“Go,” I said. “We’re all right.”
“We can take care of ourselves,” Mia said, squaring her shoulders.
“I can see that,” Marcus said. “Just stay here. I’ll be back.” He leaned over and kissed me and then started for the door.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Simon’s SUV pull to the curb. He got out and looked around. I raised a hand and he started toward us. “Your dad’s here,” I said to Mia.
Her face lit up. I kissed the top of her head and she ran to meet him. Owen walked his way over the seat to me and rubbed against my side. I leaned the hockey stick against the side of the truck and reached down to stroke his fur. My legs were trembling but I reminded myself that we were all safe and that was all that mattered.
Marcus came back out in a couple of minutes and had me walk him through what had happened from the moment Owen and I arrived at Everett’s apartment. “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “My phone died. That’s why you couldn’t get me.”
I put a hand on his arm. “It’s all right,” I said. “I broke my own rule about staff leaving together.”
I looked over at the building. Victor had already been taken to the hospital. I’d hit him pretty hard and I wasn’t the slightest bit sorry. “I know where the key is,” I said.
Marcus frowned. “You mean the one Leo got in the mail?”
I nodded. “At least I’m pretty sure I do. Send someone over to look at the clock in the hallway at Everett’s building. My dad has a clock like it and he keeps the key to wind it in a little envelope taped to the back. Rebecca does the same thing. I think Leo slipped his key in as well when he realized his brother was on the way.”
Marcus nodded. “I’ll send a car over.”
“Is it all right if I go home now?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll be there once I get things wrapped up here. It might be a while.”
“I don’t care,” I said. I reached up to kiss him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said. I watched him walk over to Simon and Mia.
Mia kissed her father on the cheek and started back over to me. As she got closer I realized she was carrying two take-out cups. She handed one to me. “Hot chocolate from Eric’s,” she said. She shrugged. “I don’t know how Dad got it delivered over here.”
I took the cup from her. “And I don’t think I really care.” I took a sip. The hot chocolate was hot and rich and warmed me all the way down to my toes. “How are you really?” I said to Mia.
“I’m not sure,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, I’m glad Uncle Victor’s been arrested, but Grandpa is still dead and it looks like Uncle Victor had something to do with my dad’s mother being dead, too.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I wish knowing the truth could somehow change things.”
Mia turned and looked back over her shoulder at her father and Marcus still talking. “You really love him, don’t you?” she asked.
I nodded. “I do.” I couldn’t help smiling.
She turned back to me. “I was kind of hoping if you spent enough time with my dad maybe you could fall in love with him instead and then”—she swallowed hard—“you could be my mom.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment, overcome with a wave of emotions. A tear slid down her cheek and I reached over and brushed it away, and then I pulled her into my arms again.
“It would be an honor to be your mom,” I said. “But I promise you that no matter what, no matter where you are, I will always be your friend. You can call me anytime. You can show up at my door anytime. If you need me all you have to do is yell.”
She nodded with her head against my shoulder and I wished that there were some way to give her what she wanted, to at least give her part of a happy ending. But there wasn’t.
I spent a few more minutes with Mia and then I walked her over to Simon.
“‘Thank you’ seems pretty damned inadequate,” he said to me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I seemed to be saying that a lot. “I wish it hadn’t been Victor.”
“You and me both.”
I took Mia’s face in my hands. “Go home, soak in the bathtub, drink more hot chocolate and if you need to talk call me anytime, okay?”
“Okay,” she said.
Simon gave her a hug. “Go sit in the car,” he said. “I just want to talk to Kathleen a minute.”
She nodded and started for the vehicle, both hands wrapped around her hot chocolate.
Simon turned to me. “That private investigator called on my way over here. He found the witness, the woman walking her dog the night of . . . of my mother’s accident. She told him she saw a car following—chasing—my mother’s car. She got a decent look at the driver.”
“Victor,” I said.
“Yes.” His expression tightened. “Too little, too late.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’ll help make the case against him. I know it doesn’t make up for what you lost . . .” I didn’t finish the sentence.
“It’s something,” Simon said.
I looked over at his car. “You should take Mia home.”
Simon caught my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you,” he said.
I nodded wordlessly and walked back to the truck.
• • •
When we got home I opened a can of sardines and gave Owen the entire can. Hercules wandered in from somewhere. He gave me a puzzled look.
“Trust me, he earned it,” I said.
I was sitting at the kitchen table with my second mug of hot chocolate when I heard a knock at the back door. It was Simon.
“Hi,” I said.
He smiled. “Hi. I can’t stay. Mia is with Denise. But I wanted to give you this.”
He handed me a small cardboard box. I knew before I took the lid off what I was going to find inside. A man’s gold watch. I’d told him about the poker game and Harrison’s watch. I was surprised he’d shown up with it now.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll make sure Harrison gets this.”
“You saved Mia’s life,” he said.
“She did a pretty good job of saving herself,” I said. “She’s smart and resilient and absolutely amazing.”
“She’s had some good role models.” His eyes were locked on my face and I was suddenly aware of the small amount of space between us. “If I thought I had any shot with you . . . ,” he said, letting the rest of the sentence trail away. “But I don’t, do I?”
I shook my head slowly. “In a different place or time, but not this one. I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “You ever need anything and Detective Gordon isn’t around, you better call me,” he said. “And if he’s stupid enough to ever screw things up with you you’ll find me camped on your doorstep.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek and then he turned and left.
epilogue
The exhibit, which Maggie simply named “Lost & Found,” opened a week after Thanksgiving. Burtis donated the perfect Christmas tree, tall and straight and so perfectly symmetrical it had no “bad side” to tuck in the corner. Harry set the tree up near the main entrance and the scent of the huge fir filled the library, reminding me of hiking in the woods out at Turtle Lake with Marcus every time I stepped into the building. Once again, Ruby loaned us her collection of vintage ornaments to decorate with. Abigail and I hung twinkling white fairy lights all over the main floor, which transformed the space into a winter wonderland.
Mary and Peggy Sue from the diner had made dozens and dozens of holiday cookies. “If you want to get lots of people into the building you need food,” Mary had proclaimed two days before the exhibit opened. Before I could say anything, she’d held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” I knew from the gleam in her eyes that she would.