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Authors: Catherine Bybee
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would have been nice if he wasn’t so miserable.
61
Catherine Bybee
Sometime later, Myra returned to the room holding a piece of paper. “This is a letter from Tara to her sister. I promised Tara I would give it directly to Lizzy as soon as I could. You obviously don’t trust me, so here.” She handed him the letter sealed in wax. “I trust you not to read it.” She swallowed hard.
“Take it to her.”
Todd grasped the letter. The paper was unlike any he had seen before. He had no idea how much information he held in his hand, but if he opened it and read it himself, Myra would know.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because I want you to trust me. Because I’m not the monster you think I am.”
He wanted to stop her when she turned to leave, but didn’t know what to say if he did. The misery etched in her eyes was something he knew he put there. Knew he couldn’t erase.
****
He was gone when she woke the next morning.
He’d left a note by the door asking her to meet him at a nearby park at twelve-thirty.
She was never one to exercise patience. Left with nothing to do but wait and worry, she manufactured a dozen reasons why Todd wanted to meet her outside his home.
Did he want her to leave? Was this his way of making her? Could he have her imprisoned for not revealing where Tara was? More importantly, would he? She thought of his lips on hers during their one shared moment, remembering how quickly he melted her resolve. She wanted to believe he would trust her now, even if she had given him so little to trust.
Once again, she pined for her family, and for her mother’s counsel.
****
62
Silent Vows
Todd asked Elizabeth McAllister to stop by the park on her lunch hour, thirty minutes before Myra was supposed to meet him.
His plan was simple. Give Miss McAllister the letter, and let her read it. If she wasn’t satisfied with its content, he would arrest Myra when she arrived.
His stomach clenched at the thought of putting handcuffs on her, but she left him no choice. She knows where the missing woman is and refuses to tell me. He pulled the letter out twice, fully intending to read it before giving it to McAllister. Each time, he put it back after picturing Myra’s striking brown eyes asking for his trust.
At exactly the time Myra should have been leaving his home, he stood in the park waiting for Miss McAllister.
Liz looks like her sister, he thought, watching Elizabeth walk toward him. Her hair was shorter than the photos he’d seen of Tara, and Liz’s was strawberry blonde. She was terribly thin, most likely from the stress. Having a missing family member probably took away her appetite. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“Miss McAllister, thank you for meeting me.”
Todd shook her hand, and asked her to sit.
“You know something, don’t you?” She left her sunglasses on and stared at him.
“I might.”
****
Liz looked at Officer Blakely and saw a torn man. She had a feeling when he called her an hour ago that she was finally going to hear something about Tara. It had been over five months since her sister dropped off the face of the earth, leaving a gaping hole in her and Simon’s life. “I’m listening.”
He drew in a long, audible breath then let it out slowly. “The woman in the hospital, the one who 63
Catherine Bybee
gave us your name, claims to know where your sister is.” Todd reached into his pocket for the letter. “She asked me to give this to you.”
Liz looked at the sealed paper with her name written on top.
A trembling hand went to her lips, covering the cry that escaped, “My God.”
“What is it?”
She finally sat and took off the sunglasses clouding her view. “It’s Tara’s writing.”
She ripped off the seal, pulled out the uneven parchment, and started to read.
Dearest Lizzy,
I have started this letter four times now, unsure of how to tell you what you need to know. Forgive me if I leave things out, and listen to Myra,
61
Catherine Bybee
Sometime later, Myra returned to the room holding a piece of paper. “This is a letter from Tara to her sister. I promised Tara I would give it directly to Lizzy as soon as I could. You obviously don’t trust me, so here.” She handed him the letter sealed in wax. “I trust you not to read it.” She swallowed hard.
“Take it to her.”
Todd grasped the letter. The paper was unlike any he had seen before. He had no idea how much information he held in his hand, but if he opened it and read it himself, Myra would know.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because I want you to trust me. Because I’m not the monster you think I am.”
He wanted to stop her when she turned to leave, but didn’t know what to say if he did. The misery etched in her eyes was something he knew he put there. Knew he couldn’t erase.
****
He was gone when she woke the next morning.
He’d left a note by the door asking her to meet him at a nearby park at twelve-thirty.
She was never one to exercise patience. Left with nothing to do but wait and worry, she manufactured a dozen reasons why Todd wanted to meet her outside his home.
Did he want her to leave? Was this his way of making her? Could he have her imprisoned for not revealing where Tara was? More importantly, would he? She thought of his lips on hers during their one shared moment, remembering how quickly he melted her resolve. She wanted to believe he would trust her now, even if she had given him so little to trust.
Once again, she pined for her family, and for her mother’s counsel.
****
62
Silent Vows
Todd asked Elizabeth McAllister to stop by the park on her lunch hour, thirty minutes before Myra was supposed to meet him.
His plan was simple. Give Miss McAllister the letter, and let her read it. If she wasn’t satisfied with its content, he would arrest Myra when she arrived.
His stomach clenched at the thought of putting handcuffs on her, but she left him no choice. She knows where the missing woman is and refuses to tell me. He pulled the letter out twice, fully intending to read it before giving it to McAllister. Each time, he put it back after picturing Myra’s striking brown eyes asking for his trust.
At exactly the time Myra should have been leaving his home, he stood in the park waiting for Miss McAllister.
Liz looks like her sister, he thought, watching Elizabeth walk toward him. Her hair was shorter than the photos he’d seen of Tara, and Liz’s was strawberry blonde. She was terribly thin, most likely from the stress. Having a missing family member probably took away her appetite. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“Miss McAllister, thank you for meeting me.”
Todd shook her hand, and asked her to sit.
“You know something, don’t you?” She left her sunglasses on and stared at him.
“I might.”
****
Liz looked at Officer Blakely and saw a torn man. She had a feeling when he called her an hour ago that she was finally going to hear something about Tara. It had been over five months since her sister dropped off the face of the earth, leaving a gaping hole in her and Simon’s life. “I’m listening.”
He drew in a long, audible breath then let it out slowly. “The woman in the hospital, the one who 63
Catherine Bybee
gave us your name, claims to know where your sister is.” Todd reached into his pocket for the letter. “She asked me to give this to you.”
Liz looked at the sealed paper with her name written on top.
A trembling hand went to her lips, covering the cry that escaped, “My God.”
“What is it?”
She finally sat and took off the sunglasses clouding her view. “It’s Tara’s writing.”
She ripped off the seal, pulled out the uneven parchment, and started to read.
Dearest Lizzy,
I have started this letter four times now, unsure of how to tell you what you need to know. Forgive me if I leave things out, and listen to Myra,
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