As he made his way into the kitchen, he chuffed out a laugh.
What the hell kind of an excuse is that? I need to talk to my mom. What am I, ten?
“What’s so funny?” his mom asked as he draped his arm across her shoulder.
“Me, bein’ an idiot.”
She smiled.
“Can I steal you away for a quick minute?” he asked.
His sister popped in. “Isn’t Paula the best?”
“You say that about all your girlfriends,” Rebel pushed back. “You know, I can find my own women.”
“Well, where are they and why don’t you ever bring them by?”
Rather than tell her he was still working through what had happened the last time he’d gotten involved with someone, he said, “Next time.”
He wrapped his hand around his mom’s arm. “We’ll be back in five.”
On his way through the family room, he grabbed a throw off the sofa, blanketed his mom’s shoulders, and opened the French door to the sunroom.
“I’m going to freeze to death,” his mom said.
“I got you.” Rebel shut the door.
“Are you going to tell me you’re not interested in Paula?” his mom teased.
“Who? Oh, Rebecca’s friend. Yeah, I’m not interested.”
Her mom’s playful expression fell away. “How was Texas?”
Again, Brit popped into his thoughts.
While he never discussed the deets of his work, he always told his mom when he was out of town on a job. He owed her that, especially since he’d followed in his dad’s footsteps.
“I’m done with that one,” Rebel flicked his gaze from the backyard to his mom. “I got Dad’s cold case.”
Her eyes widened. “I hope you find something. Twelve years is a long time for a case to go cold.”
“Did Dad discuss his cases with you?”
“Sometimes, like if he was having trouble making inroads with a particular group, or if he was going to be making an arrest. He didn’t want me to worry, but I always did.”
“Did he mention a fentanyl case?”
She broke eye contact. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “No, nothing that specific. There was a man he partnered with a lot. Rogers Stine. I remember because he had two last names.”
“I saw his name in one of the reports.”
“I know you’ve wanted Dad’s case ever since you joined the Bureau.” Her rueful smile reminded Rebel how much she missed him. “I hope you aren’t disappointed if you don’t find the killer.”
“I’m gonna find him, Mom, and I’m gonna rip him to shreds.”
His mom held his gaze for an extra beat, but stayed silent.
Kurt popped his head in. “Sorry to interrupt. Time to eat.”
