Now, as she searched Melina Shepard, she skipped all the blah-blah information about her investigative successes and looked for information on Melina’s family.
Bonnie found it in an article that mentioned Melina’s father was a former detective with Nashville police. Mother was a former schoolteacher. She typed Detective Shepard Nashville Police. A few more clicks and there, on the screen, was Hank and Molly’s address.
Bonnie scribbled it down and then mapped the directions on the phone she had stolen from Ralph. Outside, she hurried around the building, dumped the clipboard in a trash can, and, in the car, changed out of the scrubs into her clothes.
The drive took twenty minutes, and as she got closer to the residential neighborhood, she followed the street signs until she spotted the one-story brick rancher. She drove slowly by the house and down to the end of the street.
The neat lawns with their neat flower beds and two-car garages irritated Bonnie. A few yards had bikes propped against the side of the house, and others had kiddie pools in the backyards.
It all screamed family.
Shit, Bonnie, Melina, and Sonny would all still likely be a family if Melina had just been good that day. Hell, she had tried to reason with the kid that night in the car. She had given her crackers and cookies and then bribed her with five dollars if she would just shut the hell up. But Melina had wanted out of the car. Bonnie had not enjoyed the three days of nonstop driving, either, but she had been willing to suck it up to get across the country. Sonny had managed fine with the long drive. But Melina kept melting down, demanding to be let out. Finally, Bonnie had granted the little brat her wish.
Bonnie circled around the block and looked toward the Shepards’ house. She spotted a woman passing in front of the window, and just behind her was Elena.
Bonnie kept driving. She had confirmed Elena’s location, and she knew the address and basic setup of the Shepards’ house. She dialed Sonny’s number. He picked up on the third ring.
“What the hell do you want?” Sonny demanded.
“I haven’t told the cops anything because I don’t want them to lock you up,” she said. “I really care about you, Sonny.”
Silence. “You haven’t been quiet for me. You don’t want to be nailed as an accessory after the fact.”
“I kept quiet for you, not me, baby.”
“You always put yourself first, Bonnie.” He sounded sure of himself. “You’re out of jail. And I know you well enough to know you want to stay out. I got you out. We’re done.”
She stopped at a stoplight. Up ahead were directional signs to the interstate that could take her far away from all this. “I want to make things right between us.”
“There’s no making things right.”
“I saw the way you looked at Elena. She looks so much like Melina, doesn’t she? It’s like having your baby sister back.”
He didn’t speak, but she could hear his breath. He was listening.
“What if you, Elena, and me left town together? What if we kept going east like we’d planned all those years ago? Or what if we went to Mexico?”
“My life is just fine without you.”
“Is it, baby? You’ve developed a nasty little habit, and I bet in your off time you watch Melina, too. Always looking out for your sister.”
He didn’t respond.
She grinned. “You’re in Melina’s life, aren’t you? Do you watch her through the window of her town house? Watch her feed that little cat?”
“How do you know about the cat?”
Bonnie chuckled. “I’ve seen where she lives. It was important to me to know she turned out okay and she has.”
“No thanks to you.”
“Baby, she wouldn’t have the life she did if not for me. Putting her on the side of that road was the best thing I could have done for her. You know how she hated the traveling. Elena’s the same. She hates the travel. She wants a real family, too.”
“That kid is nothing like Melina.”
“Not true. Elena’s mother died just like your mama. Stuck a needle in her arm. I begged her to kick the habit. You remember how hard it was for Lizzie to stay away from it. She wanted to but loved the dope more than her little kids.”
“Shut up.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, baby. I want to give you a chance to get back what we had before. This time it will be you, me, and Elena.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Of course, I can.”
“How?”
“Don’t worry about how, baby. I’ll get Elena, you can get the key, and then we’ll get the money that will set us all up for life.”
Silence, and then, “Call me when you have her. Then we’ll talk.”
The light turned green and she drove past the interstate exit. “Will do, doll.”
A smirk tugged at Bonnie’s lips. She turned the car around and headed back to the Shepards’. On the way, she stopped at a drugstore and bought a few things for Elena, as well as a blue gift bag. Putting the toys in the bag, she drove to the Shepards’. She parked in front of the neat little suburban house. Time to test the waters and see what these folks were made of.
Out of the car, she picked up the gift bag and, squaring her shoulders, walked up the sidewalk to the front porch.
She rang the bell and widened her smile. When the door opened, the woman stared back at her with open suspicion.
“I’m here to see Elena,” Bonnie said.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Bonnie,” she said. “I’m like a grandmother to her.” Inside she heard a television playing a cartoon. “Elena loves the Magic Tree House. She likes the idea of traveling through time.”
The woman blocked Bonnie’s view with her body. “How did you find my address?”
“I’d like to see her,” Bonnie said. “I want to tell her how sorry I am.”
“It’ll take more than an apology to make amends for leaving her in a wrecked car, Bonnie.” The woman tightened her hand on the door as if ready to close it.
Bonnie could feel her temper rising. “Call Melina and tell her I’m here. She’ll want to talk to me.”
The woman reached for her phone in her back jeans pocket and texted a message.
“Molly?” Elena’s voice drew Bonnie’s attention back to the hallway behind Mrs. Shepard, and she saw Elena for the first time in a few days.
Bonnie realized how much she really had missed her. She liked the kid. She was quiet, and she listened when Bonnie needed her to distract a mark.
“BB?” Elena asked.
Bonnie heard the excitement mingled with trepidation in the girl’s voice. She understood both emotions. People naturally craved the familiar, even when it was not so perfect, and the fear was justified. “Hey, kiddo? How are you doing?”
Mrs. Shepard shifted her stance, blocking Bonnie’s view of the girl. “She’s doing fine.”
Bonnie’s smile faltered. “I’d like to see her.”
“Over my dead body,” Mrs. Shepard said. “Now get off my property.”
This wasn’t over between them. It couldn’t be. She owed it to Elena and Sonny.
A car pulled up in front of the house and she heard a car door slam. She turned. Melina strode toward the house, her face as pale and tight with anger as it had been when she was a little girl.
This was going to be fun.
The summer sun was dimming as Sonny walked to the back of the house, where he knew a sliding door fed into a small patio. He had been by the house several times and was familiar enough now with the patterns of the neighborhood to know that after midnight he would not be bothered.
With Bonnie’s promises still clattering in his head, he knew he needed to relax. Calm his rattled thoughts and nerves. Bonnie was promising him a family. A sister and a mother he could love.
He glanced down at his trembling hand before he curled it tightly into a fist. He wanted that family so badly. And he wanted to believe Bonnie. But she had burned him so many times. Her promises were always too good to be true.
He hurried up to the back door and was pleased to see she had not fixed the light he had broken a few days ago. He removed a small screwdriver from his pocket, popped the lock, slid open the door, and quickly stepped inside. He did not need a light to make his way through her house. This was not the first time he had inspected the interior. He knew the small kitchen was to the right, living room to the left, and down the hallway was the bathroom equipped with a large claw-foot tub.
He walked down the hallway and entered the bathroom. He switched on the water, running his hand under the hot tap. Steam rose up, fogging his glasses and the mirror. He checked his watch, noting it was almost 8:00 p.m. and she would be home soon.
He had meant to meet up with her last night, but he had been dealing with the bail bondsman. By the time he’d made all the necessary arrangements for Bonnie, his window of opportunity had closed. Maybe it was better that they had not hooked up last night.
He removed the sharp garden shears from his pocket and set them carefully on the counter beside the sink. As he scrolled through his playlist on his phone, he tried to imagine the perfect song for them. All his girls had a song, and Sandra would be no exception.