Giving it up wasn’t an option. As long as Jason believed the story she had ready for him, all would be good.
No sooner had she shut the car off, Jason appeared on the front porch holding Harper on his hip. A lump of emotion caught in her throat at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world. It would kill her if her daughter up and disappeared. Someone had to find out what happened to Jade, and Jason was the person to start with, no matter how much she didn’t want to tell him anything. Trying not to limp too much, Cyndi covered the distance to the porch, a smile plastered to her lips.
“Mommy!” Harper reached for her as Cyndi climbed the porch steps, but Jason held her fast.
“Careful, honey. Let Mommy get into the house, and then she will hug all over you.”
Harper giggled. “Okay, Daddy.”
Jason turned his attention to her as she hobbled past him, taking care to hide the purse. “You are in pain, Cyn.”
“Of course I am. I turned my ankle last night.”
“Don’t be smart.”
She dropped into the recliner with a heavy sigh and pushed the button to raise the footrest. Before Cyndi brought it in the house, she had found one of Jason’s spare evidence bags in the trunk and tucked the pink purse into it. She now slid the bag into the space between the chair and the cushion so it was out of sight. Lucky for her, Jason insisted on her car having a mini crime scene kit in case he ever needed it. Jason was always on the job, even on his day off.
“Ahhh…that’s better. Come here, Harper. Give Mommy some love.” Giggling again, Harper dropped from her father’s arms into Cyndi’s lap. “I missed you, sweet girl.”
“I missed you too, Mommy!” Harper grabbed her around the neck and squeezed tight. “Where did you go?”
“I had lunch with Miss Angela.”
“Oh! I like Miss Angela.”
“She likes you too, sweet girl. You know what though? Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a minute about grown-up stuff. Why don’t you go into your room and play with your princesses?”
Harper looked from Cyndi to Jason and back again, a question in her brown eyes, which was apparently quickly answered because she broke into a brilliant smile. “Okay, Mommy. Will you play with me?”
“A little bit later, honey. Mommy is going to rest for a little while.”
Harper leaned in and kissed Cyndi on the cheek before slipping off her lap and skipping out of the living room. Through the entire exchange, Jason had been eyeing her suspiciously.
“Okay, Cyn, spill.”
“Angela and I met on Atlantic Avenue for lunch.”
“I know.” Jason was standing beside her chair now, arms folded across his chest, back to the wall. Even in his own home, Jason always had to have an eye on doors and windows…just in case. She rarely ever saw her husband relax.
“We were walking on the boardwalk when we heard a cat crying…you know I am a sucker for a stray…so we followed the sound—”
“Cyndi! What if it had rabies?”
“Oh, come on, J.J., just because it was crying didn’t automatically mean it was rabid.”
“What if it was a fox?”
Cyndi picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at her husband. “Stop making fun of me! I never should have told you about that article.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. Tell me about the crying cat.”
“You are a bad man, Jason Mills!”
“Come on, Cyndi, finish your story.” He tried to sound firm, but he was grinning like a cat that ate a canary.
“We followed the sound into an alley and found this.” She pulled the evidence bag containing the purse out of its hiding spot and passed it to Jason.
He turned the item over in his hands, his eyes settling on the stain on the back. “Where did you get this exactly?”
“In an alley behind a club called Sugar…something.”
“ Sugar Something? ”
“No, Sugar…something.”
“ Sugar Something? ”
“No…Sugar…oh, yeah, Sugar Shakers.”
“The strip joint? You went to a strip joint for
No sooner had she shut the car off, Jason appeared on the front porch holding Harper on his hip. A lump of emotion caught in her throat at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world. It would kill her if her daughter up and disappeared. Someone had to find out what happened to Jade, and Jason was the person to start with, no matter how much she didn’t want to tell him anything. Trying not to limp too much, Cyndi covered the distance to the porch, a smile plastered to her lips.
“Mommy!” Harper reached for her as Cyndi climbed the porch steps, but Jason held her fast.
“Careful, honey. Let Mommy get into the house, and then she will hug all over you.”
Harper giggled. “Okay, Daddy.”
Jason turned his attention to her as she hobbled past him, taking care to hide the purse. “You are in pain, Cyn.”
“Of course I am. I turned my ankle last night.”
“Don’t be smart.”
She dropped into the recliner with a heavy sigh and pushed the button to raise the footrest. Before Cyndi brought it in the house, she had found one of Jason’s spare evidence bags in the trunk and tucked the pink purse into it. She now slid the bag into the space between the chair and the cushion so it was out of sight. Lucky for her, Jason insisted on her car having a mini crime scene kit in case he ever needed it. Jason was always on the job, even on his day off.
“Ahhh…that’s better. Come here, Harper. Give Mommy some love.” Giggling again, Harper dropped from her father’s arms into Cyndi’s lap. “I missed you, sweet girl.”
“I missed you too, Mommy!” Harper grabbed her around the neck and squeezed tight. “Where did you go?”
“I had lunch with Miss Angela.”
“Oh! I like Miss Angela.”
“She likes you too, sweet girl. You know what though? Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a minute about grown-up stuff. Why don’t you go into your room and play with your princesses?”
Harper looked from Cyndi to Jason and back again, a question in her brown eyes, which was apparently quickly answered because she broke into a brilliant smile. “Okay, Mommy. Will you play with me?”
“A little bit later, honey. Mommy is going to rest for a little while.”
Harper leaned in and kissed Cyndi on the cheek before slipping off her lap and skipping out of the living room. Through the entire exchange, Jason had been eyeing her suspiciously.
“Okay, Cyn, spill.”
“Angela and I met on Atlantic Avenue for lunch.”
“I know.” Jason was standing beside her chair now, arms folded across his chest, back to the wall. Even in his own home, Jason always had to have an eye on doors and windows…just in case. She rarely ever saw her husband relax.
“We were walking on the boardwalk when we heard a cat crying…you know I am a sucker for a stray…so we followed the sound—”
“Cyndi! What if it had rabies?”
“Oh, come on, J.J., just because it was crying didn’t automatically mean it was rabid.”
“What if it was a fox?”
Cyndi picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at her husband. “Stop making fun of me! I never should have told you about that article.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. Tell me about the crying cat.”
“You are a bad man, Jason Mills!”
“Come on, Cyndi, finish your story.” He tried to sound firm, but he was grinning like a cat that ate a canary.
“We followed the sound into an alley and found this.” She pulled the evidence bag containing the purse out of its hiding spot and passed it to Jason.
He turned the item over in his hands, his eyes settling on the stain on the back. “Where did you get this exactly?”
“In an alley behind a club called Sugar…something.”
“ Sugar Something? ”
“No, Sugar…something.”
“ Sugar Something? ”
“No…Sugar…oh, yeah, Sugar Shakers.”
“The strip joint? You went to a strip joint for
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