Bringing Maddie Home(15)
Author: Janice Kay Johnson

Laughter burst from Nell. Hailey’s expression made her laugh even harder. Finally, she dabbed at her cheeks with her napkin. “Thank you. That felt good. And don’t be silly. I want you to remind me of stuff. Please don’t feel like you have to watch what you say.” She laughed again. “Aaron Carter, huh? Didn’t he get arrested not long ago?”

Hailey grinned. “I read about that. Please tell me you’re not still into the same kind of music.”

“That’s safe to say. I like a lot of alternative stuff. Seattle has some great bands.”

“Yes! Ooh. We’ll have to share tastes.” Her gaze went past Nell. “But not now. You need to go if you’re going to be there at one-thirty. And I’m getting signaled from the kitchen.”

Hailey refused payment, and they hugged again. This time it felt less awkward to Nell. It wasn’t only the warm greeting. I like her, she thought. We’d be friends if we met now.

Hailey was the first person to make Nell feel better about who Maddie had been. At least she’d known how to pick friends.

* * *

NOT WANTING TOO much advance buzz, and especially not wanting to give his boss any warning, Colin had taken a businesslike approach when he set up the press conference. Cold case closed, he’d said, although that wasn’t quite true, of course. He wouldn’t be closing the file on Maddie Dubeau’s abduction until he was satisfied he knew who had struck her in the head, dragged her off the bike and dumped her in the trunk of a car with the intention of ultimately raping her, ransoming her or burying her. Maybe and burying her.

Colin stood behind the table, watching the dozen or so people either sit down or position themselves with cameras. He had Nell and her parents stashed away until he summoned them. Basic theatrical technique. Scanning the faces looking at him, he tried to remember how many of these reporters were old-timers and would recognize Maddie immediately. Three or four, he thought. Ahh—Bystrom was hustling in at the back, looking pissed. Colin had been happy that morning to find the chief was taking the second “personal day” in a row. All the same, Colin had left a voice mail and sent an email to cover his ass. Apparently the rumor had wafted to whatever ski hill Bystrom had been on that morning. At the moment, the city’s police chief was shaking his head at some reporters who’d rushed to cut him off. He wouldn’t be denying any knowledge, not Bystrom. Hell, no. He’d want to convince them he knew all and was only being mysterious.

Even though Duane had to be itching to see Maddie, Colin hadn’t expected him here. Duane wouldn’t want to expose his emotions to the press.

Colin remained standing. He didn’t need the microphone set on the table. His voice carried.

“Thank you for coming,” he said, pausing only until he had complete silence. “As I believe you’re all aware, I’m Captain McAllister, Investigation and Support Services. Some of you may remember the name Maddie—Madeline—Dubeau.”

Not hard to see the stir of interest.

“For those of you who don’t remember—” He recapped the basic facts. “This was one of the most disturbing crimes ever committed in a town we like to consider safe. Any law enforcement officer will tell you he or she most hates crimes involving children. Maddie Dubeau was only fifteen at the time of her disappearance. She was a sophomore in high school and excited because she had just gotten a driver’s permit.” He paused. “We have found Maddie Dubeau.”

“Is the body found in the park the Dubeau girl’s?” called a reporter, whose voice rose above other shouted questions.

In answer, Colin opened the door behind the curved row of seats for council members and nodded at the three people waiting. “We’re ready for you.”

Nell swallowed visibly. Her eyes flashed to his for reassurance, and he smiled, not knowing if that was what she needed but hoping it helped.

She looked good today. Really good. She’d worn drapey black pants and a T-shirt in a silky, rust-colored knit beneath a cropped black blazer. For the first time, he had a good idea of the size and shape of her br**sts and was almost sorry, because he wouldn’t be able to get that new knowledge out of his head. Gold studs in her ears, her hair bundled in some careless way on the back of her head. Having it pulled back emphasized the catlike triangle of her face and the sharpness of her cheekbones. Subtly applied makeup enhanced those extraordinary eyes. He’d felt pride and more—throat-closing more—when he saw her. He wondered if her parents had felt similarly, but saw immediately that they’d assumed their public faces. Oh, yeah, they would gush about the joy and relief at having their beloved daughter home again. He felt sure there’d be no mention of the fact that neither could be bothered to hug her yet.

