“Better. I was just thinking tonight how well things seem to be going for both of them. We’re at an only-as-needed stage with our counseling.”
This time the smile reached her eyes. “That’s wonderful. Good news to hear tonight.”
“How about you, Mattie? How are you doing?”
The smile faltered, although he could see she was putting on a brave face. “I’m doing fine—that is, until this evening.”
Her left hand was lying loosely on the table, and he covered it with one of his. “Are you really doing okay?”
She glanced at him sharply before looking at her empty plate. “I’ve been working on things,” she said with hesitation, “but I’m all right . . . really.”
She withdrew her hand to reach for her water glass. He noticed a slight tremble in her fingers.
Angie’s voice came from behind him. “I thought I’d find Dad in here raiding the fridge, but I didn’t know you’d be here too, Mattie.”
Joy filled Mattie’s face as she rose from her seat. Cole turned in his chair to watch her cross the room to give his daughter a hug. A part of him acknowledged that he wished she’d greeted him with that amount of pleasure.
“It’s good to see you, Angie,” Mattie said.
“You too. Why haven’t you been at school lately?”
The two parted, and Angie moved to the cabinet to get a small bowl, placing it on the countertop. Robo trotted over to greet her, and she bent to pet him.
“I’ve been there,” Mattie said. “We’re doing a freshman rotation with the program, so our paths haven’t crossed.”
Angie filled the bowl with Jell-O. “I’ve been working on the yearbook. We need to get some shots of you and Robo at school.”
Mattie grinned. “Oh, wow. Are you sure?”
“Of course. We’ll put it in the section with the rest of the school programs.”
Mattie looked at Cole. “I never thought I’d be in the yearbook again.”
“Maybe we could mention that you’re an alumni,” Angie said.
Alumna, Cole thought, but he didn’t correct her. “What a great idea.”
After Angie joined him at the table and Mattie took her seat, they chatted a little bit more about the yearbook, and then he decided to break the news about Candace Banks’s death. He wanted to see how much impact it had on Angela and what he was going to have to deal with.
“Angel, do you know Candace Banks?” he asked.
“I know who she is.”
“Is she one of your friends?”
Angie gave him one of those looks of hers. “Uh . . . no, Dad. Candace is in junior high.”
Of course . . . how could I even think that someone in high school might be friends with someone from the junior high? “How well do you know her?”
“I know of her. She’s got quite the reputation.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked.
Angie gave him a sideways look before glancing at Mattie, who sat quietly, looking down at the table, fiddling with a spoon. “I don’t think I should say. You’ll freak out.”
“Oh, come on, Angel. You should know me better than that.”
Angie gave him a skeptical look before explaining. “She’s got a reputation with the guys. They talk about her a lot, brag about making a ‘Banks deposit.’”
Cole jolted upright when her meaning hit him. “Good God!”
Angie slid a look toward Mattie. “Told you he’d freak out.”
Mattie lifted her face from where she’d been examining her plate, giving Angie a slight nod before looking at Cole with sadness.
Angie must have caught Mattie’s expression, because hers became wary. “Why are you asking about Candace, Dad?”
“Candace was found dead this evening. Behind the high school.”
“Oh, my gosh! Did someone kill her?”
Mattie shook her head. “We don’t know yet. I don’t want you to jump to that conclusion.”
Why wouldn’t she? There’d already been others killed in Timber Creek, others with even closer ties to his daughter. “Her death will be announced at school tomorrow, so I wanted you to have advance warning. And Sophie might know Candace’s brothers. Mattie says they’re closer to her age.”
Angie met his gaze. “Poor Soph. We have to tell her in the morning, Dad. She’ll just have to deal with it.”
Cole realized that Angie’s teenage wisdom best described what they all were going to have to do. Deal with it. It seemed like that’s what his life was all about of late.
Mattie sighed, rose from the table, and carried her dishes over to load in the dishwasher. “Thanks for dinner. I hate to eat and run, but I’m beat, and I have to be at work early in the morning.”
After saying good night to Angie, Cole walked Mattie to the door, opening it for her and following her onto the front porch. He was worried about her. She looked thin, haunted, and worn out. Whatever was bothering her had to go back further than this afternoon’s terrible experience of finding the body of a dead child. He’d ignored these signs with Olivia; he didn’t want to make that mistake again with someone else important to him.
He touched her forearm. “Mattie, wait.”
She paused and turned to look up at him, the porch light illuminating her features. Robo trotted into the yard and started sniffing the flower beds.
“I feel like something’s wrong. I mean something other than Candace. Are you all right?”
She broke eye contact and turned to watch Robo. “I’m just tired.”
“It looks like more than that. Like something’s been eating away at you.”
“I’ll be all right. I just need a good night’s sleep.” She stepped off the porch, leaving him to drift behind in her wake. “Don’t worry.”
He grasped her arm to stop her. “It looks like something’s bothering you. I don’t know. I don’t have a very good track record with this kind of thing, but I feel like it’s more than just needing a good night’s sleep.”
She turned to him again with a half smile on her lips. “I look that bad, huh?”
“Of course not. You look as good as ever. It’s just that . . . Well, if you need to talk, I’m here for you.” He realized that although he wanted to express his feelings, he wasn’t quite sure what they were. “The kids and I really care about you, Mattie. I don’t want you to be unhappy, and if there’s anything I can do to make things better for you, I want to try.”
“It’s something I need to deal with on my own. Things will get better eventually. Right now though, I’ve got to go home. Robo, come on!”
After she put Robo in the back, Cole opened the car door for her. It felt like she was drawing away, and he didn’t know how to stop it. She scooted into her seat, and he clasped her hand as it lay on the steering wheel. “I hope you’ll come over to see us again soon.”
She tried to release his grip, but he wouldn’t let her put him off. A frown crossed her brow as if she’d grown irritated. “I’ll be tied up with this investigation.”
That felt like a dismissal, and he let go and stepped back. “Stop by whenever you can. You’re always welcome.”
She started her engine as she spoke. “Thanks. Say hi to Sophie and Mrs. Gibbs for me.”
He nodded and closed the car door, stepping back while keeping his eyes on her. He raised his hand to wave, but she didn’t look up as she reversed her car and drove away. It left him unsettled. Lonely.
Strange how seeing her again stirred up these feelings. It was easy to go his own way, focused on family and work, and let the days go by without seeing someone who meant so much. He knew he missed her, but he didn’t realize how long it had been until she was standing there in the flesh, looking so different.