Dancing in the Dark by Mary Jane Clark Read Free Book Online

college graduation. They’d
come at a wedding when the father of the bride danced with his
daughter. They’d come at a niece’s or nephew’s christening party.
Whenever a life event signaled something Larry had never had a chance
to experience with Jenna, the memories haunted him.
    How had it all gone so desperately wrong?
    As he forced himself to get out of the car, Larry wondered why he
even bothered asking himself that question anymore. It had been almost
two years since Jenna had passed and a year since her mother had
followed her. Larry had played and replayed it all in his mind, day
after painful day, night after sleepless night. He always came up with
the same answer. It was his fault.
    He should have done more for Jenna, found better help for her. He
shouldn’t have been so trusting of that despicable charlatan who called
himself a therapist. He should have insisted that Jenna stop seeing the
quack when not only didn’t they see any improvement but she actually
seemed to be getting worse. But Jenna had begged to be able to keep
going to her sessions with Owen Messinger. She was convinced that she
needed him to get well. Finally, both her parents had given up, not
knowing what else to do.
    That was no excuse, Larry realized now. Sure, they had been
desperate to have someone help Jenna, but they should have acted on
their instincts. Deep inside they sensed that Owen Messinger was
hurting, not helping, their daughter. They should have moved heaven and
earth to make him stop. They could have quit paying his bills or moved
away or even locked Jenna up for her own good. Anything to protect her
from that evil man.
    Instead, they’d been accomplices in her death. Twice a week Larry
and his wife had driven their daughter to the appointments. He would
never forgive himself for that. Jenna’s mother was consumed by guilt
too, and that, along with her broken heart, had led her to take her own
life—in effect, anyway. Marie had been drinking way too much in the
months after Jenna slit her wrists. Finally, one night in her
inebriated state, she crashed her car into a telephone pole.
    Now, it was just him.
    Noticing the pink and white geraniums brimming from the flower boxes
strapped to the railing that circled the front porch, Larry was fully
aware there wasn’t anything he could do to change all that had
happened. But he was determined to do something that would help other
people in the same tortured boat as his family had been. Around Easter
time, he had taken the first step, when he’d followed a thin young
woman as she came out of Owen Messinger’s office, tailing her right to
the house he stood in front of now.
     
    For weeks, he’d repeatedly driven by the house, catching sight of
Leslie from time to time as she entered or, better yet, when she exited. He’d tailed her, and when the
time was right, he’d seen her going into Lavender & Lace. He’d
followed her inside and acted like a customer. He’d struck up a
conversation with Leslie and her mother and mentioned that he was
looking for help at his office. Now, Leslie worked for him and he could
watch out for her.

    Audrey Patterson answered the door. “It’s so good of you to come,
Larry. You’ve been a wonderful boss to Leslie, and a good friend as
well.”
    After leading Larry into the living room to see her daughter, Audrey
went to the kitchen to fix some lemonade. Larry turned to the young
woman and spoke gently.
    “I’m so glad you’re all right, Leslie,” he said, sincerity in his
eyes as well as his voice.
    “But no one believes me, Larry,” Leslie said. “Someone took me and
held me against my will. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
    “It doesn’t matter what they think, Leslie. It only matters that you
take care of yourself and get well. Nothing is more important than
that.”
    As tears welled in Leslie’s brown eyes, Larry was reminded again of
his own daughter. He was fiercely determined to make amends.
     
    “Do you believe me,