“And then when the women don’t appreciate what he’s given them and what he wants to do for them, and they don’t want to stay there and take care of him and have children with him, he kills them.”
* * * * *
1:17 P.M.
“I wrapped up the Brewster case last night,” Nate told Sam as he entered his friend’s house. “Turns out hewasplanning on taking the kids and fleeing the country.”
“I can't imagine someone taking my child away from me,” Sam said. “I don’t even like to let Naomi out of my sight because I'm scared something is going to happen to her and the baby. But for someone to take them away, I can't even comprehend how I would cope with that.”
Unfortunately, Nate knew exactly what it felt like to have the most important person in your life taken away from you. Six years later and it hadn’t gotten any easier. Some days it was hard to believe that he hadn’t seen his son in six years. He didn't even know what Andrew looked like, Rachel refused to send him pictures, or to let him talk to him on the phone.
At first, he’d called daily—nearly hourly those first few days and weeks—but over time he had lost hope. He didn't know his son, Rachel was never going to bring him back to the country, and even when he’d flown to Australia to see him, she had refused and called the cops on him.
His own son didn't even know who he was. Andrew had been just a toddler when Rachel had snatched him and fled the country. His two-year-old little brain had forgotten all about him, and Andrew thought that Rachel’s new husband was his father.
It killed him to know that his gorgeous little boy was growing up without him.
And what made it worse was knowing it was his own fault he had lost his son.
“Thinking about Andrew?”
Sam, of course, knew about his son, although they didn't talk about him much. Some days Nate wondered if it was time to let his boy go, maybe it would be better for Andrew if he didn't make waves in his life. But he didn't know how to let go of his child. He loved him.
“I should have handled the Brewster case and not left it to you.” Sam looked apologetic.
“No, it’s fine. It’s not like I don’t think about him all the time anyway.”
“Let’s bring another lawyer in, see what we can do.”
“I signed over full custody to her, she was free to take Andrew anyplace she wanted.” Although if he had of known what Rachel was planning, he would never have given her full custody. At the time, it had seemed like the best option for Andrew. He was in the military, and he had expected that they would work out a visitation schedule that allowed him to co-parent their child when he was in the country.
“You didn't know she was going to take him to another country and cut you out of his life.”
“He doesn’t even remember me. I haven't spoken to him since he was two years old. He’s eight now, he’s spent most of his life without me in it.”
“Do you want to give up on him?”
“No.” He didn't even have to think about it. One day his son would become an adult and then there was nothing Rachel could do to keep them apart. When that time came, Nate wanted Andrew to know that he had never given up on him.
“Then let’s find another lawyer, it can't hurt.”
In a way it could hurt. If he got his hopes up again only to be told once more there was nothing he could legally do to force his ex-wife to let him see their son, he would be crushed. But Andrew needed him to keep fighting, so he would keep fighting.
“Oh, Nate, I didn't know you were here,” Naomi said as she walked into the living room.
“Came for lunch and to update your husband on work since he doesn’t want to leave you alone in case you …” he trailed off when he saw Rylla Franklin walk in behind Naomi.
He and Sam had decided that Luke Sleigh and Summer Height’s wedding would be the perfect place for him to try to connect with her again, after all, the last time they'd been at a wedding she’d asked him out. But she was here now, and he needed a distraction.
When her gaze fell on him, Rylla’s big green eyes shuttered, and a small frown creased her face.
“I better head back to work,” Rylla said to Naomi.
“But you just got here,” Naomi protested.
“I know, but I really should be going through the website, looking for women that the killer may be targeting.” Rylla steadfastly turned away from him and kept her eyes on Naomi.
Nate knew Rylla and her partner Matthew were working the Fairytale Killer case. The case was all over the media with the melodramatic fairytale themed murders. “Maybe we could help out? Have our computer people run your profiles through their system?” he offered. Sam’s company had consulted with the cops before.