Page 22 of Security Breach

“It was beautiful. I walked the beach every morning and evening, wishing you were with me to enjoy the beauty and peace.”

“I’d have enjoyed being anywhere with you. Instead, I was stuck in the Sand Box where the temperature hit 120 on a cool day. So, you climbed the stairs. At the top, what did you do?”

“Opened the door. The lights were out, and the house smelled like Mom burned the cupcakes. I remember thinking the house was as silent as a tomb. Turned out I was right.”

“What else?”

“Something smelled really bad, and a copper scent filled the air. I was too slow to catch on to the truth, but I was concerned with checking the cupcakes and wondering if a return trip to the store was coming. I set the bag on the counter and checked the cupcakes. They were black when I pulled them from the oven. Since Dad wasn’t shouting at Mom, I assumed he was still asleep.”

Would have been unusual if he’d slept through that. James had been passionate about food.

“I looked for Mom, wondering if she fell asleep or stepped out on the deck and lost track of time.”

When she didn’t continue, he said, “You found her.”

Emma’s breath hitched. “She was in the bedroom. Blood was everywhere.”

He turned Emma and urged her to rest her head against his shoulder. “Shh. Take a break. While we’ve been separated, did you sail or surf?”

Emma pressed her damp face against his neck. “I didn’t want to do either without you.”

“When this is over, we’ll plan a vacation where we can surf and sail.”

“Scuba diving, too?”

He smiled. “We’ll have to do a few diving lessons first.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It is.” Under the right circumstances. When he’d been an active-duty SEAL, his underwater swims were completed at night. Stateside, he dived as much as possible and loved it. Sharing one of his favorite pastimes with Emma would be a treat. “I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m not a good swimmer, David.”

“I remember. I’ll be with you the entire time.” He fell silent, holding Emma until her trembling ceased. After giving her a few more minutes of peace, he kissed her temple. “Ready to continue?”

A slight nod.

“You found your Mom. What did you do?”

“I checked for a pulse, but didn’t find one. I thought Dad killed her. Then I started to worry about Anne and hoped she had escaped Dad’s rampage and gone for help.”

“You didn’t believe that.”

She sighed. “No. If Dad had attacked Mom that viciously, Anne would have tried to stop him.”

“You looked for her next?”

“We had two bedrooms connected by a bathroom. I found her in the bathroom. Anne tried to run from the killer into my room, but he caught her before she escaped.”

He thought about that a minute. “Was there an exit to the outside from your room?”

A nod. “She was fifteen feet from freedom and safety.”

“What did you do next?”

“Grabbed my cell phone and called the police.” Her arms tightened around his waist. “My first instinct was to call you.”

Man, that hurt. Regret filled him. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have been there for you.”