“It’s a miracle,” Cindy said.
“It really is.”
“The house was paid off. Did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah. Joseph did that six months ago. It was insane. He told Mark he did and Mark thought he was just acting, because it was when he had to do that undercover thing. Turns out he wasn’t acting.”
“Wow,” Cindy said, not sure how else to respond.
“Yeah.”
“We upped our insurance then, in case something were to happen to the house. Mark upped his life insurance at the same time, you know, just in case.”
She turned her head as though looking around the room. Cindy tensed, waiting for her to say something else about Mark.
“I should call Mark-”
“Rachel’s already asleep,” Geanie said, coming into the room. “Joseph’s just getting Ryan down now. He had to promise him he’d read him stories in the morning.”
“That’s good,” Traci said, looking relieved. “They’re young enough there’s a chance they won’t remember what happened.”
“They’re fine,” Geanie said quickly.
“I doubt they’ll remember a thing,” Cindy added.
“The only thing I remember from when I was their age is Disneyland,” Geanie said. “And I barely remember that.”
Traci nodded.
“Anyone want some tea? Coffee? Something stronger?” Geanie asked.
“Tea,” Cindy said.
“That sounds good,” Traci said.
She decided to take advantage of the moment to find out what was happening with Jeremiah. She slid off her chair. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said.
She hurried to the foyer and then ducked outside, closing the door behind her.
Jeremiah was putting his phone in his pocket. From the look on his face she could tell it was bad news.
“Well?” she asked, heart pounding painfully hard.
“Mark hasn’t showed up. No one knows where he is and no one has been able to reach him. His phone was ringing and now it’s just going to voicemail. Given the circumstances they have more than half the department out looking for him.”
“Oh no.”
“That’s all Liam said so far.”
She kept trying to tell herself that Mark was okay, but she kept fearing the worst. She couldn’t stand to be alone with the dark thoughts, so she blurted out, “Do you think he’s dead?”
“I’m worried. But we just don’t know yet and we have to keep positive thoughts until we know otherwise. Saturday is the start of Hanukkah. It’s a season of miracles, and I’m counting on one here.”
“You’re right,” she said, feeling a bit better. She took Jeremiah’s hand and squeezed it. “We should get inside.”
~
Jeremiah followed Cindy into the house. They joined the others in the kitchen, and he accepted the cup of tea Geanie offered him.
Captain came trotting into the room and came straight over. Jeremiah knelt down and hugged the dog who licked his face in return.
“Good to see you, boy.”
“Clarice and he have come up with a new game,” Joseph said. “They take turns hiding her favorite squeaky toy and then the other has to find it.”
“You’re kidding!” Cindy said.
“Wish I was. At midnight they celebrated the fact that Captain found it under our bed. I never knew just how loud that thing was until then. I’m sure they’ll be teaching Buster in the morning.”
“They should let Blackie take a turn hiding it. He’s a genius at that kind of thing,” Cindy said. “I’m still searching for the shiny necklace he filched from me on the Fourth of July.”
“I can’t believe our house is gone,” Traci said.
“It’s going to be okay,” Geanie said. “The important thing is everyone’s safe. No one got hurt.”
“I need to call Mark,” Traci said.
Jeremiah exchanged a quick glance with Cindy. Now was not the time he wanted to tell Traci that her husband was missing. He could lie, tell her that he’d already called Mark and that Mark was going silent for a bit while he tracked things down. All that did, though, was delay the inevitable. At that point he would just be hoping and praying that Mark resurfaced in one piece before Traci found out the truth.
But not telling her denied her the ability to start preparing herself. Plus, if he told her then they could all start praying together for Mark. Cindy nodded and he knew she thought they should tell Traci. Ultimately, since he was torn, he decided to defer to her judgment.
“Traci-”
Before Jeremiah could say anything else his phone rang. He quickly answered it as he moved out of the kitchen. “Hello?”
“It’s Liam.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a complete mess. I need to clear my head, talk some things through and I’m not doing any good here right now. I’m heading to you.”
“Okay. Have you-”
“I’ll be there in less than five,” Liam said, cutting him off.
The call ended and Jeremiah stared for a moment at his phone. He couldn’t help but think that the other man had deliberately avoided his question which was going to be about Mark. He squeezed the phone tightly in his hand. Either way, they’d be getting some answers in just a couple of minutes.
Even if I have to shake them out of him.
He headed back into the kitchen.
“Was that Mark?” Traci asked.
“No. It was Liam. He’s almost here. He’s coming to fill us in on everything.”
Cindy’s face turned ashen, but he was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed.
“I’ll make some more tea,” Geanie said, picking up the teapot.
“Anyone else hungry?” Joseph asked as he moved toward the refrigerator.
“I could eat,” Jeremiah said, mostly just to fill the silence and to avoid saying something he didn’t want to.
