Little Girl Found. Jo Leigh

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СКАЧАТЬ glad he’d taken that extra pain pill. His hip hurt, but not too badly. As Hailey walked to the door, he headed for the quilt and the doll, still on the floor in front of the television.

      “Oh, wait,” she said, guessing what he was about to do. “I’ll get those.”

      “I can do it.” A quick flash of anger seared his insides. “Just take care of the kid.”

      “Sorry.”

      He hadn’t meant to be so gruff with her. But dammit, he wasn’t totally helpless. To show her, he leaned over his cane neatly and came up again with Megan’s things.

      “That didn’t hurt?” she asked.

      He shrugged. “It’s not so bad.”

      She sighed as she turned to the door. “It must be hard to be so macho all the time.”

      He grinned. “Later, if you’re nice, I’ll crush a beer can on my forehead for you.”

      “I don’t know if my girlish heart could take it.”

      He made his way slowly out the door, grateful the woman had a sense of humor. He had the feeling she’d need it.

      HAILEY PUT MEGAN DOWN beside Jack’s recliner. The room was so dark it was hard to believe it was daytime. It reminded her of a bear’s cave, albeit one with a large-screen television set as a centerpiece. There wasn’t a picture on the wall or even a plant. Old newspapers were piled up beside the couch, and empty beer bottles, three of them, sat on the small table by his chair. The place needed a good cleaning and a lot more light.

      “There’s the pillowcase,” he said, pointing to the end of the couch. “I guess you can take her back to your place, huh?”

      She smiled at him, making a decision that second. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to bathe her here.”

      Jack looked at her as if she was nuts. “Why?”

      “I’d just feel better waiting with her here. Until you get back.”

      He shrugged. “Suit yourself. The bathtub is pretty clean. There are towels in the cupboard. He turned and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

      His apartment was identical to hers, at least architecturally. But where hers was a warm nest, his was a place to hide from the world. She wondered again how he’d been hurt. And how awful it must be for a man as virile as him to be trapped in a broken body.

      She noticed a book peeking out from underneath the TV guide, and her curiosity got the better of her. She lifted the guide and saw that it was a paperback edition of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Interesting.

      Jack came back a second after she stopped snooping. He’d changed into a plain white business shirt, open at the collar, but he still wore his jeans. He also had on a leather jacket, and with his somehow dangerous face and those deep brown eyes, she felt a shock of physical awareness hit her where it counted.

      “Here,” he said. He held out a piece of paper to her. She took it but she didn’t look at it. She was too busy wondering about her reaction to him. He wasn’t her usual type. She liked kind men, calm men. Men who called their mothers on Sunday nights.

      “My pager number,” he said. “Just in case.”

      All her wayward thoughts vanished in the blink of an eye as she was brought back to the moment by a dose of cold reality. There was a killer loose. A murderer. “You don’t think…”

      “Just in case you need me to bring home some milk or something.”

      “Right,” she said, not believing him. She took Megan’s hand in hers, while Jack adjusted his jacket, and it was then she caught sight of his gun, neatly holstered against his rib cage. It shook her to realize it was a real gun, capable of killing, meant to kill. She’d never been this close to a gun before.

      “Are you going to tell her?” he asked, lowering his voice, even though Megan was right there.

      She squeezed Megan’s hand gently. “Yes. Now go on. Find out what you can. We’ll be here when you get back.”

      He looked at them one more time, then made his way to the door. She wondered how he was going to drive, but it didn’t seem prudent to bring that up. Instead, she led Megan down the hall to the bathroom, listening for the sound of the door shutting and his key in the lock. She heard both, and she breathed a little easier. Although she didn’t think she would relax completely until this whole thing got straightened out.

      Who would want to kill Roy Chandler? He’d always seemed like such a nice man. He paid her generously for baby-sitting. He certainly loved Megan. Perhaps Jack was wrong, and it was just one of those horrible mistakes, a drive-by shooting or something.

      It didn’t matter really, not to the little one. Either way, her father was dead. She had no one now. Not even an aunt in Florida. Hailey hadn’t liked lying to Jack, but there was no way she would let social services take this child away.

      Megan put her doll on the sink counter, then pulled off her pajama top. That spurred Hailey to start the water running in the tub. She got down on her knees and tested the temperature until she got it right.

      She had to admit the bathroom was cleaner than she’d imagined. Except for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition on the floor, it was very nicely put together. Clean towels, a sparkling sink, and the tub was spick-and-span.

      Megan had finished undressing, and now she stood next to Hailey, waiting. Leaning slightly against her. Just touching. But, bless her heart, she appeared quite stoic and ready to get down to business.

      Hailey put her in the tub, and for the first few minutes they both concentrated on washing Megan. The soap wasn’t Hailey’s usual brand, but Megan liked the scent. The bath was a quiet affair, which was unsettling. The girl loved taking baths and usually she talked Hailey’s ear off. Not today. She finished quickly, not dawdling to play. She stood up in the tub, her body shiny and innocent, her eyes wide with muted fear. “Are we going to see my daddy now?”

      Hailey couldn’t put it off any longer. But, oh, how she wished she didn’t have to shatter this little bunny. She got the big blue towel from the rack, then reached for Megan and lifted her out of the tub. Quickly, before Megan could get a chill, she wrapped the towel around her. Hailey rubbed her legs and arms to make her dry and warm, and then she put her arms around her. “Sweet pea,” she began, making sure her voice was as tender and safe as she could muster, “Daddy…” She swallowed. Took a deep breath. “Daddy had to leave, sweetheart.”

      “Where?”

      “Daddy went to heaven, Megan. He went to see your mommy.”

      Megan didn’t say anything. But Hailey could feel her little body tremble.

      “He loves you very much,” she whispered. “And he hated to leave you. If he could have stayed, he would have.”

      “Can’t I go, too?”

      Hailey closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears. “Not yet, baby.”

      Megan’s chin quivered, and she began to cry, her tears too big for such a little girl. Sobs that tore СКАЧАТЬ