Proof of Life Read online

  “Yes, Mom. I did. Can we sit down for a minute? I’ll tell you the whole story.”

  Her mother opened the door, and the two of them headed for the kitchen. Glancing around at the house she’d grown up in, she felt the familiar pang of nostalgia.

  But this time, there wasn’t any guilt. Yes, she should have walked Skylar inside the school building, but her sister’s kidnapping wasn’t totally her fault. Based on what Agent Tanner had revealed, there was a ring of criminals who preyed on innocent and vulnerable children.

  Her mother made a pot of decaf coffee while Shanna filled her in on everything that had happened, from the moment she’d found Skylar’s fingerprints at Brady’s crime scene to finding and talking to Phoebe Fontaine.

  “And you’re certain this Phoebe is really Skylar?” her mother asked, cradling her coffee mug in her hand.

  “We’ll get the fingerprint match to prove it, but based on your age-progression photos and her subtle reaction to Ellie the elephant, I’m sure.”

  “I can’t believe it,” her mother murmured. “After all this time, we finally know that Skylar is alive.”

  “I know, it’s nothing short of amazing, isn’t it?” Shanna asked. “And now that I’ve told you, my next stop will be to tell Dad. I know he’s mad at me, but surely once he realizes Skylar is alive he’ll find a way to forgive me.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” her mother said when Shanna stood.

  She stared at her mother. “Why not? I’ve been trying to talk to Dad for a few weeks now, but he wouldn’t listen. But he has to listen if I tell him I found Skylar.”

  “I think Larry will take the news better coming from me,” her mother argued.

  “But that’s the whole point, Mom. I want to mend this ridiculous feud between us. I know Dad blames me for Skylar’s kidnapping, but at least I’ve avenged some of the wrong I did by finding her.”

  “You don’t understand, Shanna,” her mother said, twisting her hands in her lap anxiously. “There’s another reason your father won’t talk to you.”

  There was? Shanna slowly sank back into her chair. “What is it, Mom?”

  Her mother paused for so long, Shanna feared she wouldn’t tell her, but then finally, she raised her tortured gaze. “Early in our marriage, I had an affair. And when I discovered I was pregnant with you, the man I was seeing took off, returning to college a hundred miles away from here. I know what I did was wrong, and the fact that we were having some marriage problems isn’t a good excuse. And of course my cheating with another man certainly didn’t help. Larry was angry and upset, but after some extensive marriage counseling, we agreed to stay together and try again.”

  An affair? Her blood turned cold as the knowledge sank deep. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she hoarsely asked.

  Tears filled her mother’s eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry Shanna, but you’re not Larry’s daughter by blood.”

  Shanna didn’t know what to say.

  Her mother’s voice dropped even lower. “But Skylar is.”

  FIFTEEN

  Shanna stared at her mother in horror. She wasn’t her father’s biological daughter? Skylar was?

  No wonder Skylar looked so much like her father and Shanna didn’t.

  And that bit of news certainly explained why he’d been so bitterly angry, blaming her for Skylar’s kidnapping.

  Memories from the past swirled in her mind. The way her father had doted on Skylar from the moment her baby sister was born. The way he’d gone all out for Skylar’s birthday, hiring a clown and even offering baby elephant rides because elephants were Skylar’s favorite animal.

  She hadn’t been jealous of her sister, at least not that she remembered. But maybe subconsciously? No, she refused to believe she’d let Skylar go into her kindergarten class alone because subconsciously she wanted something to happen.

  Please God, help me make sense of this. Please?

  “Forgive me, Shanna,” her mother cried, tears filling her eyes. “I thought God had forgiven me, but after Skylar’s kidnapping, I realized that God was trying to teach me a lesson, making me atone for my sins.”

  “Oh, Mom,” Shanna murmured, going over to give her mother a hug and a kiss. “Of course I forgive you. And I’m sure Skylar’s kidnapping wasn’t God trying to punish you. Everything that happened was a test of your faith to make you stronger.”