The stir became something a lot more when the reporters set eyes on the Dubeau family. Even a dozen—no, fifteen—people could make a hell of a lot of noise when they got excited. Camera shutters clicked and the questions kept coming. Colin waited until Nell sat right beside him, her parents beyond her.

Then he held up a hand for silence. “Ms. Dubeau has a short statement. After she has given it, she and her parents will take a few questions. Please wait until she is done to ask them.”

He touched her shoulder when he would have liked to squeeze it. Allowed his hand to drop to his side when he wanted to maintain contact. He knew how scared she was, but her head stayed high.

“Thank you, Captain McAllister.” She surveyed the room, meeting eyes. “I mean that in more than one way. It is the captain who found me and encouraged me to come home to Angel Butte.”

She explained, making the story simple, leaving out plenty. She did not say what name she had been living under or where she’d been living. “Unfortunately,” she concluded, “much of my memory is still lost. I do not know what happened the night I was attacked. I don’t know why I was riding my bike through the park. What scattered memories I have are trivial, much like what I suspect most people remember from their early childhoods. Only a flash—a scene, a feeling, sometimes only an impression. I’m hoping to spend a few weeks getting to know my family and friends again.” She took a deep breath. “My parents and I will take questions now.”

The questions flew. Did she intend to stay in Angel Butte? “Probably not,” she said with brevity and dignity. Could she tell them about her life now? “I work in a library and hope to go back to graduate school for a master’s degree in library and information science,” she said, the constraint in her voice obvious. “I also volunteer actively at a shelter for teenage runaways.” Why? Did she believe she’d been running away? “No, but I do have the experience of being homeless and struggling to survive.” She declined to say where she lived or the name of that shelter. No, she preferred not to say what name she had been living under.

Marc Dubeau’s voice got husky as he described the shock and joy of having his daughter returned to her family. “We held out hope for a long time, but had come to believe she must be dead. Near-complete amnesia is so unusual, it never crossed my mind as an explanation. What Captain McAllister did not tell you is that he was also first responder the night she disappeared. He is the officer who found Maddie’s wallet with her driver’s permit still in it. It seems…fitting that he is the one to bring her home. My wife and I…” His voice broke. He cleared it and wiped at damp eyes. “I can only tell you we are grateful to him beyond description.”

Helen said little, but cast occasional, tremulous smiles at her daughter.

Colin got madder by the minute. He kept an eye on Nell, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her parents.

By the time he finally brought the thing to a close, he wasn’t surprised to see that Bystrom had edged his way to the front, where he shook Marc’s hand and kissed Helen’s cheek before beaming at Nell. He made sure his good side was to the cameras. He circled the table and bent as if to kiss Nell’s cheek, too, but she shrank back enough to give even him pause.

To hell with it. Colin put his hand back on her shoulder. The quivering tension he felt beneath his fingers eased a little. He kept his hand right where it was, not giving a damn what anyone else thought.

Bystrom placed his back to any cameras. His eyes glittered with fury. “Grandstanding?” he murmured only for Colin.

Colin’s eyebrows rose. “I let you know as soon as we made the decision to hold a press conference.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” he snapped and turned back to exude good-old-boy geniality for the benefit of Dubeau and the lingering reporters and cameras.

Doing his best to keep his dislike from his voice, Colin introduced the chief to Nell.

She politely shook his hand. “I gather you know my parents?”

His smile was Photoshop-perfect, expressing both delight and sadness because she didn’t remember him. “I’d go so far as to say you considered me another uncle when you were a child.” Of course he made damn sure his voice carried.

Even Marc, bullshit artist, gave Bystrom a sardonic glance.

“I’m so sorry I don’t remember you,” she murmured.

Her mother laid a hand on her arm. “Dear, perhaps we should slip out before one of these reporters tries to corner you.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Colin said.

