Page 84 of Our Little Secret

“Does the police department have any idea what happened?”

“The investigation is continuing.”

“What about leads?”

“We’re following up on several. If anyone has any information, please call the department.” She rattled off the number and reminded viewers that it was visible as a chyron running at the bottom of their screens.

“Is Allison Carelli’s disappearance related to Penny Williams’s?”

“The investigation in the Penelope Williams case is ongoing. So far we have not linked the two cases.”

“But they’re both teenage girls, both from Seattle. That can’t be a coincidence.”

The detective’s gaze focused hard on the reporter who’d asked the question. “The department is looking into all possibilities. Again, if anyone has any information about Allison Carelli or Penelope Williams, please call the department at the number listed below. Thank you.”

At that point the image on the screen switched to anchors who launched into a story about Halloween festivities planned in the area.

Numb, Brooke clicked off the TV, then lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the missing girls, her daughter’s animosity, and Gideon Ross, who seemed intent on ruining her life. For a second she thought about the tracker found attached to her car, then the knowledge that Gideon had been in her home, stealing some things and leaving others, letting her know that he’d invaded her space.

She remembered the warnings she’d received, hissed and harsh:He’s not who you think he is.

Who sent them?

Who knew?

And then she touched her flat abdomen and considered the fact that new life might be growing inside her.

Gideon’s baby.

She closed her eyes.

Dear God, she hoped not.

CHAPTER 20

Somewhere in the distance Brooke heard a baby crying.

She ran to it, through the darkness, propelled by fear for the child—an infant, it seemed. City streets streaked by and rain peppered the ground as she ran, splashing through puddles, the water icy and cold, her legs leaden.

Where?

Where was the sound coming from?

She saw something, deep in the shadows of the park.

Who would leave a helpless child in the—

Scrape!

She heard the sound of footsteps hurrying past.

Creak!

Her eyes flew open.

She was in bed, in the dark, the digital display of the clock announcing it was 1:57. The dream faded and her heartbeat slowed, but she knew something had awakened her, a noise that didn’t fit into the house and broke into her dreamscape.

Hardly daring to breathe, she strained to listen. Above the beating of her own racing heart and the soft, steady breathing of Neal lying beside her, she heard the quiet hiss of air moving through the ducts as the furnace clicked on. Outside it was quiet, just the occasional sound of a passing car’s engine.

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