Covering her face with her hands, she fell back on her usual defense. Tears.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Sit here, Catey girl. Ma, come sit with Cate.”

“You believe me, don’t you, Grandpa?”

“I do.” He gave her a hard hug before giving her butt a light pat to send her toward a sofa. “I’m sorry to say, I do.”

He went to his mother, put an arm around her as he walked her to Cate.

“Lily,” he said when she came back, “would you go ask Nina to come in, bring her phone?”

“Don’t you dare bring that liar in here.”

“Shut up. Spill all the fake tears you want, but shut up. I’ll get the door,” he told Aidan.

As he started for it, his sister rushed down the steps. “What’s going on? We heard the shouting.”

“It appears Charlotte had a part in Cate’s kidnapping.”

“You—What?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Do me a favor, see if you can get someone to put coffee together. The police may want some. Then you should get Harry, come down and listen. Ask, for now, Miranda and Jack to make sure the kids stay upstairs, or go down to the theater. It’s going to be a hell of a show here, and one they shouldn’t see.”

“Hugh, why would you think she’d—All right,” she said when he just shook his head. “I’ll take care of it.”

When Hugh opened the door, Red and Michaela were just getting out of the car.

“Good morning, Mr. Sullivan. How’s Caitlyn?”

“Hugh,” he said. “Please, both of you, make it Hugh. We’ve had some . . . developments this morning. Cate’s remembered something. She remembered more details.”

“That’s helpful.” But Red studied Hugh’s face, saw the terrible strain, the terrible anger. “Did they do more harm to her than we knew of?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s . . .” He had to uncurl the hands he’d balled into fists at his sides. “You’d better hear for yourself. Please come in.”

Under the soaring ceilings, in front of the panoramic view of sky and sea, Red studied the fascinating tableau.

The little girl with the tear-streaked face and angry eyes sitting under the protective arm of her great-grandmother. The curvy redhead he recognized from the movies perched on the arm of the sofa to flank the girl.

Like a guard on protective duty.

The stunning blonde in the white silk robe weeping while her husband—because he recognized the blonde, too—stood behind her chair. Not in comfort, but another guard.

“My mother, Rosemary,” Hugh began, “my wife, Lily. And, ah, my sister, Maureen.”

“Coffee’s coming. Harry’s getting dressed.” One glance at Hugh had her going to the sofa, to sit at her mother’s other side.

United front, Red thought. With the blonde most definitely cut out.

“This is Sheriff Buckman and Deputy Wilson. And here’s Nina, Caitlyn’s nanny.”

“Get that woman out of my sight!”

At Charlotte’s explosion, Nina took a stumbling step back. “Miss Lily said I needed to come in, and bring my phone.”

“You’re fired! Do you understand the word?”

A small woman, barely twenty-five, she’d always acquiesced to Charlotte. Had always been intimidated by her. But now Nina squared her shoulders. “Then I don’t have to listen to you or do what you say.”

Charlotte—and Red thought it fascinating how quickly tears turned to temper—started to spring up. Aidan gripped her shoulder, shoved her down again.

“Don’t you touch me. Sheriff, you have to help me.”

And, Red noted, how quick tears came back.

“Please, please, they’re abusing me. Physically, verbally, emotionally. Please.” That beautiful face with its brimming eyes turned up to Red. The hands lifted in a plea.

“We’re here to help,” he said easily. “How about everybody takes a seat?”

Another woman rolled in a trolley. He could smell the coffee.

“Thanks, Susan.” Maureen popped up. “I’ve got it from here. Susan helps my mother take care of things around here. Susan, you can go on back. Here’s my husband. Harry, this is Sheriff Buckman and Deputy Wilson. You should sit down,” she murmured to him.

Before he did, he walked over to Cate, bent from his height of six-five to give her an exaggerated kiss. “You were a sleepyhead when I saw you last night.”

He took a chair, stretched out his long legs.

Since there was plenty of seating, Red took a chair that gave him the best angle on the blonde and the child. Mother and daughter. Because something very wrong simmered between them.

“How are you doing today, Cate?”

“I’m not scared anymore. And I remembered she told me where to hide.”

She lifted her hand, pointed that accusatory finger at her mother.

“She’s confused. Those monsters must have given her something that’s warped her memory. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

“I know.” Cate stared straight into her mother’s eyes.

Charlotte looked away first.

“She woke me up early yesterday for a surprise, she said. She doesn’t get up early unless she has a call, but she was already dressed, and she had my jacket, and my shoes.”

“I did not!”

“You did, too.”

“Charlotte,” Rosemary said with a sigh. “I saw you. I saw them walking, out front, about a half hour after sunrise.”

Red held a hand up before Charlotte could interrupt again. “I’d like to hear what Cate has to say.”

“I won’t have you interrogating my child.”

“I don’t believe that’s what I’m doing.” Red barely flicked Charlotte a glance before giving Cate his full attention. “What I’m doing is listening. Tell me what you remember, Cate.”

“She said we’re going for a walk, and we did. And I was excited because it was a secret, she said.”

Though her voice sounded fierce, she knuckled tears from her eyes.

“She said she had the best hiding place, and I should play hide-and-seek as the last outside game, and use that place—the tree by the garage—and no one would find me. So I’d win.”

“Yoga,” Aidan murmured. “God, how could I be so stupid, so blind? I woke, and you were just coming into the bedroom. You had on yoga pants, a tank, and said you’d taken your mat out by the pool to do some yoga.”

“Which is exactly what I did, or is that a crime now?”

“Black yoga pants,” Rosemary said, shutting her eyes, bringing it back. “A black-and-white flowered tank.”

“Yes.” Aidan nodded.

“Obviously, Rosemary saw me coming back from the pool, and she’s confused.”

“Seems to be a lot of ‘confused,’ ” Red said easily. “Cate seems pretty clear on it.”

“She’s still in shock, may still be under the influence of whatever those monsters gave her.”

“That would be the monsters who took her to the Wenfield cabin, about three miles from here as the crow flies.” He kept his eyes on Charlotte’s as he spoke. “Maybe you figure they’re confused, too.”