Fractured

circumstances. Her face had turned completely white. She looked like she might faint.

Will tilted up his chin, which was enough to get Amanda's attention. She did not need to look at Abigail to know what was worrying him. Instead of calling the meeting to a close, she asked, 'Any more questions?'

A man in the back wearing a blazer that screamed New York and a sneer that screamed Yankee even louder, asked, 'Don't you agree that valuable time was lost due to the incompetence of the Atlanta Police Department?'

Amanda's eyes found the man, and she gave him one of her special smiles. 'At this point in time, we're more focused on finding Emma Campano than we are on pointing fingers.'

'But wouldn't-'

Amanda cut him off. 'You've had your turn. Give the others a chance.'

Will heard some of the more seasoned local reporters snicker. For his part, Will was more interested in Abigail Campano. She was searching in her purse again, her head down. She was leaning too far forward in the chair. For just a moment, it seemed like she might fall to the floor, but Paul caught her at the last moment, putting his arm around her, shoring her up. He whispered something in her ear and Abigail numbly nodded her head. She looked up at the people crowding in on her, the crush of humanity seeking to drain every emotion from her face. Her mouth opened for air. The camera flashes blinked wildly. Will could almost hear the reporters trying to come up with adjectives for the captions: devastated, crushed, mournful, broken. Amanda's plan had worked beautifully. Abigail had swayed them all without even saying a word.

More questions were allowed, each asking for details that Amanda skillfully sidestepped. Some were valid- they pressed again on what clues had been found, what progress had been made. Some were meant to be inflammatory, like the man who asked again whether or not this was the work of a sadistic serial killer who was 'targeting affluent young girls.'

Amanda gave them nothing, rapping her knuckles on the podium like a judge ending a court session, then leading the Campanos off the stage.

Another barrage of photographs were taken as Amanda followed the parents back toward the exit. Abigail could barely walk on her own. She leaned into Paul like a crutch. The reporters kept their distance, not crowding the group. If Will didn't know any better, he would have sworn they were being respectful.

Outside, Amanda made all the right noises. She took Abigail's hand, saying, 'You did perfectly.'

Abigail nodded, obviously not trusting herself to speak. The ordeal had taken the last bit of strength out of her.

Amanda said, 'The second call from the kidnapper is in three hours. I'll be with you at the house.'

Paul said, 'Thank you.'

Amanda shook Paul's hand. She gave Will a sharp look. 'My office. Ten minutes.'

He nodded, and she walked off toward the stairs.

For the first time since this had all started, Paul seemed concerned about his wife. 'Are you okay?'

'I just got a little too warm,' she murmured, hand covering her stomach.

Will offered, 'There's a bathroom down here.'

She didn't look at him. Still leaning on her husband, she made her way to the ladies' room. Outside the door, she put her hand to his face, then his chest. 'I'm okay.'

'You sure?'

She pressed her fingertips to his mouth, then went into the bathroom. Paul stood outside, facing the closed door as if he could still see her.

Will found himself feeling something like jealousy, coupled with confusion. How could someone like Abigail love Paul? How could she have a child with this man? He'd never been attractive, but Paul had let himself go over the years. He'd put on more than a few pounds. His hairline was receding. This, coupled with his roving eye, did not exactly make him a catch. What did she see in him that was attractive?

And why was it that even after almost thirty years had passed, Will was still comparing himself to the bastard?

Paul let out a long sigh. He walked a few feet away, then turned on his heel and walked back, as if keeping sentry. Will put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, wondering why he kept ending up outside the ladies' room.

Paul stopped. He indicated his own face, asking, 'Does it hurt?'

Their fight the day before was the last thing on Will's mind, though the bruise that spanned the bridge of Will's nose and ran under his eyes was reminiscent of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Instead of answering the man, Will looked down at the ground, noting that his shoes were badly scuffed.

'Here.' Paul held out the stack of photographs that Will had spotted in Abigail's purse. All of them, he knew, would show Emma in various stages of happiness. 'My wife wanted you to have these.' He did not look at the photos. 'She wanted you to know what Emma looks like.'

Will took the photos, but did not look at them, either. The girl's face was already seared into his mind. He did not need more visual cues.

Paul lowered his voice. 'You hit back a lot harder than you used to.'

Will tried not to take that as a compliment.

'Anyway,' Paul said, but nothing else followed.

Will could not stop himself. 'You're a dumb bastard to cheat on her.'

'I know.'

'She's too good for you.'

'I can't look at her.' He kept his tone low, mindful his wife was on the other side of the door. 'You heard her yesterday. I know she blames me.'

Will felt his radar come on. 'Is there something you're not telling me?'

'No,' Paul told him. 'Believe me, I wish there was. I wish there was some guy out there I pissed off, or somebody I fucked over, who I could point to. I'd beat the shit out of the fucker.'

'What about this girl you're seeing?'

'She's a woman,' Paul said, putting emphasis on the word. 'It's a casual thing. She works at the dealership. She was there when I was talking to Abby-when all of this started.'

'Is she married?'

'No.'

'Does she have a jealous ex-boyfriend?'

Paul shook his head. 'She lives with her parents. She knows I'm married. She was just looking for some fun. Trust me, she's had fun like this before. Lots of times before.'

'I'm still going to need to talk to her.'

'I'll write down-' He stopped himself. 'Give me your business card. I'll tell her to call you as soon as I get home.'

Will took out his wallet and fished around for a card. 'You won't listen to me, so listen to your father-in-law. Let us handle this. We know what we're doing. I know what I'm doing.'

Paul looked at Will's business card, his eyes moving back and forth over the words. His voice was barely more than a whisper when he spoke. 'You and me-we lived that life. We knew that there was always a bad guy around the corner. With Em, I thought it would be different. You saw my house, man. I'm a fucking millionaire. I've got more money than I know what to do with.' He stopped, his emotions catching up with him, tears flooding into his eyes. 'I'd give it all up if I could have my little girl back.'

Will was uncomfortable being in the position to assure the man that everything was going to be okay, not least of all because they both knew better.

'Fuck me,' Paul whispered, sniffing, wiping his eyes. 'I'm like a fucking girl here.'

Will looked back at his shoes. He'd paid seventy-five dollars for them a year ago. Maybe he should get some new ones. He looked at Paul's shoes. They gleamed as if they'd been freshly polished. He probably had people who did that. At night, he put his shoes in the closet all scuffed, and then in the morning they were perfect again. Or maybe he just bought new ones when the old ones got marked up. How many hand-me-down shoes had they both suffered through at the children's home? Pinched toes, blistered heels. If Will had Paul's money, he'd have a new pair of shoes for every day of his life.

Paul let out another stream of breath, oblivious to Will's observations. 'I've been letting myself think about all