Secure Location - By Beverly Long Page 0,67

Cruz demanded.

She shook her head. “He said he was getting lots of exercise because he was on the fourth floor.”

* * *

“HURTING ME ISN’T going to bring Missy back,” Meg said.

T.J. shook his head. “I don’t care about Missy. I never did. I hated her. Always crying and getting all the attention.”

Missy had been a good baby. She’d hardly ever been fussy. And she’d idolized her big brother. Tried to follow him everywhere, be just like him. If T.J. wanted hot dogs for lunch, then that’s what Missy wanted.

He could do no wrong.

Except that one time. With a chill, Meg remembered walking into the family room, expecting to see T.J. and Missy watching a movie and instead, had seen T.J. with a toy gun in his hands, shooting Missy’s collection of dolls that he’d lined up across the room.

Missy had been sitting on the couch, tears running down her face.

Meg had gathered up the guns, put the dolls safely back on Missy’s shelves and told T.J. that he couldn’t ever do something like that again. She’d mentioned it to Gloria and the gun had disappeared by the next time she went over to babysit.

“You don’t want to go to prison, T.J. That’s what will happen if you hurt me,” she said. “It’s not too late. We can undo this.”

“I hated you, too,” he said. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at it. He started to sway from side to side. “You loved Missy more, just like everyone else.”

“I didn’t,” she said. She glanced past him. If she could get around the couch, she might make it to the door before he could stop her. “I’m sorry you thought that.”

He ignored the apology. “But I figured out a way to get both of you,” he said. He was swaying so fast, it looked as if he were rocking. “It was easy, too. I heard the doorbell ring and knew that you’d gone to answer the door. I wanted ice cream but I sure as hell wasn’t asking you for anything. I saw her sitting in her highchair with the marshmallows at the other end of the table. I wanted some. I ate one and she started to cry. I didn’t want you coming back so I gave her a bunch. She stuffed them all in her mouth. Her cheeks were full of them. She was stupid. Couldn’t even figure out how to swallow.”

He abruptly stopped rocking and started pacing around her in circles. “She started to turn blue. I knew I’d get the blame. I always got the blame for everything. So I loosened up the tray on the highchair, pulled her out and sat her on the table, next to the bag of marshmallows. Then I went back into the other room and started watching television again.” He lifted one corner of his mouth in an ugly sneer. “When the police came, you told them that I’d been watching television the whole time. You made it so easy for everyone to blame you.”

Meg put a hand to her throat, pressing down the urge to vomit. She hadn’t been careless. She hadn’t caused sweet Missy’s death. He had. All these years. All the guilt.

Leaving Cruz.

Being afraid to have her own child.

She had never been so angry in her whole life.

Or so determined. She needed to save her baby, save herself. And T.J. was obviously crazy. Earlier he’d been blaming her for all his family’s troubles when he clearly knew that he’d caused all the havoc. She didn’t need to convince him that she hadn’t done anything wrong; he knew. “I always hoped I’d see you again,” she said. “I had some pictures of your mother. Of her and you together that I wanted to give you.”

His head jerked up. She’d caught his attention.

“Where?” he demanded.

Given that he’d been in both her apartment and her office, those weren’t good options. “I have a safe deposit box at the bank. I keep all my important papers there.”

“Which bank?”

“The one across from the hotel,” she said. “I have the key in my purse,” she said. “Back at the office. Of course, it won’t do you much good. Banks are really strict about who gets access. If your name isn’t on the list, it doesn’t matter whether you have a key or not.”

He started to rock again. “How many pictures?” he asked.

“I don’t recall for sure. But I know there were several and they were really good shots. I think one of them