Blame It on Texas (22 page)

“Hello?” came a feminine voice from the phone.

Zoe blinked. Did she accidentally answer the phone when she sent it sailing? She bent down and looked at the fancy piece of equipment.

She’d barely managed to find the books on the thing last night. His latest downloads on the psychology and social culture of Interpersonal Attraction had kept her up until almost four this morning. And much to her dismay, she concluded that she was the perfect case study of someone hot on the heels of some man.

“Tyler?” the voice asked.

“Shit.” She had hit the Answer button. Still not fully awake, she grabbed the phone, looking for the Off button.

“Shit, what?” the voice came again.

“Shit,” Zoe repeated, her voice hoarse from sleep, and she put the phone to her ear. “I’m sorry, I’ll get… Tyler.”

She jumped up and went down the hall and tapped on the bedroom door. “Tyler?”

“Hey, some Chica answered Tyler’s phone,” the voice on the line said, but Zoe knew she wasn’t talking to her now.

“Who is this?” the voice on the phone asked, and this time she
was
talking to Zoe.

“No one.” It sounded lame, but give her a break. She was still half-asleep.

“Hi, No One. My name is Sam. I’m Tyler’s twin. Did you find Tyler?”

“Uh, I’m trying.” She tapped on the door harder, and
when no one answered, she inched open the door. “He’s not in bed,” Zoe said, and realized how that sounded the moment she said it—which was a moment before Tyler’s sister Sam yelled out, “He’s sleeping with her.”

“I’m not sleeping with him.” Even to her ears it sounded like a lie.

Zoe shot back down the hall, her face hot from embarrassment.

“Did you check under the covers?” Sam chuckled.

“I’m not sleeping with him,” Zoe repeated.

“Why not?” Sam asked.

“Because…”

“Are you married?” she asked.

“Yes,” she said, thinking it was the easiest way to end this conversation. They’d think she was married and know she wasn’t…

“He’s sleeping with a married woman,” Sam yelled.

“No,” Zoe said. “He’s not. I’m not—”

“Is this Lisa?” Sam asked.

“No.” Zoe continued down the hall, stopping at the pink sofa.

“It sounds like Lisa,” Sam yelled out, and Zoe heard all sorts of voices making comments in the background. Whoever this Lisa was, Tyler’s family apparently didn’t like her that much.

“I’m not Lisa.” Zoe saw the cup and the note on the coffee table. She picked up the note.

The words, “Sorry I upset you,” were underlined, and there were even a couple of Xs and Os beside the letter
T
. She got an achy feeling in her chest.

“You sound like Lisa,” Sam said.

“I’m Zoe.”

“Her name is Zoe,” Sam yelled out, and then said, “My sister wants to talk to you.”

“No,” Zoe said, but it was too late.

“Hey, I’m Lola. Tyler’s older sister. Is this Lisa?”

“No.” Zoe grabbed the door and took off down the hall that led to the office.

“What are your intentions with my brother?” Lola asked.

“I don’t have any intentions.” Zoe walked into the office.

“So, you’re just using him for his body, huh?” Lola chuckled.

Tyler looked up from his desk. His eyes went wide. “Hey.”

He stood up, looking confused and apologetic. Probably about last night, she decided. But she hadn’t had her coffee yet and didn’t know if she was still mad at him or not. Just in case, she kept her expression neutral.

Before he could say anything else, she handed him his phone. “It’s your sisters. They think we’re sleeping together. They asked if I was married and I lied, I don’t know why, it just popped out. Now they think I’m Lisa. And now they want to know what my intentions are with you. Can you clear that up?”

Tyler gaped at the phone. A male chuckle came from across the room. Zoe looked over at Austin, whom she’d met briefly yesterday afternoon when he popped in while she gave Tyler a lap dance. He was at his desk, laughing. Then she spotted Ellen, the receptionist, standing at the file cabinet in the back, also laughing. Zoe offered them one quick nod and then hotfooted it away.

“I’m sorry,” Tyler said when he walked into the apartment three minutes later. He found Zoe in the kitchen
pushing buttons on the microwave. No doubt attempting to heat the coffee.

“I can’t figure out how to get this friggin’ machine to work.” She turned around frowning.

