deserve to know, Dad.”
His gaze ping-ponged between my face, to the trees, and back to my face again. It probably took him fifteen seconds to make his decision, but to me it felt like days as I held my breath, listening to my pulse pound in my ears.
“I’ve done a lot of things I regret,” he finally began. “But giving up that baby…”
I gasped, as he confirmed what I hadn’t wanted to believe.
He hesitated.
“Go on,” I choked out.
“I regret giving up my only son,” he continued.
I winced as he gave voice to my suspicion that he would have preferred a house full of boys.
He didn’t even notice he’d hurt me. “Worst mistake of my life. Well, except for--”
“Hands in the air!” a voice boomed authoritatively.
Startled, I did as instructed.
Dad, however, was slow to comply.
“The car is surrounded, put your hands in the air,” the voice ordered.
Looking around, I saw that a dozen uniformed police officers, guns drawn, had converged on my car.
“Put your hands up,” I said through gritted teeth. “Or are you trying to get us both killed?”
Finally he did as the voice ordered.
“Now put them on the dashboard, Archie,” the voice instructed.
Dad did as told.
I started to reach to do the same, but then put them back where I’d held them, feeling like I was playing a deadly game of Simon Says.
My door opened and I slid my gaze over in that direction.
“Step out, Maggie,” a familiar voice said calmly.
I looked into Detective Brian Griswald’s face.
“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured me. “Just get out of the car.”
“You turned me in?” My father’s hands left the dashboard as he twisted in his seat and grabbed my arm just above my wrist. “You turned me in?” His fingers bit cruelly into my flesh as he shook my arm.
“No,” I denied weakly, trying to shake him off me.
“How could you?” he raged.
“I didn’t,” I yelled back. “Let go of me!”
A uniformed cop yanked open my father’s door. “Break it up.”
But Dad had a death grip on me and was still ranting, “You’re worse than the rest of those bitches.”
Brian Griswald then reached past me and wrapped his hand around Dad’s windpipe. “Let her go,” he ordered with quiet menace.
Dad released me and Brian let go of him, immediately helping me out of the car.
“You okay?” Brian asked, watching as the officer hauled my father out of the car.
I nodded. “Am I in trouble?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know, harboring a fugitive or something?”
“Technically he’s not a fugitive, so you’re fine. Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?”
My arm pulsed with pain, but I didn’t let him know that. “No,” I lied, not wanting to be the reason my father was charged with battery.
It took three officers to hustle Dad over to the waiting squad car. The whole time he was spewing insults at me and the cops.
“He’s pissed,” Brian remarked mildly.
“He was pissed before you got here.”
“About what?”
I shook my head. “Family history.”
We watched the police cruiser with a red-faced Dad in the back drive away.
“What will happen now?” I asked.
“He’ll be interrogated and at the rate he’s going I won’t be surprised if he gets charged with resisting arrest or something.”
“How’d you find us?”
“Solid detective work.”
I had no idea what that meant, but I knew from his tone he wouldn’t be discussing it further.
“Go home, Maggie,” Brian recommended. “You look like hell.”
I felt worse.
Chapter Eighteen
My arm ached when I got back to the B&B. I knew I should ice it, but I didn’t want to have to contend with the questions that would be brought up if someone caught me icing it.
I decided the next best option would be to take
His gaze ping-ponged between my face, to the trees, and back to my face again. It probably took him fifteen seconds to make his decision, but to me it felt like days as I held my breath, listening to my pulse pound in my ears.
“I’ve done a lot of things I regret,” he finally began. “But giving up that baby…”
I gasped, as he confirmed what I hadn’t wanted to believe.
He hesitated.
“Go on,” I choked out.
“I regret giving up my only son,” he continued.
I winced as he gave voice to my suspicion that he would have preferred a house full of boys.
He didn’t even notice he’d hurt me. “Worst mistake of my life. Well, except for--”
“Hands in the air!” a voice boomed authoritatively.
Startled, I did as instructed.
Dad, however, was slow to comply.
“The car is surrounded, put your hands in the air,” the voice ordered.
Looking around, I saw that a dozen uniformed police officers, guns drawn, had converged on my car.
“Put your hands up,” I said through gritted teeth. “Or are you trying to get us both killed?”
Finally he did as the voice ordered.
“Now put them on the dashboard, Archie,” the voice instructed.
Dad did as told.
I started to reach to do the same, but then put them back where I’d held them, feeling like I was playing a deadly game of Simon Says.
My door opened and I slid my gaze over in that direction.
“Step out, Maggie,” a familiar voice said calmly.
I looked into Detective Brian Griswald’s face.
“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured me. “Just get out of the car.”
“You turned me in?” My father’s hands left the dashboard as he twisted in his seat and grabbed my arm just above my wrist. “You turned me in?” His fingers bit cruelly into my flesh as he shook my arm.
“No,” I denied weakly, trying to shake him off me.
“How could you?” he raged.
“I didn’t,” I yelled back. “Let go of me!”
A uniformed cop yanked open my father’s door. “Break it up.”
But Dad had a death grip on me and was still ranting, “You’re worse than the rest of those bitches.”
Brian Griswald then reached past me and wrapped his hand around Dad’s windpipe. “Let her go,” he ordered with quiet menace.
Dad released me and Brian let go of him, immediately helping me out of the car.
“You okay?” Brian asked, watching as the officer hauled my father out of the car.
I nodded. “Am I in trouble?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know, harboring a fugitive or something?”
“Technically he’s not a fugitive, so you’re fine. Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?”
My arm pulsed with pain, but I didn’t let him know that. “No,” I lied, not wanting to be the reason my father was charged with battery.
It took three officers to hustle Dad over to the waiting squad car. The whole time he was spewing insults at me and the cops.
“He’s pissed,” Brian remarked mildly.
“He was pissed before you got here.”
“About what?”
I shook my head. “Family history.”
We watched the police cruiser with a red-faced Dad in the back drive away.
“What will happen now?” I asked.
“He’ll be interrogated and at the rate he’s going I won’t be surprised if he gets charged with resisting arrest or something.”
“How’d you find us?”
“Solid detective work.”
I had no idea what that meant, but I knew from his tone he wouldn’t be discussing it further.
“Go home, Maggie,” Brian recommended. “You look like hell.”
I felt worse.
Chapter Eighteen
My arm ached when I got back to the B&B. I knew I should ice it, but I didn’t want to have to contend with the questions that would be brought up if someone caught me icing it.
I decided the next best option would be to take
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