Always & Forever (42 page)

Rick shook his head. “Tamra didn’t see. Only knew it was Lilly because that red hair stands out so much, and she recognized the car. I told you, she didn’t stop or anything.”

“I appreciate the information. I wish someone had warned me about Victoria clear back then.” Zach started to run his fingers through his hair and stopped himself, unable to tolerate the image of Lilly conjured by that action. “At least I know before the wedding this time.”

Rick didn’t respond as Zach threw twenty dollars onto the counter and walked out the door. He slumped into the front seat of his car and rested his head against the steering wheel.

How could she do that? He’d really believed Lilly was the one he’d been waiting for. At least now that he knew why she’d been so secretive lately, he could confront her about it. Maybe her side of the story differed. Maybe they could work things out and he could find some way to trust her.

Zach snorted at his own naiveté. And maybe pigs would fly and shit on his head.

Sarah’s ringtone sounded from his pocket, and Zach pulled his cell phone out. He cleared his throat. “What’s up, sis?”

“Zach! Please, come quick. I’m so scared.”

The edge of hysteria in Sarah’s voice motivated Zach to shove the keys in the ignition and drive down the road without even fastening his seatbelt. He rammed his foot into the accelerator. “What’s happened?”

***

Lilly pulled up to the cottage. Zach’s BMW wasn’t in the driveway. It looked like she’d have to wait to talk to him about Crandall. Maybe she should cook a nice meal, butter him up a little. He wouldn’t be happy that she kept this from him for so long. She wouldn’t blame him for being angry.

The ability to trust other people would never be second nature for Lilly. She had always faced the world on her own, especially after Charles alienated her from everyone she’d once cared about. It was a tough decision to trust Zach with these problems instead of handling them herself.

Still, if they were going to be life partners, she’d better learn to share. Besides, this no longer involved only the possibility of losing her relationship. Zach and Sarah might truly be in danger.

She walked through the house to the bedroom. A quick glance at the bed revealed Zach’s note. He even reminded her to lock the door, worried about her safety above all else. How could she keep lying to him? He was the sweetest man she knew.

Lilly slipped out of her work clothes and pulled the little black dress out of the closet. Zach loved it, and she didn’t want him disappointed tonight. They hadn’t made love all week, and once he helped her form a plan for the Crandall situation, Lilly planned to favor him with full-on seduction.

She went into the bathroom to freshen her makeup, and smiled at the effect of the bright lipstick contrasting with the dark choker collar on the dress.

The sound of sirens shattered her solitude. By the time Lilly made it to the front window to see which direction they headed, the vehicles were long gone. Not too many people left on the lake this time of year, except for Zach’s family.

Lilly’s heart clenched. Crandall said he would give her a few days, and a few days had passed. If he hurt one of them, what would she do? She rushed back into the bedroom and snatched her phone out of her pants pocket to call Zach.

It rang just as she touched it. Lilly looked down at a number she didn’t recognize. Heart pounding, she pushed send. “Hello?”

“Lilly, my love. I’m at your old house. Get your cute little self over here. I’ve decided we leave tonight.”

Crandall.

Lilly wiped her sweaty palm against her dress. “Tonight’s not so good for me, babe. I need just a little more time. We’ll leave tomorrow, okay?”

“I’m afraid you’re out of time, Katherine. We’re going now. Is Zach with you?”

Katherine? It seemed Crandall teetered on the edge of sanity. His words clipped off in an unusual manner and he sounded overly excited.

“No, Curtis. I haven’t seen Zach since this morning.”

Crandall laughed. “He’s probably at Sarah’s house. I suspect my little theft hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

“Theft?” Lilly’s mouth felt dry. “What did you do?”

“I have a surprise for you. Guess who I’ve got here with me, sound asleep in your bed.”

“Sarah?” Lilly prayed Sarah actually slept, and Crandall hadn’t already killed her.

“Close, my love. Think smaller.”

Smaller?
“Sa...Savannah?” she stammered. “Why would you take her?”

“You seem uncertain about whether we’re meant for each other. I worried you might need extra motivation. Get over here in the next five minutes, and she lives. If you take too long, or you bring anyone with you, no more Savannah.”

Lilly forced herself to giggle in what she hoped was a flirtatious manner. “Babe, there’s no way I can get there in five minutes—it’s a ten-minute drive. Besides, there’s no need to hurt Savannah. She’s just a little girl.”

“Five minutes, or she’s dead. I guess you’ll have to speed. The cops are busy out at Sarah’s house anyway.”

“Okay, I’m coming. Just don’t do anything to her, or you and I will never get away. You won’t be able to be with me if you hurt Savannah.”

“The clock is ticking, my love.”

The phone went dead in her ear.

She had no time to call Zach. No time for anything. Lilly grabbed her purse and closed the zipper firmly. No reason for Crandall to learn about the stun gun prematurely, but when she got her chance, he would get the shock of his life.

She raced to her car and tore down the lakefront road. Her mind repeated a litany while she drove:
Please let me reach her in time
.

Officer McMann walked out of Savannah’s bedroom. “I don’t think Savannah got out of the house and wandered into the lake.”

Sarah choked off her sobbing and looked at him with red eyes. “Then where is she?”

McMann glanced at Zach and shook his head. “We need to get out an Amber Alert, Sarah. We’ll find her, okay? It just may take some time.”

Sarah shredded the tissue she held in her hands. “What am I supposed to do?”

“We’ll take care of everything for now, Mrs. Smith.” Another officer said, nodded at McMann, and walked out the front door.

Zach hoped the Amber Alert worked. Savannah had been missing for an unknown amount of time. When Sarah had fallen asleep on the couch around three, Savannah had been safely playing in her bedroom. It was now well past five. Zach heard once the first two hours were crucial. What if they didn’t find her?

