Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) (2 page)

“Enough, Barbara. It could have happened no matter who was keeping an eye on her.”

Alex wanted to know why the mother hadn’t been looking after her. And asked. He was old enough and old-fashioned enough to expect she would have watched over his bloodline.

“I head numerous charities,” Barbara told him. “It would be impossible for me to watch a child all day and do my job.”

“True. I would imagine the nanny was someone you trusted implicitly.”

“Of course. If I hadn’t I would have never left my baby in her charge.”

“Baby? I thought she was seven.”

“She is! But she’ll always be my baby.” The woman sniffled delicately.

Alex went through the usual list of questions, how well had they known the nanny, how long had she watched Sandy, what was their normal schedule. It didn’t surprise him that the mother was unfamiliar with the nanny’s routine. He saw that a lot, but he hoped for more. He had always been concerned with his descendents and kept distant tabs on them. He had always been comfortable with their decisions; they fit well into the life and times they had been born to. This felt different. The mother didn’t seem fitting.

Jason Morgan at least seemed to have his wits about him. And he was the one who shared his blood. His and Katherine’s.

Over the decades, he had made it his business to know how those descendents got on in life. For the most part, they needed very little assistance. This was the first time in probably fifty years that he needed to concern himself. But one thing he had promised himself was his bloodline would continue on. That couldn’t happen if there was mortal danger involved. It turned out his line was not a prolific one, so each member mattered.

“Perhaps it would be best if I spoke with the nanny away from here. Talked to her in other surroundings.”

“That would be fine with me but the police asked she stay close, besides they already talked to her at the scene.”

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Alex returned to the great room where the police were milling about. Tactfully, he suggested a few of them leave, which they did. Then he turned to meet the nanny.

Chapter 2

He blinked twice. Nannies simply did not look like Miss Lisa Mitchell. At least none of the nannies he had known. Even if they had been younger than fifty they wore starched looking clothing; the kind that could stand up on its own. And they invariably had their hair pulled back and skewed into a so-tight braid it made an instant face-lift.

This nanny was the complete opposite in every way. Her hair, a burnished copper, curled about her face and it looked as if no amount of combing would tame it. Her mouth was a shade too wide, the kind that was perfect for smiling, and was quite mobile. At the moment, he couldn’t see her eyes because the lids were closed, but her lashes were thick and fanned against her pale skin. Her nicely shaped nose was tipped in red, evidence of her crying. He could hear her slow even breathing and was loathe to wake her. But the child needed to be found.

Standing next to her, he watched her exhausted sleep for a moment. If he wanted answers, he would have to rouse her. Slightly leaning over her, he gently nudged her shoulder with his hand.

Her eyes flew open in a second, then widened. He straightened, giving her some breathing room. She looked about, puzzled for a moment, then he saw the terror in the depths of her eyes.

“Who are you?” she asked, pushing herself against the cushions in an effort to sit up straighter.

Alex perched on the edge of the arm of the nearby chair. No sense in looming over the girl. He quickly introduced himself.

“I don’t know how it happened,” she said, still trying to bite back the tears.

“Calm down, miss,” he said, then gave her a wry smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.” He often found people relaxed when they were in control of anything, even something as minor as stating their name; no matter that he already had the facts.

“Lisa. Lisa Mitchell.” She held out her hand.

“Detective Alex Aguilar.” He really didn’t want to take her hand, he knew it. Certainly he had touched many people, but he knew this would be different. It was soft and wonderfully warm in his. He released it quickly.

“Lisa -- May I call you that?” At her nod, he continued. “We need to talk about what happened. I‘m sure you’ve already told the police what you remember, but maybe it would be better if we went to the scene. Perhaps something there will prompt your memory.

The captain had sauntered over, blatantly listening. Alex didn’t particularly care and was used to the way most policemen operated. He would concentrate on doing his job regardless.

“I hate to point it out, detective, but we’ve already been there, besides it’s dark now. I doubt anyone will see anything much.” The captain had turned to face them, no longer hanging in the background.

“That’s possible,” Alex said, looking up at the man, “but if Ms. Mitchell doesn’t mind, I would still prefer going to the scene.”