  “Maybe,” her mother replied uncertainly, sniffling and then reaching for a tissue to blow her nose. “Larry certainly didn’t keep his faith. Instead he turned his back on church, God and me. He moved out and started divorce proceedings. I gave him the divorce because that’s what he wanted, but deep down, I consider myself still married to him. I keep hoping that someday we’ll be a family once again…?.”

  To hear her mother admit that she still hoped for a reconciliation with her father—Skylar’s father, rather—was almost as surprising as finding out she wasn’t her father’s daughter. “Oh, Mom, I’m sorry. So sorry. Skylar’s kidnapping was my fault, and you’ve suffered so much as a result.”

  “No, Shanna. Don’t say that! Skylar’s kidnapping was not your fault. I told you that back then, and I firmly believe it now. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I could have taken Skylar to her first day of kindergarten. But instead I left the job to you. And Larry constantly reminded me of that bad decision over and over again.”

  “Maybe it’s not either of our faults,” Shanna pointed out, giving her mother another hug before going back to her seat. “Bad people kidnapped small children to make money through illegal adoptions. We couldn’t know that they’d targeted Skylar. And let’s look on the bright side. God brought Skylar back to us, so we have a lot to be thankful for.”

  “You’re right, Shanna.”

  “And now we can tell Dad, er Larry, that Skylar has been found. Maybe this is what he needs to let go of the past once and for all.”

  “I hope so.” Her mother tried to smile. “But I think it’s best if you let me be the one to tell him the news, okay? I’m not sure he’ll listen to you long enough to hear anything you’d tell him.”

  “Okay.” Shanna stared at the scarred wood table, gathering her courage to ask about her real father. “Mom, would you please tell me who my biological father is?”

  There was a pause before her mother answered. “His name was Randal Hanson, and he was my high-school sweetheart. Larry and I were married young, too young, and he was gone all the time, working during the day and taking classes at night to finish his associate’s degree. I ran into Randal during spring break, when he was home from college.”

  Randal Hanson. Did he live far away? Shanna knew she had some vacation time coming, and she wondered if it might be a possibility to visit the man who’d fathered her.

  “When I discovered I was pregnant, I called Randal in Boston to tell him the news. He panicked because he was already engaged to another woman.” Her mother looked as if she might start crying again. “So he told me I was on my own, because he was still going to marry his fiancée at the end of the summer.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said helplessly. What a horrible situation for both of them.

  “Don’t be—it’s my fault. And, Shanna, before you start making plans to go looking for Randal, you need to know he passed away three years ago from cancer.”

  Passed away? No! For a moment, a wave of anger overwhelmed her. How dare her mother wait until now to tell her the truth? Waiting until after her biological father died so she could never get to know him? Why hadn’t her mother told her all those years ago?

  She ground her teeth together. Holding back the scathing words that threatened to spill out was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.

  “Randal did care for you, Shanna,” her mother continued, as if clueless to how angry Shanna was. “In fact, he put money into a college fund when you were born. That’s how we paid for your tuition.”

  She managed to nod, unable to trust her voice, try
ing to rein in her rioting emotions. At least her biological father had cared enough to help her get a good education. Even though he’d left her mother to fend for herself.

  Paying for her college had been nice, but she’d rather have met her biological father in person instead of getting the money.

  “Shanna?” Her mother reached over to put a hand on her arm. She managed, just barely, not to shake off her touch.

  “I’m fine,” she finally said. “It’s just—a lot to absorb.” No wonder Phoebe had reacted so negatively to the news of her kidnapping. It wasn’t easy having your illusions shattered.

  “I understand,” her mother agreed. “And I’m sorry Larry was so unkind to you.”

  She shrugged. He’d been bitterly angry, but her mother’s husband hadn’t been unkind in a physical way. “At least everything makes sense now.” She rose to her feet, anxious to leave before she said something she regretted to her mother. “I have to go, but I’ll be in touch soon, okay?”

  “Sure, dear.” Her mother didn’t seem to sense anything was amiss as she headed for the door. “Goodbye, Shanna.”

