Deadly Image (7 page)

When Tenesha settled in the chair across from him, Ace pulled Anna’s picture from his pocket and held it out. “Is this the little girl you saw?”

“Yes, she was in here a few days ago with her mother.”

“You’re sure it was her mother?”

Tenesha twisted one of her braids. “Yes. They’ve been in here several times before.”

“Did you notice anything unusual? Maybe they said something about where they were going?”

Tenesha shook her head. “No. That was the weird part. Usually when they come in the mother is very friendly. But this time she hardly said anything to me. I just figured she might be in a bad mood or something. She wasn’t very nice to the little girl either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Tenesha’s dark brows slashed downward. “Usually, the mother would ask her what she wanted. This time she ordered her a hamburger and the little girl kept saying she wanted chicken fingers. Her mother wouldn’t even listen. Just told her to shut up. She was edgy too. Like she was on something.”

“Like drugs?”

Dread anchored in Ace’s chest. Had Lexi forgotten to take her anxiety medicine? Or maybe she had taken too much? That would certainly cause her to be edgy. Maybe even disoriented.

Tenesha shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. She just seemed odd somehow. Oh, and she didn’t hold the onion.”

Ace lifted a brow. “Hold the onion?”

“The little girl hates onions. She’s never ordered the child a hamburger without holding the onion. Except that time.”

“I see.” Ace pulled out his notepad and jotted down a few notes. He reached in his pocket, pulled out a picture of Lexi and slid it across the table. “And you’re sure this is the woman who was with the little girl.”

Tenesha bit her lip. “I’m sure. But…”

“But?”

“I don’t know exactly. It looks like her, but there was something different too. I can’t really explain it.”

“Different how? In the way she looked?”

“No, not exactly. Maybe I just think that because she acted so differently.”

“Do you remember anything else?”

Ace’s heart tanked at the quick shake of Tenesha’s head. He’d hoped for something.
Anything
that would exonerate Lexi.

“Thank you, Tenesha. You’ve been a big help.” Ace handed her a business card. “If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”

“I will. What I didn’t understand is why the little girl kept crying for her momma. I mean she was right there beside her.”

Ace froze. “She asked for her momma?”

“A couple of times. The woman just told her to shut up and said that she
was
her momma.” Tenesha stood and smoothed a wrinkle from her orange and black uniform. “I’ve never seen her act that way toward the little girl before. She’s always been so kind and gentle.”

Ace rose to his feet as Tenesha walked back toward the counter. Something still didn’t add up.

Had
Lexi mistakenly taken too much of her meds? Or maybe had forgotten to take them completely? Or was there something else going on? Something he was missing?

* * *

Lexi couldn’t stand it a moment longer. The house seemed to be closing in on her with each passing hour. Every room held a sharp reminder that Anna was missing, and the presence of the FBI only added fuel to the fire.

She couldn’t even share her fears with her parents. Her mother had gone into town to pick up a few groceries since her fridge was now nearly empty, and her dad had gone back out with a couple of the local law enforcement to meet a group from the local church. Apparently, someone from Faith Community Church was heading up a volunteer search party. Lexi would have rather been out there with them instead of stuck in the house waiting for a ransom call that might never come. At least then she’d feel like she was doing
something
to help find her daughter. Waiting by the phone for the past few days had proven pointless. No one had called and it didn’t look like anyone was going to.

Lexi paced the living room, stopping every few seconds to peer out the bay window.

Where was Ace?

He’d left earlier that morning to check out the latest lead – an eyewitness who claimed Lexi had taken Anna to a fast food restaurant the day her daughter disappeared. Another ridiculous claim that would lead absolutely nowhere, but as Ace had said earlier, it was his job to check out every lead.

Lexi clenched her fist so tight her nails dug into her palm. She’d seen the disappointment in Ace’s eyes when his partner claimed they had an eyewitness placing her with Anna at the time of her daughter’s disappearance. Even after she’d tried to explain how impossible the story was, she could tell Ace didn’t believe her.

At least not fully.

Frustration splintered through her. Why was the town doing this? Making up stories about her? She hadn’t done anything to her daughter, yet
she
seemed to be the only lead the FBI had.

Lexi jerked the navy blue curtains covering the bay window closed. There was no way she would have ever hurt her daughter. The accusations were insane. How could anyone think she’d do such a thing?

Lexi froze, hands stilled on the coarse fabric. Unless…

No! No! No! That was ridiculous.

Her hand tightened around the material. Surely she’d remember if she’d done anything to Anna.

Not if you had forgotten to take your meds.

The thought crawled through her mind and planted a huge seed of doubt. What if they were right? What if
she
had hurt Anna and just couldn’t remember? What if she
had
forgotten to take her meds?

Errgh!

Lexi whirled away from the window and headed for the front door. She needed to get out of the house before she actually started to believe their accusations herself. She hadn’t done anything to her baby. She was sure of it.

Yet a niggling doubt plagued her as she ran out the door toward the thicket behind her house. Could she really be absolutely sure?

The crisp autumn breeze whipped Lexi’s hair into her face as she jogged along the footpath near the woods.

She paced herself so as not to overexert even though she wanted to run until her lungs burst. Running gave her a sense of control and right now she needed every sliver she could get.

She jogged into the woods and took a small path leading to the edge of the bayou where she and Anna came to fish once in a while off an old pier. A generally safe area of the bayou since it was located near the edge rather than deep in the heart of the swampland. Still, an occasional alligator or water moccasin could be spotted floating in the murky backwater, but Lexi had always been careful.

