Copper Lake Confidential - By Marilyn Pappano Page 0,77
Go on alert?
Had he sensed danger for Clary, alone in the yard with the pool when she should have been with her people? Had he seen someone else in the yard? Had he seen something in the pool?
“Mama, are we gonna go eat?” Clary asked from her position on Brent’s shoulders as he and Anne approached.
The shudder that rocketed through Macy convinced Stephen that all she wanted was to curl up somewhere safe with her daughter. She couldn’t miss the innocence on Clary’s face or the concern on Brent’s and Anne’s. Serious concern, serious worry about her mental status. But she drew a deep breath and, with an impressive sense of normalcy, she said, “Sure, baby. That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
“Yay!” Clary clapped her hands over Brent’s head. “Let’s go!”
Chapter 12
Macy was so mortified with herself that she couldn’t bring herself to care—yet—if everyone else thought she was crazy. She knew what she had seen: a small body, dressed in purple and pink, floating facedown in the pool. Her daughter, wearing the same colors, nowhere in the house. The terror that had practically brought her to her knees. The incredible sensation of having her heart ripped from her chest. The inability to move fast enough, to pray hard enough, to reach her soon enough.
That empty pool was the best thing she’d ever seen—and among the most frightening. The looks on Brent’s and Anne’s faces had solidified the ice inside her. They thought she was losing her mind.
She thought she was losing her mind.
But Stephen had answered her with such certainty. No. He had faith in her.
Or at least did an excellent job of pretending. Either way, it meant a lot to her.
They locked up the house again, leaving Scooter wandering. “He’ll be on your bed by the time we back out of the driveway,” Stephen said, apparently trying to defuse the tension with a totally normal comment. “Want me to go up and close the door?”
“He’s welcome on the bed or anywhere else.”
“Dr. Stephen, Mama said I could have a dog or a baby sister or a baby brother,” Clary said excitedly. “Can you help get me one?”
Macy’s cheeks warmed, though her embarrassment faded when Brent and Anne both laughed. When she dared a look at Stephen, he was grinning. Primly she said, “You asked for a sister or a brother, then decided you’d rather have a puppy. Remember?”
Her daughter tilted her head to one side, not quite understanding why Macy was pointing out the difference. “Yeah. So can Dr. Stephen help me get one? Like Scooter, only littler?”
“I can do that, Li’l Bit. As soon as your mom says it’s okay.”
“Yay! If it’s a boy, I’m gonna name him Roscoe and if it’s a girl, she’s gonna be Bertha.”
Roscoe? Bertha? Stephen mouthed to Macy, and she shrugged. Who knew where she’d heard the names?
They split up, Macy, Stephen and Clary in her van, Brent and Anne in their truck. Stephen drove, since her hands were still unsteady. She spent most of the trip clenching them tightly in her lap, remembering. Wondering.
“Mace.”
She glanced his way at the sound of his quiet voice, feeling a faint old comfort in the name. Her friends used to call her Mace, but Mark hadn’t liked it. Said it sounded like something sprinkled on a holiday drink.
She’d given up the nickname for him.
“Why would anyone want you to think you’re seeing things?”
Warmth flowed through her and melted the last bit of icy terror inside her. He did have faith in her—more than she had in herself. “I don’t know.”
“Who benefits from not having you around?”
“Nobody.” Her fingers twisted painfully together. “Why do you believe me?”
He stopped at a red light and met her gaze. She could get lost in those hazel eyes of his. “You couldn’t have faked that scream, that emotion. And Scooter. Something out there had his attention.”
She smiled weakly. His faith in her was strong, but his faith in his dog was absolute.
“What happens to Clary if you’re in the hospital again?”
“Brent would have custody, but she’d probably stay with Mom and Dad, just like before.”
“Who controls the money?”
“Brent. Just like before.”
“And if you—” Stephen swallowed audibly. “If you die?”
God couldn’t let that happen to Clary, could he? Losing both parents before she was in preschool? Her own swallow was pretty loud. “Brent would have custody of Clary and control of the estate. But he would never...”
“No,” he agreed. “He would never.”
Brent loved her. Adored her. Her entire family did. They