A Trace of Hope

by Blake Pierce

  So she’d reached out to a few universities—UCLA, USC, not LMU—about returning to Criminology. They’d all jumped at the prospect. A bidding war had even broken out. Eventually she chose UCLA because they were more amenable to her continuing to consult for the LAPD whenever she wanted.

  Porter K. Frendlehaus, Esq., had also been a big proponent of the move. In his direct style, he’d pointed out that the court would look favorably upon her switching from a job where she might get shot in the head every time she went into work to a job where her biggest risk was sleeping with coeds.

  Ev never said it, but Keri knew she was excited about the move too, if only because it meant her mother would work more regular hours, possibly be able to pick her up from school on occasion, maybe even go to a PTA meeting here and there.

  She also sensed that Ev felt a little guilty, as if it was her fault her mom wouldn’t be rescuing people anymore and some kids might die as a result. Keri kept a close watch on that, ready to address it if the topic ever came close to coming up. That’s the last thing her daughter needed to be piling on herself just as she was finally starting to climb out of the pit of darkness that had been her life for six years.

  Keri chose not to think too much about the question herself: would kids die because she wasn’t on the job? It wasn’t productive. And she’d come up with an answer that was at least somewhat satisfying—recently promoted Detective Castillo would be Ray’s new partner.

  Keri couldn’t think of anyone better to step into her shoes and keep those kids safe. Jamie was sharp as a tack, street smart, and unbelievably tough. She’d also proven loyal, hardworking, and relentless in pursuit of justice for victims. Those were the qualities that really mattered in the end.

  Keri knew Ray was glad to have Jamie on board. But she could tell it was complicated for him. He wanted to embrace his new partner. But he also wanted to keep her on her toes so she wouldn’t get too cocky.

  Beyond that, he wanted Keri to know he was happy for her and the choice she’d made (he had suggested it, after all) but not so happy that he wouldn’t miss having her around. He was in kind of an impossible situation. But he was handling it with his usual grace.

  He didn’t even mind her ribbing him about how she was now crushing him in the salary department. With the UCLA professorship salary, her substantial retainer as a consultant for the police department, and the advance on her memoir, she was pretty flush these days.

  She’d thought the memoir thing was a joke when Mags had mentioned it. But when an agent friend of hers (at Stephen’s rival agency, no less) pitched Keri on the idea, it was hard to turn down. And best of all, Mags was going to co-write it with her, this time under her real name. “Mary Brady” would have to take a backseat on this one.

  One additional plus of all the added income was that she and Ev had gone from the tiny two-bedroom apartment to a much more spacious three-bedroom townhouse. It was still in Playa del Rey, so Ev could go to the same school and see all her friends regularly. But it was gated, with a real security system. It even had a homeowners association.

  Of course, Ev didn’t care about any of that. She was more excited that her mom had agreed to become a foster parent to Susan Granger, which meant she would have a sister of sorts. Keri had been reluctant at first when Rita told her that Susan had reached the limit of her stay at the group home and would be going into the foster care system.

  But the more she thought about it, the less she could think of a reason not to do it. Susan adored her and she’d grown to love the girl back. And she genuinely thought she might be able to make a difference in her life.

  Furthermore, even though she was a year ahead of Ev in school, they had grown very close. Keri knew that it helped for both of them to have someone to talk to who understood the depths of what they’d been through. As much as she hated to admit it, sometimes a mom just wasn’t enough. Sometimes a girl needed a sister.

  Keri had been mulling that over a lot. And though she didn’t dare mention it to Evelyn, there was the very real possibility that she might have a sister for real. If the foster care situation worked out, Keri was seriously considering making things permanent and adopting Susan.

  With her head full of these thoughts, Keri stepped through the station lobby doors into the bullpen to find the entire workforce of LAPD’s West Los Angeles Pacific Division standing silently at attention. The Missing Persons Unit was standing in a tight group by her desk.

  Every cop saluted her in unison. Stunned, she managed to remind herself to salute back. After a second, everyone broke into loud applause and raucous cheers and whistles. The next fifteen minutes were comprised of officers coming up to shake her hand or give her a hug.

  For a second, Keri thought she saw Chief Beecher in the back of the room, behind a crowd of people. But when she tried to get a better look, whoever had been there was gone. Maybe she’d imagined it.

