“Oh.” It sounded like a guilty-as-charged kind of oh.
“Sophie was crying and, well … I made the decision to end the visit and bring them home. Jessie will be over soon to get them.”
Silence.
“Olivia?”
“I can’t believe you’d do that without consulting me first, Cole.”
Believe it, Liv, he wanted to say. “As you know only too well, we sometimes have to do what we think is best without consulting each other. I think this first visit was scheduled for too long, and as far as I can tell, it’s been too much for you. Am I wrong?”
No reply.
“Talk to me, Liv. I’m just trying to do what’s right for the kids. Has it been harder on you than you thought it would be?”
“I guess so.” She sounded wan and listless. “I wanted them here so badly, but I felt myself slipping into old patterns on the second day. I guess I’ve ruined it.”
“You haven’t ruined it. We’ll set up a shorter visit in a few weeks if you feel up to it.”
“Angela has become so difficult. I think she hates me. And, well … Sophie can be so demanding.”
Welcome back to parenting. “First of all, Angie doesn’t hate you. She’s a teenager, Liv. She just acts that way sometimes. And Sophie probably needs reassurance. It’s been a while since she’s seen you. She worries that you don’t love her.”
Olivia’s breath caught in a sob. “I’ve really messed things up.”
Cole felt sorry for her, but the kids were his priority. “It’s not forever, Liv. Do you want to see them again in a few weeks, maybe a month?”
“Yes.” He could tell she was trying to hold back her tears. “Maybe we could try a Saturday.”
“All right.” He thought he shouldn’t have to tell her what to do, but then again, maybe he did. “Can you talk to the kids and tell them you love them before they go? Reassure them that you want to try again in a few weeks.”
“Things aren’t that easy, Cole.”
That had at least roused a bit of energy in her. “I know, Liv. I’m just trying to do right by the kids here.”
She released an audible breath, but he couldn’t tell if it was in exasperation or determination. “I’ll talk to you later.”
And with that, she disconnected the call.
He shot a glance at Mattie, but she was gazing out the passenger’s side window. He thought she might be trying to give him all the privacy she could. He didn’t want her to feel like she wasn’t a part of this thing with his family, because someday … well, she might be. “I hope I didn’t screw that up, but it is what it is. I’m afraid we overestimated her ability to take care of the kids for a week.”
Mattie reached out her hand, and he grasped it. “The kids aren’t in their usual routine either, and that probably makes it even harder.”
“I should have thought of these things.”
“You can’t anticipate everything. But now you and Olivia both know. Things will go better next time.”
He squeezed her hand and sighed. “I need to call Angie back now. According to Olivia, she’s been giving her mom a hard time. I guess I better tell her to take it easy.”
“You’re a good dad, Cole.”
“Just doing the best I can.”
He released her hand so that he could reconnect the Bluetooth for his call to Angie. Mattie had a way of accepting things and making the best of them, and he appreciated that quality in her more than he could say.
Her previous comment about her childhood nagged at him. Last night, he’d hoped to confess that he knew about the abuse she’d suffered during her childhood and to assure her that it wouldn’t affect their relationship, but right now he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Even though Mattie was opening up to him more than ever before, their bond still felt fragile, and he didn’t want to say anything that might break it.
His dream of romancing her over the weekend had fallen by the wayside. He wished it could be different, but he’d have to follow her example of accepting things that couldn’t be changed.
Sometimes life just gets in the way of love.
TWELVE
As Mattie entered her house, she placed her hand on the ache in her stomach that Cole’s goodbye kiss had given her. The way he’d managed to respond to his kids, his sister, and even his ex-wife made her love him even more.
Robo trotted out of the bedroom, yawning and wagging his tail. It was obvious how he’d spent the afternoon, and she knew he’d be even more energetic than usual once he awakened fully. “Did you have a good sleep? Hmm? Do you need to go outside?”
She let him into the backyard, going out onto the porch to watch him circle the perimeter as he sniffed along the fence line below the seven-foot-tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Despite the county’s precautions, two different individuals had tried to take Robo’s life in her very own yard, and she felt like she could never let down her guard. She rounded the corner of her house to make sure the lock on the gate was secure.
After throwing the ball for Robo to retrieve for about fifteen minutes, she loaded him into the Explorer and headed for the station. Sam Corns was on dispatch duty, and she waved at him as she made her way through the lobby toward Brody’s office. She tapped on the door, resulting in Brody’s gruff invitation to come in.
“I’m back from Willow Springs,” she told him as she settled into one of the cheap plastic chairs in front of his desk. Robo sat on the floor beside her. “We found a fuel container and a box of jars that need to be sent to the lab for processing. Stella has them in her car.”
Brody had been working on his computer, and he turned away from the screen to look at her. “LoSasso called and briefed me. I’ve got a courier ready to take them as soon as she gets back.”
“She thinks it’ll be another hour or so.”
“She’ll call me when she knows her ETA.” Brody leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk. “I also tracked the previous owners of Nate’s van, Leonard and Dixie Easley. They ran a flower store in Denver, owned the van for years and used it for deliveries. They both turned seventy last year and decided to retire, so they traded in the van at the dealership.” Brody looked skeptical. “Call me crazy, but I have trouble believing that Grandpa and Grandma were using that van for drug running.”
“Well, I guess you never know, but the odds are against it.”
“I saved the best for last.” Brody wore his self-satisfied smile. “You know that revolver we found at the scene? I was able to trace the registration number on it myself.”
This was good news. “And I can tell you found something useful.”
“Just did. Haven’t even had time to notify LoSasso yet.” Brody paused as if waiting for a drumroll. “The gun is registered to Wilson Nichol.”
Mattie almost leaped from her chair. This could break the case wide open. “Can we get a warrant for his arrest?”
“There’s only one problem. Nichol filed a stolen gun report on it three weeks ago. That’s why I was able to trace it so fast.”
That did complicate things. “Do you think the report is legit? Or did he plan this murder in advance and file it to muddy the water?”
“That’s a good question. I’ll notify LoSasso and see which way she wants to go with this. At the very least, this combined with the items you found on Nichol’s property could get us a warrant to search his office and home.”
A niggling doubt undermined Mattie’s excitement. “And we can’t forget that leaving the gun at the scene and those items in plain sight behind Nichol’s shed makes this whole thing look like he’s being framed. Would Nichol be dumb enough to leave such a trail of evidence?”