“We’ve got cold cuts, cheese, and bread. Or I can make hamburgers,” Joseph said.
“Sandwiches would be fine,” Jeremiah said.
Cindy seemed to find her voice. “Do you have any salami?”
“Does Geanie live here?” Joseph quipped. “Of course I have salami.”
“Great. I’ll have some. Traci, what would you like?” Cindy asked.
“Um, if everyone’s eating, I guess I could go for some turkey.”
Joseph pulled armfuls of food out of the refrigerator and set to work making sandwiches. Jeremiah knew that the other man was desperate for something to do in that moment. He understood.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” he said, moving quickly toward the foyer.
He opened the door and Liam walked in. The detective refused to make eye contact and he brushed past him on his way to the kitchen. Jeremiah clenched his fists and forced himself to take a couple of breaths. Clearly whatever Liam had to say he wanted to say it to the group.
“Liam! You want a sandwich?” Joseph asked.
“No, I’m good,” Liam said, his voice distracted.
Jeremiah positioned himself where he could see everyone’s faces at once. For the moment, though, he focused his attention on Liam, trying to figure out what news the man had to share.
“It’s been a bad night,” Liam started out.
Joseph handed out sandwiches and Cindy and Geanie began eating slowly. Jeremiah left his on the counter.
“We had Curtis, our top computer guy, working on Cindy’s theory that maybe the synagogues had something in common, like a particular family. Near as we can tell he left work around ten p.m. tonight. He made it to his car, got inside, and… something happened. The car went up in flames. He was parked in the side lot and no one saw it happen. They found him about five minutes later. Once the flames were out they were able to confirm that he’d been killed in the fire.”
Jeremiah wai
ted, sensing that this was not the worst news that the detective had to share. After all, they were already aware that someone had been killed. That’s what had sent Mark back to work and Cindy and him over to pick up Traci and the kids.
Liam continued. “It was another hour before anyone realized that someone had fried Curtis’ computer. We’re guessing that in the chaos whoever it was snuck in and did it. There are no cameras in that part of the building, but officers are scouring all the other cameras trying to identify the perpetrator.”
“And you think this is the work of the arsonist?” Joseph asked.
“That’s the theory we’re operating under, yes,” Liam said. “Files meant for Curtis were stolen from the backseat of Mark’s car earlier today sometime after he left the first synagogue that was burned down.”
Jeremiah took that in. That meant that someone had been inside Mark’s car and could have done any number of things to it while they were stealing the files. The detective should have told him. He would have done a sweep of the car checking to make sure nothing had been tampered with. He clenched his fists harder. If Mark was alive the two of them were going to have to have a long talk about sharing crucial information when it happened.
Cindy glanced at Jeremiah and he could tell she was thinking the same thing he was. He could feel his frustration mounting. What good were all his skills if his friends didn’t tell him things in time for him to use them?
“Taken together, I’m thinking that this means we were on the right track. Cindy’s right. There has to be a connection between the synagogues we haven’t discovered yet. We have most of the files that Curtis was working on. Or, at least, Mark has them in his email which is password protected.”
Liam took a deep breath and Jeremiah tensed. Now was the moment of truth, the real reason for Liam’s coming to them.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Traci said. “He didn’t forget his password, did he? He does that sometimes at home.”
Liam winced. “I don’t know. You see, Mark never showed up at the station after I called him earlier tonight. Twenty minutes ago we finally found his car. It was upside down in a ditch, completely burned out. Mark’s dead.”
14
Cindy threw her arms around Traci as the other woman began to sob. The frightened tears that she’d been holding back since driving away from Traci’s house flooded down her cheeks. Geanie and Joseph gasped in shock and reached for each other.
Jeremiah’s face turned hard, his eyes glinting. “Did you see the body?”
“No, not personally.”
“Then how do you know he’s dead?”
“The driver was still strapped into the car.”
“Were they able to positively identify the body?” Jeremiah asked.
Tears were running down Liam’s face as he shook his head. “They’re going to need dental records to do that.”
“Then you don’t know that he’s dead,” Jeremiah said.
“Look, I didn’t want to believe it either,” Liam said, putting a hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder.
Jeremiah shrugged it off. “I’m not going to waste time mourning someone who isn’t dead. I’m going to find him,” he snapped.
“Look, no one wants to believe he’s gone,” Liam said. “But it’s less than seven miles from his house to the station. What do you think could have happened in those seven miles that would mean he wasn’t the one driving his car?”
“A lot of things. Where was the car found?”
“In the dry river bed on the other side of Washington.”
Jeremiah turned and made a beeline for the front door.
“Where are you going?” Cindy called out.
“To find Mark and bring him back,” Jeremiah said without turning around.
Cindy carefully let go of Traci and then ran after him. She caught up with him at the car and climbed into the passenger seat.
“Cindy, go back inside,” he warned.
“No. I’m going wherever you’re going.”
