Cold Case Recruit by Jennifer Morey Page B

interacted with the other kids. She missed that little boy.
    “Where did he go?” he asked quietly.
    She leaned back and put her hands on his small shoulders. “He went to heaven.”
    “What’s heaven?”
    She’d taught him about heaven before, but he must not believe anymore. As he grew up, he’d make up his own mind what to believe about the afterlife. Drury kept an open mind on religion. She believed in the existence of a divine energy that could be called God. “Heaven is what people call the place we go when we die. We go to be with God.”
    He sniffled. “Is it real?”
    “Nobody knows exactly what it’s like when we die. No one alive can experience it before it happens. But it’s a good and loving place. Your father isn’t in any pain. He isn’t lonely or unhappy. He’s just waiting to see us again, and he’ll wait until it’s our time to go and be with him, which will be a very long time.”
    Junior searched her face and eyes, an innocent child needing to find the truth. “But he didn’t want to be with God instead of us, did he?”
    “None of us want to die. But once we do, we’re okay and we’re surrounded by love.”
    “Did the bad man force him to go there?”
    “By killing him, yes.” She hated even saying that. But Junior received it better than she expected.
    “Why can’t we see him anymore?” he finally asked.
    How could she answer that question? “Because he isn’t in his human body anymore. That’s what happens when we die. The life you feel inside, the thoughts you have, the awareness of who you are, all of that is what passes on to another world, one we aren’t meant to have contact with. We’re supposed to live here in our bodies until we go to that place.”
    He looked at her face for several long seconds. “Daddy’s okay?”
    “Yes.” A couple of tears slipped free and she kissed his cheek. “Daddy’s okay.”
    He put his arms around her neck as she hugged him, hugging her back.
    “Mommy?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’m glad Brycen is going to catch the bad man.”
    She couldn’t hold back a sob but managed to control any that would follow. “Me, too, sweetie. That’s why I hired him.” She moved back and stood, taking his hand. “Now, how about you go back out there and apologize to Brycen for throwing something at him?”
    “Okay,” he said glumly, and walked out of the bedroom.
    Downstairs, Brycen had finished the Sloppy Joe mixture, stirring with the burner on low. He saw them and put the spoon down.
    “Everything all right?”
    Junior came to a stop before him, head bowed. “I’m sorry for throwing something at you.”
    “No need for an apology. Happens to us all. You hungry? I am.” He opened the oven and took out the french fries.
    Drury watched Junior stare up at Brycen in wonder. He hadn’t gotten upset. He understood where Junior’s anger came from.
    More than sexual awareness stirred her heartstrings. For a man who felt awkward around kids, he sure had a way with them. More than ever, she wanted to know the cause of that awkwardness.
    He scooped Joe mixture onto a bun and then put a handful of fries on a plate. Handing it to Junior, he said, “Fries are hot.”
    Junior took the plate and stared up at Brycen a second or two longer before going to the table.
    Drury fixed her own plate. “Thank you.”
    “Don’t mention it.” He made his Joe and put fries on his plate. “This is the most french fries I’ve had since I was about ten.”
    He made light of what had happened. But Junior’s breakdown made her realize what her quest to avenge Noah had cost her son. She’d missed important signs. She’d seen him withdraw but attributed it to the normal grieving process. What she hadn’t seen had her thinking about things Brycen had said. While she would always disagree that people were meant to love more than one person in a lifetime, he did touch on a significant point. People did marry for the wrong reason, and she hated to think she was one of