“You’re Daniel Vartanian,” Sheila finally said flatly.
He was searching her face. “I am,” he said. “But I don’t remember you. I’m sorry.”
Her red lips thinned. “No, you wouldn’t remember me. We ran in slightly different circles. My father worked at the mill.”
Alex’s shoulders stiffened. The paper mill employed half the town at one time or another. Bailey’s father had worked there. That’s where Craig Crighton had been that night. The night her mother needed him. The night I needed my mother. She closed her eyes. Quiet. Be quiet. Daniel’s thumb returned to her neck, applying pressure, and once again the tension began to ebb, making room for other memories to surface.
“You’re Sheila Cunningham,” Alex said. “We sat next to each other in biology.” The year I didn’t finish. The year Alicia died.
Sheila nodded. “I didn’t think you’d remember me.”
Alex frowned. “There’s a lot I don’t remember.”
Sheila nodded again. “There’s a lot of that going around.”
“What can we do for you, Sheila?” Daniel asked.
Sheila’s jaw tightened. “You were out at Bailey’s house today.”
Meredith looked up, alert and listening. The people in the booth behind them had turned, obviously listening as well. Sheila didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes had narrowed and a vein throbbed in her neck.
“People in this town would have you believe Bailey was a tramp. That she was trashy. But it’s not true.” Sheila aimed a look at Hope. “She was a good mother.”
“You say ‘was,’ ” Daniel said quietly. “Do you know what happened to her?”
“No. If I did, I’d tell you. But I know she didn’t walk away from that kid.” She sucked in her cheeks, visibly fighting to hold whatever she really wanted to say in check. “Everyone’s all upset that those rich girls are dead. Nobody cared about the regular girls. Nobody cares about Bailey.” She looked at Alex. “Except you.”
“Sheila.” The barked order came from the window to the kitchen. “Get back here.”
Sheila shook her head, a mocking smile on her lips. “Oops. Gotta go. Said too much. Wouldn’t want to rock the boat or upset the powers that be.”
“Why?” Daniel asked. “What would happen if you rocked the boat?”
Her red lips twisted in a sneer. “Ask Bailey. Oh, wait. You can’t.” She spun on her heel and went back to the kitchen, smacking the swinging door with the flat of her hand.
Alex leaned back against the bench seat. “Well.”
Daniel was watching the door to the kitchen, which was still swinging. “Well, indeed.” He turned his attention to the pizza, pulling it onto their plates, but there was a troubled frown on his face. “Eat up.”
Meredith pushed a plate under Hope’s downturned face, but the little girl only stared at the food. “Come on, Hope,” she cajoled. “Eat.”
“Has she eaten at all?” Daniel said.
“Eventually she eats if I leave it in front of her long enough,” Meredith answered, “but we’ve only eaten sandwiches. This is our first real meal since I got here.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I haven’t been a very good hostess.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Meredith bit into the pizza and closed her eye in appreciation. “It’s good, Daniel. You were right.”
Daniel took a bite and nodded. “I guess for some things you can go back.” Then he sighed when the door to the outside opened. “Wonderful.”
A big man in an expensive suit crossed the restaurant, scowling. “The mayor,” Alex murmured to Meredith. “Garth Davis.”
“I know,” Meredith murmured back. “I saw his picture in the paper this morning.”
“Daniel.” The mayor stopped at their table. “You promised to call.”
“When I had something to tell you. I don’t have anything to tell you yet.”
The mayor put both hands on the table and leaned forward, getting in Daniel’s face. “You said to give you a day. You said you were working on it. And here you sit.”
“And here I sit,” Daniel said mildly. “Get out of my face, Garth.”
The mayor didn’t budge. “I want an update.” He was speaking loudly, for his audience, Alex thought. His constituency. Politicians.
Daniel leaned in closer. “Get out of my face, Garth,” he murmured, leveling the mayor a look so cold even Alex flinched. “Now.” The mayor slowly straightened and Daniel drew a breath. “Thank you, Mayor Davis. I can appreciate your wanting to have the most recent information. You need to appreciate that even if I had anything to tell you, this isn’t the place for me to share it. I did call your office this afternoon with an update. The phone rang, but no one answered.”
Davis narrowed his eyes. “I was out at Congressman Bowie’s this afternoon. I didn’t get the message. I’m sorry, Daniel.” But his eyes said he was anything but. “I’ll be sure to talk to my aide and find out why he didn’t answer your call.”
“Do that. If you’d still like an update, I’m glad to talk when I’m not in a public place.”
The mayor’s cheeks flushed. “Of course. This has been a terrible day, finding out about Janet and Claudia.”
“And Bailey Crighton,” Alex said coldly.
Mayor Davis had the good grace to look embarrassed. “And Bailey. Of course. Daniel, I’ll be in my office most of the evening. Call me if you would.”
“That’s enough to spoil your appetite,” Alex said when he was gone.
“Alex.” Meredith’s voice was strained and Alex immediately saw why.
Hope had pushed the cheese off the pizza and had smeared sauce all over her own hands and all over her face. She looked like she was covered in blood. And she was rocking in a way that made Alex’s blood run cold.
Daniel was quick to react. He stood up, wiping the sauce from Hope’s face and hands with a napkin. “Hope, honey,” he said, injecting a humor into his voice that Alex knew he didn’t feel. “Look at this mess. And on your pretty new dress, too.”
The couple in the next booth turned around and Alex recognized Toby Granville and his wife. “Can I help?” Toby asked, frowning his concern.
“No, thanks,” Daniel said easily. “We’re just going to take her home and get her cleaned up. You know how kids are.” He pulled his wallet from his pocket and Sheila came from the kitchen, a wet towel in her hands.
She’d obviously been watching. As had everyone else in the place.
Daniel handed her a folded-up bill and Alex could see the white edge of his business card poking above the green ink. “Keep the change.” He pulled Alex from the booth and she winced, her knees stiff. But she made her legs move, following Meredith to the door. Daniel scooped Hope up into his arms. “Let’s go, pretty girl. Let’s get you home.”
Alex gave Sheila a last look, then followed Daniel to his car.
In less than five minutes they were back at the bungalow. Meredith ran ahead of them, and when Alex limped across the threshold, Meredith had the Princess Fiona hairstyling head on the table. Meredith took Hope from Daniel’s arms and put her in front of the styling head, then crouched to look into Hope’s face.
“Show us what happened to your mother, Hope,” Meredith said urgently. She grabbed the can of red Play-Doh and shook it out into her palm. “Show us.”
Hope smeared a glob on the Fiona head. She repeated it, until red Play-Doh covered Fiona’s face and hair. When finished she stared at Meredith helplessly.
Alex felt the breath seep from her lungs. “She saw it all.”
“Which means she may have seen who did it,” Daniel said, his voice tight. “We’ll go to the shelter tomorrow, Alex. I want to get Hope in with a forensic artist tonight. Meredith, my boss wanted me to take Hope into our department psychologist tomorrow morning, but I think that needs to be tonight, too.”
Alex bristled. “Meredith is a fine child psychologist. And Hope trusts her.”