by Robin Mahle
“It was fine, thank you.” Katie continued through the foyer, waiting for further instruction.
“Here; let me take that from you.” Vivian took hold of the box and placed it on the table against the wall of the entryway. “Come and sit down. Can I get you a coffee, tea?”
“Just some water, please. Thank you.” Katie sat down on the light blue sofa, sinking a little in its oversized cushions.
Vivian returned, handing the glass of water to Katie and taking a seat in the large side chair.
“I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to bring you his things. It’s just, well, it’s been hard.”
“Of course it has. It’s been very hard.” Vivian reached for Katie’s knee, patting it for a moment. “Have you returned to work?”
“Yes. I got home about three weeks ago and went back to work shortly after that. I guess that was late January.” Her sense of time was all but lost. Each day rolled into the next without much distinction. Each was consumed with grief, guilt, and anger. It was now early February and Katie felt like she’d lost him only yesterday. But that was the thing about losing someone. Time seemed to stand still while everyone else continued on with their lives as if nothing had happened. It made her angry how people could just go on like that. Didn’t they know that he was gone? Didn’t they care?
Captain Hearn did. She knew that. Since she got back, he’d been trailing her around like a shadow. Not letting her go to any homicide scenes. Instead, she was collecting evidence from things like store robberies and the occasional home invasion.
She’d quit her graduate work and went home every day by herself to an empty apartment, not quite ready to put it up for sale. It didn’t matter that the money she would make off of it would set her up pretty well. Marshall had bought it before the boom and bust the first decade of the new millennium saw. It would be enough for her to buy a house, if that was what she wanted.
“Oh.” Katie retrieved the box at the entry and returned, handing it to Vivian. “These are some things I thought you’d want, like we talked about?”
“Thank you, dear. You know, you could have just mailed them to me. You didn’t have to come all this way to deliver it.”
“Yes, I did. I would never risk his things getting lost. I had to be sure you got it.”
Marshall had kept very little from his childhood. In fact, Katie suspected if any of those things still existed, they existed here with his mother. Instead, she brought photos. Mostly of him, but some of the both of them together. The posthumous metal that the Mayor had bestowed on him. Katie felt she should have that too, and a few other trinkets she thought Vivian would want.
It appeared as though Vivian wasn’t ready to open the box. Katie didn’t insist. Instead, the two spent the afternoon together, shopping, walking along the pier, enjoying a time that would probably be their last. Katie would have loved having this woman for a mother-in-law.
And, as they enjoyed one another’s company, Katie could see Marshall in his mother’s eyes. That mix of hazel and green, always shifting with the moods. She was grateful Vivian still had a son who had given her grandchildren. At least she would never be alone.
26
SPRING WAS MOVING in quickly, not that the weather ever shifted with the seasons much in San Diego. But the flower fields in Carlsbad had already opened up, marking the beginning of the season.
Katie stood in the middle of the living room, the tiled floors exposed in the now empty space. The furniture was sold or given away and the keys were due to be turned over to the new owner in just a few hours. She had found another place to live and the moving truck was due there later. The landlady offered to open it up for them since Katie couldn’t make it there in time. Instead, she would arrive to a place already filled with boxes and brand new furniture.
She began her final pass through, walking down the hall, double checking the bathroom, moving to the office; it was empty too. And, finally, she stopped inside the bedroom. Her mind called forth a time when she rested comfortably in his arms. A time when he tackled her and tossed her onto the bed, pinning her down with kisses. She could see it as if it was happening right at this very moment. As if he was right there with her.
Katie closed her eyes, trying to savor the memory, but it vanished too quickly and, upon opening them again, the four grey walls reminded her that he was gone. Katie turned away.
The only thing left to do was turn off the light switch that illuminated the hanging fixture where the dining table used to be. Katie turned it off. A final look around and she closed the door, standing on the landing and locking up the apartment for the last time.
***
“I’m on my way there now. Will you be there?” Katie asked, calling from the car. “Great. See you soon.”
She pulled up into the single-car driveway, stopping just beyond the garage door. This was it. Her new home. The hedges were neatly trimmed and it appeared to have a fresh coat of paint on the outside. The landlady mentioned she would spruce it up a bit before Katie moved in. The soft yellow color reminded her of Sam’s house and the thought made her smile.
An elderly woman sat in the Adirondack chair on the front porch. A man, whom Katie assumed was the son, sat next to her. He was the first to stand on Katie’s approach.
“Ms. Reid?” he said, walking towards her with a pleasant smile.
“Yes. I’m Kate. Hello.” She shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ron Mitchell and, of course, you know my mother.” Ron moved up the steps towards his mother.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Mitchell. Thank you for letting the movers in. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.”