  Ray held back as the Missing Persons Unit got their turn. Hillman was last. As he squeezed her tight he whispered in her ear.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, Locke. But you’re not technically retired, so if you get bored in the world of academia, let me know. I’m sure we can find something for you.”

  “Thanks, Lieutenant,” she said, not mentioning that the same idea had occurred to her.

  Eventually she walked out with Ray beside her, carrying her box of things. She gave one last wave, and then turned to the door, refusing to look back, intentionally directing her focus on what was ahead of her.

  *

  Evelyn ran ahead of Ray and her mom as they casually strolled along the path that led from where Culver Boulevard ended to Toes Beach. They’d just had a celebratory dinner at Playa Provisions, her mom’s favorite restaurant (and one she said she could actually now afford) and were planning to watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

  Evelyn stopped where the path met up with the Ballona Creek bike path just before the sand and sat on a bench to wait. She was giddy but doing her best to hide it. Everything had changed so much recently. And if things went as planned, even more changes were on the way.

  Ray and her mom finally caught up just as the reddish-orange sun started to dip behind the horizon. Evelyn saw her mom shiver slightly. Ray immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He looked over at Evelyn.

  “You okay there?” he called out. “Mind if your mom and I go in the sand for a minute?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she called back, her legs swinging up and down enthusiastically. “Go for it.”

  “Take off your shoes,” Ray said as he kicked off his own sandals.

  “I don’t want to go in the sand,” her mom said. “It’ll be cold.”

  “Don’t be a wuss,” he said.

  “Yeah, Mom, you’re such a wuss!” Evelyn called out from the bench.

  “I’m a wuss—the woman who’s a walking, talking, bullet-riddled human scar?”

  “You’re stalling,” Ray said, stepping into the sand and reaching his hand out for hers.

  “Yeah, stop stalling,” Evelyn called out, enjoying the teasing immensely.

  “Oh, fine,” her mom said and took Ray’s hand. She slid off her shoes and stepped into the sand and stifled a gasp that suggested she really did consider it especially chilly.

  Ray led her out a few steps so that they were atop a small dune, where they had a better view of the sunset. The sun was dropping fast. It was now only halfway visible and hints of pink and purple were starting to appear.

  “Beautiful evening,” Ray said.

  “It sure is,” her mom agreed.

  It was a little hard to hear her over the waves crashing in the distance but Evelyn was paying close attention. She didn’t want to miss any of this.

  “Beautiful girl,” Ray added nonchalantly, glancing over at her mom.

  “Who, me?” she replied playfully.

  “Yes, you; the kind of girl you could spend the rest of your life with.”

 
“What?” her mom said and Evelyn noticed that her tone wasn’t playful anymore. It sounded serious; almost scared.

  And the next thing Evelyn knew, Ray was down on one knee. He had pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. Ev could see it glint in what was left of the evening light.

  She couldn’t hear what Ray was saying. But she could see tears running down his cheeks as he spoke.

  Her mom wasn’t saying a word. She was just staring at Ray with her eyes wider than Evelyn had ever seen them. And then Evelyn saw something else.

  It was something she’d seen in her head many times during all those years away, when she was suffering, when she’d closed her eyes and needed something to hold on to, something to keep her going when she didn’t think she could anymore.

  She saw her mom smile.

  COMING SOON!

  A NEW SERIES!

  WATCHING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

  WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book One) is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose free bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

  22 year old psychology major—and aspiring FBI agent—Riley Paige finds herself in a battle for her life as her closest friends on campus are abducted and killed by a serial killer. She senses that she, too, is being targeted—and that if she is to survive, she must apply her brilliant mind to stop the killer herself.

  When the FBI hits a dead end, they are impressed enough by Riley’s keen insight into the killer’s mind to allow her to help. Yet the killer’s mind is a dark, twisted place, one too diabolical to make sense of, and one that threatens to bring Riley’s fragile psyche crashing down. In this deadly game of cat and mouse, can Riley survive unscarred?

  An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, WATCHING is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. It takes readers back 20 plus years—to how Riley’s career began—and is the perfect complement to the ONCE GONE series (A Riley Paige Mystery), which includes 13 books and counting.

  Book #2 in THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE series will be available soon.

  WATCHING

  (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes twelve books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; and of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), and A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Kobo!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)