Bloodlines by Dinah McCall Page A

from prison after serving twenty-five years for his involvement in the kidnapping of the granddaughter of Dallas mogul Marcus Sealy. At this time authorities want Lawrence only for questioning regarding the recent discovery of the skeletal remains of a child’s body out at Lake Texoma. The Sealy family is also being questioned regarding the similarities between the baby’s remains and Olivia Sealy, who, as a child, was kidnapped and then returned to Marcus Sealy after an extended length of time.”
    Foster’s heart skipped a beat as his lips went slack. The knot of hunger in his belly turned into a full-blown ache as the remote slipped from his shaking fingers. It hit the floor with a thump and, as it did, changed the channel.
    He found himself tuned to the Discovery Channel, watching a male elephant intently copulating with a female elephant who was in heat. Any other time, watching any kind of sexual act would have turned him on, but the only thing hard now was the bed on which he was sitting.
    â€œSon of a bitch,” Foster muttered.
    The thought of reliving the hell of a federal prison was impossible. He knew for damn sure that the baby he’d seen had been returned unharmed, because he was the one who’d taken her to the shopping mall and let her go. There were things about his accomplice’s past he hadn’t liked, but he’d kept his silence, thinking that the million dollars would be worth the wait. However, he hadn’t planned on having to deal with murder all over again. He hadn’t known about Michael’s and Kay Sealy’s murders until it had been too late, and he didn’t know a damn thing about this one, either.
    Suddenly the sanctuary of his room began to seem more like a cell. He thought of the clerk who’d seen his face and the whore who’d just sucked his dick, and figured his days were numbered. He jumped up from the bed and started yanking on his clothes. Panic was pushing him into running until he suddenly stopped. He couldn’t go out—not like this. That photo had been a recent one, and he would certainly be spotted immediately. He had learned one thing doing time: patience. He had too much at stake to make a mistake, so instead of running away, he began to run through his options.
    It didn’t seem possible that this was happening, and, by God, it wasn’t fair. He’d paid his debt to society, so what the hell was going on? It seemed as if the state of Texas was out to get him, one way or another. He couldn’t let that happen, but he couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until he had what he’d come for. But how? Thanks to the news, he was bound to be seen. He thought for a few minutes, then started with the obvious. The authorities were looking for a gray-haired man with a ponytail and facial hair. It was time to make that man disappear. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the bathroom.
    With the aid of a switchblade, a can of shaving cream and a disposable razor, he shaved off his beard and used his knife to cut off his ponytail. His face was pale where the beard had been, and his hair looked as if he’d gotten caught in a lawn mower, but it was enough to assure him a safe trip outside to get another room and the goods he needed to finish his new look. He stared at himself for a few moments, then dressed quickly, stuffed his belongings into the backpack and left, leaving the key to the room on the bed as he went.
    As he started down the three flights of stairs, it occurred to him that he might have to change more than his look to get past the desk clerk without notice, but he wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t until he started down the second flight of stairs and saw an empty pizza box in the stairwell that he knew what to do. He picked it up, holding it as if the food was still inside, and walked the rest of the way down the stairs.
    The desk clerk glanced up, saw the man and then the pizza box, and immediately