Suspicions (24 page)

She cried even harder, but this time it was
not all for Kyle.

After standing that way for several minutes,
the tears slowed and they sat on Kyle's bed.

Mark spoke first. “I’m so sorry, Amanda.” He
touched her face and gently wiped the tears from her cheek. “I
haven’t been there for you at all this last week.” He looked at his
lap. “I’ve been such a jerk.”

She looked at him, surprised at his
admission. “It’s been hard for everyone, Mark.”

Lifting his gaze to meet hers, he gave her a
half-smile. “You’re too good for me.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

Fresh tears filled his eyes. “I’ve been
thinking of leaving you.”

Though surprised by his admission, Amanda
found she wasn’t completely shocked. With the way he’d been
behaving, she had almost seen it coming. They’d had their share of
challenges and she knew he’d been battling his own problems. Though
he’d never told her exactly what had been upsetting him, she knew
he’d always had issues with her inheritance.

When they’d been dating, she’d made the
mistake of not telling him about her wealth. Not wanting any suitor
to be influenced by her financial worth, she’d kept that
information a closely held secret until after their wedding. When
she’d finally told him she had money, he said he felt betrayed by
what he viewed as her lack of trust. Then, when it came time to buy
a home, he had insisted they purchase one in a neighborhood where
he could afford to buy a house.

Not wanting to make waves with her new
husband so soon after their wedding, and feeling guilty, Amanda had
agreed and hadn’t regretted it. She liked where they lived.

“You said you’ve ‘been thinking’ about
leaving me,” Amanda said. “What do you think now? Are you planning
on going through with it?” As she said the words, she felt numb,
like her spirit was so crushed by the kidnapping of her only child,
one more thing couldn’t possibly do any more harm.

Quickly placing his arms around her he said,
“No.”

Unexpectedly relieved, Amanda felt herself
relax slightly. “Then why even bring it up?”

He shook his head. “I feel like I’ve been
living a lie with you. I’ve had these feelings of resentment for so
long that I’ve allowed them to fester to the point where I almost
ended our marriage.”

Gazing into his eyes, she said, “What
feelings of resentment, Mark? Please, tell me.”

Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’ve always
thought you didn’t need me. Everyone knows you certainly don’t need
my money. You know I always wanted to be the one to support our
family.”

“I know that’s always been important to you
and I hope I’ve never done anything to make you feel like I don’t
need you.”

Standing, he walked over to the window and
looked into the backyard before turning to face her. “I guess I’ve
just been feeling sorry for myself. Like I said, I thought you
didn’t need me. You’ve always been so good at everything you do and
everything seems to come to you so easily.” He paused. “I just felt
. . . inadequate.”

“But you’re such a great teacher,” Amanda
interjected.

He smiled. “Thank you. And I love to teach.”
He pressed his fingers to his eyes and massaged them, then looked
back at Amanda. “Maybe I thought I would be happier if my wife
depended on me.” Gazing at Amanda, he shook his head. “But this
week I found out that money doesn’t really matter. You were willing
to give up all you had to . . .” He bit his lip as he tried to get
his emotions under control. “To get our son back.”

Amanda felt tears filling her eyes as the
reality of the situation with Kyle slammed back into her mind.

“I realized,” Mark said, “that you needed me
for me. Not for the income I could or could not bring in.”

Amanda nodded, unable to speak.

“I've been so wrapped up in my own misery
that I haven't been able to see yours.” Tears started welling up in
his eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Walking to his side, she put her arms around
his waist. “Of course I forgive you. I’m just glad you know that I
need you.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the
top of her head and held her close.

Formulating a plan, Stacey observed Deanna.
Then, stepping out from behind the wall, she walked casually in
Deanna's direction, paused at the window, and looked at the jets
gliding in and out of the airport. Out of the corner of her eye she
watched Deanna, then turned her head in her direction. “Deanna? Is
that you?”

