“You’re trying to tell me to get over it.” Nate chuckled. “And it’s not really working. I don’t know what to do about it though.” He sighed and sank back into his chair. He stared dreamily at the door that Jewel had just exited and whimpered.
“Well, you could help me by putting in a good word for me with Em.” Sam winced. Why he always came back to the same subject, he had no idea. He really didn’t want to wear his heart on his sleeve, he was just really good at it around Nate. They were buddies, despite their age difference.
“Yeah, and you could convince Jewel not to go.” Nate’s eyes never left the door.
“Like that’s going to happen,” Sam laughed.
He knew the only way Jewel wouldn’t go was if someone in her family needed her desperately. That wasn’t likely to happen. Seth, Drew, and Peter were doing well and hadn’t had issues for months. Her adopted mother and father were still in love, so no chance of divorce or anything. Nope, the only way she wasn’t going to go was if she was tied hand and foot.
Sam watched Nate as he slunk back into his chair and began flipping through files on his computer. He knew Nate’s concentration wouldn’t be very good for the rest of the day, but at least they didn’t have anything major to work on at the moment.
Sam quietly pulled out the wallet-sized picture of Emily that he kept in his desk drawer and prayed silently for her. He didn’t remember where he had gotten the picture of Emily in a light blue shirt, a smile lighting up her eyes. It had been taken a while ago, but he couldn’t even remember why he had it. Praying for her had become a regular habit, and he thought nothing of it, until Nate noticed.
“Because that’s not creepy,” Nate commented sarcastically. His eyes gave him away. He was up to something.
“Shut up,” Sam whispered, throwing a wadded-up fast-food napkin toward him. Maybe it was a little creepy, but he felt like he needed to pray for her and he liked seeing her smiling face.
“Well, it is!” Nate insisted. “But I promise I won’t tell the rest of the world.” His face became serious again.
“Thank you.” He nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He really, really didn’t want anyone knowing about his crush on Emily.
“Just the entire office.” Nate went back to his computer, a satisfied grin on his face.
“Nate!” Sam gave him a scolding look. So help him, if Nate told anyone, he would strangle him himself.
There was no way he was going to stand by and let his partner rat him out to everyone in the FBI office. He would be officially humiliated, not to mention he would be teased for the rest of his life. He shook his head. He was going to have to tell Emily sooner or later.
It wasn’t as if he was being totally secretive about it. He knew his eyes lit up every time he saw her. He also knew that his overactive concern for her was a dead giveaway. Even a blind man would be able to tell he loved her. So why couldn’t Emily tell?
Emily was late. It really wasn’t like her. Mark glanced at the clock for the fiftieth time and shook his head. She always came by on Friday mornings at eight o’clock, and it was now nearing nine. Maybe he should call the police. She had only been late one other time in her life, and he didn’t want to think about that.
He finished twisting the soft chocolate into a knotted heart shape and placed it on the wax paper with the others. He placed them in the freezer to harden and carefully cleaned his hands. Life without Emily wouldn’t be right. She was a true gem, and a great caretaker. Her smile could light the world and she had always been a good daughter. Never once had she raised her voice to him or rebelled against him. What he said was law, simply because he truly loved her.
The front door opened and shut loudly and he smiled. He headed in that direction as he heard her footsteps.
“Daddy?” Emily’s voice came from the living room. “Are you home?”
“In the kitchen, Emily!” he called back, walking back through the doorway and retrieving a roll of softened peppermint candy from a shelf. He began to form it into small balls. Peppermint chocolates were his favorite to create. Emily’s too.
He looked up as Emily entered the kitchen, still wiping sleep from her eyes.
“Sorry I’m late,” she apologized. “I didn’t get home last night until nearly eleven, and then only because Sam Kent forced me. I overslept.” She shrugged her thin shoulders and put an apron on.
“That’s alright, sweetheart. You’re just in time to help with the peppermint chocolate.” He split the remainder of the peppermint log in half and moved one-half toward her. “How have you been?”
She looked tired, and not just because of her late night. She always looked tired lately. He worried that she had was working herself too hard.
“Fine,” Emily answered simply. “Work’s been good. I haven’t lost any more evidence since the Capriccio case.” She smiled wryly.
Mark knew, because Emily had told him, that Daniel Capriccio was a gunrunner, now in prison because of an eyewitness statement from a then-seventeen year old girl, Jewel Hanlin. The only evidence they had had to convict him was a camera with the murder recorded on it. Someone impersonating a police officer had stolen it. That really got Emily’s goat, and she had determined to check and double check everyone’s credentials from there on out. That was his girl, taking the bad and turning it into a positive, learning a lesson from whatever life threw at her.
“How are your coworkers?” Mark asked.
“Nate’s good. He and Jewel are so in love it is not even funny. I love to watch them together.” She smiled wistfully.
“How about Sam?” Mark kept his head down, but moved his eyes to look at her. He was fascinated but sometimes concerned by her “Sam stories”. This man had gotten under his daughter’s skin, and he knew as well as anyone that that was hard to do. She had put up walls, lots of them, and they weren’t disintegrating anytime soon.
