updates?”
Ava looked at her email screen, hitting the refresh button. Nothing new popped up. “They’re still reviewing video from the neighbors. Henley’s photo is on every news network and paper. They plan to interview the guy that Lilian dated. Duncan says he agreed to come in today.”
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that interview,” Callahan muttered.
“They want to talk to Jake today, too.” Ava watched the detective’s face carefully go blank.
“I’m surprised they haven’t dug deeper with him yet. He’s eighteen, but I plan to be there.”
“I started to talk to him yesterday,” Ava remembered. “He seems like the type of kid who keeps all his feelings bottled up. I’m worried he’s going to pop if he doesn’t express himself.”
“Yeah, he’s always been pretty quiet. Feels things deeply, though. He’s the kind of kid that brings home birds with broken wings and gets upset when someone is bullied at school.”
“Perhaps he should be talking to someone, then. Someone professional.”
The smallest touch of alarm went through Callahan’s eyes. It was plain that he loved his kid, but he was out of his element when it came to talking to Jake about his inner feelings.
“I can put in a request for a child psychologist,” Ava added.
“He’s not a child.”
“True. But he’s not an adult. I want him to talk to someone who has experience listening to teens. I can only do so much. I’m here to meet the needs of the family, but I’m a bit lost with teens. I only have my own teen trauma to refer to.”
“Trauma?” He cocked an eyebrow.
She waved a hand. “Typical teenage-girl stuff.”
Serious eyes studied her. “I doubt you were anything but typical as a teenager. Is your sister older or younger than you?”
Ava braced herself for the usual rash of questions her next statement would bring. “We’re twins.”
“Huh. I bet that was interesting. My brother’s a few years older than me.”
Ava waited. Callahan focused on another bite of his scone.
That’s it? She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed the detective didn’t want to know more.
“Morning.” Lucas Fairbanks entered the kitchen. He was dressed in wrinkled sweats, but his hair was perfect. He grabbed the coffee pot and poured a giant mug of coffee. “Any news on Henley?” He turned toward Callahan and Ava, spotting the mass of baked goods. He froze. “Holy shit. That’s what Robin was doing last night. I thought I smelled cinnamon in the middle of the night.” He grabbed a cinnamon roll and took a place at the table. He looked at Ava expectantly, his bloodshot eyes hopeful.
She shook her head. “They’re reviewing all the tape they got from your neighbors’ cameras. Nothing yet.”
Lucas slumped in his chair, his cinnamon roll ignored. “I’d hoped to wake up to good news.” He rubbed his eyes. “Robin was in and out of bed all night. At one point I heard her bawling in the bathroom. She’s out cold now. I don’t know if she slept at all last night.”
His sad brown eyes reminded Ava of a lost puppy.
“I don’t know if I have any tears left,” he muttered. He picked a chunk of frosting off his cinnamon roll, looked at it, and then set it back on the plate. “Henley loves cinnamon rolls. I’m surprised Robin made them. Usually, that’s something they do together.”
“Maybe it made her feel better,” Ava offered. “An indicator that she knows Henley could come walking in at any minute to eat one.”
Lucas met her gaze, all his emotions suddenly packed away and out of sight. “Yeah, maybe. What’s the FBI going to do today to find my daughter?” His voice was flat.
Ava swallowed. It’s normal for him to be angry. It’s not personally directed at you. “More interviews, pavement pounding, door knocking, video review, computer forensics—”
“They took all the computers out of my business yesterday. Even my partner’s computers. How the fuck am I
Ava looked at her email screen, hitting the refresh button. Nothing new popped up. “They’re still reviewing video from the neighbors. Henley’s photo is on every news network and paper. They plan to interview the guy that Lilian dated. Duncan says he agreed to come in today.”
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that interview,” Callahan muttered.
“They want to talk to Jake today, too.” Ava watched the detective’s face carefully go blank.
“I’m surprised they haven’t dug deeper with him yet. He’s eighteen, but I plan to be there.”
“I started to talk to him yesterday,” Ava remembered. “He seems like the type of kid who keeps all his feelings bottled up. I’m worried he’s going to pop if he doesn’t express himself.”
“Yeah, he’s always been pretty quiet. Feels things deeply, though. He’s the kind of kid that brings home birds with broken wings and gets upset when someone is bullied at school.”
“Perhaps he should be talking to someone, then. Someone professional.”
The smallest touch of alarm went through Callahan’s eyes. It was plain that he loved his kid, but he was out of his element when it came to talking to Jake about his inner feelings.
“I can put in a request for a child psychologist,” Ava added.
“He’s not a child.”
“True. But he’s not an adult. I want him to talk to someone who has experience listening to teens. I can only do so much. I’m here to meet the needs of the family, but I’m a bit lost with teens. I only have my own teen trauma to refer to.”
“Trauma?” He cocked an eyebrow.
She waved a hand. “Typical teenage-girl stuff.”
Serious eyes studied her. “I doubt you were anything but typical as a teenager. Is your sister older or younger than you?”
Ava braced herself for the usual rash of questions her next statement would bring. “We’re twins.”
“Huh. I bet that was interesting. My brother’s a few years older than me.”
Ava waited. Callahan focused on another bite of his scone.
That’s it? She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed the detective didn’t want to know more.
“Morning.” Lucas Fairbanks entered the kitchen. He was dressed in wrinkled sweats, but his hair was perfect. He grabbed the coffee pot and poured a giant mug of coffee. “Any news on Henley?” He turned toward Callahan and Ava, spotting the mass of baked goods. He froze. “Holy shit. That’s what Robin was doing last night. I thought I smelled cinnamon in the middle of the night.” He grabbed a cinnamon roll and took a place at the table. He looked at Ava expectantly, his bloodshot eyes hopeful.
She shook her head. “They’re reviewing all the tape they got from your neighbors’ cameras. Nothing yet.”
Lucas slumped in his chair, his cinnamon roll ignored. “I’d hoped to wake up to good news.” He rubbed his eyes. “Robin was in and out of bed all night. At one point I heard her bawling in the bathroom. She’s out cold now. I don’t know if she slept at all last night.”
His sad brown eyes reminded Ava of a lost puppy.
“I don’t know if I have any tears left,” he muttered. He picked a chunk of frosting off his cinnamon roll, looked at it, and then set it back on the plate. “Henley loves cinnamon rolls. I’m surprised Robin made them. Usually, that’s something they do together.”
“Maybe it made her feel better,” Ava offered. “An indicator that she knows Henley could come walking in at any minute to eat one.”
Lucas met her gaze, all his emotions suddenly packed away and out of sight. “Yeah, maybe. What’s the FBI going to do today to find my daughter?” His voice was flat.
Ava swallowed. It’s normal for him to be angry. It’s not personally directed at you. “More interviews, pavement pounding, door knocking, video review, computer forensics—”
“They took all the computers out of my business yesterday. Even my partner’s computers. How the fuck am I
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