Catching Serenity (37 page)

“
I—”

He moved two fingers over her lips, stilling them.
“I know.” Patting his fist over his heart, he kissed her forehead.

She watched as he walked back down the front walkway. Pausing at the end of the sidewalk, he motioned for her to go inside. Closing the door behind her,
turning the lock so he’d hear, Serenity stood beside the front window until he was out of sight.

After tonight,
Jackson Ross would never be far from her heart.

~
CHAPTER 38~

Driving to Croisette Shores Cemetery a few hours later
on Saturday morning, Jackson chewed on his lower lip, something he rarely did. If he hadn’t needed a couple of hours of sleep, he would have driven this same road at the crack of dawn. He needed to see if there was a headstone for Liam’s grave. Not that it would tell him anything new.

He
’d never been to the small cemetery on the edge of town—never had a reason—he knew it wasn’t far. Spotting a sign for the cemetery, he turned at the next intersection, resisting the urge to floor the accelerator. Another sign told him it was a half-mile down on the left. As he turned inside the well-kept entrance, Jackson wondered if Serenity ever came here. Would it comfort her or bring her more grief? He’d never understood the need of others to visit a gravesite, although he knew it gave a lot of people—his parents included—a kind of comfort. In a way, it was paying respect to a loved one who’d passed on. Perhaps it was one of those things he’d understand more as he grew older.

Driving as far as he could along the narrow, winding gravel road, Jackson slowed
the car, looking left and right, searching for a headstone appropriate for a child. Weren’t they usually a white or light gray stone marked by a lamb or some kind of kid-friendly symbol? Spying one with a teddy bear, he stopped the car and hopped out. Walking closer, he saw it was a grave for a six-year-old girl who’d died nearly twenty years ago. Fresh flowers were planted at the foot of the headstone and it was immaculately kept. After twenty years. With a quick glance, he noted all the graves were neat and well-maintained, making it difficult to determine which ones might be more recent.

Lord, show me the way.

He paced up and down the rows. Pausing in his quest long enough to stop and read the occasional headstone, he spied one about three hundred yards away. Made from white marble, it was small and simple with an etched starfish.

Creeping closer, Jackson
’s heart pounded and his pulse accelerated. Even before he read the name, he had the suspicion this was the one he sought. He stopped and knelt down in front of it, wincing as he did so. A toy car, a small truck and a set of plastic building blocks sat in front of it. Jackson ran his fingers over the inscription, holding his breath.

Liam
Justin Kincaid. Beloved infant son.

The verse
on the headstone was well-known and beloved from the Book of Matthew. He spoke the words of scripture aloud, “
But Jesus said, Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these
.”

Jackson bowed his head for a quick prayer, even though he suspected this particular grave was empty.

Next he’d visit the library. What was the name of the librarian Jillian at the Vital Records Office mentioned? Myra? No, whatever the name was, it rhymed with a name in the title of one of the Dr. Seuss books in his office,
Yertle the Turtle
. Myrtle! That was it.

T
en minutes later, he pulled the car to a stop in front of the library, driven by a deeply personal mission to confirm his suspicions. A few people walked the streets, and he waved and exchanged a few words with a couple of people as he headed up the stone stairs and pushed through the front door. He nodded to the librarian behind the counter at the reference desk. When she asked if he needed help, he paused.

“
Is Myrtle in, by any chance?”

A broad grin creased her face.
“You’re looking at her. How can I help you?”

“
Jillian in Vital Records gave me your name. I need to look up something in the archives of the
Croisette Shores Daily News
. It’s probably on microfilm.”

“
From what date?” the middle-aged, dark-haired woman asked with a friendly smile.

“
Five years ago.”

She nodded.
“That should be easy enough. Come with me, young man, and I’ll get you all set up. Are you new to the area?”

“
I’m Jackson Ross.”

“
Oh, the new psychologist who’s working with Doc Rasmussen?”

“
The same.”

“
Nice to meet you.” She directed him to a desk, turned on the machine and gave him a quick tutorial. “If you have any trouble, let me know. I need to do some reshelving, but I’ll check on you in a bit to see if you need anything.”

“
Thanks, Myrtle. Much obliged.”

“
Don’t mention it. I hope you find what you’re looking for, Dr. Ross.”

“
Me, too,” he mumbled under his breath. Within ten minutes, Jackson had his answers. A birth notice was printed in the paper shortly after Liam’s birth, but no death notice was ever recorded. He searched thoroughly under every variation of the name he could think of under both the names
Kincaid
and
McClaren
and cross-referenced everything. He checked three months before and three months following Liam’s supposed “death.”

Wait a minute.
Serenity recognized Dr. Saunders as the name of the doctor who’d signed Liam’s death certificate. Was it possible he was somehow in on whatever Elise’s scheme had been, if that’s what it was?
Think.
When Serenity pulled out Liam’s baby things from the box at her house, she had his hat, receiving blanket, birth certificate and the tiny wrist band. He didn’t recall seeing a death certificate. What had happened to it? She might keep it in a place where she wouldn’t see it often. If she did, he couldn’t blame her. Those other items represented Liam’s precious and all-too-brief
life
, but a death certificate? It’d bring all the sadness and heartache rushing back, and she wouldn’t want the reminder.

