they?”
“Define
trouble
,” Maggie said with a grin.
“Hey!” Sandy said. “I resemble that remark.”
“Daddy home soon?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be home soon, son,” Jake said.
He looked a little sad, but then Josh said, “We play trains when you come home, Daddy.”
“Yes, we will.”
“Make the whistle, Daddy,” Josh ordered, and Jake smiled and did another perfect imitation of a train whistle.
Josh pumped his fist and then leaned forward and kissed the computer monitor.
“Love you, Daddy,” he said. Then he wiggled off of his mother’s lap and headed back to his train table.
Maggie leaned forward and blew a kiss to Jake. “Take care of yourself, Jake.”
“You, too, Maggie,” he said, and he winked.
Maggie knew that Sandy and Jake had only minutes to talk, so she went to keep Josh occupied so they could spend their precious time alone.
“How are you, baby?” Sandy asked.
Maggie turned away, but she heard the sadness in Jake’s voice when he answered, “It’s been a rough week, hon. Two of my squad were killed by IEDs.”
The devastation in his voice made Maggie want to turn around and offer some comfort, but she heard Sandy say, “Oh, Jake, I’m so sorry.”
Quietly, Maggie shut the door behind her. She closed hereyes, her thoughts with the families who had lost their men. But another part of her was so desperately grateful that it wasn’t Jake who had been killed, she felt guilty for even thinking it.
She found Josh back at the train table. She sat down with him and let him boss her trains around some more. Sandy joined them about fifteen minutes later. Her face was pale and her eyes watery. Maggie opened her arms, and Sandy sank onto the floor and leaned into her.
“He’s okay,” Maggie said, knowing it was a cold comfort at best. But Sandy nodded and pulled back.
“Be present. Live today,” she said. “I got to see him today.”
Maggie nodded in approval. Her own throat was too tight to speak.
“Mommy, look!” Josh launched his train down the steep part of the track, and Sandy watched him with amused eyes.
“Sandy, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard Jake talk about the two men in his squad.”
“He’ll be all right, but it was bad,” Sandy confirmed.
“I can’t even imagine what he’s going through,” Maggie said. “Jake’s tour will be done soon, though, yes?”
“Six more months,” Sandy said, and closed her eyes, as if trying to imagine it.
Maggie squeezed Sandy’s shoulder. Josh had five of his trains lined up now, and he was sending them into the roundhouse one by one. Sandy sat down to play with him, and Maggie stepped away, letting them have some mother-and-son time.
She couldn’t help but think of the cake knife sticking out of John Templeton’s chest. Not exactly an IED, but thenagain, who used a cake knife—an everyday, ordinary object—to kill?
“How long is Claire going to be held?” Maggie asked Max through the window of the Frosty Freeze. She and Ginger had decided to have ice cream while they pestered Max about Claire’s case.
“At her arraignment this morning, the judge denied bail,” Max said.
“But she has ties to the community,” Ginger protested.
“And she’s a good person,” Maggie added.
Max blew out a breath. “Yes, but her fingerprints are on the knife, and she has a history with the victim. I couldn’t get them to budge.”
He looked defeated as he passed Maggie her hot fudge brownie sundae through the window and handed her a spoon.
“I’m sure you did your best, Max,” Maggie said. “How did Claire take it?”
An odd look crossed his face, and Max said, “She didn’t seem surprised.”
“What happens next?” Maggie asked.
“Preliminary hearing,” he said. “The prosecution will do their best to prove that they have enough evidence to hold Claire for a trial, and I will do my best to prove that they don’t.”
He looked stressed, and Maggie wondered if it was time to
“Define
trouble
,” Maggie said with a grin.
“Hey!” Sandy said. “I resemble that remark.”
“Daddy home soon?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be home soon, son,” Jake said.
He looked a little sad, but then Josh said, “We play trains when you come home, Daddy.”
“Yes, we will.”
“Make the whistle, Daddy,” Josh ordered, and Jake smiled and did another perfect imitation of a train whistle.
Josh pumped his fist and then leaned forward and kissed the computer monitor.
“Love you, Daddy,” he said. Then he wiggled off of his mother’s lap and headed back to his train table.
Maggie leaned forward and blew a kiss to Jake. “Take care of yourself, Jake.”
“You, too, Maggie,” he said, and he winked.
Maggie knew that Sandy and Jake had only minutes to talk, so she went to keep Josh occupied so they could spend their precious time alone.
“How are you, baby?” Sandy asked.
Maggie turned away, but she heard the sadness in Jake’s voice when he answered, “It’s been a rough week, hon. Two of my squad were killed by IEDs.”
The devastation in his voice made Maggie want to turn around and offer some comfort, but she heard Sandy say, “Oh, Jake, I’m so sorry.”
Quietly, Maggie shut the door behind her. She closed hereyes, her thoughts with the families who had lost their men. But another part of her was so desperately grateful that it wasn’t Jake who had been killed, she felt guilty for even thinking it.
She found Josh back at the train table. She sat down with him and let him boss her trains around some more. Sandy joined them about fifteen minutes later. Her face was pale and her eyes watery. Maggie opened her arms, and Sandy sank onto the floor and leaned into her.
“He’s okay,” Maggie said, knowing it was a cold comfort at best. But Sandy nodded and pulled back.
“Be present. Live today,” she said. “I got to see him today.”
Maggie nodded in approval. Her own throat was too tight to speak.
“Mommy, look!” Josh launched his train down the steep part of the track, and Sandy watched him with amused eyes.
“Sandy, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard Jake talk about the two men in his squad.”
“He’ll be all right, but it was bad,” Sandy confirmed.
“I can’t even imagine what he’s going through,” Maggie said. “Jake’s tour will be done soon, though, yes?”
“Six more months,” Sandy said, and closed her eyes, as if trying to imagine it.
Maggie squeezed Sandy’s shoulder. Josh had five of his trains lined up now, and he was sending them into the roundhouse one by one. Sandy sat down to play with him, and Maggie stepped away, letting them have some mother-and-son time.
She couldn’t help but think of the cake knife sticking out of John Templeton’s chest. Not exactly an IED, but thenagain, who used a cake knife—an everyday, ordinary object—to kill?
“How long is Claire going to be held?” Maggie asked Max through the window of the Frosty Freeze. She and Ginger had decided to have ice cream while they pestered Max about Claire’s case.
“At her arraignment this morning, the judge denied bail,” Max said.
“But she has ties to the community,” Ginger protested.
“And she’s a good person,” Maggie added.
Max blew out a breath. “Yes, but her fingerprints are on the knife, and she has a history with the victim. I couldn’t get them to budge.”
He looked defeated as he passed Maggie her hot fudge brownie sundae through the window and handed her a spoon.
“I’m sure you did your best, Max,” Maggie said. “How did Claire take it?”
An odd look crossed his face, and Max said, “She didn’t seem surprised.”
“What happens next?” Maggie asked.
“Preliminary hearing,” he said. “The prosecution will do their best to prove that they have enough evidence to hold Claire for a trial, and I will do my best to prove that they don’t.”
He looked stressed, and Maggie wondered if it was time to
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