“I will. Thank you again.”
They hung up, and Marlee looked out the window.
“It must be hard for you,” Cooper said after a bit.
She nodded. “Some days more than others. Pam is a lifesaver. She’s expensive, but if I can’t be there to watch over my parents, I wanted someone who cared about them to do it. Pam is amazing.”
“Sounds like it. How are your parents?”
“After Dad had his stroke, it was tough. He’s had some smaller ones over the years, as well. It doesn’t matter that he can’t talk. My mother says enough for two people. But, honestly, they’ve never needed words. They sit in silence, holding hands and looking at each other every now and again, sharing smiles that hold a multitude of secrets. It’s as if that’s all they need. Each other.”
Cooper slowed as they approached a driveway. “Sounds like it. My parents were much the same way, but they talked. Sometimes, they would talk for hours at a time,” he said with a small chuckle. “Their topics would be all over the place, but they easily moved from one subject to the other. It was fascinating to watch them.”
“Your mom never remarried?”
Cooper turned onto the drive and slowly proceeded down the path for what seemed like a mile. “Never. She never dated, either. I tried to get her out there years ago, but she wanted nothing to do with it. She told me that no one would ever compare to my father, and it was pointless to waste her time as well as others’ to know what she already knew—that Dad was it for her. He was the love of her life.”
Marlee thought about that for a moment. “When I was a police officer, I saw a lot of people who swore they loved one another beat to a pulp or killed. It really colored my view of relationships, but then I saw my parents and realized that something real could be found. But I think it’s more difficult than most people realize.”
“I think you’re right. Not to mention that I don’t think many people even know what they want, yet they still marry. How can they do that if they don’t know what they want?”
“Or if they don’t like themselves,” Marlee added. “You can’t love someone else if you don’t love yourself. My parents told me and Macey that for as long as I can remember. I used to think it made perfect sense. Then I went out into the world and realized that people need that drilled into them because they don’t know it.”
Cooper stopped the vehicle and put it in park. He shut off the engine and met her gaze with his forest green eyes. “You’re right in every way. I think if people took the time to know themselves—their faults and strengths—they might be able to accept themselves as well as love themselves. Then they might determine what they want and need out of a relationship.”
“That sounds entirely too easy,” she said with a smile. “Plus, it makes sense.”
“Which means, few will do it.” They shared a laugh before he reached over and tugged on one of her curls. “I like you a lot, Marlee. I think you already know that, but I wanted to say it. I’m not helping out because I feel an obligation or because this involves my friends. I’d be right here with you regardless. Because I want to be with you.”
She covered his hand with hers. “I’m glad you’re here. Really glad. And if we’re saying things, I’ll tell you that I like you a lot, as well.”
Cooper’s mouth turned up in a sexy smile. His lips parted, but before he could talk, there was a knock on his window. When they looked, Jace stood there with one brow quirked.
“I think that means we need to get out,” Marlee said.
Cooper nodded. “That it does.”
As they exited, a blue Suburban pulled up. Marlee recognized it as belonging to Abby East.
“I asked Danny and Ryan for some help,” Cooper told her.
She flashed him a smile. “Smart thinking.”
The vehicle came to a stop behind Jace’s truck, and four doors opened. Clayton East slid from behind the wheel with Danny getting out of the passenger seat. Caleb and Brice got out of the back. They shut the doors and made their way to Marlee, Cooper, and Jace.
“I didn’t expect all of you,” Cooper said.
Caleb gave him a flat look. “After all these years, he still doesn’t know us.”
Clayton laughed and nodded to Marlee before he said, “When one of you has been in trouble, when have the others not shown up to help?”
“Never,” Danny stated from beside him, a wide smile on his face.
Jace crossed his arms over his chest. “Thanks for coming. Is Ryan held up?”
“Actually,” Danny said, “he’s doing a little surveillance of his own. Undercover, of course. We’ve both got teams who quickly put together a list of people who moved into the area going back two years.”
Something niggled at the back of Marlee’s mind. She couldn’t figure out what it was, so she kept quiet. “How long is the list?”
“Not as short as I’d like,” Brice stated.
Clayton’s lips twisted. “It could be worse, but my concern is the length of time. Is two years long enough?”
“Long enough?” Caleb asked with a frown. “I think it’s too long.”
Marlee shoved her hair from her face as a breeze moved past her. “I probably would’ve gone back three years, but two is a good place to start.”
“Why?” Caleb asked.
Jace then said, “Based on what Cooper and I found earlier, these people find a spot and stay. As I told y’all in my call, this area is in the middle of the major cities. It’s prime hunting ground. Caleb could be right. They might have moved here recently, but my guess is that they’ve been here for a little while. At least a year, if not more.”
Caleb pushed his hat back on his head and nodded. “That makes sense. I’m guessing we need to get started.”
Danny slid a backpack Marlee hadn’t noticed before off his shoulder and pulled out a tablet. He turned it on. As the screen filled, she saw there were two sections. One was a list of people, when they moved into the area, and their location. The other was a map with dots indicating what Marlee guessed were the locations in question.
She listened as Danny explained what the sheriff’s office and the police department had put together in a joint effort. The list was significant, but it was also manageable with all of them splitting up to take sections one at a time.
Though this was her investigation, since the authorities had been called in—even as a favor for a friend—Marlee didn’t try to run point. To her amazement, Danny looked at her and gave her a nod. “Tell us where you want us.”
She was so surprised that she could only look at Cooper, who smiled at her. Marlee cleared her throat and pointed to the map. “I think the easiest thing would be to divide the areas up by locations so we’re not crossing paths and wasting time.”
“Agreed,” Clayton said. “What are we looking for?”
Marlee blew out a breath as she thought about all the times she had managed to locate a child—dead or alive. “Despite my decade of doing this, I’ve never caught anyone who was involved. I’ve no idea who these people are. From all my training as a cop and the classes I took at the FBI to help profile cases, my guess is that they’re flying under the radar. Meaning, they’ll look just like you and me. Ordinary people you’d never suspect would hurt anyone.”