by Lynn Bulock
His pause told Kyra that Josh still didn’t think about Chloe and the others as real people yet. It would probably take an identification of at least one set of the bones for Josh to see any of them as a girl who had lived, grown, had sorrows and joys like anybody else, and then died. She sighed softly. “They tell me quite a bit, Josh. And explaining how I can tell one person’s remains from another might take me a couple of hours. Once I’ve worked through everything we’ve collected, maybe I can show you.”
He nodded slightly. “Sure. I understand that you can’t do it right now. Getting as much done as you can makes more sense. Meanwhile, I’ll go in and sort through some more missing persons reports on the computer.” He crossed the room, heading for the door that led to Kyra’s office. “Does anybody make coffee on weekends?”
“Sometimes. There aren’t many of us in today, though, and nobody’s gotten around to it. I’d welcome a cup if you get some going,” she told him.
“That I can do,” Josh said, with a ghost of a smile on his lips. “In my department at the bureau, making decent coffee was a survival skill not dependent on gender or rank within the department. If we could have talked them into a cappuccino maker I could have run that, too.”
He looked around into the corners of the room. “I know this is a brand-new set of labs. I don’t suppose…”
Kyra had to grin. “Nope, the State of Maryland barely sprang for regular coffeemakers. Weekdays when everything is open, I think there’s a cart in the lobby closest to the cafeteria that serves foo-foo coffee.”
That brought a laugh out of Joshua for the first time. “Foo-foo coffee, huh? After that iced coffee last night I figured you for a vanilla latte kind of person. Guess I was wrong.”
“Guess you were,” she said, trying to focus on her work. “When I’m not eating Thai or Vietnamese food, straight, black coffee in any insulated container that keeps it hot and prevents me from spilling it is my beverage of choice.”
He gave her a mock salute. “Ready in ten minutes, ma’am. I’ll even wash the mug.” Before she could reply he was through the doorway and out of sight, leaving Kyra to wonder what part of what she’d said had tickled Josh. He had a nice laugh. Too bad he didn’t use it more often.
She’d puzzled out two bits of Bethany’s foot, and what she thought was her left orbital arch, when Josh slid back into the room as quietly as the first time, making her startle again. “Any chance we can get you to wear a bell or something?” she groused. “You’re just too quiet.”
“It’s a talent I need when I’m doing undercover work. Besides, people reveal a lot more about themselves when they don’t think anybody’s there. For example, you tend to stick just the tip of your tongue out at the corner of your mouth when you’re trying to figure something out.”
Kyra had a flash of irritation as he handed her the warm travel mug. She was tempted to make some smart remark, but the truth was that Josh was right. “Thanks for the coffee,” she said, trying not to sound too irritated. Being astute was part of his job. She realized that she could probably use his gifts of perception about people to explain to him how she knew things just from looking at the bones in front of her. But first, she wanted to sip some of this coffee and stretch to get the kinks out of her neck. Deep concentration on these small bones left her physically pained after a while.
When she looked back at him, Josh had a thoughtful look on his face. “What?” she asked, hoping he’d tell her what he was thinking.
“You look uncomfortable. How many more hours can you lean over that kind of close work without making yourself sore for days?”
Kyra shrugged, still trying to get some of the kinks out. “A few. I think I’m close to a breakthrough here, so I’ll keep at it. If I can find a few more facial bones on…gurney B,” she said, unwilling to tell Josh about the names she’d given the girls, “we might have enough to start looking for medical records.”
“Don’t you always need teeth for that?”
“It helps,” Kyra admitted. “But I think I’m seeing a pattern of some old, healed facial injuries in this one skeleton. It’s the kind of thing that would have given her a distinctive look, and probably left a legal trail as well.”
Josh’s expression clouded. “You said these bones probably belonged to teenagers. If the injuries you’ve found are healed, you’re thinking child abuse, aren’t you?”
“It’s one of the top reasons for fractures in kids, unfortunately. I wish I could say it wasn’t.”
