Mummy Said Goodbye

Mummy Said Goodbye
Janice Kay Johnson

What would you think if one day your wife disappeared, and everyone believed you were responsible?How would you feel if the only thing that kept you from being arrested was your child's insistence that his mommy told him she was leaving?And what would you do if you suspected your son was lying?One day Craig Lofgren came home to discover that his wife was gone. He and his kids have been living in a nightmare ever since. The police think he killed her; the neighbors do, too. The only bright spot is Robin McKinnon, the one person who believes in Craig. But until his wife is found he has nothing to offer her. Welcome to purgatory.

“You think I’m making all this up.”

“No. I…”

Craig gave a half laugh that hurt her to hear. “I don’t even blame you. It’s crap. None of it explains a woman walking out on her kids without even saying goodbye.”

Robin felt a thrill of fear. “But…didn’t she?”

His expression changed. A mask seemed to close over his face. “Yeah. If you call what she told Brett saying goodbye.”

Robin didn’t know what Julie was supposed to have said; she’d heard rumors that Craig would have been arrested except for his son’s story.

He’d pulled back and now stood waiting, remote. “Will you call for Brett?”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” She passed him, but paused in the living-room doorway. Turning back to him, Robin said, “Craig, I…”

“Don’t lie. Don’t say you’re sorry.” His voice sounded heavy, slow, wary. “Don’t say anything.”

Dear Reader,

As a writer and reader, I am fascinated less by the big dramatic scenes than I am by the aftermath. Someone survives a childhood trauma and most bystanders assume that the story is over. But is that really the end? I want to know what comes next.

I’m also fascinated by mystery, although like most of you, I really like to feel secure. The unknown is terrifying. So what happens to a man and his children when they are faced with a dreadful unknown: the disappearance of a wife and mother?

Of course, I don’t write about the drama of the disappearance, or the following days. I take up the story a year and a half later, when they have lived with this awful unknown for seemingly endless months.

Think about it. Your husband, your daughter, your mother, disappears. No blood, no clues, no goodbye notes. Did he choose to walk away? Was she abducted? Is she dead or alive? How do you live a normal life as you search for answers that may not be found? And what if finally you get an answer, but it’s not one you’ll ever fully understand or be able to explain to your children?

Can you fall in love in the midst of this turmoil, this anguish, this guilt and anger?

I hope you’ll be fascinated by this story and these characters.

Best,

Janice Kay Johnson

Mommy Said Goodbye

Janice Kay Johnson

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

A MAN SUSPECTED of murdering his wife can pretty well count on being left off guest lists.

Laughter, the clink of ice in glasses, the shouts of children and the smell of barbecued beef drifted over the fence from the next-door neighbor’s.

Craig Lofgren stood on his back deck, the lid of his Weber kettle grill in his hand. Just like that, he was hit by a fist of anger and loss so powerful, he reeled back a step.

“Daddy?” His daughter tugged at his free hand. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”

He swallowed and opened his eyes. His voice sounded hoarse to his ears. “Just taking a whiff. Smells good, doesn’t it?”

The anxiety on her face faded and she nodded. “You haven’t lit the charcoal yet.”

“I’m doing it, I’m doing it.” Somehow, he found a grin for her. “Hungry?”

Abby—who just turned nine—nodded, then gave a wistful look toward the fence. “They’re all there, aren’t they?”

There was no point in pretending. She knew as well as he did why they were excluded. “Sounds that way.”