The light changed and Charlotte hugged the bumper of the car in front of her to be sure she made it through the light in time. Ahead of her, the minivan continued at a fast, but not break-neck pace.
The more Charlotte followed and the less the minivan tried to lose her, the more she suspected the woman had no relation to the case. The twitchy driver could be someone who read about the case in the paper and wanted a peek. From the information shared in the press, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to find the Bennetts’ address.
Maybe she was just a really lousy driver. In Charlotte’s experience, there were a few of those in Florida.
Ah well. Worth a shot.
She determined to follow the woman home and see if she had a baby in the car with her. Assuming she hadn’t driven from Ohio to see the Bennetts’ house, it wouldn’t take long.
At least following someone was more exciting than staring at a house.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Why was that woman in that car?
Kim chewed at her lip, Mason behind her blessedly silent for a change.
There’d been a woman in that old white Volvo station wagon. She was sure of it.
Cop?
In a Volvo? Probably not. Didn’t they have to use American cars by law or something?
She took a deep breath and tapped on the wheel while she waited for the light to change. She glanced in her rearview, craning her neck from side to side to search for the Volvo. She’d looked behind her at both stop signs and hadn’t seen the white car following. Maybe that woman had been waiting for sunrise. There were always weird people parked near the beach.
Kim forgot about the Volvo and shifted her thoughts back to Josh Jr. Was he in that house? Did they leave him with the couple or was he not even there?
I have to know.
How can I find out?
They weren’t going to say in the paper. She’d have to break in there and look around. Her stomach lurched at the thought, but it had to be done.
Was there a camera on that gate? Could I cut through the shrubs somewhere?
She made a mental note to wear long sleeves and maybe yoga pants to keep from getting scratched.
I’ll have to take a day off from work. Or not. I should do it at night, but—
Kim looked up just in time to slam on her breaks. The cars in front of her had slowed for a light.
She panted as if she’d run a race. She could hear her heart banging against her chest.
Mason, jolted from his sleep by the sudden stop, whined and bubbled like a coffee maker. She recognized it as his way of gearing up for the real shrieking.
Tears flowed from Kim’s eyes as if a dam had given way, and she allowed herself to sob until she could barely breathe.
I can’t do this anymore. I can’t.
When the light changed she hit the gas and barreled for home. Five minutes later she pulled into her driveway, her own weeping now overshadowed by Mason’s bawling. It was as if he’d taken the volume of her pain as a personal challenge.
“Shut up! Shut up!”
Kim shut off the car and rested her head on the steering wheel. She needed to take a moment. If she moved to get Mason out of the back now, she worried what she might do. She needed silence. A day of silence. She couldn’t give the baby to her mother or Josh’s mother for fear they’d realize it wasn’t Josh Jr. but with one day of quiet, maybe she could figure out a way—
Kim looked up and gasped.
Josh stood in the driveway in front of her, hands hanging at his sides a little too far away from his hips, as if he was preparing to crouch and leap on her minivan like a panther.
He looked angry.
Kim wiped away her tears and looked in the rearview. Her eyes glowed puffy and red. No hiding she’d been crying.
She opened the door and slid out of the van, wondering if her legs would support her when she landed.
“What are you doing up?” she asked, turning her face away from Josh to open the back, sliding side door. Her stuffed nose made her voice sound funny and she couldn’t stop sniffing.
“Where were you?” asked Josh, his boots crunching on the gravel as he approached.
Kim reached for the crying baby, her hands shaking as she tried to unstrap him from the car seat.
“He wouldn’t sleep. I thought I’d try driving him around.” Kim glanced at Josh and forced a smile. “I didn’t want him to wake you up.”
“You’ve been gone an hour.” Before she could gather the child in her arms, Josh grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him. “What’s wrong with your face?”
She jerked her hand from his and grabbed the baby seat to anchor herself. “Huh?”
“You’re all red. You look like crap.”
Go on the offensive. Sometimes that works.
“Oh sorry, Josh. I’m a little tired.” She pulled Mason from the seat and held him against her, bobbing him up and down, hoping he’d stop crying. She couldn’t hear herself think and Josh was leaning into her, his cheeks flushed red. She imagined she could see the steam coming out of his ears.
“You were crying.” He said, maneuvering her chin to better peer into her face.
Despite the rough way he’d gripped her chin, she could tell he was now on the fence somewhere between anger and concern. She took the opportunity to hurry past
