The Same Devil
Following her return to Alabama from Florida Melissa Jakobs legally changed her name to Alissa Dobbin. The image of the happy little girl playing in the park still festered in her mind. Despite Melissa or Alissa gaining minimal weight on purpose and smoking a pack a day, "that" appeared perfectly healthy.
It wasn't supposed to turn out this way, she kept thinking.
Chloe was either supposed to be a sickly kid or one with a bunch of behavioral issues who was defiant and a burden and strain on Eric's marriage. and the child's stepmother, who adopted her was supposed to be resenting the child's presence in the home and thinking of Choe as "her husband's child" and not hers, at least in Alissa's opinion.
Melissa or Alissa wasn't aware that the former friend of hers in Florida named Penny Morgan that she had ran into Miami while there had taken it upon herself to contact Eric Delko. She told him how first Melissa had changed her name and appearance, giving him photos (the only ones Eric ever had in his possession) of her. She told him how the biological mother had seen the child with Eric and that she knew it was the baby she had. The woman said that Alissa hadn't made any direct threats but it was something about the look on her face when Alissa saw Chloe happy and free of health problems scared Penny. It was a look a pure hatred. Penny didn't know what, but the woman feared Chloe could be harmed if her biological mother ever came in contact with her.
Hearing this, Eric went from cop to concerned father, and a scared one. He sincerely thanked Penny. She hadn't had to do this. He called Tripp and Ryan into the room, asking Penny to repeat what she told him to them. Penny also gave Tripp all her contact information; numbers where she could reached, her home address and where she worked.
"Whatever she calls herself now, I know she's back in Alabama. I saw the number when she called me just last night," Penny told them. "Would you like that number, too? I know you have to rule me out but please believe me; I'm not cahoots with her to harm this child."
As Penny was escorted out of the police station Eric let out a long breath.
"Don't worry, Eric," Frank said. "We'll make sure nothing happens to Chloe. Christ, you know how much we all love her."
"I'll copy these photos, get them out to the rest of the team and let them know what going on," Ryan said, leaving one photo on the desk in front of Eric.
"I have to go home and talk to Calleigh," Eric said, picking up the photo of the woman who gave birth to Chloe.
At home Eric told his wife everything and showed her the photo of their oldest child's birth mother, before it was to be locked away. Some time in her life Chloe would see this photo but not now. This was the first time Calleigh had seen the face of the woman who had given her the most beautiful daughter ever. Despite the woman's dyed brown hair, there was none of her in Chloe. Chloe was all Delko.
They knew at the present "Alissa Dobbin" wasn't a threat to their daughter but at least now they and their friends and family knew the face to watch for.