No anger in her blue eyes, but he said it again just in case. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I told you I overreacted. Let’s forget it.”

“I was talking about my sisters, but… I’m sorry about that, too. And like you’ve already established, I suck at apologies, so I’ll just shut up now.”

She pushed a hand through her hair. “I shouldn’t have answered your phone. Well, I didn’t really answer it. It woke me up, and the phone fell and must have hit the On button. I said something and they heard me and the next thing I know we’re… having some insane conversation.”

“It’s not you, believe me. It’s them. I told you they’re crazy. At least sixty percent of all conversations with them are like that.”

She looked back at the microwave. “Do you know how to work this thing?”

“Yeah, but the coffee’s old by now. Let me grab you a fresh cup.” He took off to the office and grabbed two cups and a plate with four donuts from the box Austin had gone after. Ellen and Austin were still laughing about Zoe and the phone call when he went back in, but he ignored them.

When Tyler came back to the apartment door, Lucky was standing there, meowing to get to Zoe. They walked in together. The sofa in the living room was empty. The tiny table in the adjoining dining room nook was empty. Tyler moved to the kitchen, thinking she’d be there, but nope. She’d disappeared. His gut started to panic, then he
heard the bathroom sink running. He set the coffees on the coffee table and emptied his pockets of creamers and sugars next to the cups. Dropping on the sofa, he waited for her to come out.

He ran his fingers through his hair. He was going to have to tell her the news and his suspicions. It was bad enough to think the people who raised you kidnapped you, but to think they could have killed their own daughter, well that was tough to swallow.

He actually contemplated not telling her and then decided he had to.

She walked out of the bathroom and stopped when she saw him. She’d put her hair up, and he got a whiff of toothpaste.

“I brought coffee and donuts.”

“Thanks.”

She moved around to the chair as if she was afraid he’d try something. But how could he after she’d put him in his place like she had last night? He picked up his coffee and added a couple of creamers.

It was probably the Xs and Os he’d added to the note. He wasn’t sure why he’d done it, but on one of the last trips he’d made to check on her, he’d remembered Lisa liking it, and before he’d thought it through… he’d scribbled them down on the note. And now regretted it.

He pushed the plate of donuts and the coffee over to her side of the coffee table.

She picked a creamer and added it to her coffee, gave it a couple of stirs, and then brought the cup to her lips. “Thanks.”

“Eat.” He motioned to the plate.

She picked up the chocolate-glazed and took a bite
out of it. A smear of icing was left on her bottom lip. He watched her tongue dip out to catch the sweetness. He remembered kissing her, and how she’d brushed her tongue over his. Hell, maybe it was a good idea that she’d sat in the chair.

“Have you called about the birth certificate yet?” she asked.

He set his coffee down and folded his hands between his knees. “Yeah.”

He must have let something leak out in his tone because she leaned forward.

“And?” She set the donut down.

“The birth certificate is real.”

Her face fell. “It can’t be. I mean, I look just like Nancy Bradford and… and my memories. And—”

“I’m not saying you’re Zoe Adams. I’m saying there is—or was—a Zoe Adams.”

She shook her head. “But I don’t understand.” She set her coffee down beside the donut. “If they had their own kid, why would they have… You said
was
? Can’t you check for death records?”

“I did,” he said. “There was never a death filed.”

“But there has to be. I mean…”

He gripped his hands together; he wasn’t looking forward to saying this. “I’m just guessing here, but the body of the girl they thought was you… It could have been the real Zoe Adams.”

She looked at him. “You think something happened to Zoe Adams and that’s why… why they kidnapped me. To replace her.”

Hurt sounded in her voice. “I’m saying it’s a possibility.”

She shook her head. “But I read that… that the body
was… burned and…” Tears filled her eyes, and Tyler had to force himself not to go to her and pull her into his arms.

“It doesn’t mean they killed her.” But it was hardpressed not to believe it.

She shook her head. “They couldn’t have. They could never have hurt a child. They never even spanked me. And there were times I deserved it.”

But they hurt you, Tyler thought. Her “parents” had kidnapped her and kept secrets from her all her life. And right this moment Tyler wished he could get a pass to hell—because that’s where he knew they were right now—to kick their asses. She didn’t deserve to have to go through this.

