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“Did she wake up?” she asks.
“Yes. And she’s agreed not to go anywhere for now. How’s Lara?”
“I just put her back to sleep.”
I peek into her bassinet. Sure enough, she’s sleeping soundly, oblivious to the fact that her mother just put her in my care – me, a man with no past and no future. She must be out of her mind.
“I’m sorry,” Sally tells me. “It’s all my fault.”
I turn to her, puzzled because I wasn’t aware she’d been feeling guilty. Is that why she came over so quickly?
“What do you mean?”
“I must have scared her by buying all those things,” Sally explains with a shrug. “Maybe she thought I was trying to be Lara’s mother.”
“I was the one who asked you to buy things for Lara,” I remind her.
She ignores me. “Or maybe it’s the dress I bought for her. Maybe it reminded her of something or someone.”
“Dress?”
“I bought her a green dress. I just thought it would be perfect for her and I wanted her to have something of her own.”
I understand. “It’s not your fault.”
“Or maybe it’s because I told her about what happened to you,” Sally adds.
That’s what I thought.
“She asked me about your past and I told her. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would make her lose trust in you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s it.”
If she didn’t trust me any longer, she wouldn’t ask me to take care of Lara.
“Still, I’m sorry,” Sally repeats.
“It’s fine. Triss would have found out eventually if she stayed.” I pat her shoulder. “You can go. I’ll take care of Lara. Thank you.”
She gathers her things. I pull out a chair and sit. As I do, my gaze falls on the newspaper on the table.
“Did you bring this?” I ask Sally as I pick it up.
“Yes. I was reading it in the car and I must have slipped it into one of the paper bags. It fell out when I was emptying the contents and Triss picked it up.”
She did?
I skim over the page. When I reach the bottom right corner, I stop. My breath catches.
“Is something wrong?” Sally asks me.
I finish reading the article. “Did Triss read this?”
“The front page? Yes, I think so. Why?”
I put the newspaper down. “I think I know why she suddenly tried to leave.”
~
“James Molder,” Ned reads the name on the strip of paper I gave him. He gives me a questioning look. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Find out everything you can about him,” I answer as I lean on his bike.
Ned frowns. “I’m a local cop, Antonio, not the FBI.”
“I’m not asking you to hack into his computer. I’m just asking you to see what you can find out about him from official records. Where he’s from. What he does for a living. His criminal record.”
Ned folds the piece of paper. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me why you want this information.”
“Just trust me when I say it’s important.”
“So you’re not.” He scratches the back of his head. “Tell me this, then. Does this have something to do with that woman?”
“Triss,” I tell him her name again.
Ned nods. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’m also guessing this is the man she’s running away from. Her abusive husband or something.”
“I don’t want you to guess. I want you to find out.”
He shrugs. “Couldn’t you have just asked her?”
“She’s scared of him, Ned. That’s why she tried to run away last night. She thinks he’ll find her.”
Ned says nothing.
I straighten up. “Can you do this for me? Please?”
He grins. “Would you look at that? My buddy Antonio, finally asking me for a favor.”
“Are you going to do it or not?”
He pats my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I will. You know I owe you.”
That’s why I know I can count on him.
“Thanks,” I tell him. “And one more thing. If you find a warrant of arrest for Triss, will you let me know before anyone else?”
Ned’s grin disappears. “What did she tell you, Antonio?”
I don’t answer.
“If she’s a criminal, then I have to…”
“She’s not,” I cut him off. “I’m sure of it. So if you’re going to arrest her, I want you to do it quietly. I don’t want anyone here to think she’s a bad person.”
“But if there’s a warrant for her arrest…”
“Just let me know. I won’t let her escape, I promise. I just want things to go smoothly so she doesn’t get more hurt.”
Ned narrows his eyes at me. “Why do you care for this woman so much?”
“Ned,” I plead with him.
He sighs. “Fine. If there’s a warrant, I’ll come to your house and serve it myself and I won’t make a fuss about it. Anything else?”
“No.” I put my hand on his arm. “Thank you.”
He pats my hand. “Just promise me one thing.”
