Page 29 of One Cry Too Loud
“You’re the birth mother,” a voice said from behind, startling me. Turning around quickly, I saw a man in his late thirties standing in the doorway of what looked to be a kitchen. He had a spoon in one hand and a pint of cherry vanilla ice cream in the other.
I stood. “Who are you?”
“I’m Eli. Who are you?” The man asked.
“I’m Jack Harrington. My team and I are-”
“Jack Harrington? Why does that name sound familiar?” Eli asked.
“He was held prisoner last year, sparking a media blitz that turned him into a semi household name,” Kat replied, also standing.
“Oh, okay,” Elis said, sounding neither amazed nor curious about the situation. “I assume you’re here about Cindy.”
“You knew her?” Holly asked. She scrambled to her feet.
Eli smiled. “Since she was swaddled in her momma’s arms,” he said. “Well, herothermomma.”
“Are you part of the coven here?” I asked, staring at the man.
“God no!” He chuckled. “Those people are lunatics. I told Alice to send them packing years ago, but she didn’t listen tome. She never does. All those people are bad news. They always have been if you ask me. I think they’re a big part of the reason Harrison left.”
“Harrison?” Kat asked.
“Alice’s husband,” Eli said. “He bolted a few years ago. Alice thinks it happened because he didn’t like the strain of being a father to someone with the kinds of needs that Cindy has, but I honestly think it was because of the witches.” He shook his head. “What an insane sentence to have to say.”
“Needs?” Holly asked, swallowing hard. “What kind of needs?”
“Cindy has ADHD,” Eli said. “It’s not terrible, but she can be overactive and impulsive. I like to say that she’s a handful.”
“I didn’t know that,” Holly replied.
“How could you? Have you ever even met Cindy?” Eli asked.
“No I haven’t,” Holly said somberly, shaking her head.
“Anyway, that’s half of the reason that coven is here anyway,” Eli continued. “Alice never was one for pills.”
“Cindy isn’t being medicated?” Holly asked, her body tensing beside me.
“She is. I make sure of that. It’s just happening reluctantly,” Eli said. “Alice thinks she can heal Cindy with energy and crystal and all that garbage. Of course, this coven is more than happy to allow her to believe that so long as they can have a cushy place to hold their meetings and a nice place to crash whenever they need it.”
“Crash?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Were any of the coven members here the night of the break in? The night Cindy was taken?”
“No. No one was there except for Cindy, Alice, and me,” Eli said.
“And what were you doing here that night?” I asked.
“You’re a grown man. I think you can figure that out for yourself,” he said.
“You and Alice are romantically involved?” Kat asked.
“We are,” he confirmed.
“Sorry. When you told us that you’ve known Cindy her entire life, I just assumed you were a longtime friend.”
“I was. Iam,” Eli said. “I was Harrison’s best friend until he left, and after that, Alice and I remained close. I was attracted to her for years before anything happened. I think she was attracted to me too. We both, I believe, just felt like being more than friends would be disrespectful to Harrison.”
“To the man who left her on her own with a baby to raise?” Kat asked. “Heaven forbid.”
