Silent Run(99)

“She won’t. She’s forgotten already. Look at her. She’s happy as can be.”

“I think the bottle might have more to do with her good mood than me.”

“Her hair is darker than I remember,” Dylan commented.

“Sarah colored it so it would match her own hair and they would look like mother and daughter.”

“That woman is always thinking. I’ll give her that.”

Jake didn’t reply. His feelings were too conflicted, too confused, and he already knew Dylan’s opinion on the subject of Sarah. He just wanted to savor this time with Caitlyn. Sooner rather than later he’d have to think about what was going to happen next, but not at this moment.

“How are Catherine and Teresa?” he asked, changing the subject. He was thankful the cops had let the women watch Caitlyn at the house while the rest of them had gone down to the station. Neither Catherine nor Teresa had seen Sarah in years, and yet when she’d needed them, they’d come through. Sarah had probably never expected that to happen.

“Teresa has a mild concussion,” Dylan said. “She apparently isn’t the type of woman to let that get her down. She’s a female boxer, you know.”

“No kidding? She’s not that big.”

“That’s what I said, but she told me that she’s very quick and crafty,” Dylan added with a grin. “She’s a pistol, that girl. They have very different personalities, the three of them.”

“Catherine doesn’t seem to be short on courage either. She did quite a job with that bat. She took Rick Adams out with one swing.”

“She shocked the hell out of me,” Dylan admitted. “I can’t quite figure her out. She’s a vegetarian psychic with a menagerie of pets. She is innocent and wise, hard and soft all at the same time.”

Jake caught something in his brother’s voice he hadn’t heard in a while—interest. “You got a thing for Catherine?” he asked in surprise.

Dylan snorted. “I don’t think so. She actually claims to have had a vision about my future, something that involves two women.”

Jake laughed. “That sounds right up your alley.”

“Yeah, well, Catherine didn’t make it sound fun, more like ominous. She has this dark side to her. You should see the stuff she paints—abstracts of evil, the essence of nightmares. It’s crazy.”

“I think I’ll pass. I’ve had enough nightmares to last me a lifetime.”

Dylan leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I know I was hard on Sarah. I guess there are two and sometimes three sides to every story. Something I should have learned a long time ago, considering I’m supposed to be an objective journalist.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you’ve changed your mind.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe I understand her a little better. What she did to you—I still think it was wrong.” He paused, giving Jake a thoughtful look. “But my opinion isn’t important. What do you think now that you know everything?”

Jake shook his head. “I’m done thinking for the night. I just want to enjoy being with my daughter.” He pulled Caitlyn’s blanket more tightly around her. The heat lamp on the deck provided warmth, but it was getting a little chilly. He could take her inside now. He’d wanted to keep her away from the cleanup and the chaos inside the house, but things had quieted down.

“I’m tired, too. I’m going to turn in.” Dylan got to his feet. “Teresa generously offered me the couch in her office. She also moved the crib into the master bedroom for you or Sarah or both of you.” He cleared his throat. “Look, whatever you decide to do about Sarah, I’m behind you—one hundred percent.”

“Thanks. The truth is, I don’t know what to do. Sarah lied to me so many times, I don’t know if I can forgive her. I don’t know if I can trust her. But I also don’t know if I can stay away from her,” he confessed. “She’s got her hooks in me. I’m not even sure I want her to let go. And then there’s Caitlyn—how can I deprive her of her mother? When Mom left it almost killed us. How can I do that to my own child?”

Dylan stared back at him. “I think there’s another story as to why Mom left—why she stayed away and never once tried to see us. I’ve thought so for a long time.” He gazed down at the ground for a moment, then back up at Jake. “Catherine told me that I investigate other people’s lives so I don’t have to look too closely at my own past. That might be more perceptive than psychic, but it’s still right on the money. I’m thinking about tracking down Mom. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”