  “Bye, Mom.” She brushed a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek and then bolted out the door, desperate for the safety of Quinn’s SUV.

  Inside, tears blurred her vision and she swiped them away, wanting nothing more than to get away from here.

  Shanna drove without paying much attention to her surroundings, her brain rehashing every shocking bit of news her mother had told her.

  Her cell phone rang, and she glanced down at the display. Quinn’s name flashed on the screen.

  She ignored the call, letting it go to voice mail. She couldn’t talk to him. Not right now. Not until she’d come to grips with everything she’d just learned.

  Not until she’d found a way to forgive and forget.

  Quinn placed a call to Agent Tanner. “I have some news,” he said when Tanner picked up the call. “We found Phoebe Fontaine and she admitted she was adopted. Not only that, but when Shanna pulled out a stuffed elephant, Phoebe seemed to recognize it. We believe that Phoebe is Shanna’s missing sister, Skylar Dawson.”

  “Very interesting. Where are you?” Agent Tanner asked abruptly.

  “At the Corner Café, near the commons. Why?”

  “Stay there. I want to talk to you in person. Give me fifteen minutes.”

  “All right,” Quinn agreed, his curiosity peaked.

  He waited in the café, wishing Shanna was with him. He hadn’t agreed with her decision to run to her mother’s with the news about Phoebe. Not without a firm fingerprint match. And especially not when Phoebe clearly expressed no interest in meeting her birth parents.

  “Hey, Murphy,” Tanner greeted him as he plopped into a seat beside him in the coffee shop. Quinn was impressed—the FBI agent had gotten there in just over ten minutes. “Interesting turn of events.”

  “Isn’t it?” Quinn didn’t need more caffeine, but he sipped his coffee anyway.

  Tanner leaned forward eagerly. “I’m going to head over to visit Phoebe as soon as we’re finished here. Her prints will prove she’s Skylar.”

  “She wasn’t exactly in the mood to cooperate,” Quinn said slowly.

  “I can get a court order to test her fingerprints. Or we can simply arrest her.”

  Arrest her? That seemed like overkill. “She’ll cooperate,” Quinn said. “She was surprised when Shanna confronted her, but given time she’ll come around.”

  Tanner stared for a moment and then changed the subject. “I wanted to talk to you because as I reviewed Brady’s notes, I wasn’t convinced his murder is actually related to his article. I mean, he just didn’t have enough information to make anyone want to kill him to keep him quiet. And how would anyone involved in the New Beginnings Adoption Agency know that he’d stumbled on to them?”

  Quinn cradled his coffee and let out a sigh. “You could be right. But then that means we’re back to the theory of a love triangle.” And now, more than ever, he didn’t want Skylar to be a suspect.

  “I know. So tell me what information you have regarding Anna Belfast,” Agent Tanner asked.

  Quinn lifted his brows. “Anna is a sophomore at Carlyle University, just like Brady. She was dating my brother, a fact that was confirmed by several others, including Brady’s roommates. Anna was in the Thespian Club, landing the lead role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She’s in the theater arts program, and her roommate is Maggie Carson. The two of them work as hostesses at a local restaurant called Olive Grove. That’s about all I know. Why?”

  “Detective Nelson wanted me to tell you that Anna Belfast was admitted to the hospital two hours ago. Apparently, she was mugged on campus.”

  The tiny hairs on the back of Quinn’s neck stood on end. Mugged? In a flash, he remembered how Shanna had looked lying on the floor of her house, her head bleeding. And now Anna was a victim, too? He shook his head. “That’s a strange coincidence.”

  Tanner let out a harsh laugh. “Murphy, you and I both know there aren’t any coincidences. Your first instinct regarding the love triangle was right on target. Unfortunately, Anna Belfast is still unconscious, so we can’t question her about what happened. Luckily, the doctor is hopeful she’ll recover.”