McMann caught Zach’s eye and jerked his head toward Savannah’s bedroom. Zach stood to follow him in, and Steven came with them.

“Why are we standing in here instead of searching for my baby?” Steven demanded, emotion thickening his voice. “Why aren’t you searching the lake?”

“It’s this.” McMann pointed at Savannah’s open window, and Zach realized the screen had a slit around one side and the bottom. It waved in the slight breeze. Dust for fingerprints covered the framework around the window.

Steven sat abruptly on the bed. “No! No! No! Who would take her?”

Zach gripped Steven’s shoulder, trying to hold in his own panic. “How long until you can sort all those out?” Zach asked, nodding at the imprints.

“It’ll take a while,” the officer admitted. “I called you in here to find out where Lilly is tonight. Is it possible her stalker did this? I mean, it’s possible he’s the one who killed her father. Maybe, uh...” McMann glanced at Steven. “Maybe kidnapping Savannah isn’t a stretch.”

Fear threaded along Zach’s spine. He wished McMann wouldn’t use “kill” and Savannah in the same sentence. “I’ll call her, see if she’s gotten any threats.”

If this had happened two hours earlier, before he found out about her affair with the other man, Zach would be certain she received another threat on Tuesday and that had caused her strange behavior. In fact, he’d thought at the time that’s what happened, but Lilly denied it. It would be easy to attribute Savannah’s disappearance to that, but now Zach wasn’t sure.

Lilly’s phone went to voice mail after four rings, and Zach hung up. “No answer.”

“Isn’t she usually off work by now?” McMann asked.

Zach nodded. “I, uh, recently found out she’s seeing someone else. Maybe she’s with him.”

“What?” Steven asked. “That’s ridiculous. Who’d you hear that from?” He stopped and held up his hands as his face crumbled. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Maybe she’s in the shower. Go get her. See if she knows anything that might help find my daughter.”

McMann nodded his agreement. “There’s nothing else to do around here but wait. Lilly should be with us regardless. Now would be a perfect time for an attack against her, which makes me think it’s all related.”

“All right, I’ll go get her and come right back.” Compared to getting Savannah home safely, his injured pride and unwillingness to face Lilly right now seemed vastly unimportant.

***

Lilly screeched into her driveway a little over five minutes later.

Please let me be in time
! The mantra-turned-prayer ran through her mind. Although Crandall’s stability seemed to be in question, she hoped he wouldn’t truly murder a little girl in cold blood.

She looked at the car in the driveway. It was the same black Corvette that had been parked outside her house the morning she noticed footprints in the flowerbed. Crandall said he was out of town on business then, but she’d seen this car several times. Had he been watching her all along?

She raced to the door and pounded on it when her trembling fingers refused to push the key into the lock. “Crandall, it’s me.
Just me.
Let me in.”

The lock turned and the door opened. Crandall stood inside, dashingly handsome in an Armani suit with his perfect blond hair swept back. He smiled and his blue eyes twinkled. It amazed Lilly how normal crazy looked.

“Is Savannah okay? I know I’m a little late. I really, really tried.” Her lip trembled and she knew her voice had a whining pitch to it, but she couldn’t stop herself.

He laughed and put his arms around her. “You had two more minutes. I decided to give you a little leeway, since you’re about to become my bride.” He forced a kiss on her, and Lilly sagged against him with relief, which appeared to please him.

She wished she knew for sure whether Savannah was okay. She didn’t know how to check on Savannah without arousing his suspicions. Her best bet might be luring Crandall out of the house so he couldn’t do any further damage to the child.

She smiled at him and winked. “Why don’t we leave here right now, babe. Let’s find a hotel for the night where no one will find us. Tomorrow we’ll catch that plane for Mexico.”

“First we need to talk, Katherine. This has been a long time coming between us. I want you to understand my level of devotion to you.” He drew her into the house and kicked the door shut.

“Trust me, babe, I know you’re devoted. I could tell that first night I met you.” She forced herself to run a hand through his hair and dropped a kiss on his lips. “I never imagined you’d want me. That’s why I continued going after Zach. Also, I thought I’d need his money.”

Crandall threw his head back and laughed. “I knew you were after his money. You’re as bloodthirsty as me, aren’t you, my love?”

Lilly smiled again. She hoped he would attribute her trembling to excitement. “Except I don’t believe in using children. People like my father—well, they deserve what they get. Savannah is truly okay, right? I don’t know if I can be with a man I can’t trust with children.”

“She’s fine, but go check if you must. She’s asleep on your bed.” He gestured down the hallway. “Hurry though. I can’t wait to tell you everything.”

Lilly rushed down the short hallway. She barged into the room and sighed with relief when she saw the small form curled up on the bed, fast asleep. Lilly sat next to her, watching as Savannah’s chest rose and fell with even breaths.

“I used a drug I stole from the hospital on her. A nurse left the drug cart in the room one time when a code was called on another patient.”

Lilly jumped and looked over her shoulder to where Crandall stood in the doorway.

“Just a tiny injection of propofol in her neck,” he said. “She never saw me and hasn’t woken up at all, so we can make a clean getaway without hurting her.”

Lilly sucked in a breath. Crandall was crazy if he thought using drugs on a child was okay. “What if she died?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been keeping an eye on her. She’s breathing fine. I used one of the drugs they gave you at the hospital. I stole it from your room.” He grinned broadly. “Isn’t that poetic?”

“My...room? What are you talking about?” She took a deep breath and plastered her smile back on her face. “I don’t understand, babe.”

“You know, in the hospital after you were injured. I sat next to your bed for days before they allowed you to wake up fully. You were on so many drugs that, even when you were conscious, you were incoherent. For a while, I worried you would die even with the medical care.”