Deanna looked at Stacey with confusion,
obviously not remembering her right away. Stacey held out her hand.
“Cathy Hightower. We spoke at the high school last week? About Mark
Stone?”

“Oh, yes. I remember.” She took Stacey's hand
for a moment then let go. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm flying out tonight.” Stacey pointed to
the planes in the distance. “I got here last night to finish up
some work before I leave.”

Deanna nodded, believing Stacey's story
without question.

Stacey looked at Deanna brightly. “What about
you? What are you doing so far from home?”

Deanna hesitated. “I. . . don't really want
to talk about it right now.”

“Okay. Maybe we can get together later for a
drink.”

“Sure.” Deanna didn't seem too
enthusiastic.

When Deanna turned away, Stacey's gaze rested
on the purse, which was slung over Deanna's shoulder. Carelessly
sticking out of a side pocket was Deanna's electronic room
card.

Stacey stared at the card, debating whether
she should take it. Maybe there's something in her room that will
give me a clue about whether she's involved in Kyle's kidnapping.
Something that could mean finding Kyle sooner, she thought. Of
course I could call the police, but I've already given them
Deanna's name. I'm here and they're not.

Deciding to take advantage of the unexpected
opportunity, Stacey reached over and touched the card with her
fingertip. It was pulled out of her hand as Deanna turned toward
her.

“I have something I have to do right now, but
why don't we meet at two o'clock in the atrium?” Deanna asked.

Stacey ignored the erratic beating of her
heart as she answered. “That sounds great.” She paused, waiting for
Deanna to turn away.

Deanna looked back at the planes making their
endless parade to and from the airport. Stepping away from the
window and behind Deanna, Stacey lifted the card then slid it into
the pocket of her slacks.

“I'll see you at two then.”

Deanna nodded absently and continued staring
out the window.

Hurrying down the hall to the elevators,
Stacey pressed the up button, then tapped her foot impatiently as
the elevator slowly rumbled up the shaft. After a moment the doors
slid open and she stepped in, punching the button for the eighth
floor. She tried to calm herself as the elevator seemed to take its
time going up the three floors.

It finally reached its destination and Stacey
rushed down the hall to Deanna's room, not knowing how long she
would have before Deanna would be back.

She slid the card in the slot and heard a
click, then pulled the door open and paused. There were two double
beds, both covered with bedspreads in soothing patterns of sea foam
green, aqua blue and dusty rose. A pair of velvety chairs in a
matching green color were nestled next to a large round table, a
lamp in the center. And a television was ensconced on a large
wooden dresser, the remote placed on top.

She stood in the doorway, uncertain about
what she was doing. Then she pictured Kyle's face and knew his life
could be in danger. Not to mention her family's well being. She
shoved her doubts aside and walked in.

Drawn to the narrow balcony just outside the
sliding glass door, she stepped onto the tiny ledge and looked down
at the tables surrounded by trees, flowers, and a stream. The
atrium looked different from this level. She could see diners
sitting at the various tables and gazed for a moment, briefly
daydreaming about bringing Jason here. She was jerked back to
reality when she spied Deanna walking toward one of the tables,
talking to a woman Stacey had not seen before. She watched as they
sat down and continued speaking. The woman had a briefcase with her
and she opened it and pulled out some papers. Deanna looked them
over then picked up her purse and appeared to be looking for
something.

Stepping back into the room, Stacey wondered
who the woman was, then got to work by looking at the papers on the
table. Not seeing anything that seemed significant, she went on to
the bureau drawers where she found Deanna's clothes and not much
else. She looked in the closet and saw blouses and dresses hanging
neatly. Deanna's suitcase was sitting on the floor in the back of
the closet. Stacey pulled it out, noticing it felt rather light,
but she set it on the bed and opened it anyway. Finding it empty,
she put it back where she found it.

Then she went into the bathroom, but saw only
make-up and other toiletries scattered on the counter and a damp
white towel tossed on the floor. Obviously, Deanna wasn't much of a
neatnik. Stacey wondered how Mark felt about that. Picking up a
bottle of perfume, she spritzed it in the air, smelling the musky
scent.