With a wave of thanks to the librarian, Jackson departed and took the front steps two at a time on his way back to the car. Why would there be a record of Liam
’s birth but not his death? While it was entirely possible it got lost in the shuffle, he didn’t think so. If the family didn’t make sure it was done, wouldn’t the coroner or the funeral home send the death notice to the local paper? Even a child who’d died would have an obituary.

As he climbed back
in his car, Jackson knew one thing: either Liam’s death notice was purposely omitted from being published in the local newspaper.

Or Liam never died.

Standing with a grocery basket over one arm, Jackson eyed the selection of fresh-baked breads at McHenry’s Market mid-afternoon.

“
You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Jackson turned around slowly
, not recognizing the female voice. He tried to keep the shock from his expression. With a bright floral scarf tied over her head and big sunglasses, it was
her
. Carmen.

“
Excuse me?”

“
Serenity McClaren. You’re in love with her.”

Not sure how to react, he extended one hand.
“Jackson Ross. Before I admit to loving someone, I like to know to whom I’m speaking.” He kept his tone light. If he barraged her with all the questions in his mind, she’d run away faster than a jackrabbit. He needed answers, and she’d approached him. Mentally willing his heart to slow down, he swallowed a quick breath. “Carmen?”

Her head dipped down for a moment.
“I’m a friend. Leave it at that.”

“
Then we’re in agreement. I’ll admit to caring about her very much, too.” Hopefully, that would satisfy her. He loved Serenity, yes, but he wasn’t about to tell this woman. Who was she, really? Why did she want to know and what was her purpose in following Serenity?

He pretended to study the bread and picked up a loaf of rye.
“She’s coming for dinner tonight. Want to come?” He glanced over at her. Yet another woman who wouldn’t remove her sunglasses.

She blew out a breath.
“I’m not sure that would be such a good idea.”

“
Does David know?”

“
Know what?”

“Well,” he said, trying to contain his aggravation, “for starters, does he know you follow people around? I didn’t know that’s what retired flight attendants do, as a general rule.”

Her cheeks colored. “How do you know I’m following your girlfriend?”

“
Serenity’s noticed you a few times.”

A slight smile curled her ruby lips.
“Don’t think I didn’t see you two in the library.”

“
This isn’t about me.”

“
Even so, it’s obvious Serenity’s not immune to your charms, Dr. Ross.”

This conversation was head
ing nowhere fast. “I repeat, does David know? Because, I have no qualms whatsoever in telling him. I’m sure he’d be interested.” If she wanted to play hardball, he’d lob it right back at her full force.

Carmen visibly stiffened and squared her shoulders.
“This has nothing to do with David.”

“
Are you being paid to watch Serenity? Who hired you?”

“
Shh,” she said, darting her head back and forth. “Keep your voice down. This town’s small enough.”

“
Sure, I’ll pipe down if you answer the question. Let me guess, Elise McClaren?”

He could tell
that question touched a nerve. Opening her mouth to speak, she quickly closed it.

Jackson touched her forearm, relieved when she turned back toward him
instead of bolting. “Serenity’s coming to my house for dinner tonight. You’re welcome to come. Better yet, bring Elise.” He bit his tongue not to add she’d better have a good explanation why he shouldn’t go to the police.

I guarantee you
’ve never heard a story like ours
. Those were the words used by “Mrs. Johnson.” He couldn’t wait to hear her story and it was long past due.

“
Okay, listen.” Carmen beckoned him closer. “Yes, she hired the agency I work for, but my job is only to keep an eye on Serenity. See where she goes, who she sees, that sort of thing.”

“
Why?”

“
She has her reasons.”

“
And the boy?”

When
Carmen didn’t answer, Jackson shook his head. “I’d like to know how she can justify what she’s put Serenity through the past five years. It’s unconscionable.”

“
Elise is a good woman and she loves her daughter, Dr. Ross. She’s taken excellent care of Justin. Surely you, of all people, know that.” Her dark eyes bore into him. “Keep an open mind. Once you hear what happened, you might be more forgiving.”

“
I’d like the opportunity to find out so I can do that very thing,
if
it’s warranted.” Jackson lowered his basket to the floor. Reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, he looked up and found her gone. No big surprise there. His eyes opened wider as he spied a loaf of bread in his basket. Sourdough. He hadn’t picked it up, so Carmen must have added it at some point. Was it random or intentional? Well, it’d complement the rest of the planned meal—and the seal on the wrapper wasn’t broken—so why not? Gathering the last of the ingredients he’d need for their dinner, Jackson walked toward the checkout lane, lost in thought. This whole situation was driving him crazy, and he needed to try and find a way to bring it to light. Going about it in a way that didn’t compromise his ethics was the tough thing, but he had to do it.