Sincerely,
Great Falls Forensics Laboratory
Dammit.
That blood sample was the only thing I’d found at Molly’s that gave me a clue about the guy who’d tried breaking into her bakery.
I’d thought about that break-in for weeks. The fact that his DNA wasn’t in the system confused me even more. If Molly was right and the guy had been carryinga gun, I’d assume he was more of an experienced criminal—meaning he’d likely be in the system. The fact that he wasn’t suggested he’d only committed petty crimes and misdemeanors.
Maybe he wasn’t an experienced criminal at all. Maybe he’d been hired to target Molly. But who would have it out for her that badly? Molly wasn’t walking the streets making enemies every day, so that theory didn’t make any sense.
Maybe this guy was just some petty thief who’d hurt himself too badly before he could finish the job this time. But also… What the hell would he want to steal at Molly’s? Flour? Sugar sacks? I was sure she’d had cash in her register, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hundred dollars. He would have found more cash breaking into almost any other business in Silver Creek.
None of this shit made sense.
I glanced around the parking lot of the Great Falls Art Gallery. My mom had called last week wanting to meet up and talk. The art gallery was a neutral place we knew my dad wouldn’t be, so we could talk without chaos ensuing this time.
I hopped out of my Jeep, repositioning my ball cap on my head.
The Great Falls Art Gallery was a massive three-story Victorian-style building with rounded glass windows and a rotunda at its center. A project my momhad helped build from the ground up. The designs, the construction, curating the collection—she’d overseen every piece of it from start to finish.
I always made sure to tell her how proud I was of her. It was something she’d never once heard from my dad during their entire marriage.
I pulled open the heavy glass door that led to the main gallery floor. Mom stood behind the reception desk with a phone pressed to her ear, eyes lifting as I walked in.
“I’ve gotta go, Lisa. I’ll call you back,” she said, placing the phone neatly on its dock. “Hi, sweetheart.” She rounded the desk and pulled me into a hug. “How have you been?”
“You know. Taking it day by day.”
“And Molly? The baby?” she asked, smiling.
“They’re great. Both healthy. That’s all I can ask for.”
She nodded. “I’ve been keeping myself busy here since everything happened between you and your dad. He’s still upset, but he’ll get over it eventually. It’s your life, not his. He’ll figure that out sooner or later.”
Wishful thinking, Mom.
“Follow me,” she said, heading toward a small office off the main gallery floor with a sign on the door marked Employees Only. She flipped on the light, revealing several pieces of artwork resting on easels—some finished, others still waiting to be completed.
“I’ve been working on something for the baby’s nursery,” she said. “You can give it to Molly if you think she’d like it.”
She pulled the cloth off one of the easels.
It was a painting of a goose from the neck up, wearing a brown cowboy hat. The background was a smear of blues and greens.
I smiled. “This is cute, Mom. Where’d you get the idea for the goose?”
“When you and your brother were little and did something funny, I used to call you my silly gooses,” she said, smiling.
“I’ve actually been working on a project of my own lately,” I said. “I bought a house.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You did? That’s amazing, honey. Where at?”
“Silver Creek. It’s an older, run-down place I’ve been fixing up. When it’s finished, I’m signing it over to Molly so she and the baby will always have a place to call home.”
Her eyes immediately filled with tears. “I’m so glad you grew up to be such an amazing man,” she said softly, “despite having the crappiest example of a father.”
“I had one hell of a mom. It evened things out,” I said, trying to cheer her up.
