Page 43 of Night Moves
“Maybe the makeup and changed clothes is a lead. She could’ve been having an affair or even been into prostitution. That would give her cash to pay Ulani.”
“I was thinking the same thing. But an affair seems unlikely to me. Would she see her lover every day between the same hours? I guess it’s possible.”
“I know she worked as a model before they got married, but if that was what she was up to, she could be risking Kirk seeing her photo somewhere, and she clearly didn’t want him to know about it. And if she continued to go out every day even after she was disfigured, then she wasn’t likely modeling. Or her face wasn’t in the photos. Could be a hand model for example.”
“If she was modeling, Erik will likely find photos when he does her background check.” Drake went quiet, and his thumbs stilled. “What about pornographic movies or videos?”
“Again, he could see them.” Natalie couldn’t reconcile this in her brain at all. “Whatever it was, she had to be coming home with a lot of cash. Good nannies are expensive.”
“Like how expensive?”
“Thirty dollars an hour for the best, and Ulani said she was making more than that.”
He let out a low whistle. “So Tracey had to be making even better money doing whatever she was doing to afford to pay Ulani. Which rules out entry-level jobs.”
“And she didn’t have a college education, so I just can’t see that she was doing legitimate work to earn this large of a salary. Plus, she would have taxes withheld in a legit job, and she’d have to report it on their tax returns.”
“Since they live in the city, there’s bound to be CCTV cameras in the area. Once we get back to the cabin, I’ll have Erik look, and maybe we can catch her on video near their house and trail her to wherever she was going. Or he can track the bus she took, and we can go from there.”
Natalie was looking forward to getting back to the cabin to spend time with the children, but what was she going to tell them about their dad? She could probably evade their questions. For now anyway. Once he was found and arrested, she would be the one to tell them.
Drake glanced at her. “Why so serious all of a sudden?”
“It’s looking like Kirk’s children will have to be told about their dad. Willow will be the only one to really understand, but the others have to at least be told he won’t be coming home, and they’ll be going into foster care.” She thought of her sister, and a lump formed in her throat.
He searched her gaze, digging deep. “Are you thinking about when you were growing up?”
She nodded and swallowed the lump like she’d done so many times. “I remember when social workers threatened to take my sister and me away. Not to our faces, of course, but we listened in and heard things we shouldn’t have. I always wondered if we would stay together. And there were times I thought about running away, just the two of us so we could be together. But we were too young, and I knew we couldn’t survive on our own. I was so afraid.”
He took her hand and cupped it between his palm and long fingers. “That must’ve been rough.”
She should probably jerk her hand free, but it felt so good to have someone care about her enough to touch her. That disappeared with Gina’s death. Sure, Natalie had work friends, but that was different. They weren’t the kinds of friends who hugged or squeezed your hand. She sometimes received hugs from children, but it wasn’t the same.
Drake was showing compassion for her alone. Tears flooded her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out, then freed her hand.
He glanced at her, but she looked out the window, hoping he would get the hint that she needed to think. He pulled from their spot and got them on the road. She felt some sort of vibe still emanating from him, but she didn’t know what.
Maybe it had to do with their personal connection. Something she shouldn’t be encouraging for so many reasons, but especially since she wasn’t being completely truthful with him by keeping quiet about her sister. Natalie had to focus on finding Kirk and making sure he paid for killing her sister and the other women. Then restore the lives of his children to ensure they flourished.
Flourish. But how?
He glanced her way again. “You’re lost in thought.”
“Thinking about the Gentry children and their future. Few people want to take in three children so they’ll likely be separated.”
“Will they have a good chance at adoption?”
“Typically younger children do but, in this case, once the potential parents learn about their father, they might think twice—wondering if the sins of the father will revisit the children.”
“Does that happen?”
“I’ve seen it happen often enough when parents are serious offenders. It’s unfortunate, but human nature. Thankfully, most people aren’t like that, but Adopted Child Syndrome does exist.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that?’
“A term used to explain problems adopted children have in coping.” She faced him. “Here’s a fact that might shock you. According to the FBI, most serial killers in the United States were adopted.”
“Seriously, most?”
