Page 12 of Vanishing Legacy
“I’m sorry to hear that. It’s just the two of us too.” She filled a mug and placed it in front of him. “Cream or sugar?”
“Black is fine.” He rested his elbows on the counter and laced his fingers around the cup. “Back to your earlier statement. Penny doesn’t have any food allergies, but I’m sure you noticed her communication skills aren’t that of a normal seven-year-old. She’s on the spectrum. Autism. She seems to have bonded with Rocco awfully quick. She’s not normally like that.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Alana rested her elbows on the counter across from him and leaned close. “Rocco was the one who found her in our garden shed. He saw her crawl through the hole in our fence. The previous owner had a dog that kept digging. I’ve been here a few months but never got around—” She waved a hand. “Sorry, that’s not relevant. What I’m getting at is, there’s nothing but woods behind my house. What was she doing back there?”
“I don’t know. I still don’t have the full story. My nanny, Libby, was driving her to speech therapy when they were rear-ended. Detective Williams said it’s what they call a bump and run. Libby stopped at a four-way intersection, and a car intentionally crashed into the back of her car. When she got out to check the damage, the guy shot her.”
Alana’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Libby was shot? Right in front of Penny? Is she okay?”
“Like I said, I still don’t have all the details. Libby’s…alive, but not talking.” He stayed away from breaking medical privilege. “Penny’s the only witness for now. I won’t allow the police to interview her without me present. Because of the ASD, her verbal skills are limited. It can be a challenge to get her to communicate. We’re working on it with speech therapy, but when she’s stressed, it interferes with her ability to speak. If you can imagine how frustrating that could be for an adult, you can begin to understand what it’s like for a child still learning to express her emotions appropriately. When she’s in an unfamiliar place, has an abrupt schedule change, or when everyday life becomes too much, she’ll shut down and scream until someone can help her calm down.”
“Well, she hasn’t said a lot, but considering what you described, I’m amazed she was able to speak at all.”
“Is it wrong to say it’s a blessing of ASD? She doesn’t quite understand the severity of what happened. She’s likely to be more upset about the change in her routine than what happened. But so far, she seems happy to play with Rocco.” His eyes drifted to the living room. Penny giggled with Rocco. The fidget spinner whirred between her fingers. “I came so close to losing her today. Thank God you were there.”
He took a sip of his coffee. It was so good a sigh slipped out.
“That good, huh?” Alana’s soft smile brightened her dark eyes.
“Yeah. It’s been a long day.” He chuckled. “Anyway, what were you saying? Rocco saw Penny crawl through the hole in your fence?”
“That’s right. I came home from work and couldn’t find Rocco anywhere. I started to worry, but then I saw the shed door open. I figured he was in there taking parts from my lawn equipment for his robots again.”
“Hang on, I think we might have to come back to that later. Robots?”
“Yes, he’s a budding engineer. Too smart for his own good, really.” Pride filled her eyes. “Rocco said she looked terribly frightened when she ran into the shed, so he went to check on her. A few minutes later a man came looking for her. He tried to stop the guy, but I guess that’s about the time I saw the shed door open and went outside.”
“Whoa, Rocco tried to stop a grown man from taking Penny?”
“Yep. I walked up right as the man ran out. I chased him across the yard. Eventually tripped him and pulled Penny out of his arms.”
He chuckled. “I guess we know where Rocco gets it.”
“Maybe.” One corner of her mouth turned up in a smile, but it disappeared. Her eyes fixed on his. “Here’s the kicker. This guy gets up, turns to me and says, ‘That money’s mine and I ain’t giving it up.’”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. What money?”
Her shoulders lifted. “The thing that really bothered me was when he said, ‘I know where you live, and one way or another, I’ll get you.’ And the way he said it, I tell you…I believe him.”
“He threatened you?” Cash forced himself to stay seated. “Did you get a good look at him?”
“Yeah, I don’t think I can forget that face. Or the tattoo. An ugly black scorpion right here.” She drew her index finger from her ear, down her neck, and along her jawline. “The officer who took our statement asked us to go down to the station and look at some photos.
“But here’s the thing, Dr. Thomas.” Alana leaned in. They were inches apart. Her eyes fixed on his. “I don’t think he was talking to me. He was talking to Penny.”
Good thing he hadn’t jumped to his feet, because every muscle in his body turned to water. “Are you—” His mouth went bone dry. He swallowed and tried again. “Are you saying Penny’s still in danger?”
Alana’s eyes scanned his face. “That is exactly what I’m saying.”
THREE
THURSDAY, 8:25 P.M.
Alana forked a bite of taco salad and watched a three-inch strip of crime scene tape flutter in the wind. The yellow plastic stuck in the shed door was the last remnant of all that had transpired in her yard.
“I hate that the guy who tried to kidnap Penny is still out there. I should have offered security services to Cash before they left.”
“Good excuse for you to spend more time with Cash.” Noelle sat across from Alana and grinned.