“I’ll see you in my office in five minutes,” his boss said.

“Chief.” He nodded with a minimum of civility. “Maddie?”

She gave him a startled look. “Ma— Oh. I’m ready.”

They all retrieved coats and gloves, then started out. Nell accepted his casual hand on her back as they walked. A couple of sharp looks came from Dubeau, but he said nothing until they reached his Lexus.

“McAllister.” He held out a hand. “I meant what I said. You have our undying gratitude.”

“That’s not necessary.” Colin shook anyway. “It was chance I saw Maddie on TV. Luck.”

“Nonetheless.”

“Yes, indeed. Maddie, would you have dinner with us tonight? It might be a good chance for you to see Duane, too.” Helen Dubeau gazed at her daughter with a wisp of something that might have been yearning. Real or pretend? Colin asked himself cynically.

“I’ve planned to get together with Emily and Hailey tonight. Can we make it tomorrow instead?”

“Oh. Of course.” Helen’s smile was obviously forced. “I didn’t realize Hailey was still in town.”

The sky was a pale, pearly gray, but snow had quit falling. The little that had stuck after the parking lot was plowed in the early morning squeaked underfoot. After leaving the Dubeaus at their car, Colin kept a hand lightly resting on Nell’s arm in case she slipped as they headed for her shabby little Ford.

“Glad that’s over?” he asked.

She let out an explosive breath that formed an icy cloud. “I cannot tell you.” She looked up anxiously at him. “Did I do okay?”

“You were fantastic,” he told her sincerely. “You handled the questions just right.” Her dignity, combined with a quality of emotional fragility, had had the impact he’d hoped for—those reporters had gotten quieter toward the end, more respectful. Now, if only they would give her space. But he didn’t tell her any of that. She wouldn’t like the word fragile applied to her, and he wasn’t sure it was even accurate. The very fact she’d survived twelve years ago meant she had guts and the smarts to make good decisions. Her willingness to come home despite her fear reinforced his opinion of her.

“You called me Maddie,” she said softly.

There was something in her voice he couldn’t quite identify. “You went out of your way not to tell anyone about Nell. I thought we should keep it that way.”

“Thank you.” She unlocked and opened her car door, but didn’t get in right away. “Are you in trouble?”

“With Chief Bystrom?” When she nodded, he gave a shrug. “Our dislike is mutual. There’s nothing he’ll be able to do.”

“Because you’re the hero who brought Maddie Dubeau home.”

He smiled. “Exactly. What he doesn’t like is not being the ringleader for this circus. I thought you needed me there instead of him.”

She shuddered. “Yes. Is he really somebody I should remember?”

“Your parents were friends with him and his wife,” he said slowly, but, damn it, he didn’t like the expression on her face. Had seeing Gary Bystrom triggered an unpleasant subliminal memory? “How close, I don’t know. I take it you don’t remember him at all?” He kept his tone casual.

“Not even a whisper. I just didn’t like him.”

“Okay. And you read him right. He’s a jackass. Not something I should say aloud.”

Her quick flicker of a grin made his heartbeat stumble. Colin hesitated, then bent his head and kissed her cheek. Her skin was cold but soft. He didn’t let himself linger or wish she’d turn her head so their mouths met. “I’ll see you at home,” he said, straightening, hoping she didn’t notice that he sounded a little hoarse.

Her gaze was startled and shy. “If you’d like, I can make dinner again.” Her forehead puckered. “But you might not want company tonight. If not, that’s fine. I’ll just have a snack before I go out.”

“I would love to have company.” He made sure she could tell he meant it. “We even have leftovers. But I thought you were getting together with your friends.”

“Maybe after dinner. I haven’t even talked to Emily yet.”

“Okay.” He smiled and stepped back. “Drive carefully.”

He walked far enough so she wouldn’t notice he’d stopped, then turned to watch Nell carefully maneuver out of the parking slot and into the street. Had she been more shaken by being put on display than she’d let him see? Damn it, he should be driving her home, but of course it was too late.