“Yeah, me too.” He turned around, then appeared to reconsider leaving and faced her again. For a moment he stood silently. “How can you see stuff like this and still believe in God? What kind of God lets little kids get beaten up?”
“God didn’t beat up this child. A human being is responsible for that,” Kyra said with more fervor than necessary. “If you want to see what God can do in a kid’s life, then come with me tomorrow.”
“To church?” Josh asked, a challenge in his steely eyes.
“No, to the mall for a movie. Bring money for popcorn and ice cream after the show.”
“Sure.” His quick acceptance surprised Kyra. She’d expected him to put up an argument.
“And clean out the backseat of your car if you need to,” she instructed. “My truck will only hold two besides me. You’ve got seat belts for three in the backseat, don’t you?”
“Yes.” He raised one eyebrow, seeming to ask what he was getting himself into. “What were you going to do before I came along?”
“I have no idea,” Kyra admitted. “I figured that if God wanted me to take all of the kids to the movies, then a way to take them all would show up.”
“And you got me instead,” Josh said. Kyra didn’t have the heart to tell him that she thought he was exactly what God had in mind. Josh was nowhere near ready to hear something like that.
FOUR
What on earth had he been thinking? Josh asked himself for at least the tenth time in an hour. Why had he agreed to meet Kyra and take strange teenagers to the mall? He didn’t know the first thing about teens, and especially not girls. The three in his backseat were giggling and making strange noises and speaking some language beyond his understanding, full of phrases like “and then he went yeah and I went no way” while he tried to keep concentrating on Kyra, navigating in the front seat to guide him to a mall he’d never been to.
He’d found the parking lot of Kyra’s church, where they’d agreed to meet, with no trouble. He wished that Kyra had let him pick her up at home, but she had argued that this was a more central location and closer to where they needed to get the girls. So he’d agreed and shown up on time, hoping that his weekend casual khakis were all right for the afternoon.
Probably to put the girls at ease, Kyra wore jeans and a soft sweater the color of honey, picking up golden notes in her glossy auburn hair. The uniform of the day in the backseat was jeans with baggy sweatshirt jackets that Kyra called hoodies.
Only when they were all getting out of the car in the mall’s parking garage did Josh notice that one of his passengers was pregnant. The realization hit him hard; none of these girls looked to be more than fifteen. Kyra chatted with them as if they were old friends, while all three eyed him warily.
“Now, understand that I chose the movie today,” Kyra said to him as they walked to the theater. She talked loudly enough so that the whole group could hear her, even though she was speaking to Josh. “Marta, Ashley and Jasmine are all far too mature to want to see an animated movie, but it was my turn to pick, so they’re humoring me.” The girls nodded vigorously and Josh fought hard to hide any hint of a smile.
He could still remember being thirteen and trying to act tough all the time. If he went to the movies back then, it was always with his sister. At that age it was nice to have Chrissie to blame for them going to watch kid movies. That way he had an excuse in case he saw any of his friends at the movie theater. It had been years later before Josh realized that any friends he met w
ere trying just as hard as he was to maintain a “cool” image. In those days before twelve-screen theaters everybody was there to see one of two or three shows. And back then the ticket sellers were stringent about keeping kids out of R-rated films. Not that Josh would have tried to sneak into one, especially not with Chrissie in tow.
So here he was, surrounded with a gaggle of giggling females who were trying their hardest to act as cool as he had more than over twenty years ago. He suspected they were all secretly glad that Kyra had picked a kids’ movie. That way they could see it without any of their friends thinking that they had chosen to go there. Josh figured it made them happy to have a friend like Kyra who took them to the movies, too. From what Kyra had told him of the kids’ backgrounds, everybody was in foster care or the juvenile-justice system; some of them both.
Today, though, they were just teens going to the mall, and Josh could feel their excitement and high spirits even when they weren’t talking. He looked at one of the family groups passing by them and wondered what those people saw. More than likely they wondered why a middle-aged man was shepherding a bunch of teenage girls at the mall, because Kyra didn’t look much older than the kids in some ways. She had the same lighthearted expression, smiling as she pointed something out in a window to Jasmine that made all the girls comment.