She jogged toward the pier and inhaled. The strong, pungent stench of swamp water filled her lungs. A white heron stood next to the pier while soft waves lapped at the stilts of the wooden plank extending out over the green-tinged water.

Lexi shivered. It would be so easy for someone to disappear in the shadowy water below. When she’d first moved to Gator Bayou, she’d heard all the legends of people suddenly disappearing on the bayou. She’d tried to dismiss them as simply that. Legends. But now, looking into the swamp waters, Lexi could see how someone could easily vanish. By the time the gators were through with them, nothing would be left to find.

Fear gripped her chest. Surely Anna hadn’t wandered down here by herself. Maybe she really had picked her daughter up at two like Mrs. Jenkins claimed. Lexi bit her lip trying to remember the events of that horrible day. She had gotten up early and dressed Anna for daycare. Usually she’d take her meds with breakfast, but the delivery guy had called while she was feeding Anna.

Had she been so distracted with setting up the delivery time for the toddler bed that she had forgotten her medicine? If so, was it actually possible she
had
picked up Anna at two as everyone claimed and just didn’t remember it? What if she had and then Anna had slipped out of the house without her knowing.

What if…

Stop it! Don’t let the accusations brainwash you. You did not pick up Anna. Someone took her.

Lexi gritted her teeth. The stress of being accused over and over again of hurting her daughter was getting to her. She couldn’t let that happen. She had to stay focused.

Something crackled in the dense thicket of greenery to her right. Lexi held her breath, ears cocked.

Twigs snapped and the sound of footsteps on dead branches sent alarm racing through her body.

Someone or something was out there.

Lexi inched back toward the footpath. No sudden movements in case it was an animal. A gator. A small black bear. A deer.

Or worse.

Lexi swallowed hard.

The local wildlife had never really been a problem in this area of the woods. The animals usually remained deeper in the heart of the swampland.

But there was always a first time.

More twigs snapped.

A whisper of fear crawled through her mind. What if it wasn’t an animal? What if somebody was in the woods tracking her every move?

Lexi took a few more backward steps, keeping her eyes glued to the thicket of pine and live oak trees. She couldn’t see anything, but a shudder rippled through her as the distinct feeling of being watched shivered down her spine.

Another few steps and Lexi made it to the footpath entrance. She turned and sprinted toward her house. Fear prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. She could almost feel eyes boring into her back, but she didn’t stop to find out what it was. Instead, she ran as if her life depended on it.

Lexi slipped inside her house and slammed the door behind her.

Stop being silly. It was just an animal, and it was probably more frightened of you than you were of it.

She gasped for air. Had it been her imagination or had someone really been hiding in the edge of the woods near her house?

Watching.

Waiting.

* * *

The eyes watched as Lexi sprinted toward her house. A bubble of excitement stirred inside. The wait had been a long time coming. Excruciatingly long. But, oh, so worth it.

The nightmare is only beginning for you, my dear Lexi. Just beginning. I’m going to take everything you have away, one by one. Just like you took everything from me.

* * *

The sound of the door slamming brought Ace to his feet. In three quick strides he stepped from the den into the living room. A stone settled in his stomach as he took in Lexi’s pale face and terrified blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“N–nothing.” Lexi’s words came in sharp, quick gasps.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He moved closer to her, afraid she would collapse at any second.

“No, really. I’m fine.” Lexi forced a humorless laugh. “Just my overactive imagination.”

“What happened?” Ace frowned, shoving one hand in his trouser pocket and propping his other one on the door frame.

“I went jogging out back near the bayou. I–I thought I heard something in the woods.” Though she tried to hide it, fear seeped into her voice. “It was probably just an animal.”

“I’ll go take a look, but you need to sit before you end up on the floor.” He didn’t care for the way her skin seemed to have lost all color. With everything that had been going on the last few days, it was a wonder she could function at all.

Ace took Lexi’s hand. It felt cold and clammy in his. He led her to the couch where she sank down with shaking knees.

“I’m fine. Really, there’s no need to make a fuss.”

There will be when I bring you in for formal questioning and possible charges.
Ace didn’t voice the dreaded thought, but he knew there was no getting around it. He had seen the tape himself, and though he had a few doubts of his own, the evidence was too overwhelming to overlook. It seemed Lexi had indeed been in that fast food joint with Anna a few hours after the child had allegedly been kidnapped. There was no easy way around it. He would have to bring her in for another round of intense questioning. But first he needed to find out what was in the woods.

Sheriff Dawson and Deputy Owens appeared in the doorway of the den. “Good. She’s back. Have you–”

“Not yet.” Ace’s curt response cut off the sheriff’s question. “I need you both to come with me first.”

Sheriff Dawson shot Lexi an odd look.

Lexi’s head snapped up. “What are you talking about? Did you find Anna?”

“No. Stay put until we get back.” Ace motioned for the two men to follow him, then walked outside before Lexi could ask any more questions

Sheriff Dawson hurried to catch up with him, his breath puffing. “Why didn’t you bring her in?”

Ace pulled his gun from the holster and held it up, barrel pointed toward the thicket. “Lexi thought she heard something out here.”

Sheriff Dawson snorted and pulled his own gun from his holster. “She’s leading you on a wild goose chase. She’s as guilty as the day is long and you know it. You saw the tape yourself.”