“Hey, Black.” Ann laughed at the dog’s body language. She had seen him in that pose many times. Every time she was away, she regretted the trip. “I wish I was home.”
“Tomorrow night you sleep in your own bed, can snuggle with your favorite guy-that would be me. Favorite guy number two will happily welcome you home by snoring to break the silence.”
Ann laughed. “Oh, yeah, that’s home. That sounds nice.”
“We both miss you too, Ann. One of us even more than the other.”
“Paul, next time our new governor calls, I’m going to say no.”
He simply smiled. “You only said yes because you wanted to get Evie established in the group, and to prove to yourself your skills haven’t gotten rusty in the last couple years. By inauguration day I predict the task force will be ready to officially get to work, and you’ll be ready to dive into another writing project.”
“I’m already close. The task force will get to work as soon as Bliss is inaugurated and signs the paperwork.”
“You’re efficient and effective, which is why he wanted you involved. Solve the two cases in Carin and put a bow around the task-force announcement.”
“That would be ideal. It’s going to be good to have you down here occasionally.”
He smiled at his wife. “I’ll bring my special kind of FBI super-agent magic, dazzle everyone with some truly geeky lab reports. They changed the letterhead again. It actually says Geeky Lab Report on our internal docs.”
“You know that’s part of the fun, figuring out how long it takes the boss to notice and what he’s going to do about it.”
“Well, Agent Top Dog-get it?-sent in a Blackie paw print with a request to ID the thief who just ate someone’s paycheck.”
Ann laughed so hard, she had to wipe her eyes. “And now I’m supposed to sleep for a few hours?”
“It’s called levity, minor humor, ‘I miss you, so let me make you laugh,’ with the hope of banishing that haunted look in your eyes as only your beloved husband can do.”
“As only you can do,” Ann agreed softly.
“Go to early church, help Evie get started, then fly home. Black and I will take care of you once you’re here.”
“That sounds like a wonderful deal. Good night, Paul.”
“Sleep well, Ann.”
She put down the phone, only to lift it again to send Charlotte Bishop a text: Could you sketch me an “Agent Top Dog” logo? I need a whimsical Christmas present for Paul. I’ll forward a photo of Black to base it on. Let me know. Thanks.
Ann set her phone on the bedside table, knowing Paul would call first thing in the morning to say good morning. She set her clock so she could make the early service at the Thanes’ church, then turned in for the night, grateful to have the day done.
FOUR
Evie Blackwell
Evie taped another piece of white easel paper on the wall as high as she could reach. “I made a fool of myself, didn’t I? I’m trying to remember what I said from the time Sheriff Thane found me on the roadside until they let me out of the ER, and it’s an embarrassing amount of blur and sentence fragments. I must have sounded like an idiot, Ann, or maybe even drunk. I’m surprised he’s letting me access the files.”
She glanced over at her friend, but Ann simply smiled and offered another large sheet of paper. Evie moved down the wall and taped it in place. The wall was marked up with nail holes and peeling paint chips, yet it was smooth and would hold the paper. “And how many times did I say the equivalent of ‘you promise?’ to either you or Gabriel? I’ve counted five of them. I’d blush if I wasn’t so mortified.”
“You’re a happy child when you’re concussed, Evie.”
“Ouch. Even the teasing makes me want to wince.”
Ann laughed. “Relax. You made a first impression, and now you’ll make a second one. You’re good at this work. Don’t try to correct things by over-apologizing. Instead, give Gabriel something to contrast it with-the real you, without a brain-rattling crack to the head. You don’t want to swing from ‘slightly out of it’ to appearing as if you’re anxious to impress. Just settle for being Evie Blackwell and you’ll be fine.”
Evie sighed. “My aching sense of pride will take your advice. At least I know it will be hard to make that first impression any worse.” She stepped back and considered the taped sheets. It would work as an improvised crime board. She looked at the opposite wall she’d papered first. “I think we’re good. Nothing’s falling down… yet.”
The post office had interesting décor with its high ceilings, faded paint, and scratched concrete floor. But the long walls, good lighting, and tables made it a better place for laying out two cases than her original intention of trying to set it all up back at the house.
“Where do you want me to start?” Ann asked as she surveyed the boxes.
“Boxes on that wall are the Dayton girl; boxes here will be the Florist case. I’m thinking timelines first, and any photos.”
“Works for me,” Ann said. She opened the first box on the Dayton abduction. Evie dug into the Florist files.
The sheriff would walk in at some point this afternoon, probably with his father and a deputy or two, and Evie would like to have something on the walls so she could avoid eye contact with Gabriel. She would need his help-no one knew these cases better than the local cops-but she still wished she’d been able to say a normal hello to the man before she’d wrecked her car and became a babbling idiot.
This experiment of looking at cold cases needed to go smoothly, hopefully be successful. She sincerely hoped the way she’d arrived on scene was not a precursor to the rest of her time in Carin.
The next few weeks would set the tone for her place on the task force, and she wanted to bring something positive to the table when it officially launched in January. Sharon Noble was recruiting good, experienced cops. Theodore Lincoln from Chicago and Taylor Aims from St. Louis were already definites. Rumor had it David Marshal was coming back from New York just for this. If Ann continued helping out next year, there wouldn’t be a stronger list of names for the assignments ahead.
Evie wanted to play a useful role in that group, learn from them, get the experience that only working with great cops could give. She knew the task force on her résumé could cement the rest of her career, be the reason she might make head of the state Bureau of Investigations one day. She wanted a success here so badly it worried her. Normally solving a case was motivation enough. Having her emotions personally tangled in an outcome just made for stupid mistakes. She’d jinx it herself by trying too hard, or caring too much about the impression she was making, miss something because her mind was distracted. “Ann?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me to shut up. I’m thinking too hard.”
Ann laughed. “The case?”
“Haven’t even gotten that far yet. I’m still wandering around in task-force stuff. How did I end up getting picked for this? To represent the State Police? Did you put forward my name?”
“Your boss likely looked around for someone young enough not to care about the long hours without extra pay, tough cases with incomplete records, relentless reporters and public scrutiny, someone who could face explaining to the governor why a case isn’t solved. I’d say your name was likely one of two he considered.”
“Oh. Why are you doing it?”
“Because I want to. Why did you say yes?”
“Because I want it.”
Ann grinned. “See? We’re simpatico, you and I. Do you want to talk through the Florist case today or the Dayton girl?”
“I was thinking we’d look at the Dayton case when you get back Tuesday. For now I’d like to take advantage of the initial curiosity about what’s going on to get people talking about the Florist case. Most of the deputies worked the original disappearance, or at least one of the subsequent reviews of the case.”