Colton 911: Family Under Fire

“We’ll do it.” It was only when Alyssa’s eyes widened that he knew for sure he had said the words out loud.

Alyssa gazed down at the baby in her arms. She had just become a mom. Most people, even those who hadn’t planned it, had nine months to prepare for this moment. She’d barely had nine minutes. Her life had changed forever, and she was totally unprepared for how to deal with it.

The only thing she knew for sure was that Kennedy needed her and she wouldn’t let the little girl down. Oh, and she would be doing this with Everett. The man who was now striding across the parking lot ahead of her with a pink-elephant bag slung over one broad shoulder and a car seat in his other hand.

“Wait,” she called out. “Where are we going?”

“My car is over here.” He jerked a thumb, indicating the dark-colored sedan parked nearby.

“And mine is in the opposite direction.” Her footsteps faltered. “But that’s not what I meant.”

He retraced his steps, halting at her side. “I’ve been working on a case here in Cactus Creek and I’m staying in a rented apartment on Main Street. I’ll drive us there and we can talk some more. I’ll get someone to pick up your vehicle later.”

The suggestion made sense. Although the sun was shining, a few clouds scuttled across the sky and the December air was cool. Kennedy wore only a lightweight sweater, leggings and socks, and the breeze ruffled her fluffy blond curls. Although she clung tightly to the front of Alyssa’s blouse, she showed no signs of distress at being with two strangers.

“Let’s do that, sweetie, head back to Everett’s place, where we can be cozy.” She bounced the little girl on her hip while they waited for Everett to fit the car seat.

“I may have misled you if you got the impression the apartment I rented is cozy. Think bland and basic.” Once the seat was in place, he held out his hands for Kennedy. “And small.”

“It will be cozy for her once her own stuff is delivered,” Alyssa said.

“I guess so… What is this all about?” He stared in exasperation at Kennedy, who, having allowed him to place her in the seat, was now waving her arms wildly each time he tried to fasten the straps. “It’s like trying to restrain an octopus.”

“Do you want me to try?”

“No. I mean how hard can it be?” Each time he tried, the baby twisted in his grasp, laughing as she thwarted his attempts.

Alyssa leaned closer into the vehicle, watching over his shoulder. “Maybe it was a game she played with her mom and dad?”

Everett turned his head to look at her and she saw the pain in his eyes. She knew how Sean had hurt him when he encouraged Georgia to ditch Casey at the altar, but surely his fondness for his one-time friend hadn’t completely gone away.

“Where was Kennedy the night her parents died?”

“She was staying at Georgia’s place.” A shadow crossed his features as he said Sean’s sister’s name.

“Oh.” Alyssa took a moment to consider that information. “Sean and Delilah didn’t want Georgia to have custody of their daughter, but they were happy for her to care for her overnight? That seems strange.”

“Most things about this case are strange.” Everett took a step back. “Your turn to see what you can do with squirmy baby.”

“Kennedy, there’s only one way to do this…” Using one hand to tickle the little girl’s belly, she deftly hooked the restraints together and closed the clasp. As she did, Kennedy dissolved into helpless giggles.

“How did you know that would work?” Everett shook his head in disbelief.

“I interned in a day-care center before I got my teaching degree, remember? Delilah knew that, so I guess it could have influenced her decision about the will.” Backing out of the car, she closed the door. “But just because I know about babies, it doesn’t mean I get all the diapers.”

“Diapers.” He gave her a look of horror. “We can negotiate on that, right?”

The drive to Main Street took less than fifteen minutes. Alyssa spent most of it alternating between looking over her shoulder to check on Kennedy and studying Everett’s hometown. Cactus Creek was gearing up for the holidays. All along their route, the stores were lit up with stars and bells; palm trees were decorated with red, green and gold lights. When they swung right onto Main Street, she saw the saguaro cactus plants flanking the entrance to Hoyles’ Department Store had been turned into candy canes. A wide pedestrian area ran down the center of the street, from which Santa waved from the carriage of a rickety wooden train.

Everett pulled up in the parking lot of a modern block. The apartment building looked like it had been added as an afterthought at the end of a traditional row that included Pizza Paradise and the Sports Bar.

“I see you didn’t stray too far from the essentials.”

Pretending to be hurt, he placed a hand over his heart. “You know I can’t cook. Am I supposed to starve while I’m in town?”

“Let’s get this baby inside.” She shook her head. “That’s a sentence I didn’t picture myself saying when I left home this morning.”

Located on the second floor, Everett’s apartment was reached by a set of stairs that led directly from the parking lot. It was one of four apartments with front doors leading off a single walkway. His was closest to the outside staircase.

Although he hadn’t left her with high hopes about his rental, once Alyssa was inside, she was relieved to see that it was clean, and the furniture appeared comfortable. He was right about one thing, though. It was small.

From the front door, she could see a square lounge area with two small sofas and a TV, a round dining table with four chairs and a narrow kitchen that looked just about large enough for one person.

A sudden thought occurred to her. “How many bedrooms are there?”

“Two.” The slight curve of his lips told her he was reading her mind. “Although one of them is more like a closet.”

She thought of her comfortable apartment in Phoenix. The one she’d spent so long decorating and furnishing with carefully chosen pieces. The one from which she would need to get her clothes and other essential belongings. Then she smoothed down the sparse curls of the little girl who had no one else to care for her.

“I guess we should talk about how we’re going to make this work.”

Chapter 2 (#u2e305b02-291d-5923-9577-ad86fd96c323)

Everett didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when, before he and Alyssa could sit down to talk, they were disturbed by the security buzzer.

“The Department of Child Safety sure moves fast around here.” He headed toward the front door while Alyssa took Kennedy to explore the bedrooms. “Although, when you think about it, that’s a good thing. We don’t even have a crib or a high chair.”

Although the apartment had a speaker system, it was low-tech and didn’t have the luxury of cameras. Everett could talk to the person at the front door, but he couldn’t see them.

“Delivery for Miss K. Dodd.”

It seemed like an unnecessarily formal way of confirming the arrival of Kennedy’s belongings.

“Do you need help to carry anything up the stairs?”

“Uh. I’m good.”

Shrugging, he held open the door. A few moments later, a guy in uniform with a badge that had a sprig of holly above his name tag appeared. Accustomed to checking people out, Everett registered the name first.

Joe Meyer.

Then he noticed that Joe was carrying a large, gift-wrapped box topped with a giant bow.

“That’s it?” Everett peered around him. “I was expecting more.”

“I just get a list of jobs each day, then I go where they send me. This time it was to pick this up from Hoyles’ toy department and bring it here.”

Everett had always considered himself to be reasonably intelligent. His excellent grades throughout school and college meant others had shared that opinion. Prior to joining the FBI, he’d even been headhunted into a high-flying career in corporate law. He had certainly never thought of himself as slow-witted. Even so, he was having trouble processing what was going on.