“I’m going to see Mark’s body.”
“No you’re not, you’re going to see someone’s body,” she said, clinging to what he had said inside the house.
“No, not someone else’s. Mark’s,” he said, staring into her eyes.
“In there you said-”
“There’s a 99% chance the man who burned in the car is Mark. You have to accept that.”
“Why? You clearly haven’t or we wouldn’t be sitting out here in the car,” she countered.
“Fair enough. Look, it would be safer for you here.”
“No way that’s happening. I’m sticking to you like glue. Besides, you need me.”
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m the one who figured out there was a connection between the particular synagogues.”
“We still don’t know what, or who, it is.”
“I know, but if the trail is cold after we go and see Mark’s car, I’m sure you can hack into his computer and get those emails so that we can figure that out.”
“I’ll bet you that his password is RyanandRachel.”
“You’re on. I say it’s Traci.”
Jeremiah actually gave her the smallest of smiles and it made her feel better. She wiped the tears from her face as he started the car and headed down the hill. She hated leaving the others alone, but her place was with Jeremiah. She wouldn’t be stuck waiting and wondering what was happening to him. Not again. Not ever.
~
He would never have asked Cindy to come with him, but Jeremiah was grateful that she did. He was trying hard to keep it together. There were very few people in the world that mattered to him and Mark was one of them. The man had become a brother to him and the thought that he might be dead was unbearable.
Cindy provided a welcome distraction from his own dark thoughts. He knew the odds were stacked against them finding Mark alive, but he had to try. The detective deserved that much. Besides, all of them had survived enough close calls for him to know that nothing was truly over until it was over and the bodies buried.
“So, what do you think could have happened? Why would someone else potentially be driving Mark’s car?” Cindy asked.
“I don’t know. I’m trying not to entertain any theories until I see the crime scene,” he said.
The truth was a dozen fantastical scenarios, some less plausible than others, had already sprung to mind. He didn’t want to get her hopes up. Or his. Saying things out loud always made them seem more real. It was possible that Mark had been kidnapped or carjacked or picked up someone on his way to the police station. What he was reasonably certain about was that whoever had set Traci’s car and their house on fire had done the same to Mark’s car. Why it hadn’t gone up in flames before he left the house Jeremiah didn’t know. It was possible it was on a timer or even a remote detonator.
He should have asked Liam if they had an estimate about the time of the accident. Mark went missing before the house and Traci’s car were destroyed so barring some unexpected twist that delayed Mark on his drive, they couldn’t have all happened at the same time.
“Are we going straight to the car or are we retracing his route from his house?” Cindy asked.
“We’re starting with the car. I want to see it before the police have the chance to remove any evidence. Then we’ll retrace his route.”
“Makes sense,” she said. “I’ve been going over it in my head. There are at least two routes he could take from his house to the police station, but I don’t think either of them puts him on Washington.”
“It does seem out of the way,” Jeremiah admitted. “Unless there was construction or something like that on one of the other streets.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” she said. “Otherwise Liam should know which route Mark normally takes. He’s ridden with him between the two before. At least, I’m pretty sure he has.”
“Not sure if Liam�
�s thinking straight right now.”
“True, but if we have to, we can try asking.”
“Agreed.”
They drove a couple more blocks in silence. Finally, Jeremiah turned onto Washington and his chest tightened as he saw the mass of police cars a block down it. There were portable lights set up shining into the dry river bed.
“It looks like half the force is here,” Cindy said.
“It’s not often one of them gets killed. And two in one night…”
“One,” Cindy corrected. “We’ve decided Mark’s not dead, remember?”
“Yeah, but they don’t know that.”
And I hope we’re right, he thought to himself.
Jeremiah drove as close as he could before pulling over to the side of the road. He turned to Cindy. “They’re not going to like us being here,” he said.
“Tough,” she said.
The look on her face made it clear that he wouldn’t want to cross her. Hopefully neither would the officers they encountered.
They got out of the car and started walking slowly forward. They came to the first officer who was half-turned away from them. Jeremiah recognized Taylor who they’d dealt with on several occasions. His face was pale and he looked sick.
“This area is restricted,” Taylor said, not even glancing at them.
“Taylor, it’s us,” Cindy said.
Taylor blinked and turned toward them. “Cindy, Jeremiah, what are you two doing here?”
“We’re here to help,” Jeremiah said.
Taylor shook his head slowly. “This area is off limits to civilians.”
Cindy put her hand on his arm. “Taylor, we’re here to identify the body,” she said.
Taylor swallowed hard and started blinking rapidly. He turned his head away, probably so they wouldn’t see him start to cry.
“This is, ah, not where you do that. You need to wait until… the um, morgue.”
“This is not a usual case and it’s important for everyone that an identification be made as soon as possible,” Cindy said, voice softly pleading. “Liam knows we’re here.”
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