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“I know it’s late, but please call her,” Kristi said. “It could mean my father’s life. We’ll send her a bouquet of flowers to thank her for her time.”
“Laura loves daisies.”
“Then she’ll have a big basket of them tomorrow.”
Cal made the call and placed it on speaker. Three rings later, a woman answered. “Laura, it’s Cal Taylor.”
“It’s so good to hear from you again, Cal. How is Rachelle?”
“As wonderful and beautiful as ever. I apologize for calling so late.”
“Oh, you know I’m a night owl. Used to drive my husband crazy. What can I do for you, Detective?”
“Just Cal now. I left MNPD and now work for a private security company. I need information about your friend, Angie Hale.”
Silence, then, “Angie passed away from cancer last month.” Her voice came out choked.
“I know. I’m sorry for your loss, but the information is important.”
“What do you need to know?”
“The name of her son’s father.”
A soft gasp. “Why? That’s ancient history, Cal. No good will be served if the information came out. Angie made me promise not to tell the secret.”
“A man is missing, Laura. The crime scene indicates he was kidnapped, and his daughter is worried sick. If the information you share doesn’t relate to the kidnapping, I won’t mention the name to anyone. You know I’ll keep my word.”
Laura sighed. “All right. I certainly don’t want this victim’s daughter to lose her father like my children did theirs. I also trust your judgment.”
“Thank you for helping. Who is Roderick Hale’s father?”
“A no-good loser named Trevor Cain. I don’t see how that knowledge can help, Cal. Cain is in prison and isn’t due to be released for several more years. He never had anything to do with Angie after she got pregnant.”
Kristi clamped a hand over her mouth and dashed from the kitchen. Rafe followed behind her seconds later as she raced for the bathroom attached to the workroom.
By the time Rafe walked into the workroom, Kristi was throwing up. He found a washcloth in one of the vanity drawers and wet the cloth with cold water. Wringing it out, he pressed the cloth to the back of her neck with one hand while he supported Kristi with an arm around her waist.
When her stomach was empty, Rafe helped her sit on the side of the tub, then retrieved a bottle of water from the small fridge in the workroom and handed it to her. “Sip this. I’ll be right back.”
Returning to the kitchen, he nuked a mug of Kristi’s favorite peppermint tea while Cal pumped Laura for information about Cain and Angie’s relationship, added a dash of sugar, and took the brew with him to the bathroom.
Rafe sat on the edge of the bathtub beside Kristi and wrapped her hands around the warm mug. “This will help,” he murmured.
Since her hands shook, he kept his hands over hers and helped her hold the mug while she sipped the tea. When she finished the drink, he set the mug on the floor and wrapped his arms around Kristi, holding her until the shaking stopped. She melted against him.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, nuzzling his throat. “I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.”
“Don’t. You have nothing for which to apologize. Your reaction is understandable.”
“I thought I was stronger than this, but hearing his name sent me back into that closet like a scared ten-year-old.”
“Baby, you’re so strong, you amaze me. Hearing the name of Hale’s birth father caught you off guard. Anyone who survived what you did would have a strong reaction.”
She sighed. “Roderick Hale kidnapped my father, didn’t he?”
“We’ll see what the security camera footage shows. This may be a coincidence. We don’t know if Angie told her son who his father was.”
“You don’t believe that.”
