I reach for the coin around my neck and slide it back and forth between my fingers. It’s soothing on a normal day. But on a day like this, all it does is make me wish for the impossible. Which makes me cry more.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
LOU
It tookFinn and his officers three days in the Little house to dust for prints and to search for clues. The police figured there had to be at least three people involved with the break-in due to the amount of damage inside and the time they had to do all of it. Needless to say, they found nothing but mine, Dad’s, and Bella’s fingerprints. Oh, and one they couldn’t find in the State of Nebraska database. “That was probably Chase’s,” I’d told Finn.
After that, it took me, my dad, Bella, Bill Schumacher, and a few kind volunteers two full days to clean up all the glass and debris that was strewn all over the house. I paid to have the largest dumpster available delivered and set in the driveway. I half expected Mona to complain about it blocking “her tenant’s view,” but she’s been surprisingly absent. Bill even offered to close his shop up early each day and help me out, but I thanked him and told him he’d done enough.
My insurance woman came out as soon as the police cleared the scene. As I told my dad, my policy wasn’t great, but it was enough to replace my tools and a small percentage of the materials that were destroyed. It’s my fault I went on the cheap side with the insurance because I never, ever, thought something like this would happen. I have homeowner’s insurance on the house in case a fire or a tornado takes it away, but nothing to cover me for this.
Thinking, I grit my teeth about my own stupidity. I’d like to get a better policy, but something tells me they aren’t going to let me do that. Not after all of this.
“So….” I turn around and see Bella at the door. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
Sitting on the cracked subfloor, I pat the spot next to me. “Sit. I need to talk to you.”
“Oh?” She does as I ask. “What?”
“I think I’m going to ask Joseph Feinster if he’d still like to buy the place.”
Her face tells me nothing. There’s no expression whatsoever. “Are you going to say anything?”
Sighing, she lowers her head and places her hands in her lap. I watch as she intertwines her fingers. “I think that’s a good idea. I don’t see why he wouldn’t want it. Didn’t he say he’d buy it as is?”
“Something like that.” With no contingencies.
“Give them a call. What can it hurt?”
My soul.
I don’t have a choice, though. I haven’t the money required to get this place back on track. Yes, I recouped some of my losses but not enough for the materials that would need to be replaced. I feel Bella’s hand on mine. When she squeezes it, I look up and smile. “It’s fine.”
“No. it’s not. It sucks.”
It sure does.
“One other thing.” Bella releases my hand. “You said Finn found Chase’s prints, right?”
I shrug. I know where she’s going.
“You should see if he could run them, you know, do a national search.”
“I can’t ask him to do that. It sounds desperate.” And pathetic.
“It’s not. What if he had something to do with this?”
Without a second thought, I shake off her question. “He didn’t.” I know he didn’t.
“I need to tell you something.” With a sheepish expression on her face, she looks away from me, which tells me this isn’t going to be good.
“What?”
“I asked Finn to do it. To run Chase’s prints.” Reaching into her back pocket, she produces a piece of paper, folded until it’s barely two by two inches square.
Shit. “I don’t want to know.”
