Ava: Friday works. Any food allergies?
Two nights away. Bubbles of excitement filled her stomach.
Chay: None.
Ava: Games, movies or karaoke?
He used the double exclamation marks on her comment.
Chay: Not a singer.
Ava: Really? With that deep voice I bet you sound pretty good.
Chay: You like my voice?
Ava: Yeah. So game or movie?
Chay: You choose.
Hmm…she had few days to decide. The kettle whistled, and she walked back over to it with her phone.
Ava: Gotta go. Good night. See you Friday.
Chay: Night.
Her heart was racing as she poured the water over a bag of Sleepy Time tea. It was silly to be so smiley and happy after texting with a guy. But this was Chay and he was funny. She couldn’t wait to see him on Friday.
Pulling together an investigation was a lot of grunt work. Sitting at his desk, reading reports and making calls. Trying to piece together if there was a connection between Annie Ross and Fern Hensley wasn’t that easy. There was a part of him that worried he and Jacob were making one just to explain what had happened. He’d worked a lot of cases. And no matter how many he’d closed, he still always wanted to understand the why.
The missing women on his list had one thing in common. But other than all having been through the foster care system, that was it. Their paths hadn’t really crossed in or out of foster care.
Some were known to the police before they’d gone missing and had dabbled in drugs and sex work. Others were just regular women with stories similar to Fern’s—just doing their thing trying to get by.
His alarm went off, reminding him he had to get to the grocery store before they closed. The date with Ava wasn’t until tomorrow night, but he had in mind to make a stew that tasted better the second day. He needed to get it started tonight so that tomorrow night it would be perfect.
Which reminded him. He called his grandmother.
“How’s it going?” she asked when she answered.
“Busy. Long day trying to figure out these missing women,” he told her.
“You’ll figure it out. You always do. What’s up?”
“I have a date with Ava tomorrow night and I’m bringing my stew over. How do you feel about making some bread dough for me that I could bake at her place?”
“I can do that. I’ll even make a winter berry cake for you as well. She loved those muffins I made,” Grandmother said.
“Thanks,” he said. He hoped she knew how grateful he was to have her. “Did you have any doubts about keeping me? When Mom left?”
“None. Even though I didn’t know anything about raising a boy and your grandfather had died not long after your mom left,” she said. His grandfather was already dead when Chay was brought to live with his grandmother.
“So you were settled into living your single woman life, huh?” She’d still been young when he’d been dropped on her door. She’d raised her daughter, and having him might not have been what she’d wanted.
“Oh you. Not really. I have Fiona and my weaving. But I was content. I don’t have a problem with silence.”
Something he was aware of. He’d had a problem with it when he’d first moved in with her, but she’d taught him how to use the silence to find peace and balance in himself. Not that he’d been an easy or eager student. “I’m not sure I could do what you did.”
It was odd, because he’d told Ava he wasn’t considering adopting Gracie, but these questions had been in the back of his mind. The thought that maybe he could do it, but his fear that he wasn’t going to be good enough to raise a little girl.
