Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,30
imagine what they were all doing now at Uncle Alex’s birthday party, but it didn’t even seem real that they were still out there in the world while he was here, alone with this man.
“And I’m going to have to give you a little haircut.” The man made a snipping gesture above his own head.
The thought of this man holding scissors near his head made Johnny shake, but he forced himself to swallow and nod again.
“And you’re going to need another name, too. You’re Danny now. Don’t forget that. It’s Danny from here on out. You’d better get used to it.”
Get used to it? Johnny thought, frightened. How long is he going to keep me here? I want to go home.
Chapter 20
The waiter in the hotel restaurant had just finished clearing the table when Marcy’s cell phone buzzed. Please let it be good news. She wanted to believe that any moment, the message would be delivered: Johnny had simply gotten lost on the beach and was waiting for them to come pick him up from the warm, comforting home of whatever nice family he had approached for help.
Instead, it was a new message from Laurie: We looked for you in Alex’s room. Where are you?
Marcy hit reply and typed, Getting dinner at the hotel restaurant.
The letters looked up at her from the screen, judging her. How can you go out to dinner when your son is missing? What kind of woman responds that way?
Her husband, Andrew, had made the decision. He had been the one to pull her aside and force her to read the booklet that Detective Langland had given them. It was a publication from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The title alone—A Child Is Missing—had brought on yet another wave of nausea. She kept reminding herself that this was really happening. Johnny was… missing.
But Johnny wasn’t their only child. They had Emily and Chloe to take care of, too. Marcy was not going to let them find out about Johnny from anyone other than her. That’s where the pamphlet came in, with a section devoted specifically to the needs of the missing child’s siblings. After reading the materials, Marcy and Andrew decided that the best thing they could do for their daughters was to tell them everything they knew, and then make them feel as safe as possible by maintaining their usual routines and structures.
And so here the four of them were, finishing up a meal she had forced herself to eat, because the manual said that it was important for the children to see that their parents were taking care of themselves. She set aside her guilt and finally hit enter on her text reply to Laurie. Laurie was a mother, too. She’d understand that Marcy and Andrew needed to look after the twins, despite the terror that Johnny’s disappearance instilled.
Marcy feigned a small smile as Emily and Chloe debated what menu item Johnny would want when he got back to the hotel. She told herself that it was a sign that the girls were accepting their brother’s “temporary absence,” in the words of the manual.
Please, God, let it be temporary.
Her phone buzzed again as the check was arriving. Laurie again: My father has a theory he wants to share with you and Andrew. I think I might be able to help if you want to pursue it. Alex can watch the girls while we talk.
* * *
Marcy had always been the kind of person who read the instructions for any project from start to finish before touching even a single part. Andrew, on the other hand, would unpack all the pieces and start putting them together, pausing for a passing glance at the directions only if he hit a snag.
Their different styles were on apparent display in their hotel suite as Leo laid out his theory that a convicted killer named Darren Gunther had orchestrated the kidnapping of their son out of a mistaken belief that he was actually Laurie’s son, Timmy. According to Leo, it was nearly certain that Gunther would have read a recent magazine profile about Leo, which had highlighted Leo’s close relationship with his grandson. It was Leo’s belief that Gunther planned on using the child as leverage to force Leo to admit—falsely—to fabricating the confession that had landed Gunther in prison for life.
As Leo spelled out all the facts, Andrew interrupted with follow-up questions.