Never Knowing

wouldn’t be a good mother, would screw it up somehow, but as soon as her little fingers grabbed mine, I fell head over heels. I also became fiercely protective, watching carefully if anyone held her, taking her back if she fussed. It was hard being a single mom — money was tight and I had to carry Ally in a Snuggie on my back when I worked in my shop — but I loved that it was just her and me against the world. Before Ally, I never felt like I had roots, and in my darkest depressions I thought it wouldn’t matter if I died, no one would miss me. But when I had her I finally had someone who loved me unconditionally, who needed me.

She’s growing up so fast — gone are the days when she’d play imaginary fairy games with me like wiz-a-boo and pansy ears. I don’t want to miss one moment of her life. I don’t want to be distracted when she tells me stories about her teacher, Mrs. Holly, whom she idolizes because she has straight long blond hair and can tap-dance, or about a bug Moose just ate, or when she sings all the songs from Hannah Montana. I don’t want to rush her to bed at night or out of the house in the morning. But I’m so afraid John will call and hear her in the background.

We managed to stop the media spread because nothing was confirmed, and was in fact denied, but rumors are still floating around. Hopefully the gossip will fade before it gets to Ally or any of her friends. I’ve started casually asking how things are going at school. Nothing seems to have changed. But what if it comes up later, like when she’s a teen? And if the truth ever does get out, how would people treat Ally once they knew who her grandfather was? Would they be afraid of her?

I watch her play with other kids or roughhouse with Moose, and all the things that just seemed like part of her personality before frighten me now. The way she gets so angry sometimes that her face flushes and her hands ball. The way she kicks or slaps or bites when she’s frustrated or overtired. Is it just part of her spirit, a normal six-year-old learning to cope with her emotions, or something more serious?

I find myself looking in the mirror, studying my features, thinking about the man who shares them. Wondering what else we share. Then this morning I realized why I keep dreaming of women running away from me, why studying those serial killers freaks me out so much. When I read about them, I see my traits. Serial killers have grandiose fantasies — my whole life I’ve daydreamed and fantasized. They’re obsessive- compulsive — when I’m into something, the rest of the world disappears. They have tempers, mood swings, depressions — check, check, check. They also tend to be solitary, and I’ve always been a loner, preferring to focus on Ally and work. I’ve never wanted to kill anyone, and as far as I know murder isn’t hereditary, but sometimes when I get really angry, I’ve broken things, pushed or shoved people, thrown objects, had fantasies about driving my car straight into a wall, of hurting myself. What would it take to turn that rage outward?

Of course, it’s easy for me to zero in on my negatives and heap them all on John’s genetic doorstep. But like you just pointed out, how do I know those traits didn’t come from growing up adopted, or even from Julia? And I probably won’t know because she’ll never let me close enough to find out. Billy said she confirmed the earrings were hers. Knowing how much the sight of them messed me up, I can only imagine how she felt. I wish I could talk to her. I even picked up the phone once, but this time I dropped it.

Evan left Saturday morning. He was excited because he has a big fishing charter coming up from the States, but he was also concerned about leaving me like this. He told me to stop reading books about serial killers, but there’s no way I can just stop researching. I have to find something, some insight or clue, that might help stop John.

But lately I just feel tired. Not sleepy tired, wired-up and strung-out tired. Most evenings I just pace from window to window waiting for the phone to ring. That’s where I was when John finally called again on Monday: standing at my bedroom window upstairs, watching Moose and Ally chase each other in the yard below, thinking how happy they looked, remembering how happy I used to be.

My cell rang in my pocket. I didn’t recognize the number, but I knew it was him.

“Hi, Sara.” His voice was cheerful.

“John.” My mouth went dry and my chest tightened. The police had my cell tapped now, but I didn’t feel any safer.

We were both silent for a moment, then he said, “So…” He cleared his throat. “Your business, do you like making furniture?”

“I refinish furniture, I don’t make it.” Sandy told me to be friendlier next time he called, but I was having a hard time even being polite. My body tensed as I heard Ally down in the kitchen.

Please, please, just stay there.

He said, “I bet you could make stuff if you wanted to.”

Ally was coming up the stairs, jabbering to Moose.

I moved toward my door. “I’m happy doing what I do.”

Ally was at the entrance to my room. “Mommy, Moose wants his dinner and—” I gestured for her to be quiet.

John said, “What’s your favorite part?”

“Can we do crafts now?” I gave Ally a firm look and pointed back down the stairs, mouthing, I’m on the phone.

“But you promised—” I closed the door and locked it. On the other side, she began to slam her hands against the wood while she yelled, “Mommy!”

I covered the phone’s speaker and sprinted to the farthest side of the room.

John said, “What’s that racket?”

Crap, crap, crap.

“I meant to turn the TV off and accidentally turned it up.”

Ally slapped the door again. I held my breath. Now they were both quiet.

Finally he said, “I asked what your favorite part is.”

“I don’t know. I just like working with my hands.” There were lots of things I loved about woodworking, but I wasn’t sharing any of them with him.

“I’m good with my hands too. Did you like building things when you were growing up?” No sounds from the hall. Where was Ally?

“I guess so. I used to steal my dad’s tools.”

Silence from both of them. I held my breath again, strained my ears. Finally a cupboard slammed in the kitchen. She was downstairs. I let out my breath and dropped my forehead onto my knees.

“I would have given you tools,” he said. “It’s not right that I didn’t know I had a kid.”

My anger flared. “I guess the circumstances of how I was conceived sort of took away that option.”

He was silent.

“Why do you do it? Why do you hurt those people?”

No answer.

My blood roared in my ears, warning me I was going too far, but I couldn’t stop.

“Are you angry? Do they remind you of someone, or—”

His voice was tight. “I have to do it.”

“Nobody has to kill—”

“I don’t like this.” He was breathing fast into the phone. Back off, back off NOW.

“Okay, I just—”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” And he was gone.

I called Billy right away. While we talked, I threw together some dinner for Ally and dumped food in a bowl for Moose. This time John called from north of Williams Lake and it took the police forty minutes to get there. They patrolled the area again: stopping vehicles, talking to locals, showing John’s sketch at gas stations and stores, but so far no one has seen anything. I asked Billy how they were ever going to catch John if he keeps calling from rural locations and he said they have to just keep doing what they’re doing and hope they eventually get a lead. They did find the private investigator, though — on a Caribbean cruise with his wife.

When I finally hung up the phone I went to find my daughter, who was slumped in front of the TV. I felt so