The captain nodded. “Do you want any assistance?”

Alex shook his head, and then stood, extending his hand to the young woman. When she placed her hand in his for the second time, he automatically closed his fingers over hers. He tugged, pulling her to her feet. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. If you want to send uniforms, that would be agreeable, but not necessary. You have my badge number.”

To further ease the captain’s thoughts, Alex pulled his card from his pocket and handed it to him. “My cell phone number is on there too.”

Escorting Lisa outside, Alex knew he should drop her hand. There was no reason to hold on to it -- and every reason in the world. It felt right and he didn’t want to let go. She didn’t resist.

He helped her into his car, and started it before asking her for directions.

She gave a tight laugh once they started. “You know, I’m usually much more careful, especially with men. I didn’t even ask to see your badge.”

Alex raised his eyebrows. “I did show it around.” Even as he spoke he used one hand to pull it from his jacket pocket and tossed it to her. “Now, tell me what you did today and how you arrived at the play ground.”

From the corner of his eye, he watched her flip open his ID, study it, then him. She folded the case and wordlessly put it in his hand when he held it out, then quickly she filled him in on her afternoon activities. “We had stopped at the grocery store to get some bread for the birds, first. We don’t stop every day, but today we did. This was after school,” she reminded him, “so it was still light enough to see. We were going to feed the birds, swing on the swings a bit and then be home in time for dinner. Mrs. Morgan doesn’t like to have dinner before six.”

Alex drove past the store she indicated and then entered the park at the entrance she specified. It was full dark now, not that it proved any problem to him. And the play area was well lit enough no one would question his being able to see well.

He stopped the car, but when he went to assist Lisa from her side she had already exited and was walking around the hood of the car toward the swing set. “We were here,” she said pointing to two of the swings. “Sandy had just climbed on the one, and I was getting ready to push her before joining her.”

“Do you always join her?” he had no problem believing it. She didn’t seem much more than a child herself, except for the curves; the entire packaging determined she was far from child-like.

She gave him a weak smile. “I know I’m too old for this, but I do enjoy it. And it makes Sandy feel like she has an older sister instead of a nanny,”

Alex leaned against one of the swing set poles. He couldn’t resist letting his gaze travel from the top of her unruly hair down to her trim half boots. “I do have to admit you are not what I picture when I think of a nanny.”

“That’s what Mrs. Morgan said too,” Lisa admitted, but she did not sound as light hearted as Alex had been. “Mr. Morgan was the one who hired me.”

Alex’s gut tightened. Had he hired her for something besides nanny to his daughter? He wouldn’t believe that at this point. He would have sensed it.

As if she knew what he was thinking, she raised her head a notch. “I am a certified nanny,” she told him. “I trained in England at the Nanny and Governess school.”

Alex put both hands in the air, palm outward, as if warding off her blows. “I never suggested otherwise.”

She gave a self-conscious laugh. “Sorry. Most people have something snide to say. Really, Mr. Morgan is a sweetie, but I only look after his daughter. That’s it.”

Frankly, if he had been married to someone like Barbara Morgan, Alex couldn’t ascertain how much of a ‘sweetie’ he would remain. Not that anyone had ever called him by such an innocuous name. Not even Katherine.

“After Sandy was on the swing, what happened?”

“That’s it. That’s about all I remember.” She wrapped her arms tightly about her middle. She didn’t meet his gaze. “In the next moment, there was some guy standing next to her. I don’t even know where he came from, but it was like he never saw me, only Sandy. He grabbed her, and when she started screaming for me, he looked at me. I... I can remember him raising his hand; I tried to duck, but the next thing I knew there were people standing around me and I was coming to. The paramedics, when they were called, didn’t think I had been out for more than a moment. But Sandy was gone. No one had seen her disappear. No one else saw the man.”

In spite of his resolution not to, Alex put out his hand and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. He had to pull himself back from looking into the clear gray of her eyes. A gaze that would pull him in if he let it. “You must remember something. Anything about the man.” He squeezed her chin gently, then let his fingers run over her skin as he released her. “Did you notice the color of his hair? His height?”

