on the folder in front of him. A part of him still didn’t want to forgive, but rather hold on to the fire of resentment, if for no other reason than to protect himself from what this woman could do to him…again.
But she could only hurt him if he gave in to the dream of them getting back together and living happily ever after in Port Whisper. That was not even close to any kind of reality. He pushed the thought aside, and realized he needed to move on by whatever means possible. Yeah, how are you going to do that when she’s living under the same roof?
“Did you find something?” she asked, eyeing him.
His inner turmoil must be showing on his face. “Nope, just need more coffee.” He got up and refilled his mug. “Can I get you some?”
“No, I’m good.”
And she was. Still beautiful, smart and perfect in every way.
Snap out of it, Wright.
“What about Andy, the boy who went missing? What’s he like?” Morgan asked.
“He’s guarded, tough.” She glanced at him. “Reminds me of you when you were his age.”
“Getting into trouble, yeah, that sounds like me.”
“No, I meant all that other stuff—how you made me laugh, how you acted like nothing bothered you, when I knew it did. Andy does that, too. He acts like everything’s okay when I know it’s not.”
“Probably has to if he lives on the streets.”
“Yeah, but he has a gentle side.” She fingered her silverlocket. “He gave me this, even showed me the receipt to prove he didn’t steal it.”
Morgan eyed the gift, a silver butterfly locket.
“What pictures do you have inside?” He couldn’t help asking.
“Actually, it doesn’t open, but that’s okay. The fact he used money he earned doing cleanup for the city means a lot to me.”
“He appreciates what you’ve done for him.” Morgan settled behind his desk.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t easy at first. He was rude and cynical. I didn’t take it personally, but after months of his attitude I’d finally had it and called him out. That was a big turning point. He looked at me differently after that, with more respect, I guess.”
“He learned you weren’t a pushover.”
“Yep, and I didn’t let him get away with excuses. I helped Andy and Dane find temporary work doing festival cleanup, and Dane got a job at a pizza place. There was real hope for him.”
“ Is, Julie. There still is hope for him.”
“I guess. He’s strong and resilient. He could be okay.”
Although she said the words, Morgan suspected she had little faith in their truth.
“Did Andy and Dane know each other? We should have asked Andy if he’d heard from Dane.”
“They were friends, but I sensed they drifted apart when Dane got the job at the pizza place. Andy, well, he never saw much value in getting a regular job. He covers pretty well, but I sense he suffers from low self-esteem.”
“Which makes him a prime candidate for drug abuse.” Morgan tapped his pen to the folder on his desk. “What was Dane into?”
“He was working on kicking his meth habit. He was really determined.”
“Did he ever deal?”
“I don’t think so. Where are you going with this?”
“We have to assume his abduction had something to do with the drug culture. If he was a dealer, he had to get the drugs from somewhere and perhaps he was skimming off the top.”
“No, I told you he had a real job.”
“Jules, real jobs don’t pay as well as dealing drugs.”
“He was coming clean, completely. He wanted a stable life, wanted to go back to school, get married, have children…” Her voice trailed off and she glanced absently out the office window.
This line of questioning was upsetting her, so he backed off, closed his file and stood. “How about I take you back to the house? I’ve got some other police business I need to deal with. We can pick this up later.”
“Okay, sure. I’m sorry if I’m taking you away from real work.”
“This case is real work.”
“I know, but I’m not even
But she could only hurt him if he gave in to the dream of them getting back together and living happily ever after in Port Whisper. That was not even close to any kind of reality. He pushed the thought aside, and realized he needed to move on by whatever means possible. Yeah, how are you going to do that when she’s living under the same roof?
“Did you find something?” she asked, eyeing him.
His inner turmoil must be showing on his face. “Nope, just need more coffee.” He got up and refilled his mug. “Can I get you some?”
“No, I’m good.”
And she was. Still beautiful, smart and perfect in every way.
Snap out of it, Wright.
“What about Andy, the boy who went missing? What’s he like?” Morgan asked.
“He’s guarded, tough.” She glanced at him. “Reminds me of you when you were his age.”
“Getting into trouble, yeah, that sounds like me.”
“No, I meant all that other stuff—how you made me laugh, how you acted like nothing bothered you, when I knew it did. Andy does that, too. He acts like everything’s okay when I know it’s not.”
“Probably has to if he lives on the streets.”
“Yeah, but he has a gentle side.” She fingered her silverlocket. “He gave me this, even showed me the receipt to prove he didn’t steal it.”
Morgan eyed the gift, a silver butterfly locket.
“What pictures do you have inside?” He couldn’t help asking.
“Actually, it doesn’t open, but that’s okay. The fact he used money he earned doing cleanup for the city means a lot to me.”
“He appreciates what you’ve done for him.” Morgan settled behind his desk.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t easy at first. He was rude and cynical. I didn’t take it personally, but after months of his attitude I’d finally had it and called him out. That was a big turning point. He looked at me differently after that, with more respect, I guess.”
“He learned you weren’t a pushover.”
“Yep, and I didn’t let him get away with excuses. I helped Andy and Dane find temporary work doing festival cleanup, and Dane got a job at a pizza place. There was real hope for him.”
“ Is, Julie. There still is hope for him.”
“I guess. He’s strong and resilient. He could be okay.”
Although she said the words, Morgan suspected she had little faith in their truth.
“Did Andy and Dane know each other? We should have asked Andy if he’d heard from Dane.”
“They were friends, but I sensed they drifted apart when Dane got the job at the pizza place. Andy, well, he never saw much value in getting a regular job. He covers pretty well, but I sense he suffers from low self-esteem.”
“Which makes him a prime candidate for drug abuse.” Morgan tapped his pen to the folder on his desk. “What was Dane into?”
“He was working on kicking his meth habit. He was really determined.”
“Did he ever deal?”
“I don’t think so. Where are you going with this?”
“We have to assume his abduction had something to do with the drug culture. If he was a dealer, he had to get the drugs from somewhere and perhaps he was skimming off the top.”
“No, I told you he had a real job.”
“Jules, real jobs don’t pay as well as dealing drugs.”
“He was coming clean, completely. He wanted a stable life, wanted to go back to school, get married, have children…” Her voice trailed off and she glanced absently out the office window.
This line of questioning was upsetting her, so he backed off, closed his file and stood. “How about I take you back to the house? I’ve got some other police business I need to deal with. We can pick this up later.”
“Okay, sure. I’m sorry if I’m taking you away from real work.”
“This case is real work.”
“I know, but I’m not even
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