“Not so much justice in this case either,” Evie said with a sigh.
“Not so much. Reality is what it is. The DA suggested we seal his interview, the forensic findings, rather than let them go public. The Florists’ relatives deserve what privacy we can give them, even if the funeral is going to be attended by hundreds of friends and neighbors and cops from everywhere.”
Evie smiled at the remark, knowing that was an understatement. People would come to pay their respects, to honor the fallen deputy and his family. “How else can I help, Gabriel?”
He squeezed her gloved hand. “You just did.”
“Have you spoken with your father?”
Gabriel nodded. “He’s coming out.”
“The Thanes will get through this together.”
Gabriel faintly smiled. “We always do.”
“When will you tell the Florist family?”
“Calls are already going out, asking people to come to town in the morning. They’ve previously asked me to tell them any news as a group, and a few have to travel some distance. The medical examiner will have dental confirmations for me by then. I’ll be able to make an official notification.”
“Good that they’ll be together. And that you’ll only have to do it once.”
“A small mercy I’ll gladly take.”
“Being sheriff is not an easy calling.”
“The hard days are brutal, and the good days are mostly quiet and occasionally boring,” Gabriel agreed.
Evie smiled. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“There are days . . .” he began, then stopped and offered her a smile instead of completing the sentence. “I’m a good sheriff, I know it. And on days like this, no one else wants the job. I’m likely to keep getting elected until I stop putting my name on the ballot.”
“Its own form of job security,” she quipped to further lighten the moment.
“Something like that.” They turned to walk back. He offered another sweet-tart from the roll. “I’m glad you came, Evie.”
“So am I. It’s good to end together what we started . . . what seems like ages ago now.”
Evie took off her gloves and held her hands to the warm air pouring from the heater, grateful Gabriel was the one driving as they headed back toward town. She was pretty much freezing from her fingertips to her toes and looking forward to Marie’s offer of hot chocolate.
“Mind if I mention something?” Gabriel asked.
She glanced over. “Depends on what it is.” He didn’t look as grim now—the hours of routine work had helped. She was glad to see the change as he smiled.
“That task force you’re taking on? I hope you find more than an occasional missing person who’s still alive—like Shannon Bliss. Those cases that still can provide a happy ending. But all too many of the cases will be closed with a death. When you remember Carin County and the Florist family, Ashley Dayton, the Arnetts, when you think of the funerals, I hope you can keep this in mind, Evie—they may be sad moments, but families and friends are finally having the memorial service they and their loved ones deserve. It’s not such a bad outcome. The cases are now solved rather than left in those ‘unknown’ folders. Accept that as a win in its own right.”
“We made an effort to unearth the truth and eventually got answers.” Evie nodded. “I can live with that, Gabriel. Can you?”
“I’m working on it.”
“How’s your father doing with this?” Evie asked. She’d seen Caleb speaking with Gabriel at the excavation site in the hour before they left the scene.
“He’s in better shape than I am. We knew they were dead, Evie, have lived with that likelihood for years. But the how of it has been hard to absorb.”
“Sad doesn’t cover it.”
Gabriel nodded. “You unearth the truth, you deal with what comes into the light. Nothing says the truth isn’t going be painful, but at least it’s known now. Twelve years of wondering what happened finally gets laid to rest.” He glanced over. “That’s why you’re a detective, Evie. If you ever wonder if it’s worth it or not, it is. I now know what happened to my friends.”
She heard the strong emotion along with the sadness and finally understood what closure really meant when she saw it in Gabriel. Acceptance could come now. “The Thanes are going to get through this together,” she reminded him once more.
Gabriel smiled, reached over to squeeze her hand. “Yeah. That matters.”
She deliberately steered the conversation away from the events of the day. “I envy you for that, the family you have.”
“Nothing says you can’t have the same, Evie. You choose someone, you build a family together, you slide into his. The process isn’t hard, it simply takes time.”
“I’m sitting on a marriage proposal.”
“Are you now?” he asked, looking over at her with more than some interest.
