Lies That Bind. Barbara McMahon

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      What would he do then?

      Maybe he should give some thought to working on locating this Jo Hunter. It would give him something to fill the time until he was in fighting shape again. And keep him from dwelling on what the future might hold.

      THE NEXT MORNING April walked into town to go to the sheriff’s office. She wanted to ask Sam if he could help in her search for her parents.

      To her surprise, Jack Palmer was ahead of her, ready to enter the building as she approached. She hesitated, but he turned and saw her and held the door for her to enter.

      She walked past him into the dimness of the old building. The tall ceilings held lazily rotating fans. The walls needed to be repainted and the wooden desks were gouged and scarred. Artificial lights cast a yellowish gloom over everything, and the few windows were covered with closed venetian blinds.

      “Here to see Sam?” Jack asked April, following her to the counter where an officer sat.

      “Yes.” Not that it was any of his business.

      “He’s in the back. I’m heading that way myself.” Jack gestured toward the rear of the building. He nodded to the man at the desk and held the swinging gate for April to enter.

      She matched her stride to his halting one as they silently walked down the long hallway. Rounding a corner, they came into an open area with several more desks. April was surprised to find Maraville had such a large force. There had to be at least a half-dozen desks all told. The sheriff’s department acted as law enforcement for the town and surrounding county. Still, she was surprised there’d be that much crime to deal with.

      Jack approached the desk near a partially opened door.

      “We’re here to see Sam,” he told the woman seated at the desk.

      She smiled at him, then looked at April, her eyes widening. “April Jeffries, as I live and breathe!” She jumped up and came around the desk to hug her.

      “It’s me, Marjorie Tamlin. How are you. Wow, aren’t you gorgeous.”

      April felt Jack’s gaze, but she avoided looking at him as she hugged Marjorie.

      “It’s been too long,” she said, smiling at her former classmate.

      “I’ll say. Hold on, I’ll tell Sam you two are here. I have a break at eleven-thirty. Have lunch with me and we can catch up. Remember Lulu? She told me she heard you were back. Staying long?”

      “Just a few weeks. I came because of Maddie.”

      “How is she? I heard from Sam she was doing better.”

      “She is.” April didn’t care to talk about her foster family around Jack, so she smiled brightly, promising to fill Marjorie in when they met for lunch.

      “I’ll see if the sheriff is free,” Marjorie said, hurrying through the open door.

      April eyed Jack. “You go first.”

      For a moment, she thought she saw amusement in his eyes. “Afraid to say something in front of me? I’m not here to report Maraville’s news.”

      “What I have to say doesn’t concern anyone but me.”

      “You’re looking for help locating your parents,” he said.

      “Lucky guess. Didn’t you suggest I try the sheriff?”

      Marjorie came out of Sam’s office.

      “He’s free. Come on in.”

      Neither April nor Jack moved.

      “After you,” she said.

      “You go first,” he countered. “I’m here to help look for Jo, so I expect to be a while.”

      That caught her by surprise. So he’d help out Eliza and Cade, but not her. Fine, she didn’t need his help!

      Lifting her chin, she headed into the sheriff’s office, aware that Jack Palmer followed right behind her.

      Sam glanced at April then Jack. “You two working together?” he asked.

      “No,” April said quickly, frowning over her shoulder at Jack. She looked at Sam and smiled. “I was hoping to see you alone. But some people don’t seem to know when they’re barging in.”

      Jack leaned against the door frame and said nothing.

      “What can I do for you?” Sam asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

      “I’m hoping you can help me in a search of my own—for my birth parents.”

      “Have a seat.”

      Sam waited until April sat down before resuming his seat. He flicked another glance at Jack, who had moved beside one of the file cabinets, leaning against it so he could see April better.

      “It’s personal,” she said, glaring at Jack.

      “Which means she doesn’t want me here,” Jack explained.

      “If you don’t mind, it is personal,” April insisted, wishing she could ignore the man. Or that Sam would kick him out.

      “I’ll do what I can, but we don’t conduct family searches if no crimes have been committed,” Sam said slowly. “What do you have to go on?”

      “Just my birth date. It’s from a delayed birth certificate—one I got when I first applied for a passport. No parents’ names, just Jane and John Doe.”

      “The date may not be accurate,” Jack murmured.

      “What?” April swung around. “You think that’s not my birth date?”

      “If you were abandoned, it’s likely no one knew your birth date. They just estimated how old you were and assigned you the closest date.”

      She blinked. She’d never thought of that. So even her birth date could be a dead end.

      “Seems to me a hotshot like you could handle this before lunch,” Sam said to Jack. He looked at April. “You might try Social Services. They have the records of your particular case.”

      The phone on the desk rang. Sam picked it up. From the one-sided conversation, April knew he had to go somewhere—fast. He stood even as he was talking, and reached for his hat on the hatrack behind him.

      “Sorry, I have to leave,” he said as soon as he hung up. “Jack, take care of April, will you? And here’s a copy of all I have on Jo.” He thrust a slim folder at Jack. In a second he was gone.

      April could hear him give rapid instructions to Marjorie as he left. A moment later there was only silence.

      JACK TOSSED the folder on the desk. The slap it made startled April. Rising, she turned to the door.

      “All СКАЧАТЬ