The thought of this man raising that sweet child made Carly ill. But she dutifully slid the papers across the table. The decision would be up to a judge. With more children than the system could possibly support, related caregivers were given preference.
“I need some air.” Dana stood and motioned toward the door. After sliding out of the bench seat, she shrugged into a jacket and shoved a handful of tissues into the pocket. Carly followed her outside. Dana walked out of the yard and stared down the gravel lane between lots. The rest of the neighborhood was a mixed bag of trailers. Some looked as dejected as the Cooper residence, but others were well cared for, with colorful awnings over the windows.
Flurries drifted through the air. The cold damp complemented Carly’s mood.
“When she moved out, Tony hit the roof. He was used to taking her paycheck. Amber Lynn was always a hard worker,” Dana said in a wistful tone. “Tony owes child support to another woman. That’s why he won’t get a job.”
And no doubt the reason he’d tried to shut the door on Carly when she presented her ID.
“The minute he gets a paycheck, they take the child support out. He says it’s the principle of the matter. No one has the right to take a man’s hard-earned pay.”
Carly didn’t ask why Dana stayed with a man like Tony, unemployed, lazy, selfish, and plain mean. Carly had seen it over and over. Dana was one of those women who couldn’t be without a man, even if he contributed absolutely nothing to her life but pain.
“He’ll try to get the baby but it would be the wrong thing to do. I’ll be at work, and as you can tell, Tony isn’t father-of-the-year material.”
“Did Amber Lynn have any sisters or cousins?” Carly asked. “What about her father?”
Dana shook her head. “Her daddy’s dead. He got drunk and ran his car into a tree when Amber Lynn was just a baby. And she was my only one. No sisters. I don’t know about cousins. I haven’t seen my family in fifteen years. Tony don’t like to share me.”
No doubt Tony wanted to keep the gravy train all to himself.
They’d circled the block and were standing back in front of the Cooper trailer.
“I have to go to work.” Dana shoved her hands into her pockets. “I’m a nail tech. I can’t afford to miss a day.”
“Thanks for your honesty,” Carly said as they stopped next to her Jeep.
“Please don’t tell Tony. I’ll just say that our chances aren’t good because we don’t have enough room for a kid, which is true enough. He’s gonna be mad.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Carly said. “I’ll tell him later, if you want.” She didn’t want to think of Dana suffering any more bruises.
Dana shook her head. “It’d be best to get it over with, before he works himself up thinking about having more money.”
“Call the police if you need to.” Carly pressed a card into Dana’s hand, knowing that Dana wouldn’t call anyone. “I could help you if you want to leave him.”
“Where would I go?” Dana climbed the steps and went into the trailer.
Carly could hear Tony yelling before the door even shut. Years ago she’d have tried to convince Dana to leave him, but now she knew it was pointless. She rubbed her temple. When had she become such a cynic?
So Amber Lynn’s parents were not candidates for custody of Charlotte. Carly started her engine. A curtain in the window moved. Tony’s face appeared. He stared at her. Hostility shone through the dirty glass. His face disappeared and the door to the trailer opened. Dana must have told him they weren’t getting the baby, because his face was dark with rage as he came down the steps. He started toward the car.
Carly locked her doors, shifted the Jeep into drive, and stomped on the gas pedal as he lunged toward her vehicle.
“Hey, I got something to say to you,” he shouted.
But Carly wasn’t having another conversation with Tony without a police escort. She had no doubt that Tony would have a completely different attitude if Seth were standing behind her, glaring at him. Seth was exceptionally good at glaring.
Shivering, she drove away. She reached for the temperature control and cranked the heat on fully as she drove toward Solitude. Two miles down the road, after she was sure Tony wasn’t coming after her, she pulled over to check her messages. Seth had called and left one.
Please, let the message say that Bruce has been found safe.
But she had no such luck. Seth wanted her to meet him at home in an hour. A search was being organized for Bruce by the Solitude PD, but Seth had no leads.
She turned the defroster to high. Snowflakes melted on her windshield. The weather was deteriorating, and Bruce was still missing.
CHAPTER FIVE
“I’m going to Fletcher’s. I’ll meet you back at the house in an hour,” Seth said to his wife over the phone as he crossed the parking lot of the sheriff’s office. “Zane is hoping to have a search off the ground this afternoon, and I’ll need my winter gear.”