Recalling the comment Deanna's roommate had
made about things “going well on this end”, Stacey wondered what
she had been talking about.

Walking back into the main part of the room,
Stacey glanced around. As she gazed at the blank television screen,
something white caught her eye. It was stuck under the corner of
the television, just barely showing. Stepping closer, she reached
out to pick it up.

Just as her fingertips touched the corner,
she heard a commotion outside the door. Her heart pounded and she
jumped back from the dresser.

She went to the balcony and looked at the
table where Deanna and the other woman had been sitting. The woman
was there, but Deanna was not.

Stacey went over to the door and looked out
the peephole. It was Deanna, and she seemed to be searching in her
purse for something. After a minute, Stacey could see Deanna stomp
away angrily. Probably going to the front desk to get another
key.

Quickly stepping back to the television set,
Stacey snatched the white corner and pulled free an envelope. She
stared at the name and address for a moment, then put it in her
purse. Setting the electronic card on the dresser, she counted
slowly to ten before opening the door and stepping into the hall.
She turned and strode in the opposite direction that Deanna had
gone.

The ringing of her bedside phone awoke Amanda
from her dreamless sleep. She stared at it for a second, unsure if
she should answer it or if the FBI was having Mark answer it
downstairs. Before she could make up her mind, the ringing stopped.
She closed her eyes, knowing the escape of sleep would not come
again so easily.

Sitting up on the side of the bed, she looked
at her watch. It was almost time for lunch. She had no appetite.
She had lost weight during the last week; weight she didn't need to
lose.

Thinking about the conversation she’d had
with Mark earlier, she again felt shock that he had been
considering leaving her. She’d had no idea. Though she’d been aware
he’d become more distant lately, she hadn’t realized the depth of
his feelings.

Grateful he’d told her before he’d gone
through with it, she wondered if there was anything she could do to
help him.

Now fully awake, she sighed and stood,
pushing her feet into her shoes. She trudged down the stairs, but
when she got to the bottom a shot of adrenaline raced through her
as she realized something important was going on. No one seemed to
notice her standing there.

She rushed into the living room, where all
the activity seemed to be centered. That was when they finally
noticed her.

The FBI agent who had been in the living room
earlier spoke first.

“They've found him.”

At the news her ears started ringing, she
became light-headed, and then things went black. She collapsed on
the floor before they could catch her. Waking up on the couch a
moment later to see Mark standing over her, a worried look on his
face, she felt a small measure of joy to see him standing there,
obviously worried.

Then she remembered what made her faint.
“Kyle?” She whispered.

“They're getting him now,” Mark assured
her.

“Is he okay? Where is he?”

Mark's expression changed from worry to pure
happiness and he couldn't get the grin off of his face. “They say
he seems to be all right. Apparently he was dropped off in the
middle of nowhere and an old couple found him.” He chuckled to
himself. “They hadn't heard about him and didn't recognize him.
They didn't call the police until they had fed him.”

Amanda allowed herself a small smile. “That's
great!” She sat up and felt suddenly dizzy. She had to lie back
down and try getting up again more slowly. Sitting on the edge of
the couch she said, “When can I see him?”

“They said they're going to take him to the
hospital to have him checked out.”

Amanda felt a fresh surge of adrenaline and
stood up quickly, not feeling dizzy at all. “Let's go.”

As Amanda walked out the front door, the
reporters converged on her as one. “Mrs. Stone! Do you have any
word on Kyle?”

She didn't answer, but it was obvious she was
going somewhere, and the expression on her face bespoke good news.
They all darted into their cars, getting ready to follow her
wherever she went.

Mark came out next, ignoring the questions
thrown at him. He climbed into the car with Amanda and they were
off. It looked like a procession as they went down the street. The
Stones in front, the FBI and police next and all the reporters
trailing behind.