CA 50.7 Little Girl Lost Read Online Free PDF Page B

shifted to the row of windows that fronted the establishment. "Can we go now? I have to get ready for tomorrow."
    The one thing that was crystal clear in all this was that Jen was determined to go through with her plan. Part of him wanted to take whatever steps necessary to put an end to this charade here and now.. .but the image of the little dark-haired girl in the photo kept haunting him.
    She could be Sophie. The hair and eyes —his hair and eyes—were undeniable. And the nose definitely resembled his mother's. Emotion constricted his throat. He refused to set himself up for that kind of emotional damage. The odds of that little girl being theirs were slim to none. Whatever this Waters guy had set in motion, Paul had to ensure that Jen didn't lose more than she could recover this time.
    He'd almost lost her last summer. And though she would soon officially be his ex-wife, at least she was alive. If he could somehow make her see that Sophie was gone, maybe she would wake up and he'd have his wife back. He cursed himself. Selfish bastard. But he missed her. He wanted Jen to see that it was time to return to the land of the living...to him.
    Since there was no way on earth he could change her mind, he would protect her through this and maybe, just maybe, she would finally see what he'd accepted more than a year ago.
    Their little girl wasn't coming back to them.
    "You mind showing me the home where you met this Reginald Waters?" The longer he kept her cooperating, the more time he would have to figure out how to talk her into accepting his help on this one. Without her cooperation, it would be very difficult to protect her.
    She searched his face, looking for the deception. Her trust was another casualty of last summer. "Why are you doing this, Paul? We both know you don't want to. And we also know you think I'm a fool for believing I can find Sophie. Why pretend otherwise?"
    He turned his hands up. "I'm here. I might as well do what I can, right?"
    "Sure." Jen slid from the booth and headed for the door.
    He dropped a couple of bills on the table and did the same. Hustling to catch up with her, he managed to get the door for her exit. The bell jingled overhead and a "Y'all come back" from one of the waitresses followed them into the parking lot. The sun had taken the spring day's warmth with it as it disappeared behind the mountaintops. Reminded him of the cool Southern California summer nights.
    Part of him wished they were back in L.A. and that he could turn back time and change the events of that spring seven years ago. If he hadn't answered the call from work that evening.. .if Jen hadn't agreed to dinner and a movie with her girlfriends after three years of being a totally focused mom. If Deidra hadn't fallen asleep in the patio swing after that second glass of wine.. .Sophie wouldn't have been taken from the fenced yard in a neighborhood where nothing bad ever happened.
    Jen waited at the passenger-side door of his SUV. Paul shook off the haunting memories and hit the unlock button. She had the door open before he could reach her. He needed to get back on his game. She deserved his full attention. His boss, Jim Colby, had insisted Paul take as much time as he needed to work this out. But he wasn't sure there was enough time in the world to make this right.
    "When did you trade in your car?" she asked as he slid behind the wheel.
    "Last winter." He chuckled, remembering the season's first big snowstorm. "Chicago winters are way different from southern Cali's."
    She made a sound that was almost a laugh, and his heart reacted. With every fiber of his being he understood how tired, how very desperate she was.
    "We can drive by the address he gave you. Even stop and knock, if you'd like. It can't hurt. If Waters is not there, he's not there."
    "I told you he's gone." She stared out her window, determined to ignore him and his suggestions.
    "Then it won't matter if we do a drive-by."
    Rather than argue further as he'd