Someone Like Her(18)
By the time she’d finished all her tasks it was after one. Way past time for lunch. “Come on, I’m starving,” she said, grabbing Jake’s hand and heading for his car.
His big hand engulfed hers, giving her a sense of safety, as if there were a wall around her that couldn’t be penetrated by anything bad. Only one other man had made her feel protected and that had been Logan. But he was her brother and Jake was not.
Halfway through their lunch at a popular pizza joint near the college, Jake’s phone rang. Maria listened to his end of the conversation as she finished off her double-cheese loaded pizza.
“Was that Detective Nolan?” she asked when he clicked off.
He took a bite of his spinach-and-goat-cheese pie. “Yeah, he had some info on Fortunada.”
“Well?” she said when he hesitated. “And don’t hold anything back.”
“They still haven’t found him, but the man has a long record.” His gaze speared hers. “Especially for domestic violence.”
Maria shuddered, wondering how many women he’d hurt the way he had hurt her. What if she hadn’t been able to get away?
“He spent a year in jail for breaking the arm of a woman he lived with. He’s also done time for breaking and entering, and car theft.” Jake glanced down at his pizza, then pushed the remainder away before meeting her eyes again. “One of the women accused him of fondling her teenage daughter, then refused to testify against him. The girl denied anything happened. The cops think he threatened them, and they were too afraid to press charges.”
Oh, God.
“Tells us he’s far from a model citizen, but the disturbing thing is, he was picked up about six months ago for suspicious behavior. The police couldn’t prove anything and had to let him go.”
“And this suspicious behavior was?” The uncomfortable look on his face sent a warning that her fear for the girl was justified. Oh, and please, God, don’t let Fortunada be my daddy.
“They picked him up outside the high school we were at this morning. A teacher reported seeing him watching the girls’ softball team on three different days. He had a camera on him, but there was nothing on the memory stick so they couldn’t hold him. After they got a warrant to search his house, they found pictures of some of the girls on the team. Nolan wants you to come in and look at them, see if your girl is one of them.”
After a quick glance at her watch, Maria nodded. “We have time to squeeze in a quick stop by the station and still make it to the grocery store before it’s time to be back at the high school.”
“If the girl is in one of the photos, then we don’t need to go back. We can let the cops take care of it.”
As if she could leave the girl in the hands of people who could never understand a child being at the mercy of a predator. For years she’d lived in Lovey Dovey’s house, hiding like Logan had taught her when her mother brought men home. Men who thought nothing of hurting an innocent little girl. It was impossible for her to walk away without knowing the girl was safe.
She shook her head knowing it was the last thing he wanted to see. “Sorry, no can do.”
“Hell,” he muttered with the resignation of one who’d expected her answer.
Maria just shrugged.
Her girl hadn’t been in Fortunada’s photos, but Maria now worried about the four who were. Although Detective Nolan said he would pay a visit to each of them, Maria still watched for their faces as the students filed out of the school. Thirty minutes ticked by and as the stream of kids coming out slowed to a trickle, she was about to give up. As she turned to tell Jake they could leave, a girl walking with a gangly boy caught her eye.
“There she is.” Maria grabbed Jake’s arm. “What should I do?”
Jake turned the key in the car’s ignition and backed out of the parking space. “Sit tight. We’ll follow her until she’s away from the school. We don’t want some alert teacher calling the police.”
“We can’t lose her.”
“I won’t.”
Maria breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two halfway down the block. “How are we going to approach them? What if she tries to run? What if—”
“Hush and listen. I’ll get us ahead of them, then we’ll get out and walk toward them like we’re just a couple out for a stroll. When we reach them, ask where Bradford Avenue is. I’ll take it from there.”
The plan worked and Maria, wearing her ball cap and sunglasses, stopped when they were alongside the girl. “Hey, is Bradford Avenue somewhere around here?”