Book Snippets:
This one from Expendable - Book 6 of The Dandelions Series.
Marion Daley - wife to Senator Talmond Daley
Mackenzie Daley - Marion's child from her first marriage, adopted by the Senator.
Marissa - Daughter of Marion and Talmond, half-sister to Mackenzie.
"Mom?" Marissa said softly as she entered the den.
Marion Daley looked up at her youngest daughter. She'd been sitting in the designer chair Talmond had presented her with on their second wedding anniversary. He'd always provided the best for them and Marion had always believed marrying him had been the best thing for her and her little girl. But sitting here in the chair, her feet tucked up under her, she'd been reconsidering.
One time, when Mackenzie had been nine, Marion remembered, and all curled up in this very chair, she'd been working on a homework assignment, making a diagram of the human body, when she'd been called into dinner. Being obedient for once, she'd quickly stood, placed the papers and markers on the seat and joined her mother and step-father for the evening meal. When they'd re-entered the room after dinner, Talmond found the marker Mackenzie had been using had rolled off the stack of papers. Apparently, she hadn't bothered to cap the red marker and it had bled into the upholstery.
He'd calmly called her to him. Pointed to the chair. Her daughter's mouth had dropped open. Marion had watched him take her hand and lead her upstairs. Marion hadn't intervened. Mickey needed to learn responsibility. But she'd turned and glanced at her mom as he'd taken her from the room. Marion could still see her face now, clear as day. There had been fear in her eyes, but something more. An accusation of betrayal.
Now that her daughter was missing, all those little things kept surfacing, one after another, a constant montage of memories that made up her daughter's life. Sitting here, Marion realized most of them were bad memories whenever Talmond had been involved. Had she betrayed her eldest daughter? Had she traded her daughter's happiness for a comfortable life?
That FBI agent, Special Agent Dodge, and her husband didn't know she'd overheard them speaking last night in his study. She wasn't allowed in the room. No one was allowed in there unless he'd invited them and the only one Marion had ever known him to invite, was Marissa. Last night though, Marion had stood just outside the door in the hallway. Talmond had demanded to know why there hadn't been a ransom note. He'd asked the agent to explain to him what the kidnappers could be thinking. The answer is what had sent Marion into a tailspin.
Agent Dodge had said it was possible the kidnappers had no idea who they took. That it may have been a quick snatch for no other reason than to do her harm. Then her husband had asked what Mackenzie's chances are of survival. And the agent had said, realistically, it'd been over a week since the abduction and no ransom note, no contact, more than likely, she's already dead.
She'd heard no response from Talmond. If he'd made one, her head was too full of sounds and images to hear it. Up until that moment, she'd truly believed they would get Mackenzie back. The truth was a bitter pill. Her first born child was probably dead, probably raped and tortured and killed by some mad man who could care less that she was smart and beautiful and loving and brilliant.
"Mom!"
Marion shook her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, Marissa. Did you say something?"
"Mom, you're scaring me. Are you okay?"