“If we can prove that you are Caroline Bradford, I’m sure they will exhume the body.”

She stared at the coffee cup. He saw a tear slip from her lashes to the cup.

“I want to take a shower.” She popped up and so did Tyler.

Before she could walk away, he caught her arm. He just wanted to touch her, to let her know he cared. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He expected her to pull away, but instead she fell against him. Her head pressed into the side of his shoulder. He debated putting his arms around her, and then, without giving it another thought, he did just that. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping he’d managed to do it in a totally nonsexual way.

He felt her reach up and take handfuls of his shirt in her fists, and she let go of a painful sob. “I know my
parents kept secrets from me. I know they lied to me. I’ve accepted that. But they couldn’t have killed their own child, Tyler. They just couldn’t have.”

He tightened his arms around her and held her against him.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

W
HEN
T
YLER WALKED
back into the office, Dallas was there, going over a few things with Ellen. Bud, Dallas’s dog, was sniffing Ellen’s leg. Tyler remembered Lucky and panicked for a second, then remembered seeing the cat in the leather chair in the apartment.

Everyone in the room looked at him.

Dallas smiled sheepishly, and Tyler knew he’d been told about his sisters’ call. Problem was, Tyler wasn’t in the mood to laugh about anything right now.

“I want answers, damn it,” he started barking.

“But I thought…” Dallas hesitated. “Wasn’t the birth certificate—”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what they said. Zoe didn’t make this shit up. Someone shot at her. There has to be a reason for that, and I don’t think it’s the lunch specials down at the diner. And right now the only thing that makes sense is that she’s somehow tied to the Bradfords.”

Dallas frowned. “But—”

“Did we question you when you believed Nikki was
innocent even after her ex ended up dead in her trunk after she told people she was going to kill him?”

Dallas’s eyebrows shot up. He held out his hand. “I didn’t realize that was what’s going on.”

Tyler didn’t know exactly what Dallas implied, but he knew if he gave it some thought, he probably wouldn’t like it. So he didn’t think about it. At this point in time, he didn’t care. He just wanted his partners behind him on this. He needed them.

It felt so damn right to have her believe in him at the station yesterday, and he was going to believe in her. She wanted answers, and by God, he was going to get them.

“Fine,” Dallas said. “What do you want us to do?”

“Help me get to the bottom of this.” Tyler’s emotions and mind were running all over the place, and he couldn’t seem to catch up with them.

Dallas held out his hand. “Where’s your list of questions?”

Tyler went to his desk, picked up his pad, and dropped down in his chair.

“Read your questions,” Dallas said, and went to his own desk.

Austin rolled his chair a little closer. Tyler looked down at the questions.

Why did making Zoe laugh feel so damn good?

Why was he thinking so damn much about Lisa?

Why had he written Xs and Os on the note, when his gut had told him not to?

All of a sudden, he added another question to the list.
Why after all the lessons he’d learned about caring too much from his dad, from Lisa, and from the police force, was he tempted to let down his guard with Zoe?

The last question bothered him most of all. This was supposed to be just another case. Besides, she wasn’t even going to stay here when the case was over.

“I think Dallas meant to read them aloud,” Austin said, being a smartass.

Tyler scowled at Austin and then flipped the page to the list of questions involving the case. “Who was the dead girl they thought was Caroline Bradford?”

“Okay,” Dallas said. “Let’s start there. Since you’re the best at researching on the Internet, why don’t you go and find any missing children cases about that time? Also see what you can dig up on the Adams family and their daughter Zoe while they were in Texas. See if they have any connection to the Bradfords.”

Tyler was usually the one referring the questions and giving advice on who should do what. What was it about this case that made him so crazy? The answer shot back. Zoe.

“What’s the next question?” Dallas asked.

Tyler looked back at the list. “Why would Mildred and Ralph Adams kidnap a kid? Especially one so high profile if they didn’t intend to get a ransom for her.”

“You gave one possible answer to that earlier,” Austin said. “If they murdered their own kid, they may have needed a replacement for her or they’d have gotten caught.”