Daddy On The Run by Cassidy Carla

Author:Cassidy, Carla [Cassidy, Carla]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-11-14T00:54:26+00:00

Chapter Six

“Mrs. Baker?” The police officer on the front porch was baby-faced, with sandy-brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes. “Are you Mrs. Julianne Baker?”

“Yes. What can I do for you, Officer…”

“Richards. Mike Richards. I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don’t mind.” He frowned, his gaze taking in her silk dress. “Uh, did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Oh, no. I was just trying on some clothes for a charity drive.” Julianne ran her hands nervously down the sides of the dress. “Questions about what?”

“Would it be possible for me to come in?”

No. That was her first knee-jerk reaction to his request. What if Sam made a noise? What if Emily woke up and came bounding downstairs talking about her tea party with Mommy and Daddy? But if she said no, would the officer suspect something? Oh, please, don’t let her make the wrong decision. Don’t let her make a mistake.

“Mrs. Baker?”

She flushed. “Certainly, please come in.” She opened the door and led him into the living room, gesturing to the sofa. “Now, what can I do for you, Officer Richards?” she asked as she perched on the edge of the chair facing him.

He pulled a small notepad and a pen from his breast pocket. Flipping open the pad, he smiled as if to ease her anxiety. It didn’t work. Anxiety bubbled in her stomach like a caldron of noxious poisons.

“I’m one of the officers assigned to your father-in-law’s murder case,” he explained. “You are aware of the fact that we’re seeking your husband in connection with the crime.”

She nodded, her heart beating a frantic tattoo in her chest. “Ha-have you found him?” she asked. Wasn’t it a logical question for a wife to ask about a husband who she wasn’t supposed to know his whereabouts?

“No.” He eyed her curiously. “Am I right in assuming you’ve heard nothing from him?”

“That’s right.” She hoped the lie didn’t sound like one. How she hated this, all of it. The deceptions, the necessary lies.

“We got a report that somebody saw your husband carrying your daughter out of the house on the night the smoke bomb was set off,” he said, his gaze not wavering from hers.

“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed. “Who would say such a thing?” Her mind raced. Who might have seen him? Who had watched Sam step out of the smoking house that night? Who had called the police? Friend or enemy? Again anxiety filled her, making it difficult to breathe.

Officer Richards shrugged. “It was an anonymous call. The captain felt we should come out here and follow up on it.”

“There’s nothing to follow up. I haven’t seen or heard from Sam since the night his father was murdered.” Anger surged as the officer’s gaze turned skeptical. “Perhaps if the police force wasn’t so hell-bent on arresting my husband, you would find the real murderer who killed my father-in-law.”

There was a moment of heavy silence. “Who did carry your daughter out of the house that night, Mrs. Baker?”

Julianne frowned, unsure what to say.

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