Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Yes, it was a very good cause. Actually, I’ve been hoping you would stop by.”
“Oh! Why’s that?”
“There were a couple of men asking about you.”
My body stilled. “Who were they?”
“They said they were Police detectives, but I didn’t believe them.”
I frowned. “Why didn’t you believe them?”
“I don’t know. The moment I met you, I knew I liked you. I could trust you. They … they both had sly eyes. Untrustworthy faces.”
“What did they want to know?”
“They were asking if there were any newcomers in town. Specifically, a man with a daughter.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Told them nope. No one new in town. They went away, but they didn’t give up. I saw them go into the café where I saw them talk to Mrs. Garrett’s daughter, Tiffany. I think you met her once. Very irresponsible girl. She’s told everyone in town about Anya’s designer shoes, and since they spoke to her for some time, I’m gonna assume she told them too.”
Chapter 48
Cole
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Paganini’s men were already in town!
Something didn’t add up. Finding me shouldn’t have been this easy. They had to have tracked or traced me, or something. If they were already here I had very little time left.
"You should go and see the Sheriff, Mr. Swift. He’s a good man, he’ll help you.”
“Yes, maybe I will, Mrs. Sheridan,” I replied with a smile and handed my card over to her.
“Be careful, Mr. Swift. I didn’t like the look of those men.”
“Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. I really appreciate it.”
“Take care, son,” she said and moved away to take care of another customer.
The girl helping behind the food table handed Anya her box of pastries. I thanked her and we moved away into the sunshine. There was a chair and table right outside and I pulled out a chair for Anya. After she was seated, I took a seat as well.
I lifted my face towards the warmth of the sunshine. What a beautiful life it would be if I didn’t have the problem I had with Paganini. I realized I could live the rest of my life in this town. The sense of neighborliness, camaraderie towards one’s fellow man, and plain goodness amongst the town folk was a marvelous thing to witness. They took these qualities for granted and did not realize how precious they were. Coming from the city, I valued them greatly.
“The cornbread is really tasty, Dad,” Anya said. “Derek’s mom brought a box to class, and she shared it all around. It looks like a cake, but it's actually bread. It's really cool.”
I nodded and watched her. Had my daughter done something that she shouldn’t have? It had to be her. She was my weakest link. I’d made my plans meticulously over a long period of time. I’d left no traces. Anya had done amazing, but at the end of the day, she was still just a child and could have made a mistake.
She broke a piece of the bread off and offered it to me.
I was running out of time, but I needed to know. Otherwise, I would be running blind. I bit into the piece. It was good bread. “I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to tell me the truth, okay, honey?”
She looked at me with a full mouth and nodded.
“Did you ... have you in any way been in contact with your mommy recently?”
She blinked, then hung her head in shame and my heart sank.
“I'm sorry. I … I kept having bad dreams.”
“What dreams?” I asked, leaning closer and trying to be as soft as possible.
“That she was dying. That I would never see her again. I … I didn’t contact her, I just ... I just ... it was her birthday and I wanted to send her a card. I made one and I … Miss Kelly Douglas helped me to send it, but I didn’t put a return address on it …”
My mind was whirling. That was how they found us. I tried my best to keep my expression neutral so she wouldn’t burst into tears or clam up.
“What address did you use for your mom?” I asked.
“She gave me one before she left. A year ago. I kept it. I don’t know if she received it, I mean, we moved so she could have moved as well. I’m sorry, Daddy. I just wanted to know if she was okay.”
“It's okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. You did nothing wrong, but we have to get home now.”
She jumped to her feet.
Quickly, I led her away from the crowds towards where the car was parked. All I had to do was get home as quickly as possible and get Montana to the safe house, and then I could be on my way to New York. I pulled my phone out of my pocket then and placed the call to Leila to make arrangements. I needed eyes on the house and on Anya, and I needed the current location of Paganini. For all I knew, he might not even currently be in the country. I picked up my phone to call Leila and my phone began to ring. To my surprise it was Leila.