Page 73 of Asher's Assignment
“Short answer? I got lucky. After I fled, I drove for a couple of hours with a sweater I found in the backseat pressed to the side of my head. Once I finally felt like I’d put enough distance between myself and… and…” She flip-flopped a hand. “Anyway, I stopped at a rest area and used the first aid kit in my mom’s car to clean myself up enough to not scare people, then I put on a jacket my mom left in her car, went inside, and cleaned up some more. I needed gas and caffeine, so I got back on the road and stopped not long after at an all-night gas station. The clerk there was some older, curmudgeonly type of man. He took one look at me and knew something was wrong.” She rolled her lips in, pressing them together for a moment before continuing.
“Drake Camden and his wife, Carlie, saved my life that day. And Leah’s. Somehow, he convinced me to come into the back to their breakroom. While I sipped on water and snacked on some crackers, he called his wife, who was a retired nurse. She showed up and got enough out of me to know I wasn’t in a good place. I know it was dumb to trust strangers, but something kept whispering that I could trust them. Carlie took me back to her house, stitched me up, got me into some clean clothes, and let me sleep.”
Connie twirled the tea mug in her hands, staring at it without seeing it. “When I woke up the next morning, I thought for sure they’d demand answers, but they didn’t. They told me I was welcome to stay as long as I needed. It only took me a couple of days to decide I wanted to tell them the truth. I needed help to stay away from Bradley, and they deserved to know who I was after being so kind.”
“So they know who you are?” Audra asked. “The old you and the new you?”
“Yes.”
“Are they still living?” Edie asked.
“Yes. As far as I know.” Connie moistened her lips and tapped her nails on her cup. “After I told them what happened and how I didn’t want to go back, Drake called in some favors. He’d run with a rough crowd for a while when he was younger and still knew people. One of his buddies was really good at forgery, and he created a new identity for me. I’ve used it ever since, and it’s always held up, even on our taxes and when I married Rob.”
“Was he a friend of Drake’s too?” Brooke asked.
“Sort of. He’s the son of a friend. Rob needed some stability in his life after he got out of prison, and I needed someone who’d not only be willing to defend me and my child, but could help provide for her. I was terrified to use my degree, since Bradley’s in the same field, so I’ve never worked anywhere that needed beyond a high school education. But that meant we were living near the poverty level. I could barely make ends meet. There were no extras in our lives, and I didn’t take any unnecessary time off work. That worked fine until Leah got sick.” She ran her thumb along the edge of her cup.
“Five years ago, she contracted a simple bacterial infection, but it somehow made it to her heart. I couldn’t afford to take time off work, but she had to have treatment or she’d die. I was desperate, so I called Drake and Carlie. That’s when Drake mentioned Rob.”
“So you just married a man you didn’t know?” Brooke gave her a curious frown.
“I did it for Leah. I met with Rob once before I agreed and laid out everything. That it would be in name only, and that he’d help take care of Leah. He was in a bad place and needed a fresh start. I knew it was a gamble, but I didn’t see any other way. I know he’s not the friendliest man, but there was something in his eyes when we met. He was as desperate as I was. So, we agreed to let Drake’s friend put his name on Leah’s birth certificate. I introduced him to Leah as her father, then we got married.”
“She doesn’t know Rob’s not her biological father?” Annabeth asked.
“No. I never talked about her dad, and she never asked. She was only four at the time, so she wasn’t asking too many questions yet. Honestly, if this hadn’t happened, I would have never told her. Rob’s been good to us. He completely turned his life around and became the husband and father we needed. I’m truly grateful for all he’s done.” Her face crumpled and a cascade of tears ran down her face.
Esther covered one of Connie’s hands. “I’m sorry. How’s he doing? We never asked.”
“It’s touch and go. He’s sedated in the ICU. I wish I could be there, but the police want me at home in case the kidnapper contacts me.” She snorted. “But if it really is Bradley, he won’t. I’ll never see Leah again.”
“That won’t happen,” Edie said. “Not with us involved. You didn’t see his face last night?”
Connie shook her head. “No. He had a hood up and a baseball cap underneath, and he never spoke. The build was right, though. And there’s one other thing.”
“What?” A curious frown dipped Esther’s eyebrows.
“Leah’s medications are gone.”
Esther’s eyes rounded. She glanced at Edie and their friends.
“You’re sure?” Audra asked.
Connie nodded. “When I got home, I noticed Buster didn’t come running. He was outside, and we didn’t put him out there before we left. It put me on alert, so I went through the house quick. That’s when I noticed her meds were gone. Some of her clothes are missing too.”
“Did you tell the police this?”
“No.” Connie hung her head. “I didn’t want them to ask too many questions or start digging too deep into my past. But I think that’s inevitable now.”
Most likely, Esther agreed. “Okay, so where do we go from here?” She turned to Audra and Edie. “We’re assuming Bradley is behind this, yes? Especially with the fact the medications are missing?”
The two women shared a look. Esther frowned, sensing they had something to say she wouldn’t like.
“Yes,” Audra said. “But we also don’t want to discount other possibilities.”
“Such as?” Esther raised an eyebrow, unsure what other possibilities there could be.
“That this is about you,” Audra said.
