Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,52

day, they were left to wonder how to go on.

Ramon took a left turn on 86th Street, then continued past Third Avenue and took a right turn on Second, heading south again.

“Ramon, I hate to be that typical New Yorker to question the route, but where are we heading?”

Alex gave her knee a gentle squeeze. “Surely you must realize where we are.”

It became obvious to her as Ramon took the next turn on 85th Street. They were right around the corner from their new apartment. Ramon pulled in front of the building and stopped.

Seeing her confused expression, Alex said, “We just need to approve a couple of final touches with the designer. It will only take a second, then we’ll have our date.”

She recognized the doorman on duty as Luis. She already knew that he was from Puerto Rico and had a daughter who was Timmy’s age. He gave them a friendly wave as they made their way to the elevator. “You’re certainly upping the wardrobe game around here. When are you officially moving in?”

“Ask the contractors,” Alex said. Most of the new furniture they had ordered for the apartment had already been delivered, but the bathrooms and kitchen still needed some finishing work.

“Maybe we’ll see you next year then,” Luis said dryly.

Laurie felt a tiny ripple in her stomach as Alex slipped a key into the front lock. For so many years, it had been just her and Timmy. Now they were adding Alex to their family, and their move to this apartment was a big part of that. They were so close to the finish line.

When the door opened, she was struck by the smell of something fresh and natural, a mix of sweet fruit and musk. Alex hit a light switch in the front hall. The entire apartment was filled with flowers. Roses, lilies, orchids, tulips, daffodils. White, yellow, red, pink, purple.

She spun in a circle in the living room, taking in the sight of what had to be at least fifteen flower arrangements. “Are we running a floral shop on the side now?”

Alex’s shoulders shook with his chuckle. “Remember how we split up all the phone calls we needed to make?”

“How could I forget?” The choice to call off the wedding had been obvious, but every phone call had been a reminder of how excited they had been to start a new life together and how dire Johnny’s situation was to require them to cancel the ceremony.

“So… I was the one who called the Four Seasons to cancel our suite.” After their wedding and a small reception, they had planned to spend the night in the penthouse suite. “But I sort of forgot that I had made a separate florist order to surprise you in the room. So… here they are, in our new home instead.”

“Alex, this is crazy. How many flowers are here?”

“One for every single day since I first met you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re a crazy person, but you’re my crazy person.”

“Have I told you how lucky I am to have you?” he asked.

She looked up at the ceiling, feigning a search for the answer. “Not for at least an hour. Seriously, I can’t believe you did all this.”

He tucked her hair behind one ear and dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck. “Will you, Laurie Moran, take me to be your completely charmed and enchanted husband?”

“I will. A hundred thousand percent.”

Monday, July 20

Day Six

Chapter 32

Six days.

There was a time when six days rushed past in a minute, filled with PTA meetings, playdates, music lessons, and the general rhythm of keeping up with a busy family’s daily life.

But now Marcy had lived six days without speaking to her son. Every second felt like an hour. Every hour felt like a year. Every night felt like another eternity. She pressed her hands against her face, trying to remain calm.

It had been too many days since she had seen Johnny, and now she was also obsessed with the physical distance between her and the beach where she had last seen him.

“Maybe we should have stayed in New York.” She had uttered the same sentence at least a hundred times in the last twenty-four hours, after she and Andrew had driven the girls back to D.C. from the Hamptons.

They had consulted with both a crime victims advocate and two child psychologists before making the decision to go home. Detective Langland was keeping them up-to-date on the state of the investigation, but