When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,74
a sigh, but I didn’t protest. Neely Kate, who’d always wanted to plunge deeper into the mysteries we’d investigated—something she’d been all about before our visit to Sonder Tech—didn’t want to take this any further. That told me everything I needed to know.
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not gonna fight me on this?”
“No, you and Jed are both right. I can’t put the baby at risk.”
“I can’t believe you’re lettin’ it go,” she said. “You were all gung-ho about findin’ Pat and talkin’ to Stewart.”
“And so were you. But you’re right. We’re better off leavin’ Pat to Witt and Jed, and Stewart…if he’s really with Hardshaw, I have no business goin’ to see him.” I sighed. “I can’t put my baby in harm’s way, and you can’t do anything to get in the way of you and Jed getting your baby. Which means we need to let Jed and Joe handle this mess from here on out. I liked feeling like I was doin’ something to help, but it’s become too dangerous.”
She gave me a long look. “Really?”
I cast a glance to the dash and groaned when I realized I’d completely blown off an appointment I’d already rescheduled twice. “Yeah, really. In fact, I plum forgot I have a landscapin’ appointment in twenty minutes. I can drop you off at the nursery on the way, if you like.”
“I’ll go with you,” she offered. “Maeve and Anna can cover the nursery.”
I knew part of the reason she was coming was to babysit me, but I wasn’t about to complain. An ominous feeling hung over me, like something bad was about to happen, but I had no idea who was in danger or why, other than the obvious. There were just so many things that could go wrong.
“I think I want to have a vision of you,” I said.
“Me?” Neely Kate asked. “Of what? Because I’m not sure I want to know my future.”
That caught me by surprise. Usually she was the one asking me to have visions and I was the one resisting. Then again, it was understandable given what had happened to her pregnancy.
“I don’t want to have a vision of your baby, Neely Kate. I want to see if we find Ashley and Mikey. Maybe it’ll help me figure out what to do next, or what to tell Jed and Joe.”
When she didn’t answer, I said, “I understand. Trust me, I do. Why do you think I haven’t forced many visions over the last few months? I want every detail of my baby to be a surprise, right down to their gender. Now, if I have a vision of you, I might see something you or I don’t want to know, but don’t you think it’s worth it to know we’re gonna find them in the end?”
“And what happens if you don’t see anything?” Neely Kate asked. “What if you find out they’re dead?”
It felt like she’d tossed a bucketful of ice at me. “Neely Kate!”
She gave me a pleading look. “You know I’m prayin’ with all my might that they’re safe, but they’ve been missin’ for days. The longer they’re gone…” Her voice broke. “Look, right now we still have hope, and I’m not ready to give that up. I’m all for forcin’ a vision that can lead us to them, but I know squat about where they’re being kept, so if you have a vision of me, the only thing you’re likely to see is the end result of our search.”
She was right, and although the possibility was hovering like a specter in the back of my mind, I refused to truly consider it. I couldn’t imagine those sweet babies dead.
“But what if I see a happy ending?” I asked. “It will give us the hope to keep lookin’.”
“We don’t need any more hope to keep lookin’. We already have plenty.”
I couldn’t help but think she was hiding something from me—something she didn’t want me to see, but after a few moments of silence, she gave me a tight smile. “Okay, but I’m not sure I want to hear whatever it is that you see.”
“How do you propose we manage that?”
She dug into her purse and pulled out a pair of earbuds. “I’ll plug these into my phone and turn the music up to drown you out. But do it quick before I change my mind.”
I pulled over to the side of the road, casting a glance in her direction as she inserted the earbuds into her