Signs I know about from research I’d done on the topic for one of my earlier novels.
“What’s her full name, date of birth, and a general description? I’ll see if I can find out what’s holding up the replacement ID.”
“Athena Williams.” I give him the rest of the information he needs, other than her date of birth. I can only give him a rough estimate on her age. It’s not like the topic of her age and date of birth have come up in conversation.
Roger promises to call me back as soon as he can.
I turn to the window and watch planes cross the tarmac. Why was the shooter at my house? What were they after? Why shoot Emily?
I stop my thoughts from spiraling down the route ofUntold Mercy. That kidnapping was politically motivated. It has nothing to do with Zara and Peony.
My mind keeps steering to the same place. Annie Wilkes 3.0.
Just how far would a crazed fan go? The thought is enough to make me want to quit writing, if it means keeping the people I love safe.
Roger calls several minutes later. “Are you sure that’s her name?”
His question short wires my heart, and it stutters a beat. “That’s the name she told me. Athena is also the name my ex-girlfriend wrote in the letter Athena gave me, in the event something should happen.” At the time, I had no reason to believe Athena Williams wasn’t her real name.
“Are you certain she wrote the letter?”
“Pretty certain. I’m no handwriting expert, but it looked like Kenda’s writing. But she only wrote the name Athena. Maybe that name is correct, and I got the last name wrong. But I’m ninety percent positive that’s the name Athena gave me.”
Roger seems to mull things over for a second. “Is she American born?”
“She hasn’t given me a reason to believe she isn’t, but she hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about her life prior to Maple Ridge.” My chest tightens. Every single muscle in my body tightens.Fuck. If Athena isn’twho she says she is… “Are you telling me the woman caring for my daughter possibly isn’t who she claims to be?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I rub the back of my neck, scrambling for any scenario that could explain why Athena lied to me. The same woman Kenda asked me to keep on as Peony’s nanny.
The adrenaline-infused pounding in my chest is making it difficult to concentrate. My heart was already beating fast, but knowing Athena has been lying all this time…that she was looking after my daughter…has my heart rate picking up speed. If it beats any faster, it might jackhammer its way through my ribs.
My hand moves to my chest, and I rub the spot above my heart.
Just how well did Kenda know the woman she trusted our daughter with? The Kenda I knew in college would have requested a security check before trusting her child to a stranger. Or maybe she did request one and Athena passed it. But why not tell me Athena’s real name if she knew it?
“Could she be in witness protection?” I ask.
“There’s aslimpossibility she is.”
“Slim?”
“I don’t have the necessary clearance to find out if she’s in witness protection, but the delay in replacing her lost ID and Social Security Number is a red flag. That wouldn’t be the case if she was in witness protection. Do you have a photo of her? I can see what I can find based on that.”
“No. I don’t have any.” I didn’t think I’d need to take photos of her. All the photos I’ve taken of Peony are of her on her own, with Zara, or with my family. There are bits of Athena in some photos, but nothing usable to identify her with.
And now that I think about it, Athena was careful to avoid being in any photos.
I think back to when she thought I might be posting pictures of Peony on my author social media accounts and she freaked out. It’s possible she was just being cautious for Peony’s sake—or maybe there was another reason she didn’t want my daughter’s face on social media.
Crap. I should have let Kellan dig deeper into her past. Perhaps shehas nothing to do with what’s happening, but that doesn’t explain why she’s been lying to me all this time.
“You need to contact the local authorities and let them know your nanny isn’t who she’s claiming to be,” Roger tells me. “I’m sure they’ve already questioned her on your daughter’s disappearance, and they might be looking into her claims about her lost ID, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep them informed with what you know.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
