See Me in Your Dreams (22 page)
Read See Me in Your Dreams Online
Authors: Patricia Rosemoor
"Ah,
Keelin."
She pulled his
head to her breast. And though his physical warmth stirred her, the emotional
bond they were forming was far more potent. He had opened up to her with his
deepest, darkest secret as she had to him earlier. Their mutual trust had to
mean something.
The words of
her grandmother's legacy drifted into her mind.
Dreams are not always tangible things, but more often are
born in the heart. Act selflessly in another's behalf, and my legacy shall be
yours.
Love was that
legacy, Keelin knew – the unexpected love she felt for Tyler Leighton – though
she worried that she had not truly acted selflessly as Moira had advised. She
had nearly as much at stake here as did Tyler.
He had his
daughter.
She had her
very soul.
How long could
a love born in the desperation of the human heart last? she wondered. If not
for Cheryl running away, they would never have met. If not for Tyler's grief
over his missing daughter, he would not be so open.
What about
when the child of his heart was returned to him? Would he have room for
her
, as well, Keelin wondered?
Not that it
mattered, for as she had told herself before, they were worlds apart.
And yet,
sitting in the dark, the lake breezes curling the thin material of her dress up
along her legs, wrapped in arms that she never wanted to leave, Keelin couldn't
quite see that anything mattered but love.
SOME TIME LATER -- TYLER COULDN'T SAY
how long for certain – he realized that he had dozed off cocooned around Keelin,
dazed by her warmth. With awakening came the remembrance that he no longer had
any secrets. Uncomfortable at having opened up so completely to the woman in
his arms, he felt the need for some space.
And yet, he
said, "Keelin, we'd better get inside," as softly as if they'd just
made love.
The mental
comparison betrayed him and he grew increasing uncomfortable as she stretched
and wiggled her bottom against him as she slid to her feet. Splashed by
moonlight, she seemed dreamy-eyed...and yet her smile was a bit distant, not
quite reaching her eyes.
He followed
her up the stairs to the top of the bluff. They crossed the lawn side-by-side,
and he was careful not to touch her. She seemed equally tentative. An
awkwardness hung between them even as they entered the house in mutual silence.
As she glided through the dining room, he busied himself locking up the French
doors.
"I'd
better check the front," he said, brushing by Keelin in the foyer.
He'd snapped
the dead bolt in place when he happened to look down. The breath caught in his
throat. A plain white envelope sans postage but bearing his name was caught
beneath the door. Like a madman, he ripped it free and tore it open.
"Tyler?"
As he unfolded
the sheet of pasted letters, he glanced up and their gazes locked. He swore he
could feel strong emotions pour from her to him, as if they were psychically
united. He felt her support...and something far deeper.
Discomfited,
he focused on the third ransom note.
The fireworks will go off at Navy Pier at 10:15 Friday
night. Wait at the north end of the Crystal Gardens with the goods in a
backpack for a trade. Come alone if you don't want anyone to get hurt.
"What
does it say?" she asked anxiously.
"Forty-eight
hours."
Taking the
threat seriously, he refolded the ransom note and slipped it into his pocket.
He would have to go alone. That meant he couldn't divulge the details lest
Keelin take it into her head to follow him. She was desperate to redeem herself
for something that wasn't even her fault.
Better that
she live with her past not fully resolved than not live at all.
Chapter Ten
ANOTHER DREAMLESS NIGHT LEFT KEELIN
praying that Cheryl had merely been sleeping soundly. The other possibility,
that some real harm had come to the girl, was too terrible to contemplate. She
rose, staring unseeing at one of the windows where the morning light poured
into the bedroom.
Gradually
focusing, she stared at the square of brilliance and at the massive tree trunk
beyond.
And suddenly
another window took shape in her mind.
Tied and
gagged, Cheryl had nonetheless been able to
see
the last time Keelin had tuned into her. And she'd been staring at what lay
outside the living room window.
A church steeple!
The image that
kept eluding her the day before.
Keelin flew out
of bed, pausing when the room shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her
equilibrium. Her head barely hurt any more.
Freshening up
in record time, Keelin dressed with a renewed sense of purpose. Tyler couldn't
keep her from returning to Wicker Park with him! She almost felt like going it
alone, taking a taxi and letting him wonder what she knew.
Almost.
It still
galled her that he'd refused to show her the ransom note the night before. Had
refused to divulge any information other than the Friday night deadline. He
knew she was committed, for heaven's sake.
Nevermind
that he swore he was only trying to protect her from herself.
She'd believed
him when he said he trusted her. So why couldn't he have proved as much?
The smell of
fresh coffee assaulted her nose when she left Cheryl's room. Normally a tea
drinker herself, Keelin occasionally indulged in a cup of the stronger stuff.
And so she swept into the kitchen and made straight for the mug tree, noting
that not only was an exhausted-looking Tyler at the table, but his ex-wife, as
well. Nursing a mug of coffee, a belligerent expression detracting from her
beauty, Helen was still in her bathrobe.
"Have you
heard anything from your Mr. Weaver?" Keelin asked, her voice tight with
irritation left over from the ransom note issue.
She filled a
mug for herself. Tyler's eyebrows shot up as he watched.
"He's not
my Mr. Weaver and yes, he checked in," Tyler groused. "He found a
woman who
maybe
saw Cheryl but
couldn't remember where."