She nodded. “I already told the police. He had black hair, really black, almost blue. He wasn’t as tall as you, but close.” She examined him closely. “He might have been built similar to you. He wasn’t very broad, you know, more lean.”

Alex wondered if there was a note of approval in her voice. “Do you remember anything else? A ring? A tattoo? A scar?”

She looked straight ahead, not seeming to see him at all. “He did have jewelry, she said, touching her ear lobe. “He had a small gold earring, a stud. And he wore a ring. It was on his middle finger; I thought that was odd. I don’t remember anything else.”

“Have you told this to the police?”

“No. I didn’t remember it until now. I don’t know how much it will help. People take off their jewelry all of the time.”

“And many do not.” He absently fingered his ring. “Do you know that in some cultures, the wedding band is put on the middle finger, not the fourth?”

“I didn’t know. You think it was a wedding band?”

Alex shrugged. “Just making an observation.” He pushed away from the pole. “Now, if you are ready, perhaps we should go back.”

Lisa gave a tiny shudder. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet. Why don’t you go and I’ll be by in a little bit. I think I need some time to myself.”

“That would not be a good idea.”

“Maybe not,” she said giving him a weak smile, “but right now Mrs. Morgan hates me and I don’t blame her in the least. I don’t know if I’m ready to face her.”

“There is nothing you could have done differently.” His voice was harsher than he intended, but it got her attention.

“Do you honestly believe that?” Her voice was raw with pain. She moved her hands around in agitation, punctuating her points. “What if I had been quicker to reach for her? Maybe if I had hit the man as soon as I saw him he wouldn’t have been able to grab Sandy?” 

She had to have asked herself those questions hundreds of times since this afternoon. If it was as he thought, there was nothing she could have done. “Nothing would have changed.” He took her by the arm, surprised to find she was shivering. Without thought, he draped his arm about her shoulders as he led her back to the car. She didn’t push him away.

“Let me take you back, and we’ll see if anything has developed. In the meantime, you can have something warm to eat and drink. It will make a difference.” He kept his voice even and soothing.

Everything was as they had left it, except for the fact that Mrs. Morgan was sleeping. Jason explained she had decided it was all too much for her and let the doctor prescribe a sedative.

“It’s better this way,” he said after explaining the situation. He studied Lisa’s face, and lightly touched her on the arm. Alex found he didn’t care for the gesture.

“Did you remember anything more?”

“Not really,” she told him, and stepped just out of his reach. “Detective Aguilar suggested coming back here.”

She had stepped aside with such a natural movement if Alex hadn’t been looking for it he wasn’t sure he would have noticed it.

The captain joined their small circle and confirmed nothing had been called in aside from the first report of a blue sedan. “Frankly, that does puzzle me,” he said. “I’ve never worked on any missing person’s detail where at least one person hasn’t called to say they thought they saw the person. Human nature.”

It was at that, Alex had to admit, human being the operative word. What little Lisa recalled had helped him somewhat, but he couldn’t imagine it would mean much to the captain. He let her tell it.

“Not much to go on,” the captain predictably said. “Lots of people with black hair. And jewelry. Probably as soon as he remembered he had it on, he ditched it. I’ll mark the notes, but I think we’re going to need something more.

Alex was sure of it.

“We need our baby back,” Jason said. “Tell me what else to do and I’ll have it done.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Morgan, but I can’t think of one more thing we can feasibly do that’s not already covered. The best thing I can tell you is to try and get some rest. We have no idea when the kidnapper will call, or even if they will.

Nodding, Mr. Morgan made his way to the coffee set up on the far side of the great room.

To Alex, Lisa still looked rather pale. It amazed him the Morgans weren’t more concerned about her. The thought surprised him, and he had to wonder when he began to care about the hired help. “Listen,” he told Lisa, “I don’t think anything much is going to happen at night, at least not tonight. I would strongly suggest you try to get some sleep. I’ll report to the captain and the Morgans tomorrow and see if they have any new information. I’ll check with you at that time too in case you think of anything else.”