She had changed her status from “Single” to “In a Relationship.”
Jack quickly switched over to his own Facebook page and followed suit. He typed Kelly a short message to let her know that he was thinking about her, then he followed Chandler downstairs.
Jack stopped in the kitchen doorway. Chandler sat at the kitchen table and looked up with a grin on his face that said it all: he was in heaven. Spread out before him was a plate with a double-decker home-grilled cheeseburger on a toasted deli roll. Pickles, chips, and potato salad were on the side. A huge glass of chocolate milk was at his right hand, and three different types of cupcakes were on his left.
“How are you not as round as a circle?” Chandler mumbled with his mouth full.
“Because I have a little trick called self-control.” Jack looked for his mother, but the kitchen was empty. “Mom?”
His mother came up from the cellar carrying a tub of vanilla ice cream. “I thought a small root beer float would be nice for dessert.” She smiled.
Chandler’s eyes lit up.
“He’s got three cupcakes for dessert, Mom.” Jack thrust his hand at the food. “He’s going to gain five pounds from this meal alone.”
“He’s a growing boy.”
“He’s growing all right,” Jack nodded. “Growing sideways.”
“Shh. Be nice.” His mother pulled out a chair, and Jack sat.
Be nice, Chandler mouthed with a playful grin before he took another bite of his burger.
Jack’s mom brought over a burger for Jack, then left the room, leaving the two boys alone.
“At least skip the desserts,” Jack said.
“They’re not desserts.” Chandler pointed to one of the cupcakes. “They’re samples. So they don’t count.”
“Samples of what?” Jack asked.
“Your mom made a bunch of different kinds of cupcake to see which flavor you liked best for a birthday cake.”
“I don’t want a birthday cake.”
“Shh…” Chandler pointed to the door as Jack’s mother came back in.
“I almost forgot your dessert, Jack.” She walked over to the counter and picked up a plate piled with cupcakes. “What flavor would you like, honey?”
Jack grumbled.
As Jack and Chandler drove away from Jack’s house, Chandler leaned back in the seat and rubbed his belly. “Wow. Your mom is beyond sweet. Where are we going?”
“Hamilton Park.”
“What? It’s late.”
“Are you scared?”
“Ha ha. Yeah, I am,” Chandler said. “Do you have any idea who comes out after dark at Hamilton Park?”
“I’ll hold your hand.”
“I just thought of another good question. Why are we going there now?”
“I want to see the park as it looks at the same time as the crime. Come on. It’s a nice night. It’ll take, like, fifteen minutes. If I don’t go, I know I’ll stay up all night thinking about it, because right now I can’t picture what happened. It’s like a black void. I want to take some notes.”
“Fine.” Chandler leaned his face toward the breeze coming in the window. “It is nice out.”
A short while later, Jack parked by the entrance of Hamilton Park. Chandler yawned and stretched as he got out. Jack leaned over and opened the glove compartment. He moved some stuff around, frowning.
“What are you looking for?” Chandler asked.
“A flashlight.” Jack got out and opened the trunk. He rummaged around and found a small flashlight.
“Where to?” Chandler asked.
Jack pointed. “H.T. Wells is across the street there. If Stacy was walking home, she would have come this way.”
“But she didn’t walk home. Her car was at Ford’s Crossing,” Chandler said.
“You’re assuming she drove it there.”
“How else did the car get there? Fly?”
“Say someone did rob her. They could have taken her keys and stolen the car. Then they drove it over there, crashed it, and ditched it.”
Chandler had a habit of thinking with his eyes closed. They were closed now, and his head tilted to the side. His lips moved too. “Wait!” He held up a forefinger. “Why would she leave her car at work and walk home?”
“Car problems?”
“Then how did the car get to Ford’s Crossing?”
“Good point,” Jack conceded. “I’m only trying to think outside the box. What if she had planned on going back to work? What if she was taking a break?”
“Who in their right mind takes a break by going for a walk in Hamilton Park at night? It’s crazy. That means we’re nuts, too, so get this crazy train moving, Conductor Jack, and let’s get in and get gone.”