Keelin
softened when she realized how frustrated the man sounded. Perhaps he did have
her best interests at heart by not wanting her along on the ransom drop. Only
she didn't happen to agree with the decision.
Leaning
against the counter where she'd stacked the wine bottles the day before, Keelin
said, "The apartment is across from a church."
"What?"
"The
apartment where Cheryl is being kept."
"You know
where my baby is?" Helen demanded.
"Not
exactly. Not yet." Keelin looked to Tyler. "But now we can find
it."
"What are
we waiting for?" Taking the mug from Keelin's hand, Tyler set it down on
the counter and turned her toward the front door.
"What
about me?" Helen asked, getting to her feet. "I can't go dressed like
this."
His expression
cold, Tyler said, "
You
weren't
invited."
"She's my
daughter, too!" Helen screamed. "I may have been at fault letting her
get lost the first time, but she was in
your
custody when she ran away and got herself kidnapped. What kind of a parent does
that make
you
?"
Helen's
emotional outburst struck a responsive chord in Keelin and she regretted
suspecting her. No matter what mistakes the woman had made, she did seem to
care about what happened to her daughter. Still, she didn't try to convince
Tyler that they should take his ex-wife along. No more wanting to be in Helen's
company than he did, she kept her peace as they started off.
They were well
on the road before Tyler opened up the conversation. "We had it out this
morning. I told Helen that when we found Cheryl, I planned on telling her that
her mother is alive...
if
she doesn't
already know."
"Then
Helen won't be able to blackmail you any longer."
"No.
She's off the gravy train. She'll have to take me back to court to get another
penny out of me. I won't make things easy for her. Or for myself."
No wonder his
ex-wife had appeared so truculent. Her source of income was gone. And Keelin
had imagined all that concern was for Cheryl. More fool she.
"So tell
me about the dream."
"I didn't
dream last night," Keelin said. "I woke up remembering the church
steeple from the dream I had when we were returning from Wicker Park."
"What
about other details?"
He didn't need
the ones about Cheryl's being tied and gagged, Keelin assured herself.
"She was looking at the television, then out the window. That's all."
She wondered
if he noticed the color stealing up her neck. Burning, Keelin shifted and sank
lower in her seat, grateful that Tyler didn't pursue it. To her everlasting
gratitude, he didn't say much the rest of the way to the Wicker Park area.
After crossing
the six corner intersection, he said, "I'll turn at the first side street
and drive straight. I'll stay methodical unless one of us spots a church."
The first
church they encountered stood across from old mansions and two-flats. Several
more blocks of zigzagging the area, and they spotted a second church. Keelin
looked to the other side of the street.
"A six
flat," she murmured. "And it has a stoop!"
Tyler
immediately pulled the Jaguar into the only available parking spot on the
block.
Keelin's pulse
lurched as they approached the building. The church's steeple lay directly
across from the third floor apartments. Tyler held the outer door open for her.
When she saw the chipped marble stairs in the vestibule, her excitement rose.
He quickly
inspected the mail boxes and bells. "Look, no name on 3B."
"That
must be it."
The inner door
didn't close properly, so they walked right in. With each step upward, Keelin's
heartbeat accelerated and she sensed Tyler's tension increase. When they
rounded the second landing, she put a hand on his arm. His features were set in
a grim line and yet somehow his glance told of so much more. Hope for Cheryl.
Gratitude toward her.
Upon reaching
the second landing, Tyler held a hand out, indicating she should stay back.
Keelin complied. She tried to breathe normally, but each intake of air was
forced.
And when Tyler
knocked on the door to 3B, she forgot to breathe altogether.
No response.
Tyler knocked
again, harder.
Nothing.
His third
set-to shook the wooden panel in its frame, but still it roused no one.
"Damn!"
His fist shot into the door. "We've got to find someone with a key."
Just then, the
door across the way cracked open. Behind the chain, an elderly lady peeped out.
Keelin recognized the woman even as she said, "Go away before I call the
police!"
"I saw
her before," Keelin whispered to Tyler. "I mean Cheryl did when she
tried getting away."
"I don't
mean anyone harm," Tyler assured the neighbor. "I'm just looking for
my daughter."
"No one
there. Left earlier."
"Maybe
Cheryl is inside alone." Tyler raised his voice. "Cheryl, baby, are
you in there?" he called, putting his ear to the panel.
Keelin
strained but heard not the slightest sound. Disappointment filled her until
Tyler tried the knob and the door opened readily. He stepped inside the
apartment. She followed directly behind him.
"You
can't go in there!" the elderly neighbor called after them.
Keelin looked
around, recognizing the shabby furniture in the unoccupied living room. The
doors to the bedrooms and bath stood open. They were unoccupied as well.
"Damn!"
Tyler exploded. "They've moved her!"
"We were
getting too close," Keelin proposed. "Or perhaps Jack Weaver did last
night."
Tyler didn't
try to hide his disgust. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
Keelin wanted
to put her arms around him, but the stiff way he held himself was anything but
an invitation. Comforting him could wait a while. She followed him into the
hall and noticed the elderly lady was still peering out at them. No doubt she
paid attention to anyone coming or going.
Keelin caught
Tyler's arm to stop him from running off. "This man is looking for his
child," she told the woman. "The people who rented that apartment are
holding her against her will. We need to find them, but we don't know their names
or what they look like."
The
silver-haired head shook vigorously. "I can't help you."
"You must
have seen something. Think hard," Keelin pleaded. "We're talking
about a fourteen year old girl."
