LITMIR.BIZ

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Amanda to her daughter, a knot formed in his gut. Amanda and Hope belonged together. The love they shared marked them as a family. They shared something he would have given everything to have—something he’d quite possibly lost forever.

      A slow ache continued gnawing at his insides as he heard Amanda comforting Hope. To his surprise, he found himself walking around the dog, despite a throaty warning growl, and crouching down beside them.

      “Hope, honey, please don’t cry,” he said gently. “Sometimes bad people act mean, but there are always good people around to make things come out okay.”

      Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raymond’s surprised face and Amanda’s expression of disbelief. Even Bernice had stopped looking for glass and was watching him. Well, what the hell. They could think whatever they pleased. Hope had stopped crying.

      “You’re a good guy?” she asked, looking up at his face.

      “Yep, I sure am. Though sometimes people don’t know that right away.”

      “Why?” Hope moved away from Amanda and toward Tony.

      “I guess it’s because I’m not always polite and nice,” Tony said softly. “But if they look past that, they find I’m okay to have around.”

      Hope smiled at Tony, then gave him a hug.

      Tony saw Amanda’s jaw drop. He felt as stunned as she looked. “We’re friends?”

      “I like you, Tony.” Hope disentangled herself and looked up at Amanda. “He’s not a stranger anymore. And he looked like he needed a hug. It’s okay, right? You told me that grown-ups need hugs sometimes, too.”

      Amanda smiled. “It’s okay, Peanut.”

      “Can we play?” Hope looked at Tony.

      “In a little bit, all right? Let me fix this window for your mom first.”

      Bernice moved next to Tony as Amanda took Hope back to her room, Winston by their side. “You may have convinced Hope and Amanda,” she whispered, “but I’ll be watching you, mister.”

      No longer needed, Raymond excused himself and left. Bernice, on the other hand, seemed determined to remain as long as Tony was there. They worked side by side, removing every trace of glass and taping together pieces of cardboard shoe boxes to repair the window.

      Tony finished the section he’d been working on, aware of the way Bernice was watching him out of the corner of her eye. When he glanced past her, he noticed Amanda was standing by the phone, lost in thought. “What’s wrong?”

      “I think I should report this incident to the police. It’ll make it easier to file a claim with my homeowner’s insurance.”

      Her unspoken question came through to him clearly. She didn’t want to jeopardize the situation if he thought this was connected to the kidnappers. But it was more than that, too. She was being careful around him, like someone would be around a ticking bomb. The knowledge knifed at him. It didn’t seem so long ago that people had turned to him for assurance.

      “Go ahead and call,” he said. “It can’t hurt anything at this point, though I don’t think the police will be able to do much except file a report.”

      Tony continued working with Bernice as Amanda called and answered routine questions over the phone. The bright patchwork of cardboard they had put together effectively covered up the hole.

      “Well, it’s colorful, that’s for sure. I wish I had found some sturdier cardboard, but the shoe boxes will do for now,” Bernice said.

      Amanda finally hung up the phone. “They said they’d be here in thirty minutes to take a report, but the officer said that they don’t generally have much luck tracing acts of vandalism.”

      “That’s the same response I got when my tires were slashed,” Bernice said, shaking her head. “I guess all these cuts in the city budget are beginning to take their toll.”

      Amanda saw Bernice glance at her watch and knew what was on her friend’s mind. “Why don’t you go home, Bernice? I know Phil’s going out of town tomorrow, and you’ve got things to do.”

      “It’s just one of his overnight business trips. Why don’t you and Hope come over and keep me company?” Bernice asked.

      Amanda shook her head. “I can’t. I’ve got things to do here.” She gestured to the front window.

      “Then let me take Hope with me. She can sleep over. You know how much Phil and I like having her. And she loves having Winston sleep with her.”

      Amanda laughed. “I can’t really say that’s a selling point with me, but okay. It’ll give me a chance to make sure I find all the pieces of glass.”

      It only took a few minutes to pack an overnight bag for Hope. The little girl gave Amanda a hug and a kiss, then turned to Tony and gave him a hug, too. “Take care of my mommy, even if she’s crabby. She’s really nice, once you know her.”

      Tony laughed. “I’ll do that.”

      “You just mind yourself,” Bernice said, her glare icy as it focused on Tony.

      Tony nodded, his expression neutral as he watched Hope, Bernice and the big dog walk out to the car. “That woman obviously doesn’t like me,” Tony said to Amanda as soon as they were alone.

      “Do you blame her? She’s protective about me.” Her gaze strayed to the tape recorder next to her phone. “You should come with a warning label.”

      “The choice to have you involved wasn’t mine.” Those words brought to mind the one question that continued to prey on his mind. Tony didn’t believe in coincidences, he never had. Amanda was tied into all this somehow, and he didn’t have much time to figure out what her connection was. Maybe the bug he’d decided to plant just as soon as he had time alone would reveal what he needed to know.

      As Tony helped her search for stray pieces of glass, his eyes scanned the room, always vigilant. “You have a terrific kid,” he said, hoping to make Amanda relax. Maybe then she would lower her guard and reveal more about herself. He needed to get a handle on her that didn’t involve the one weak point he’d seen—her daughter. He and Amanda had one thing in common—their determination to keep children safe. He just didn’t bother to pretty things up with a lot of fancy, useless rules and regulations.

      “Hope is a wonderful little girl,” she answered, “but she’s so very vulnerable. She needs protection and love. I intend to see that she gets both.”

      She was warning him off, like a lioness protecting her cubs. She’d do whatever was necessary to keep him away from her child. In that one respect, they were more alike than she knew. “Hope is one very lucky little girl.”

      “I think you better be going, don’t you? The police will be arriving soon.”

      “I can handle them. I’m here with your permission.”

      “Yes, but I’d rather not have anyone link you and me, particularly with you here at this hour. This police department is a small one and rumors travel fast. Two of the parents at the day school are cops, and I don’t want them to get wind of this.”

      Amanda’s telephone rang just as she finished speaking. Tony felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end—a sure sign he’d learned never to ignore. “Remember to write down the number that flashes on the caller ID,” he said, automatically moving toward the extension. “The system will store the number in memory, but it’s better to have a hard copy.”

      She glanced at the number marked Pay Phone that appeared on the LED display. She jotted it down.

      With a nod, Tony picked up the extension at the same time Amanda did. The electronically altered voice had the same effect on him as fingernails on a chalkboard. He heard Amanda argue briefly as the woman moved up the deadline they’d given him to get the file. Now she wanted it by

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