen?” he whispered.
“Mrs. Black?”
Shuffling feet, rattling paper, and the hum of voices all became silent.
“Jenna?” Eric’s grip became steel. “What…are… you…saying?” His voice was a murmur, his wide-eyed stare one of disbelief and fear. With his fingers quarrying deep into her arms, he gave her an abrupt shake. “What are you saying!”
Still trembling, a leaf clinging to a branch in a storm, Jenna was weightless in his grip. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you.”
****
Bodies stilled, then blurred in the room’s bright light. To Eric, everything looked to be covered in a soft aura. He felt his throat constrict, and the buzzing of a million insects swarmed inside his head. He struggled to speak. “How long have you known?”
Jenna didn’t answer. Her head hung limp toward the floor, her body flagging as if she might faint.
“How long!”
“Since your accident, your…your brother told me your blood type.”
Jenna was practically folding over but Eric shook her again. “Four years? You’ve known all this time and you never said anything!”
Nick, who’d remained silently standing at attention, approached. “Let it go for now. We have to concentrate on finding Janie.”
Randi batted at Eric. “Let her go. My goddaughter would be here, safe at home if you hadn’t shown up. You led that animal to her just like you led him to Jenna ten years ago.”
As Jenna slipped away to weep into her friend’s arms, Eric felt his chest tighten. A dull ache radiated from his middle and out. Pain touched him everywhere. Dizziness overcame him and he had to claw at his tie to breathe. The room, fallen into silence, became a storm of activity as the trooper gave more orders to his men. “Run a check on Chambers to see if his whereabouts could be other than Cromline.”
“It’s him.” Eric’s voice was a dark utterance. “Don’t waste your time trying to find out where he’s been. He’s here and he’s got Janie.”
“We don’t want to chase our tails over this, Mr. Laine. If there’s any possibility—”
“It’s Chambers! And he’s a sociopath!” With Nick following, Eric half limped, half stormed to the door.
“Mr. Laine, where are you going? Don’t do anything to interfere with this investigation.”
Empty eyed, he faced the trooper. “I’m not going to interfere. I’m going to find my kid.”
