Read Online CAPTURED INNOCENCE by Cynthia Hickey - Free Book Online Page A

shadow.”
                  He threw the razor into the trash and wiped the cream from his face. “Great. Fine. A shadow with a clean line down one side.” He scooped up the pile of dirty clothes and shoved them into a plastic bag someone had left in the room. He then stuffed them into their satchel. “There. Happy?”
                  Jo plopped on the bed. The bed springs squeaked. “I have to tell you something.”
                  “Okay.”
                  “My real name is Jocelyn Nielson.”
                  “I know that. Why are telling me now?”
                  “I don’t want the justice of the peace to call me by the wrong name.”
                  “I wouldn’t have let that happen.” He shook his head. “What do you take me for?”
                  “I don’t take you for anything. I don’t even know you.”
                  “Okay,” Conley sucked in his cheeks. “My favorite color is, don’t laugh, pink. Not a very manly color, but…there you go. I don’t have a favorite food. I like it all. My parents were named Horace and Alice. Thank God, they didn’t name me after my father.”
                  He sat in the chair across from Jo. “They’re dead now. A car accident two years ago. I’m an only child and somewhat of a disappointment to them. My middle name is Joseph. I’m thirty-one years old and my Christian faith is very important to me. Anything else you want to know?” He crossed his arms across his chest.
                  Jo shook her head, eyes wide. She lowered her gaze to the floor as heat spread across her face.
                  “Your favorite color is blue. Royal blue to be precise. You love Italian food, according to your mother, and your middle name is Edna. Named after an aunt. You’re twenty-six years old. Your husband…”
                  “Ex-husband,” she interrupted.
                  “Is quite a bit older than you. He’s thirty-nine.” He laughed when Jo wrinkled her nose. He lowered his voice. “And, although you believe in God, the most important thing to you is your son.”
                  Tears welled in her eyes. “How do you know all this?”
                  . “Lucky guess.” He stood and held out his hand. “Do you want to get something to eat before we get married?”
                 

7
                  Married. There was that word again. What was Jo thinking? “I could eat. Maybe.” And she might just choke on the food .
                  “I know a great restaurant,” Conley told her. “It’s not far from here or from the chapel. We can walk so you won’t get messed up on the bike.”
                  “Okay.”
                  “You all right?” His blue eyes were full of concern when he looked at her.
                  Jo nodded again. “As well as can be expected.”
                  With his hand grasping her arm, Conley led her to the lobby of the hotel. Soft rock music issued from speakers mounted in the ceiling. Plastic ferns sat in cheap pots around the room. Stained Mexican tile spread under their feet.
    A newspaper lying on a coffee table caught her attention. “Alex,” she whispered.
    She snatched the paper. On the front page was a picture of a smiling Blake, his arm around her son. The headline read “National Millionaire Overjoyed to Bring Missing Son Home. Wife Still Gone.” A sob caught in her throat as Jo handed the paper to Conley.
                  “This is good news,” he said after reading it.
                  “How?” She silently begged him to calm her, to reassure her.
                  “He’s openly told people Alex is home. If anything happens to your son now, there will be questions.” He set the paper