“Hey, Josh. I mean, Mr. Richards,” one of the girls said to him, pulling him out of his fog. “Are you going to spring for popcorn for all of us, or just Kyra? Lunch at the house was pretty bad and I can already taste that buttered popcorn. But if you’re just going to treat your date…”
“Ashley, what makes you think this is a date? We’re just doing a Sunday movie, same as usual. And don’t go trying to talk my friend into buying you popcorn.” Kyra still used a light tone so the girl didn’t feel like she was in trouble.
Marta leaned in close next to Ashley. “Not a date, huh? It’s the only time you’ve ever brought anybody along for a movie that wasn’t a church lady. He’s definitely no church lady.” Marta had an impish grin that made the other girls laugh and Kyra turn a little pink.
“C’mon you two. I want to see a movie and have popcorn. If you keep hassling Kyra she’ll take us back and we won’t get anything. I don’t feel like going back, I feel like having a good time. And maybe even ice cream after the movie.” Jasmine put a hand on her stomach. “We never get ice cream.”
“That’s because you should be concentrating on fruit and veggies, not popcorn and ice cream,” Kyra said breezily. “But you’re right, if you keep speculating on my personal life, you’re more likely to leave without enjoying your afternoon.”
Jasmine put a hand on her hip and glared at her friends. “See? I told you. Now, be good so we can see the movie.” The other two girls grimaced, but they stopped teasing Kyra. Josh marveled at how fast the situation was defused.
In the lobby of the theater Josh turned to Kyra and spoke softly. “Can they still have popcorn? I like popcorn with my movie, too, and I’m not about to eat in front of those kids unless I’m feeding them.”
Kyra smiled. “Just don’t make it super-large size, light on the butter, no candy and water instead of soda, got it?”
“Got it.” Josh didn’t know when the thought of spending thirty dollars on somebody else’s snacks made him feel this good. He was beginning to see why Kyra did things like take these kids to a show. It didn’t take all that much to make them happy, and watching them smile lifted his spirits as well.
Once they had their snacks, Kyra ushered everybody into the theater, putting the girls in a short row on the left side of the theater, sitting next to them herself and leaving Josh the end seat. “Tricky,” he murmured as they settled in. “This way nobody gets out without you knowing about it.”
“That’s the idea. We can all have a good time without me having to ride herd on the girls all afternoon. They’re pretty good kids for the most part, and I want to give them as many chances to succeed as I can.”
“I like your attitude,” Josh told her. “I wish…more people I know felt that way.” He hoped Kyra didn’t catch his hesitation; he had almost said he wished that his own mother had felt that way. That was water under the bridge, though. No sense having Kyra feel sorry for him.
After several previews the movie finally started, and Josh found himself actually enjoying it. Animation had improved a great deal since he’d seen a movie like this. A few minutes into the movie he was surprised to feel Kyra’s head resting on his shoulder. At first he didn’t look over toward her, wondering what she was doing. This was his boss; it was hard to think that she was relaxing by leaning on his shoulder. He had to admit that it felt good, though.
Kyra still leaned against him and there was a weight to her as if she was very relaxed. The scent of her shampoo drifted over him, herbal and warm. When he turned his head a little, Joshua’s bubble was burst. Kyra’s eyes were closed and she was breathing softly, clearly having dozed off. Jasmine, sitting next to her, looked over at Kyra and smiled briefly at Josh, mouthing “Don’t wake her up” to him.
It wasn’t often that he took advice from a fifteen-year-old, but this time Josh decided she was right. Kyra had been pushing herself incredibly hard in her quest to identify the skeletons in the lab. With her dozing on his shoulder, Josh felt a strong desire to protect her, take care of her and let her sleep. He slowly eased himself back in the seat to put her in the best position possible, settling in to watch the movie and listen to her soft, regular breathing.
