Ring of Lies (54 page)

‘
Any particular reason?
’

‘
I’m betting sooner or later
someone will come looking for it.
’

‘
In that case
,
let’s
get it copied
, and get the rest of the team working on it
.
Then
I want you and Grace
to return to
the island tonight.
’

Jack and Grace
stood to leave
.
Th
ey got no further than the door
when Mike called out.
‘
Diego, get Grace some coffee
,
I need
a word with Jack
in private
.
’

Grace cast a glance at Jack, as if seeking his consent.
When he made no movement, she followed Diego out of the office.

Mike waited until the door shut behind them.
‘
G
o and see Rosa
before you leave Miami
.
’

‘
There’s no
time, not if
you want us
back
at
Sand Dollars tonight.
’

‘
Chrissie
called at
the condo.
She’s worried about Emilia, doesn’t think Rosa is
coping very well on her own
.
’

‘
And you think
seeing me will
make a difference
?
’

‘
Can’t do any harm.
’

‘
I don’t know, Mike.
We didn’t part on the best of terms, and i
f Rosa
catches sight of
Grace she’ll
freak out
.
There’s no telling what she might do.
’

‘
Then leave Grace here.
Diego can show her some mug shots.
Just an hour, Jack, that’s all I’m
asking
, otherwise I’ll pull you off the
investigation
.
’

Jack stared at the wall above his SAC’s head
, his brows drawn together in a frown
.
Emilia was his daughter, his responsibility.
Grace needed his protection.
Yet h
e couldn’t in all consciousness leave
Emilia
with a woman who cared little for her wellbeing
.

‘
All right
, Mike.
I’ll go and see Rosa.
’

The fa
mily room
in the condo
looked like the
inside of a
n abandoned crack house
.
Plate
s bearing the congealed remnants of half eaten meals covered every conceivable surface.
Bottles and glasses lay on the floor, their contents either drunk or spilled, ashtrays overflowed.
Jack threw open a window and picked his way through the debris to the kitchen.
U
nwashed dishes and pans
filled the sink
.
He wrinkled his nose at
the rich stink o
f rotting food coming from the overflowing
trashcan
.

‘
Rosa!
’

When she didn’t reply, he
walked down the hall
to the bedroom.
The air smelt stale.
A
n empty bottle of tequila and a half eaten sandwich
lay on the bedside table
.
The comforter
formed
a tangled heap on the bed
with the pillows.
The wardrobe door
stood
open, clothes strewn across the floor.

Heart pounding, he ran down the hall to the nursery.
The door was closed.
The muscles of his forearm hardened beneath the sleeve of his shirt as he turned the handle
and
rush
ed inside
.

Snuffling sounds came from the crib.

Emilia lay on her back, her face puckered and
puce
from crying.

Alone.

‘
Oh, my God,
’
he murmured.
H
is hands trembled as he
lifted her up
and cradled her in his arms.
‘
Shush little one, Daddy’s here.
Where the
h
ell is your mother?
’

The baby blinked and
screwed up
her
tear-filled eyes.
Jack
clutched her
small
hand
in his.
It
felt
cold,
her
fingertips
almost blue.
He looked around.
How long had Rosa been gone?
Hours?
All day?

He wanted to snap the woman in half.
Instead, he
quickly
wrapped
Emilia
in a blanke
t
and
carrie
d her
int
o the bathroom.
Equal amounts of fear and anger tore at him
as he
filled the baby bath
with water
.

‘
Damn you, R
osa, h
ow could you do this to
our daughter?
’

He laid
Emilia
on the changing mat and
deftly inched the
yellow romper suit
over her tiny arms and legs
.
H
er
soaking wet
diaper
stank
and he
felt the bile rise in his throat
.
He quickly removed it.
Her bottom was
red and dotted with blisters.

He looked down into his daughter’s eyes.
Despite the rash, the filth, and the loneliness she smiled at him.
His eyes
filled
with tears
.

He tested the temperature
of the water
with his elbow, and s
atisfied
it
wasn’t too hot,
lowered Emilia into the bath
, and
began to soap
her
tiny
shoulders and chest
.
When she
kicked her legs and gurgled
, he breathed a sigh of relief.

H
e rinsed off the sud
s and dried her
in a fluffy towel
and dabbed her blistered bottom with diaper rash cream
.
Once more
warm
and pink,
and
dressed in a fresh
diaper and romper suit,
he
scooped
her
up and carried her
in
to the kitchen.
T
he refrigerator
contained a single bottle of formula
.
He warmed it
in the microwave
,
then
sat down
at the table
and popped the
nipple
into
Emilia’s
mouth.
Her
rosebud
lips
instantly
fastened
round
it
and
she
sucked hungrily.

The bottle was half empty when the door to the condo opened
and Rosa stepped into the hallway
.

‘
Welcome home,
’
spat Jack.

She
stood motionless in the doorway.
‘
Christ,
Jack, y
ou scared the shit out of me.
’

‘
I don’t care,
’
he said.
‘
H
ow could you
, Rosa
?
How could you
abandon a baby like this
?
’