“He’s alright, I guess. Pestering me as usual. Last night he actually had the audacity to use the misery loves company cliché on me.” She shook her head and laughed.
Mark wiped his hands off and rested them on Emily’s shoulders. “I have a request.” He stated soberly.
Emily cocked her head and bit her lower lip. Mark knew this meant she was curious and horribly worried about what he was about to say. He knew her tells as well as he knew his own.
“I want you to bring all your friends from work to the Thanksgiving party I’m giving in two weeks.”
Emily smiled and then glanced at her feet. “Sam counts, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does.” Mark smiled enthusiastically. “I want to meet him since I hear so much about him.” And because you and he have an interesting relationship, He mentally added.
“But then I have to deal with him all by myself.” She looked miserable at the thought.
Mark gave her a look of feigned surprise. “Have you forgotten? Our family is coming for Thanksgiving. There will be other people to deal with too.” He tried not to smile as he said this, knowing that without a doubt she would find some excuse not to invite Sam.
“Including mom?” Emily looked at him with those enchanting hazel eyes.
Mark wished he couldn’t see the hurt look behind those eyes. The look that had been there for many, many years. It was all his fault, had always been all his fault.
He nodded. “Including your mother. I’m sorry, Emily, but she’s still family.”
“I know,” Emily shrugged. “I do love her. It’s just, well…how could she leave you for that guy she said she loved? I don’t understand. I never did.”
Mark wanted to cry at the way she said those words. She had been hurt so badly and it had only been the beginning. He wished he had been able to keep her from the pain.
“Sweetheart, your mother left because she thought it was for the best.”
“And I don’t understand why. How could it be for the best to tear our family into shreds?” He saw her heart breaking all over again.
“I don’t understand,
either,” Mark confessed. “She said she didn’t love me anymore. I don’t understand how anyone could fall out of love.”
Emily’s eyes teared up. “I’ll bring everyone,” she said with a nod, wiping her eyes quickly and sniffing. She took off the apron. “I should probably get to work.”
Mark’s heart went out to his daughter and he drew her close. “She won’t even be here for that long, you know that, right?” He whispered.
Emily nodded. “I know.” She backed up again. “I have to leave now, dad. Save me some of those new pretzel-shaped chocolates.” She sped toward the door as if the house was on fire.
Mark collapsed into a chair and rubbed his face. The pain behind her eyes was just too much. She had been hurt and had carried that hurt for so long. He knew she was a devoted Christian, but she needed to learn to love again, to trust again, and to forgive. She couldn’t do that if she spent her life wallowing in unforgiveness.
Father, he prayed, heal her heart. Guide her down the right paths and carry her in Your arms.
FOUR
Emily squared her shoulders and checked her reflection for the third time. Finally, all the traces of her tears were gone. She smiled weakly at her reflection and raced to her workstation.
She set to work on organizing her files and books. She didn’t know why, but Sam’s opinions on them mattered a lot to her, and if he thought she was a mess she would just about die. She wanted him to feel at home in her office. She really hated admitting that, especially since she didn’t want him there too often. She stopped in the middle of moving a stack of manila folders and considered that. If she cleaned up, he might visit more often. Then again, if she didn’t she might go crazy trying to find something. She shook her head and returned to her work.
She had just finished straightening when Sam came through the doors, his cell phone to his ear.
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.” He hung up the phone and smiled briefly.
“Good morning, Sam,” Emily said indifferently. Just because she cleaned didn’t mean she wanted him to feel too at home here.
“Morning, Em,” Sam replied. “We just took over a case.”
Emily waited for him to go on, but he didn’t. “Your point?” she asked. If they took over a case then he should be updating her about the evidence, not just standing there.
“It involves transporting kidnapped children between states and murder, as well.”
Emily nodded. “You’re telling me this why?”
“Because I want to know if you can handle going through the pictures and evidence, or if I need to get a different forensics expert.”
Emily thought about it for a minute, her features holding a perplexed strain.
“I can do it,” she finally managed. At that moment, her computer beeped. “Right after I finish what I’m working on.” she rushed to the computer and hid the screen.
“What are you working on?” Sam asked.
“A case.” Her smile was still strained, she could tell. “Dad wants you to come to Thanksgiving dinner.”
She saw Sam’s curiosity at the change in subject. She kept herself from wincing.
He furrowed his brow deeper, but replied to the invitation. “Sure. I’ll come. Um…I’ll get the evidence to you right away,” he promised. He threw her one more concerned glance and walked out.
She blew up at her computer. “You couldn’t have shut up for one more minute? I don’t need him prying into anything else!” She shook her head and read the information that had come up. It was definitely him.
She thought about the case Sam had said they were taking over. She knew the case well, and it hit too close to home for comfort. She thought of the poor children that had died at the hands of the unknown kidnapper. His MO never changed in the slightest. All of them were girls between the ages of nine and twelve, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and always from a broken family.
It hit way too close to home. Emily sank into a chair and wept again. She didn’t want to take this case, but she knew she had to. No one else would treat it as seriously as she would. She had to do this. She had to do this for Lani.
