She laughed. “Easy on the age references, pal. I don’t qualify as your mother.”
Josh simply smiled again.
“I have a friend who’s going to ask you for a favor. If you can accommodate her, I’d like you to say yes. It’s mostly going to involve a lot of your time.”
Josh considered that, nodded. “You aren’t normally so cryptic.”
“She’s not ready for what she’s decided to do, and I can’t talk her out of it,” Ann replied, shook her head. “I’m a bit frustrated and worried and annoyed with myself. I should have seen this coming. If she changes her mind-and I still hope to be persuasive-I don’t want those details in your head too. I’m mostly here to see if you’re in a position to agree. I’ll direct her elsewhere if you’re taking off for a vacation or starting your book or-”
Josh lifted his hand to stop her, having already decided his answer. “I won’t turn her away if what she asks is something I can do.”
“I appreciate that, Josh, more than you can know.” Ann went to brooding as she turned her root beer bottle back and forth between her palms. She eventually looked directly at him, and he stopped slicing green peppers to meet her gaze. “It’s someone you know, Josh. It’s Grace Arnett.”
He went absolutely still. A thousand questions whirled through his mind. He finally asked, “How long have you known each other?”
“Since she moved away from here… within a year or two. She’s been living in Chicago the last dozen years.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“Sometimes I keep secrets, especially when I’m asked.”
Her serious expression reflected what he was now feeling. Josh hadn’t seen this side of Ann so directly before, though he was aware it existed-the ability to close the door on things she wouldn’t talk about. She did keep people’s secrets, had a reputation for it. If Ann felt the need to now run interference for Grace, the favor Grace was coming to ask wouldn’t be a casual one.
He looked at the cutting board and the peppers, then back at her, thoughtfully nodded. “I can handle it, Ann.”
She gave him a small smile. “Grace needs a safe guy, and you’re the first name of a few on my list. It’s going to help that you were childhood friends.” She looked away for a moment at the call of a hawk outdoors. “Or that assumption may be my biggest miscalculation yet. She remembers you, Josh.” Ann sighed, then said, “I’ve never mentioned Grace around here because she asked me not to do so, for reasons that make sense to me also. You’ll learn those details if this goes forward, and when you do and have questions, bring them to me. Grace is dealing with too much already, and the answers aren’t easy ones.”
Josh wasn’t accustomed to being on the serious side of trouble, and that’s what this felt like. Ann was back in her former day-job mode-being a cop, carrying the weight of serious matters, and doing her best to prep him on how to handle it. “Okay.” He’d deal with it. He went back to chopping vegetables.
“She’ll probably be in the area in a few days. I’ll call if that changes.”
“If that happens, then we can talk more about Grace.” He scooped the vegetables into a grill mesh. “Trust me, Ann. Your friend is safe with me. I knew her long before you did and still care about her.” He headed outside to the grill.
She followed with their drinks, silverware, and napkins. “Be yourself with her, Josh,” she advised as she set the outdoor table. “She’ll need that-just try to keep everything at a slow speed. You’ll understand what I mean when you see her.” She pulled out a chair. “I’ve given you enough surprises for one morning. What do you say we eat and talk about the weather?”
He sprinkled olive oil and parmesan cheese over the veggies, spread them out in their holder to brown and crisp. “It’s beautiful out now and going to rain later,” he noted, glancing at the horizon. “November has been mild thus far, and the leaves are taking their time to drop off the branches. That covers the weather.” He slid a slice of fish onto a plate and placed it in front of her. “We’ll eat in courses. Why don’t we talk about you and Paul? Any truth to the rumors he’s heading to Washington, DC?”
“I’ve heard the rumors too,” she agreed easily. “He likes running the Chicago FBI office. I wouldn’t mind the transition if he wants deputy director. I can fly back to Illinois in a few hours, and I can do my writing anywhere. But for now, he’s not looking for that move.” She motioned with her fork. “Great fish, by the way. Done just right.” She reached for her drink. “Paul’s more likely to be offered a position he can’t refuse-be asked to step in after someone resigns in scandal, or the like-an emergency overnight promotion. He has the management skills, field experience, and a deft hand at navigating political problems. He’s a heavyweight in the bureau-every year that becomes more apparent to me. It’s inevitable he’s going to end up in DC one day, which is probably why the rumor’s going around.”
“Did you expect that when you married him?”
She shrugged. “He’s a good cop. One of the pleasures of my being retired is I can flow with whatever his work life is. If he needs to be in DC someday, I’ll adapt. There’s always work that needs to be done somewhere. I’m still working cases that interest me-either cold ones with Paul on our own time or helping out wherever and whenever asked.”
Josh scooped the vegetables into two bowls and set one beside each plate. “You mentioned you were bringing case files for a state cop?”
“Yes, helping out a friend.” Ann stabbed a mushroom slice, nibbled cautiously around it for the heat, and nodded her approval. “It’s good.” She stabbed another one. “Governor-elect Bliss wants a task force to take another look at unsolved missing-persons cases across the state-understandable given his family’s personal history with his sister, Shannon. The task force is going to be small, maybe four to six cops, and won’t officially start work until after the inauguration in January. Sharon Noble, a cop with the Riverside PD-that’s a suburb just outside of Chicago-will be leading it. She’s decided they will work county by county, first taking a look at cases five to fifteen years old. Carin County has two that fit: the missing six-year-old Dayton girl, and the Florist family disappearance that you probably remember. A state cop is here to take a look at the two cases, do a trial run of sorts for what the task force will tackle next year. I brought down what the FBI has on the two cases for her.”
“You’re helping out? Not just transportation, but working the cases?”
Ann nodded. “Paul and I will both be involved. He’s providing FBI resources to the task force, data searches, lab work, that kind of thing, when needed. I’ll be coordinating things with him. Mostly I’m involved because it sounds like interesting work, and I’m between book projects at the moment.”
“Dad was sheriff during both those cases, spoke of them often,” Josh said. “I’ve lived with them for a lot of years-all the Thane brothers have. You need some info, observations, when you get into the details, find us.”
“Thanks. That’s helpful. The state cop is named Evie Blackwell. You’ll like her. She and I are similar, only she’s got a sunnier personality.”
Josh laughed at the remark.
“She’s good at solving puzzles,” Ann added.
Josh smiled. “So are you.”
“Let’s hope that holds true again.” Ann glanced at the horizon. “And that the weather cooperates. I’m meeting Evie at two to take her up for an overview of the county. You see a plane flying low and slow across this lake shortly after that, wave. I’ll toggle wings back.”