Love at First Sight - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,38

the baby had died at birth. Why had Liz done this to him?

“You realize that all of this only gives you more of a motive for killing her,” Jack said, still a cop.

Denny smiled and nodded. “If I could have found her that night—”

Jack realized Liz seemed to have that effect on men. She made them want to kill her. Only now one of them had.

“Why would she tell me that she was searching for our daughter then go to her grave?” Denny said.

Jack shook his head. He’d never understood women. “Maybe she wanted to hurt you.”

Denny let out a snort. “Well, she succeeded.”

“But you still want to find her killer?” he said, a little surprised.

“Oh, yeah,” Denny said. “Whoever killed her, killed any chance I had of learning the truth about my daughter.”

“Then that night at The Oxford was the last time you saw Liz alive?”

Denny lit a cigarette, taking his time. “I saw her again. I followed her to the Carlton Saturday night, determined to get the truth out of her about my kid.”

Jack groaned.

“Afraid so, old buddy. But I never talked to her. I ran into someone I knew and figured I could take it up with Liz later. I was wrong.”

CHAPTER TEN

Getting away proved easier than Karen had anticipated. She guessed it was partly her face. Her father used to say she had the face of an angel. Her mother used to add, “But the mischief of the devil in her.”

Whatever it had been, she was now clambering down the fire escape.

She had only minutes to get across the river to the carousel. Not nearly enough time to find a good place to see and not be seen, but she’d have to wing it.

She knew she was taking her life in her hands and that if she was caught again by Baxter and his men, he would definitely demand the psychiatric evaluation. Only this time she wasn’t so sure she could convince the doctor she didn’t have a death wish.

But it was a wish to live that sent her racing toward the city’s carousel. As she ran, she had the feeling that she was being watched. At least her paranoia was still alive and well. Except it wasn’t paranoia when someone really was trying to kill you, right?

With the sun low, it was almost cold out. She wondered where Jack was. If he still had a job. If she’d ever see him again. The thought made her falter. Of course, she’d see him again. Destiny had brought them together, hadn’t it? Then destiny would bring them together again. If it was destiny. Shoot, dumb luck would be all right, too. Just so she got to see him again.

The carousel was housed in a carriage house beside the Clark Fork River. Only a few cars were in the lot since it was almost closing time for the ride. She could hear the band organ playing and see the colorful horses.

She wondered if the person who’d answered her ad was already inside. It seemed an odd place to meet. Too public and yet not public enough—especially if she was expected to ride on the revolving carousel.

She crossed the bridge and started down the stairs to river level, the carousel in sight. She hadn’t descended but a few steps when she saw him. He was sitting in a car, not the large, dark sedan from before, but a smaller blue one parked under the Higgins Street bridge. He appeared to be watching the carousel.

Her heart banged against her ribs. She fought to catch her breath. She couldn’t let him get away. Not this time. Frantically she looked around for a phone booth and spotted one past the carousel to the west. She would still be able to see the man from the phone booth as well as the hotel across the river and the bridge, just in case her two guards had discovered she was missing and were already looking for her.

She took the stairs at a run and, keeping to the shade of the buildings, hurried to the phone booth. She started to dial 911, then stopped herself. She didn’t trust the police. Not after Baxter had had her locked up for her own good. She dialed Jack’s cell-phone number instead, praying he’d answer. Praying he wasn’t in jail. Or worse—

She opened the phone booth door to let air in, feeling a little claustrophobic, turning her back to the man in the car as Jack answered.

“Jack!” she cried,