Invisible Evidence

Prologue

Prologue

SHE LET OUT A SHAKY breath, her knuckles white as she clutched the steering wheel of the rented Toyota. One thought only occupied her frantic mind: they had to get away. Fast.

Her pale gray eyes darted to the rearview mirror, the side mirror, taking in every bit of the noonday desert scenery behind them. Good, they weren’t being followed. Yet.

With an unsteady hand, she pushed back a few strands of blond hair that stuck to the sweat on her forehead then wiped her hand on the thigh of her khaki shorts. Damn, was it hot! She fumbled with the controls on the dashboard, trying to resuscitate the dead air conditioner. It worked for about the first two hours of driving but had died after that. A few bangs with the side of her fist forced it to emit a couple of weak wheezes of cool air, but it continued to puff and pant only a heated breeze after that. Twisting the knob into the off position, she gave up on the hope of some chilled air, tensely leaning back in the seat.

She glanced around her small environment. Everything she owned and everything she was existed inside this car. Her entire life was in the seat beside her. Right now, her world felt like a vacuum. Deep space. She gave a short laugh, wanting nothing more than to be in a ship headed toward some unknown galaxy, an obscure planet where they’d never be found. But she was here on Earth and had to be careful. Had to plan each step just-so to avoid losing it all.

The small boy next to her whimpered for his mother. She reached over, caressing his tear-wet cheek, a maternal smile on her lips. “Don’t cry, Tommy. I’ll take real good care of you.”

She grabbed the forty-ounce soda she’d gotten at the convenience store and swirled it around to mix the ice in. A cautious sip told her that the cola had long ago gone flat and turned to weak sugar water. Still, it was better than nothing. She drained half of what remained in the blue and white waxy cup then set it back in the holder.

Hoping for some relief from the stifling heat, she pressed a button and the window at her side slid out of view. Pulling her head back, she grimaced when only a furnace-like blast slammed into her. She longed for the comforts of the home she’d left behind; her mind swimming imaginary laps in the huge pool. With her next breath, another scene slid in front of it: sitting in the Jacuzzi sharing stolen moments of heated passion....

She gritted her teeth and pushed on the steering wheel, straightening her arms, pressing herself back into the seat, mentally distancing herself from the memory.

Lies. All lies. She had to let them go, no matter how hard it was. Besides, she glanced over at her small companion and smiled to herself, she had a new life now.

“I want Mommy and Daddy,” the boy whined, wiping his runny nose with the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She licked her thumb and wiped off the smudge of chocolate ice cream from his cheek. “Don't worry, everything’s going to be okay.”

Her mood slipped down several notches as he shrank away from her touch and she saw the fear and confusion in his eyes. She turned away from him, focusing back on the long strip of lonely highway. Inhaling a deep breath, she fought against the rage building in her again as she remembered all the injustices that had been done to her, so many cruelties, and all without an ounce of guilt.

She exhaled slowly, keeping her voice low and steady. “You’re mine now.”

Her anxious eyes swept over the four-year-old’s mop of blond curly hair and large, gray eyes. Yes, he could pass for her child. Nobody would know. And in time Tommy would no longer remember his parents. He was young. He would forget. She would make sure of it.

“I wanna go home!” He drew his knees up to his chest, one thumb going in his mouth, and whispered, “I wanna go home.” A tear slid down his cheek, ran along his knuckles and dripped onto his knee.

“No, Tommy,” she ground out, feeling her blood race through her hotter than ever. “You’re not going back there.” She shot him a pleading look. Why couldn’t he understand? Why didn’t he see that she loved him so much? “They don’t love you like I do. You have to trust me. I won’t let them take you away from me!” Her last words were loud, filling the tiny car with a cloud of rage. The boy jumped at the harsh sound, buried his face in his knees, and cried louder.

“Baby,” she ran her hand over his silky hair, “there’s no reason to cry. Things are going to be good. You’ll see.”

The woman’s heart flipped as she spotted the highway sign marking the border into the next state. She released the tight grip she’d had on the steering wheel and sighed, her shoulders drooping forward. They were safe now. Nobody would find them, she thought with a surge of joy. She had planned it all so her tracks would be covered. Just a few stops along the way to throw off the scent and after that they’d go down to Mexico.

Victory danced over her lips. Tommy was hers. Now they would ache as deeply as she did. They were finally paying for their mistakes, for what they did to her.

Nobody tore her heart out, stole a part of her life from her, and got away with it.

She smiled at the scenes running through her mind. She could see them waking up every morning without their son. Christmas presents would go unwrapped, birthdays uncelebrated, but certainly not forgotten. They would be in a living hell, and she was glad. As far as she was concerned, Tommy was hers. They owed her. She only took what was rightfully hers.

Grabbing a dry tissue from the box at her side, she dabbed at the sweat running down her neck. It was early summer. The temperature outside the Celica had to be in the high-nineties. She took in the cactus, yucca, dirt and rocks all around; testimony of the bone-dry environment in this area. Waves of heat shimmered off the road.

Damn, she was hot, though she knew most of it was just nerves. She would feel a whole lot better once they were settled. Once they found a place more permanent than the temporary one she had rented a few days ago.

It would be their momentary hiding place, just until she worked out the next stage of her plan. It couldn’t be that hard. Thousands of children were kidnapped every year without ever being found. She fully intended on this being such a case.

This was no quick decision for her. She had been planning it all for the past few months, been saving her money even longer. There was enough to start over again. Begin a new life. In another country. With her new son.

Her expression turned soft on the boy beside her. “Don’t cry, baby.” She tickled his side, wanting to make him giggle, but he only jumped, pressing himself into a tight ball. She sighed. “We’ll be okay. I promise to take good care of you. I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

But just let them try to take you away from me. She stared blankly at the carpet of asphalt ahead and reached down with her left hand, feeling along the side of her seat until her fingers encountered the heated metal. Gripping it for a moment, she felt a sense of power as she imagined pulling the trigger. She wouldn’t think twice about spilling blood to keep Tommy. Whether the blood of the authorities, his parents, or even herself and Tommy’s both, nobody was going to take him away from her. Ever.