Anne?”
Dante nodded. “Someone who wanted her to know the truth about her biological father.”
He came over to where Tessa stood by the desk. She sensed that he wanted to touch her and she wished he would. Right now, she needed a strong shoulder to lean on.
“There’s a note enclosed,” Dante told her. “Typed. No signature.”
“I don’t understand how this is possible. No one, except Daddy, Aunt Sharon and I knew the truth—other than the authorities who were involved at the time. I seriously doubt any of them would dare risk Daddy’s wrath.”
“Obviously someone else knows. Or at the very least suspects. Someone who wants to hurt your daughter or you. Possibly both of you.”
“Whoever sent Leslie Anne that package must hate her…or hate me.”
“Do you know of anyone who—”
Tessa whirled around and glared at Dante. “You think it’s someone I know?”
“Yeah.” Dante looked at her as if she’d grown an extra head. His simple yeah response had sounded a great deal like duh.
“Stupid question. Of course it’s someone I know. But I can’t imagine who.” We will have to find out who. Once Daddy realizes …“You can’t leave Fairport. Not yet. We’ll need the Dundee agency to investigate and find out who sent that package to my daughter.”
“I agree you need to find out this person’s identity and there’s no agency better than Dundee’s to do the job, but I may be the wrong man for this assignment.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I want to stay on this case. I want to help you. But I have my own agenda. A very personal reason for being interested.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something you have a right to know,” Dante said. “You may not want me involved once I tell—”
“What is it?” Without even realizing she was leaning toward him, her body language told him she needed his touch.
He took both of her hands into his and held them, then looked into her eyes. “Years ago, the girl I loved—my fiancée—disappeared one night from Colby, Texas. She was waiting for me to pick her up after work, but when Igot there, she was gone. She became a missing person who has never been found.”
Tessa maneuvered her hands so that she could grasp one of his. “Oh, Dante, I’m so sorry. How terrible that must have been for you.”
After taking a deep breath, he caressed her cheek. A shiver of pleasure rippled through her, a feeling like none she could ever remember.
“I don’t know for sure what happened to her, but I’ve done some digging over the years and…” He gazed into Tessa’s eyes.
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“Amy was a blue-eyed blonde. About your size. There’s even a slight resemblance between the two of you.”
He’s attracted to you because you remind him of her . Disappointment surged up from deep inside her. She wanted Dante to like her for herself, not because of some vague resemblance to his lost love.
“I remind you of her.”
“Yes, you do. And so does Leslie Anne, who’s closer to the age Amy was when she disappeared.”
“How old was she when—?”
“Seventeen.”
Tessa knew then what he was going to tell her. Oh, God, she knew. Don’t cry, she told herself. Don’t cry. She was strong enough to talk about what had happened to her all those years ago without falling apart.
“You think Eddie Jay Nealy killed your Amy, don’t you?”
Dante swallowed. “Nealy kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed women in several connecting states, including Texas and Mississippi. When he was finally captured, stood trial and was convicted, he admitted that he’d killeddozens of pretty young blondes, but he would never tell the police where the missing bodies could be found.”
Tears misted her eyes, drops gathering in the corners. “I vaguely remember being told how lucky I was to be alive. My memories of that time aren’t clear, but I think it was a police officer or maybe a doctor who
Dante nodded. “Someone who wanted her to know the truth about her biological father.”
He came over to where Tessa stood by the desk. She sensed that he wanted to touch her and she wished he would. Right now, she needed a strong shoulder to lean on.
“There’s a note enclosed,” Dante told her. “Typed. No signature.”
“I don’t understand how this is possible. No one, except Daddy, Aunt Sharon and I knew the truth—other than the authorities who were involved at the time. I seriously doubt any of them would dare risk Daddy’s wrath.”
“Obviously someone else knows. Or at the very least suspects. Someone who wants to hurt your daughter or you. Possibly both of you.”
“Whoever sent Leslie Anne that package must hate her…or hate me.”
“Do you know of anyone who—”
Tessa whirled around and glared at Dante. “You think it’s someone I know?”
“Yeah.” Dante looked at her as if she’d grown an extra head. His simple yeah response had sounded a great deal like duh.
“Stupid question. Of course it’s someone I know. But I can’t imagine who.” We will have to find out who. Once Daddy realizes …“You can’t leave Fairport. Not yet. We’ll need the Dundee agency to investigate and find out who sent that package to my daughter.”
“I agree you need to find out this person’s identity and there’s no agency better than Dundee’s to do the job, but I may be the wrong man for this assignment.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I want to stay on this case. I want to help you. But I have my own agenda. A very personal reason for being interested.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something you have a right to know,” Dante said. “You may not want me involved once I tell—”
“What is it?” Without even realizing she was leaning toward him, her body language told him she needed his touch.
He took both of her hands into his and held them, then looked into her eyes. “Years ago, the girl I loved—my fiancée—disappeared one night from Colby, Texas. She was waiting for me to pick her up after work, but when Igot there, she was gone. She became a missing person who has never been found.”
Tessa maneuvered her hands so that she could grasp one of his. “Oh, Dante, I’m so sorry. How terrible that must have been for you.”
After taking a deep breath, he caressed her cheek. A shiver of pleasure rippled through her, a feeling like none she could ever remember.
“I don’t know for sure what happened to her, but I’ve done some digging over the years and…” He gazed into Tessa’s eyes.
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“Amy was a blue-eyed blonde. About your size. There’s even a slight resemblance between the two of you.”
He’s attracted to you because you remind him of her . Disappointment surged up from deep inside her. She wanted Dante to like her for herself, not because of some vague resemblance to his lost love.
“I remind you of her.”
“Yes, you do. And so does Leslie Anne, who’s closer to the age Amy was when she disappeared.”
“How old was she when—?”
“Seventeen.”
Tessa knew then what he was going to tell her. Oh, God, she knew. Don’t cry, she told herself. Don’t cry. She was strong enough to talk about what had happened to her all those years ago without falling apart.
“You think Eddie Jay Nealy killed your Amy, don’t you?”
Dante swallowed. “Nealy kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed women in several connecting states, including Texas and Mississippi. When he was finally captured, stood trial and was convicted, he admitted that he’d killeddozens of pretty young blondes, but he would never tell the police where the missing bodies could be found.”
Tears misted her eyes, drops gathering in the corners. “I vaguely remember being told how lucky I was to be alive. My memories of that time aren’t clear, but I think it was a police officer or maybe a doctor who
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