She suddenly wanted very badly to talk to someone who loved her. Odd that when she’d been able to call her family anytime during the last couple of weeks, she’d deliberately avoided doing so. Now that calling them was riskier, she was almost overwhelmed by the urge.
She told herself it couldn’t possibly be dangerous to call from here. No one except Stephanie knew she and Blake were staying here, and Blake obviously trusted Stephanie implicitly.
It was ridiculous to think that anyone would be monitoring her parents’ phone...wasn’t it? Just because whoever had chased them to Marietta knew exactly who she was didn’t mean they would be watching her family...did it?
At what point did reasonable precautions become rampant paranoia?
She could call her brother Trevor in Washington. But Trevor had always known her too well. He’d hear her voice and immediately know that something was wrong, which was one reason she’d avoided calling him after she’d been fired from the law firm.
Trevor was the type who thought he had to take care of everything. That was one of the reasons he was so drawn to politics. He would have been immediately on the phone to her former employers, demanding that they reinstate her immediately. And if he knew that she’d become involved in a murder, he would be on a plane to Georgia within the hour.
As for her younger brother, Trent—well, he was young. And he tended to worry too much. Calling him would serve no purpose except to upset him.
But the silence in a stranger’s apartment was pressing down on her, making her feel much more alone than she’d been during those two weeks she’d holed up to sulk in her own apartment. After another hour of pacing, trying without success to get interested in one of Stephanie’s books, and staring out the window at the river, Tara could resist no longer. She needed to talk to someone, or go crazy.
She picked up the phone and dialed the number of the one person who never failed to be available when she was needed. As young as she was, Emily McBride was the best listener in the family, the one whose doors, and whose heart, were always open.
“Tara, it’s so good to hear from you,” Emily said warmly, immediately identifying her cousin’s voice. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“Worried about me?” Tara was surprised. “Why?”
“I could tell at Dad’s funeral that something was really bothering you. And no one’s heard from you since you left town. Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Caleb are afraid you’ve been working too hard. Aunt Bobbie’s been hoping you would call her soon. Have you talked to her today?”
Tara didn’t realize she’d given her parents any reason to fret about her. “No, I haven’t called Mom today,” she admitted. “Emily, will you do me a favor?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Tell Mom you heard from me, and that I’ll call her in a few days, okay? Maybe another week. Tell her I’m still on my business trip and I really don’t have time to talk right now. Tell her I just called you to see how you’re holding up, will you?”
There was a moment’s hesitation, and then, “Tara, what’s wrong?”
“It’s a long story,” Tara said, wondering if she’d made a mistake calling her cousin. “I’m sort of in a mess right now, but I’m all right. I just wanted to talk to someone for a minute.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“No. I’m afraid not. But don’t try to call my apartment, okay? I won’t be there for a while. Tell Mom not to call there. I’ll call her, just as soon as I can.”
“Does this have something to do with your work? Have you gotten involved in a difficult case?”
“Something like that,” Tara answered, feeling guilty for the lie.
“You’re...you’re not in any actual danger or anything, are you?”
Tara faked a laugh. “Of course not. Really, Emily, don’t worry about me, okay? I just called to find out how you are.”
“I’m fine,” Emily answered, not sounding noticeably reassured. “I’ve gotten lots of rest during the past couple of weeks. More than I’ve had in the past year, actually.”
Tara knew that her cousin had had a difficult time of it, caring for her father who had died very slowly and very painfully. At only twenty-six, Emily had been forced to sacrifice a great deal, utterly refusing to put Uncle Josiah in a nursing home.
“You’re still working every day?” Tara asked, thinking of how little time Emily had taken for herself. “Have you taken any time off since Uncle Junior died?”
“Only a couple days for the funeral arrangements,” Emily admitted. ‘I’d like to take some time off, but it’s been so busy at the office lately, and I hate to leave them in a bind. Maybe someday...”
Typical of Emily to be so aware of everyone else’s problems, so oblivious to her own. Didn’t she ever long to break away from her tiny hometown? To do something completely reckless and selfish and carefree, while she was still young?
But then, hadn’t Tara basically given up her own youth in pursuit of her career goals? When was the last time Tara had done anything reckless and irresponsible, just for fun?
The adventure she was having right now didn’t count, of course. Running for her life, sidestepping the law at every turn—well, it was hardly a carefree lark. And, yet, oddly enough, Tara had felt more animated and energetic during the past few hours than she had in weeks.