Love at First Sight - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,62

justice into his own hands. Lucky for Baxter.

“I’m worried about Karen Sutton,” Baxter said, obviously seeing the murderous glint in Jack’s eyes. “I figured you had her hidden up there. I just wanted to make sure she was safe.”

So Baxter knew about Jack’s inheritance. How many other people did?

“You’re the man she saw with Liz at the Carlton, aren’t you,” Jack said, finally voicing his suspicions. “You killed Liz Jones.”

He lowered his head into his hands. “She was alive when I left her.”

Jack stared at Baxter’s bowed head, the pieces starting to fall into a pattern that, while didn’t necessarily make sense, fit.

“My God,” Jack cried. “Is that why you put me on probation when you did? You knew you were going to have to kill Liz and you wanted me out of the way?”

Baxter glanced up, that old condescension back in his eyes. “Are you so arrogant that you’d think I put you on probation because I was afraid you’d solve this case if I didn’t?”

Baxter must have realized the irony of it. Jack had solved the case. Or had he? Was this where it all ended? Or did he just want to believe the worst about Brad Baxter?

“Then why did you put me on probation?” he demanded. “Why now?”

Baxter looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Like hell. Damn you, Baxter, I know your sister has Liz’s daughter. I know you’re involved with Vandermullen. You were trying to protect him. You killed Liz to keep her from finding out that your sister Annette Westbrook had her baby.”

Baxter wagged his head. “I didn’t know the baby was Liz Vandermullen’s. I thought I was getting a baby that an unwed teenaged girl didn’t want.”

Jack shot him a look of disbelief.

“My sister always wanted a baby, even when she was a little girl. It’s all she wanted. When she found out she couldn’t have children, she was devastated.”

“She could have adopted legally,” Jack suggested sarcastically.

“She has health problems that made her a poor candidate for adoption.”

“So you decided to get her a baby any way you could.”

“I heard about a doctor who sometimes helped put the infants of unwed mothers with families for a fee.”

“Dr. Vandermullen.”

Baxter nodded. “He said he had one that would be available in February or March. I had no idea it was Vandermullen’s own child.”

Did he really not know the baby was Denny’s?

“He got me all the paperwork, making it appear that Annette and her husband were the parents.”

“So Danielle doesn’t even know she’s adopted?”

Baxter nodded, looking more miserable. “Annette thought the baby came from an unwed teenager, just like I did. I hadn’t known until last week that Liz had been told her baby died. Nor that she hadn’t been able to have more children.”

That was news to Jack. “Then she didn’t want to give up the baby for adoption?”

Baxter shook his head sadly. “She found out that Vandermullen had drugged her and lied about the baby being born with its umbilical cord wrapped about its neck. He’d also done something to ensure that she’d never have any other children when he delivered the baby that night.”

Jack shuddered. “The sick bastard.” He must have realized it wasn’t his kid. That’s why he’d buried the doll in the grave with the cord around its neck. He’d wanted to hurt Liz. He’d sterilized her. He’d wanted to hurt the baby, but he hadn’t. Why? Because he could sell it and punish Liz even more by him knowing that her baby was alive and she didn’t know it?

“So why didn’t she go after her ex?” Jack asked. “She must have wanted to kill the bastard.”

“She wanted to find her baby more than she wanted to get even with her husband, ex-husband,” Baxter corrected. “I think she was afraid of him.”

With good reason.

“That’s probably why she told Karen Sutton what she did,” Baxter said. “Except Karen thought Liz meant she’d found a secret lover through the personals.”

“Instead, she found you,” Jack said, seeing how Karen had been misled. Liz must have been afraid to tell Karen about the baby. Even to the end, she must have been trying to protect her and Denny’s baby. “She found you and she ended up dead. Coincidence?”

“You’re looking in the wrong place,” Baxter said. “Liz told me she thought Vandermullen had been following her. I didn’t take it seriously because I had…tailed her a few times. I saw her the day she met with Karen at the coffee shop.”

No wonder Baxter had looked so surprised to see