Lindy bragged about it at school. I don’t know.”
He thought it was a long shot that someone from school had taken it. The obvious suspect was Kat. But why would she have taken the doll that looked so much like Charlie, given how she felt about her stepdaughter? It would have been a constant reminder of the person she blamed for her daughter’s death. How macabre, if true.
Charlie’s cell rang. She checked it. From her expression, he could tell it was Daniel.
He stepped out of the room to give her some privacy, all the time swearing under his breath. Maybe it was time to see what he could find out about Daniel along with Amanda, the office manager.
“I need to get to work,” Charlie said behind him.
He turned. “That was a short call. Everything all right?”
She pulled a face. “What do you think?” She stepped to the door, took her coat from the hook and tugged on her boots again. This time when she opened the door, it was with obvious apprehension.
“I’ll be right behind you all the way,” he said, reaching for his own coat.
“That’s ridiculous. Walk me to work. I won’t have you skulking behind me.”
“I don’t skulk.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHARLIE’S THOUGHTS JUMPED all over the place from the doll to Daniel’s call to Shep walking beside her to work. She hated how glad she was that he was here with her—even though it was causing problems between her and Daniel. And not just because she hadn’t told him about what was going on. Having Shep here... Well, it had messed with her in other ways she didn’t want to think about. That, too, had put distance between her and her boyfriend.
Seeing her once treasured doll had traumatized her. The person who’d done this was so...hateful. It frightened her. But she also felt guilty that she’d forgotten about the doll her father had bought her. What she couldn’t understand was what the person who’d done this wanted from her. Scare her? Or let her know that this wasn’t over. There would be more hateful things coming.
When Daniel had called earlier he’d sounded...strange. Almost as if he was sorry, until he lost his temper when she told him not to come by her apartment on his way to work because she was leaving right away.
“You can’t spare a few minutes?” he’d demanded. “Fine. Whatever. When you decide to let me know what’s going on, you call me.”
By the time she reached her building and left Shep standing out in the snow, she decided it was time to tell Daniel everything and let the chips fall where they may, as one of her foster mothers used to say. What did she have to lose? Daniel. But if she kept this up, she was going to lose him anyway.
She pushed open the door to the design office and stepped inside. For a moment she’d forgotten about yesterday’s lunch and the horrible stomach problems that had caused her not to return to work.
“Enjoy your afternoon off?” Amanda asked sarcastically as Charlie started past her office. Apparently Amanda had returned after lunch—even though she was quite drunk the last time Charlie had seen her. Had it been an act so she could doctor dessert and leave? Charlie found herself questioning the woman’s every action now.
“Something I ate made me sick,” she said, wanting to ignore Amanda and the jab, but thinking about Shep’s suspicions. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, right?”
“I can’t imagine what you’re insinuating,” Amanda said and rubbed a temple with her fingers as if in pain. She did appear to be suffering from a hangover, but then that, too, could be a ruse. If Amanda had put something in Charlie’s mousse yesterday, a hangover wasn’t near enough punishment.
Glancing toward the office next to Amanda’s, Charlie asked, “Greg isn’t in yet?”
“He called in sick yesterday. Said he would be in later today. Apparently it was something he ate, too.” Did that smug smile mean what Charlie thought it did? Or was Amanda questioning if she and Greg had both used the same excuse so they could get together yesterday afternoon?
It was enough to make Charlie’s head ache. “I think it was the mousse.”
“That’s what Greg said. I suppose you’re both going to blame me since I was the one who insisted you try it.”
Charlie stared at her. Was it possible that Amanda had doctored both of the desserts to make them sick? Or had the mousse turned and made not just the