“I can’t believe you let me sleep through the movie,” Kyra said, still trying to clear her head half an hour after the lights came up in the theater. She felt so embarrassed that she could hardly talk. What was worse—that she’d failed to supervise the girls, or that she’d spent more than an hour sleeping soundly and comfortably while leaning against Josh? He didn’t seem to be upset over the incident, and in fact was still grinning slightly as they sat with the girls around a table in the food court eating frozen yogurt.
“You’ve been working so hard you need the rest,” he said. “And I woke you up before the lights came back on, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but you should have woken me up once you realized I was asleep. You shouldn’t have had to be in charge.”
“Hey, I did a good job. Nobody got lost, or had too much popcorn or got in trouble. I think it was a good afternoon. And we all enjoyed the movie, too.”
Kyra felt prickles of irritation. Why couldn’t he agree with her? She hadn’t fulfilled her responsibility and she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. She looked hard at Josh’s shirt. Hopefully she hadn’t drooled on him while she slept. That was the only thing she could think of that would make the situation more embarrassing.
She looked at Josh and noticed he was smiling. “What?” It almost felt as if he could read her mind.
“You’re letting your yogurt melt,” he said, still grinning a little. “Should I have gotten you coffee instead?”
Kyra shook her head and looked down at her chocolate frozen yogurt. It was hard to stay upset with somebody who was being that solicitous of her feelings. “No, I’m good. I still think you let me sleep way too long.”
He reached over and patted her arm. “Really, don’t worry about it. Isn’t this supposed to be your day of rest, anyway?”
Kyra wasn’t sure whether to be glad that Josh understood that much about her faith, or concerned that he didn’t quite get the whole concept. The girls were probably listening to them, so she tried to come up with an answer that would benefit them as well.
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean napping when I’m supposed to be doing something else. The Sabbath is supposed to be spent doing things that give glory to God, and rest and renewal to me. I can actually see how taking the kids to a movie and out for frozen yogurt does that, but drooling on your shoulder, not so much.”
“Now, you didn’t drool. Not at all.”
Well, that was a relief, Kyra thought. She knew Josh was honest, and if he said she didn
’t drool, then it was true. A giggle bordering on a shriek from the adjoining table drew her attention away from Josh. Ashley must have said something that tickled the other two, and they were getting fairly loud. “Let’s turn down the volume just a little,” Kyra told them. Ashley nodded and Jasmine and Marta busied themselves with their root beer floats.
“We need to get back fairly soon. This is a fifteen-minute warning before we head for home.”
Marta made a disgusted noise. “Come on, Kyra. That is so not home you’re taking us back to. You know that.”
“I’m sorry, Marta. But you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I guess I do. But home has people you love in it. And I don’t love anybody in that place.”
“What about Diana? Diana’s fairly cool,” Jasmine said. “I stayed there for almost a year before…” She trailed off and Kyra sensed her reluctance to finish her train of thought. Kyra knew what finishing the sentence would have led to. After leaving the group home where Marta lived now, Jasmine spent a brief time on the street as a runaway, and now she was back in the system, dealing with the aftereffects of her time on the run.
“Right,” Marta said, trying to ease her friend’s discomfort. “Diana’s okay. But then we have to put up with geeky Gary.”
“Hey, he can’t be that bad,” Kyra said. “Otherwise he and Diana wouldn’t be running a group home.”
Marta gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I guess. I still think he’s weird and geeky.”
“You say that about your algebra teacher and the package-delivery guy and Scott in study hall,” Ashley said, sending the girls into giggles again.
“Ten-minute warning,” Kyra said, trying to keep a modicum of order. It was probably a losing battle, but at least she was fulfilling her responsibilities and not dozing on the job.
Forty-five minutes later the last kid had been dropped off and Josh found himself relaxing for the first time in several hours. “Okay, so now what? Originally I thought I’d offer to take you out to dinner, but it feels like all we’ve done all afternoon is eat. Want to find a park and walk off some of that ice cream?”