"It's neat, isn't it, Daddy? I like it."
Don stood near the doors as they approached, and he let Hailey lean over and push the big square button to open them automatically. She giggled when he swept his arm out in a grand gesture. Devon felt the smaller fissures in his heart stitch back together as his daughter laughed freely at her grandpa's antics.
Don dropped him off at the shop, and the anxiety came rushing back. Hailey would be apart from him for hours. He had to trust her well-being to someone else. He knew Don would never harm her, but he'd thought the same thing about Vince once upon a time. What little Hailey had told him about what she remembered came flooding back to him.
"I only went outside because Aunt Lori was busy on the phone and I couldn't ask her to take me to watch the squirrels. I could see them through the window running after each other and being silly. I only meant to be out there for a minute."
"How did you end up in Uncle Vince's truck?"
She'd shrugged. "I don't remember, but I woke up for a minute while he was driving. I watched the sky and fell back asleep."
Devon's cell phone rang as he was flipping on the lights, snapping him out of the rage-inducing memory.
"Yeah?"
"McMillan, it's Sergeant Hurley."
"How's it going?" Devon booted up the computer and watched the circle spin on the monitor.
"I want you to know Buckley was granted bail at his hearing and posted same an hour ago. If you see him, you need to turn around and walk in the other direction. If he attempts to speak to you, do not engage with him. I don't want to have to arrest you."
The rushing sound returned in his head. He put his phone on speaker and laid it down, resting his head in his hands and his elbows on the counter. "Why?"
"Why, what?" John responded.
"Why was he allowed to walk free?"
"He isn't free. He has to attend his court hearings, and he's not allowed to leave Merrimac. He wanted it expanded to Chatsworth County, but the way he acted after the crime weighed against him. The judge granted bail because he's a pillar of the community and not considered a flight risk."
Devon couldn't help thinking the only reason Vince was a 'pillar of the community' was because of his association with the McMillans. "He better stay away from me, my family, and the shop, John."
"I understand. You can call me if he comes there, but unless he makes a nuisance of himself, you don't have any reason for a restraining order." John sighed. "Can you come to the station this afternoon? I have his official statement, and I know you're interested in what happened."
Devon's temples throbbed as he stared at a chip in the Formica. "I might be able to. Hailey is with my father, and I'm working for a few hours. I don't have my car, though."
"Tell you what, I'll come down to the shop at four. Does that work for you?"
Devon straightened and picked up his cell, looking at the time. "Yeah, that'll be fine."
"Okay, I'll see you then. Remember what I said, yeah?"
Devon ended the call and stared out the bank of windows along the front of his shop. A compact car in a bold blue pulled up, and he watched a petite girl with jet-black hair jump out. She wore jeans and a hooded sweatshirt under an unzipped coat, hesitating outside the door and smoothing her hair down before pulling it open.
"Olivia?" he asked.
She offered him a bright smile and a nod. "Mr. McMillan?"
He gestured for her to join him behind the counter. "Please, call me Devon. Lori said you're familiar with our website, but I'll show you how to handle it behind the scenes. You'll answer the phone and use our scheduling software to mark down the names of the clients and what they request, as well as the timeline you've quoted them. I have a timeline cheat sheet here." He set the piece of paper on the counter.
"Okay. You're going to show me the website today?" As she spoke, she looked up at him. She was much shorter than him, and clearly young. He felt old next to her.
"You're sticking around for two hours, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then we'll spend as much time as you need before moving on."
Once they started Olivia's training, it made Devon happy to discover she learned quickly. She wouldn't need to do too much to the website while Lori was out on leave, but there were some things he liked to make sure were kept up-to-date. When he noticed a car come into the lot, he almost didn't pay attention to it. People dropped by with gifts even then, but it wasn't a stranger with a box of donuts who stepped out of the driver side.