“That’s quite all right. I’m sure you’ve had a time getting down here, so it was no problem at all. Here are the keys. All the utilities are on, of course.” Mrs. Mitchell took her son’s arm as he helped her down the steps of the porch. “Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but I picked up some basics for you at the store. Milk and bread and such. Now, you holler if you need anything. Ron will take care of anything that needs fixin’. Glad to have you here, Ms. Reid.”
“Please, call me Kate. Thank you both for everything. Have a good night.”
Ron walked his mother to the car and opened the passenger door for her.
“That girl’s had a rough go of it. I hope she’ll be all right on her own.” Mrs. Mitchell said in a hushed tone so Katie wouldn’t overhear.
“She’ll be fine, Mom. She’s a grown woman.”
***
It had been a tough night, but Katie got through it. New places were always difficult to get used to. Not to mention the new bed and furniture. Nothing was the same, except for the pictures she dug out of one of the boxes, setting them on the fireplace mantle last night. Katie needed him to be with her and he was. She knew that, could feel it too. It was the only familiar thing in the whole place.
Her pants were pressed, and the blouse she’d chosen still smelled of her former residence. But she was ready for work. A quick glance at the hour and she quickly realized now was the time to go if she didn’t want to get caught up in traffic. The meeting was scheduled for nine a.m.
The garage door opened. It sounded a little creaky. She would be sure to pick up some WD-40 on the way home and take care of that tonight. As she backed out of the drive, her cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“You still planning on being here by nine o’clock?”
“Yep. That’s the plan. I’m actually leaving the house right now. I’ll see you soon.” Katie dropped the phone in the center console and continued to reverse onto the street. It was the first time she’d seen the house in the morning light. The sun was almost over the roofline behind it and cast a beautiful orange glow against the green of the hickory and mulberry trees that towered over the home. It looked peaceful, safe.
In the months since Marshall’s passing, Katie had grown to discover that it was possible to feel safe on her own. She’d always needed him fo
r that. She hadn’t realized it at the time of course, but she had. He knew that and took on the burden of ensuring her safety. It had cost him his life.
Even before Marshall, she’d needed Spencer in much the same way. Katie had never lived on her own. In college, she had Sam as a roommate. Then she and Spencer moved in together. Then it was Marshall. They’d practically been inseparable since Hendrickson. Now she was alone and was beginning, just beginning to think that it was okay.
***
After searching for nearly ten minutes, Katie finally found a parking spot. She checked the time on her phone and had five minutes left before the meeting. The unfamiliar traffic conditions had been worse than she’d expected. That seemed to always be the case, though, when one was in a hurry.
Stepping out of the driver’s side door, Katie walked to the other side to retrieve her carrier bag. This was an important meeting and she was more than a little nervous now that she had actually arrived.
The weather was cooler than she’d expected as well and she wished she had thought to bring a sweater. Never mind now. The glass doors parted automatically on her approach and she stepped inside to a slightly warmer environment, although her skin still felt chilled, but that was probably just nerves.
“Good morning. I have a nine o’clock meeting.” The clock above the lobby desk showed 9:05. It must have been fast. “Looks like I’m a little late.”
“No problem, Kate. I’ll let them know you’re here,” the gentleman behind the desk replied as he picked up the phone. “Kate Reid is here to see you.” He set the receiver back down. “He’ll be right up. Why don’t you have a seat?”
She nodded her head and walked towards the seating area, picking up a magazine, not caring which one. The pages flipped by with her not really taking any notice, just needing something to do with her hands.
Several minutes seemed to pass by at a snail’s pace. The longer she waited, the more nervous she became. The clock on the wall now showed 9:15. The tapping of her heel on the floor echoed and she caught herself, stopping immediately.
“Kate! You’re looking well.”
She stood up and dropped the magazine back onto the table. “Thank you. I actually managed a decent night’s rest.”
“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“That’s fine. I know how busy you are Nick, I mean, Agent Scarborough.”
“Well, shall we get going?” Nick walked next to her and opened his arms wide. “Welcome to Quantico.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Mahle lives with her husband and two children in Arizona. She found her passion for writing, which later became her second career, after spending 20 years in the construction industry.
Having always been a lover of books, Robin attributes her creativity to the wonderful overseas adventures she has shared with her husband of 16 years. Traveling throughout Europe and having lived in England opened her mind and with that came a steady stream of story ideas inspired by her author-idols in the mystery/suspense genre.
If you enjoyed Ms. Mahle’s work, please share your experience by leaving a review on Amazon
OTHER WORKS
All the Shiny Things – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 1)
Gone Unnoticed – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 3)
Blackwaters- A Kate Reid Novel (Book 4)
The Kate Reid Series Box Set (Books 1-3)
Inherent Clarity
Landslide
Beyond the Clearing
For more information about Robin Mahle, sign up for her newsletter and stay informed of her upcoming releases, or visit her at: http://Robinmahle.com. You may also want to check out her Amazon author page!
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