“One of those kind where he’s not going to officially ask unless he’s sure I’m going to say yes, but it’s got a nice ring attached and a five-year plan.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Admit it, that five-year plan is a relief—a picture of the future painted by someone else, something you struggle so hard to see yourself.”
“The banker in him can’t resist painting in the future.”
“Do you like the picture?”
“Mostly. I’m not a detective, though, in his view of things.”
“Just a point of reference here, Evie? You’re like a good baseball pitcher—your career does have an end date. There will be a day you stop being a detective. There’s no reason why you can’t make that decision, the when that best fits with what you want in your personal life. It doesn’t always have to be work that wins. Acting in favor of your personal life is perfectly acceptable. Even smart. So there it is. What do you want, Evie?”
“I still don’t know.” Evie turned to give him a long look. “You know what you want. Your picture is so clear, you can lay it out with ease. I want to solve real-life puzzles, and along with that figure out how to have a personal life that I consider successful. But I don’t see what that looks like yet.”
“Then wait,” Gabriel said. “It hasn’t aged enough yet, the answer you’re looking for. Just put it away for now, Evie, and let it be. Focus on solving the next crime you’re handed, the next cold cases your new task force has to deal with. Play with your dogs, make more friends, and just live. You’ll be fine. Like stinky bait, you catch more interesting things if you just let it sit there.”
Evie laughed. “I’m not sure I shouldn’t be highly insulted, Gabe. We’re talking catfish here?”
He grinned, then turned serious again. “You’re after an interesting life. Why not just admit that to yourself? You’re ambitious for your personal life, you want a great relationship, like Ann and Paul have, and you haven’t figured out where to find it yet. So just let that soak for a while and see what happens. You like Rob?”
“I do.”
“Does he make you laugh?”
“On occasion.”
“Then consider his proposal, see if it grows on you. I always figured he would propose around Christmastime—seemed a logical move from what I’ve heard of him. Much like the fact you’re not sure you’re ready to answer him seems like you. There’s nothing at all wrong with that picture, which time isn’t going to resolve.”
“I can’t forget those three near misses—”
“When you say yes,” Gabriel said firmly, “I expect you’ll make it to ‘I do’ this time.” He glanced at her again. “We’re at the Fast Café for a late dinner, whoever in the family is free and available. You have time to stay another hour? Karen’s cooking isn’t to be missed.”
“I’ve got time,” Evie said.
Life was going on, and for now she’d be content with where the days led her. Gabriel was good for her in that respect. He was willing to be a friend, to tell her the truth as he saw it. And she did need time. Her professional life was about to take a significant tu
rn. She could afford to give her personal life the space it still needed. She looked over at Gabriel. “I heard a joke last week.”
She waited to see if he was ready for something that light. He nodded. “Tell me.”
She told him her joke, careful on the timing, and got the full smile she was hoping for. She produced a second roll of sweet-tarts and dropped them into his dashboard change collection.
“Hey, you’re stealing my MO,” he quipped.
“You taught me well,” she said and grinned back. “A good friendship needs the give-and-take, and also something sweet.”
Gabe shot her another smile. “It does. All candy is accepted.”
He parked at the café. She let him come around and open her door, stepped out into the snowy evening.
She’d picked up another friend in the process of working toward the launch of the task force. It was a beginning. A good beginning for whatever came next in her life.
Dee Henderson is the author of numerous novels, including Taken, Undetected, Unspoken, Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story, Full Disclosure, and the acclaimed O’MALLEY series. Her books have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, and the ECPA Gold Medallion. Dee is a lifelong resident of Illinois. Learn more at DeeHenderson.com or facebook.com/DeeHendersonBooks.
Books by Dee Henderson
Danger in the Shadows
The Negotiator
The Guardian
The Truth Seeker
The Protector
The Healer
The Rescuer
True Devotion
True Valor
True Honor
Kidnapped
Before I Wake
The Witness
God’s Gift
The Marriage Wish
Full Disclosure
Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story
Unspoken
Undetected
Taken
Traces of Guilt
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