Her mind strayed to thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner. It might be fun, what with all her friends being there. She hoped her mother didn’t ruin it for her.
Sam hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes. Why he was so tired, he didn’t know, but it made for an uncomfortable afternoon.
“Nate, stop what you’re doing. We have to go.”
Nate turned to him and shrugged noncommittally. “Why?”
“They just found one of the abducted girls. She’s dead. We have to head out to the site.”
Nate nodded. “So, was Emily ok with taking this assignment?” He asked as he grabbed his gun and badge.
Sam slung his jacket over his shoulder and shrugged. “She said as much. I’m not sure if she really can handle it, though.”
“I agree with you. Did she invite you for Thanksgiving yet?”
“Yes. We’ll check on her mental status then. Think that plan will work?” Sam hoped it would work. He and Nate had discussed this about four times during the course of the day.
They both knew that Emily had a soft spot for young girls from broken families. Neither of them, however, knew why. They had decided if she were too stressed at Thanksgiving, they would give the evidence to someone else. Sam hoped they wouldn’t have to do that. Emily would hate him more than she already did.
“It should,” Nate finally answered. “She won’t realize that we’re checking her mental state.” He slammed the car door and buckled in. “Did you see the other project she’s working on?”
“No. But I saw she was working on something. Do you know what it is?” Sam pulled out of the parking garage and headed down the highway.
“No idea. According to the other agents in the office, she doesn’t have anything working for them, but I definitely saw her running something through the system.”
“Yeah, me too.” The silence hung heavy the rest of the way to the forest reserve.
Sam’s thoughts ran wild. What would Emily be doing running something on her own? Knowing her, it had to be an emergency or she wouldn’t take the time out of her business day. What was so important?
His thoughts were cut short as they arrived and trekked directly to the crime scene. The body had been moved to avoid the press, but otherwise the scene was exactly as they had found it.
Sam let his eyes wander around the area for a moment and had to admit that he was impressed by the caliber of this mystery man. The area was secluded, but not enough to be conspicuous. One side of the area was completely blocked off by trees and bushes, the other allowing just enough visibility to see if someone was coming.
His eyes finally rested on the small grave where they had found ten-year-old Amelia Landers’ body. It was shallow, the edges ragged. From the looks of things, the grave had been dug hastily with a rather large shovel.
“What all have you found?” He asked the one of his associates.
The man glanced up from his work. “Other than fabric from the girl’s clothes and some duct tape, nothing. We haven’t finished canvassing the area, though, so something could show up. But this guy is good.”
“Yeah,” Sam agreed, “I’ve noticed he’s more than capable.” He spotted something bright next to a tree. He got Nate’s attention and headed that way.
Nate joined him at the tree and just looked at him quizzically.
Sam slipped on some latex gloves and bent to pick it up. It was a piece of a green t-shirt. Amelia had been wearing red. This could be the killer’s, or someone else could have just left it there. Whatever the case, it looked fresh since it had hardly any dirt on it. He motioned for an evidence bag from Nate, and Nate handed it to him. He silently bagged the evidence and stood again.
“Let’s let our colleagues finish canvassing. I want to take this to Emily personally.”
“I figured you would. I’m driving.” Nate smiled widely and held up the keys he h
ad pick-pocketed from Sam.
Sam laughed quietly and shook his head. Nate was a man of many talents, and not all of them were good. He decided to let this one slip. His talents had come in handy in the past. Who knew, one day Nate’s talents might come in handy again.
FIVE
Emily checked the readings and decided to run the test again. These couldn’t be accurate readings, they made no sense. She slammed the door and pushed the start button again. Then she finally returned to her computer and began work on the Amelia Landers case. The poor girl. She could hardly imagine what terror she must have felt before her death. To have a killer hold you hostage for days, sometimes weeks, and then decide to kill you had to be gut wrenching. She shook her head to clear it of the thoughts.
At that moment, her cell phone began to ring.
Emily groaned. Now was not a good time to call her. She was too far into this case, the evidence all too real.
“Hello!” she snapped.
“Whoa, sorry Emily. I thought you would be in a better mood.” It was Jewel, calling from New York.
“Sorry, Jewel. I am just a little frustrated today. What’s up?” Emily silently kicked herself for being so self-absorbed. Her father had always warned her not to answer her phone so harshly. Some people couldn’t handle it. Others would just hang up. Either way, it was not being professional or thinking about the other person’s feelings. She took a deep breath, willing her heart rate to slow down.
“I got your voice mail. You know, the one about Thanksgiving dinner. I will definitely be home. But I have a friend who wants to come meet all of you guys. Is it ok if he comes too?”
“He?” Emily asked sarcastically. “You’re giving up on Nate?” Not that she truly believed that Jewel would ever give up on Nate. Jewel and Nate were perfect for each other. If Jewel ever gave up on him, Emily would punch her and apologize later.
Jewel laughed. “No! I would never give up on Nate. And besides, this guy’s like three times my age.”
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