  Quinn didn’t like where Tanner was going with this new turn of events. “There’s no way Phoebe hurt Anna,” he protested. “She really was sick—you can’t fake a cold. Her nose was red and stuffed up, and she was coughing and sneezing the whole time we talked. Not to mention she’s a tiny thing, short and skinny. She wouldn’t have the strength to hurt anyone.”

  Tanner sat back in his seat as if he was enjoying Quinn’s discomfort. “Phoebe wasn’t working today. In fact, you happened to come across her here when she should have been home resting, right? I’m betting she’s stronger than she looks. And how much strength does it take to lift a rock or a brick to hit someone in the back of the head? Phoebe has the motive and the opportunity. Not to mention her fingerprints were found on the rugby trophy.”

  “No. I don’t believe it.” Although he couldn’t fault Tanner’s logic. Hadn’t he thought Phoebe might be guilty in the beginning, too? “There were two other unidentified sets of prints on the trophy, and one of those could easily belong to the killer.” Knowing Shanna would be crushed at this turn of events, he instinctively pulled out his phone to call her.

  “Wait,” Tanner said quickly. “Before you make any calls, I have one more piece of interesting information to tell you.”

  He forced himself to wait, setting his phone carefully on the table before glancing up at Agent Tanner. Suddenly, he wasn’t at all certain he liked the guy. “Like what?”

  “We did manage to match another set of prints from the rugby trophy.”

  Quinn braced himself. “You did?”

  “Anna Belfast’s fingerprints were also found on the trophy from your brother’s crime scene.” For a moment Tanner’s face held distinct satisfaction. “Which makes me believe the three of them—Phoebe, Anna and Brady—were definitely involved. And with Anna in the hospital, Phoebe, aka Skylar Dawson, is the obvious and most logical suspect.”

  Shanna drove aimlessly for almost twenty minutes before she realized she was close to her home. Feeling safe in Quinn’s SUV, she turned down her street and pulled into the driveway. She turned off the engine and sat for a few minutes, trying to pull herself together.

  Wishing she’d been given a chance to meet her biological father wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Why was she so focused on him? Because she hadn’t felt truly loved by the man who’d raised her?

  It wasn’t as if Randal had stayed around to be a part of her life, either. So what if he’d paid for her college tuition? He’d likely made the gesture out of guilt more than anything. Certainly, he hadn’t done it out of love.

  And at least now she knew why Larry, the man who’d raised her, hadn’t loved her, either.

  So why did she feel so betrayed?

  She rested her foreh
ead against the steering wheel, trying desperately not to feel so sorry for herself. Self-pity wasn’t an admirable trait.

  Her mother loved her. God loved her. And Quinn cared about her. Maybe she needed to focus on all the good aspects of her life, instead of whining over missed opportunities.

  Help me to forgive and forget, Lord. Give me the strength to move forward with my life, rather than wallowing in the past.

  A sense of calmness came over her and she lifted her head, already feeling better. She thought about finding Quinn, but then realized that while she was here at her house, she may as well go inside to get some new clothes since she’d been wearing her current ones for a couple of days. When they’d stopped here earlier for her fingerprint kit, she’d been so excited about finding Phoebe that she’d forgotten to pack more clothes.

  Using her key, she unlocked the side door and pushed it open. Remembering how Quinn had gone in first, she waited a moment before walking inside.

  The musty smell of a closed house made her relax. For once, coming home to an empty house was a relief, especially when everything looked exactly like it had earlier in the day. She tossed her purse and keys on the kitchen table and then walked down the hall to her bedroom.

  She riffled through her closet, pulling out a couple of casual outfits, but then tossed them aside in favor of long, sweeping skirts, secretly hoping Quinn would like how she looked.

  Vain, she thought with a sigh. What was wrong with her? First wallowing in self-pity and then vanity. This wasn’t like her at all.

  She needed her life to get back to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be now that Skylar had been found.

  She gathered two blouses, a sweater, another pair of jeans and a long flowing skirt before heading back to the kitchen. She’d left the overnight bag in the back of Quinn’s SUV.

  When she saw a bearded man standing in the middle of her kitchen, she let out a scream.