“Yeah, she seems okay,” Mason admitted.
“Just okay?”
“She appears very sharp. She communicates well with the women and Jake. They’re all relieved to have her in the house, and she seems to genuinely care about everyone involved.” Mason remembered the look on Ava’s face as she’d rushed in with the news of the ransom note. She’d been flushed from the cold, her eyes sparkling from the excitement of the new lead. For a split second, he’d been simultaneously terrified that she had horrendous news and electrified by her female appeal. The adrenaline had lit her up in a way that’d struck him deep in his chest.
Mason felt peculiar about the attraction at such an inappropriate time. Work and relationships were kept far apart in Mason’s life. He’d watched too many pairs of cops heat it up and then explode in the aftermath. The job and one’s personal life were best kept worlds apart.
He missed a question from Ray, caught up in his Ava distraction. “What?”
“I asked what they found out about Lilian’s ex with the sexual predator history?”
“I’ll find out the results of their interview today. I’ll let you know.”
Mason signed off the call. It’d felt good to hear Ray’s vote of confidence. He’d never been in a position where a bunch of red arrows pointed directly at him. He knew he was innocent, so why was everything going to hell in his life?
Who had it in for him?
He’d watched Mason leave the police building, and through his binoculars from his hidden perch a hundred yards away, he’d seen how deflated the man was.
Glee swept through him. Suffer. You deserve every moment.
Mason Callahan was going to lose his job and every ounce of credibility. Wait until the newspapers picked up the story of the dirty cop. A man who brutalized and then murdered his confidential informant.
It’d been incredibly easy to hook the whore on meth. He’d supplied it for free for several weeks until she’d started seeking him out to get more. It’d been fascinating to watch her spiral into addiction.
He’d worked so hard to place the dominos, and now they were tipping over in perfect unison. At the end was Callahan’s sanity.
Served him right.
Three hours to go.
Ava had run to the grocery store with Robin. The woman had wanted to get out of the house, but didn’t know what to do. The last thing they needed was groceries. The house had been swamped with food from neighbors and friends. But Robin needed to bake. It gave her something to do and kept her from going crazy, so Ava supported her.
They’d taken Ava’s vehicle after sneaking Robin into the car and hiding her in the backseat. The media and cameras had watched them pass and ignored them as she drove off. She’d blown out a deep breath.
At the store, Robin loaded up on flour, sugar, butter, and chocolate. Ava grabbed yogurt and bottled water. Robin was distracted in the store, unable to focus on her short list.
“Don’t look at people. Just get what you need, and we’ll get out of here,” Ava instructed.
“It doesn’t feel normal,” Robin said, steering the cart down the wide aisle. “Everything feels off-balance and too bright. Why is this one little trip exhausting me?”
Ava knew she didn’t mean the brightness of the fluorescent lights in the store. “It’s the waiting. The waiting is getting to you. Every nerve in your body is on high alert and braced for a phone call or word from the police. It’s sapping your energy. And your calm.”
Robin nodded. “Exactly. I just want it to be over. I miss my little girls. I want Kindy and Kylie to come home,” she said softly. “It’s so hard that I can’t hug them when I need to.”
“You’ve talked with them, right?”
“Yes, they’re having a wonderful time at my parents’. It’s like a vacation for them.”
“And they haven’t asked any questions about the agents keeping an eye on the home?” Ava asked.
“No. They haven’t said anything to me. I doubt they’d notice. They’re simply too young. My parents are grateful the agents are there. I miss my mom, too.”
“They don’t have to stay away. It’s good to have family around you right now.”
“I know, but I don’t want the girls to be affected. They’re keeping them away from the news. They’d immediately pick up on the stress at our house.” She paused. “We’ll tell them when we need to.” Her expression closed off as she mentioned breaking bad news to her daughters.
Hopefully soon, Ava thought. And it will be good news.
Ava didn’t put much weight on the ransom note. It didn’t ring true. Was it simply meant to mess with their heads? Or was someone hoping to challenge the FBI’s skills and win?
Good luck with that.
Back at the house, she left Robin to work out her frustrations in the kitchen. Lucas and Jake were watching an Indiana Jones movie in the spacious family room.
“Where’s Lilian?” she asked.
“Reading in her room,” Jake answered, without taking his gaze from the screen. “We’re doing a marathon. She said she’d rather read.”
In Ava’s opinion, a marathon of Harrison Ford was good medicine. She went upstairs and tapped on Lilian’s closed guest-room door. The woman answered, tissues in hand, her eyes bloodshot.
“Hey,” said Ava. “Up for some company?” She’d planned to simply ask if Lilian needed anything, but the puffy eyes made her heart hurt and moved her to offer a shoulder.
“No, I’m good actually,” Lilian said, dabbing her nose. “I was in a funk for a while, but I think I cried myself out of it.”
“Sometimes crying is what you need.” That statement was lame, but Ava had no idea what to say to the woman. She was acting on her gut instincts. Duncan had said she was the right person for this job, so he must have seen something in her that he believed would work well with the family. Just be here to listen.
“Jake and Lucas are watching movies. Do you want to come down? Maybe simply getting out of this room would help. A change of scenery.” Lilian had spent a lot of time in the spare bedroom. Too much time alone.
“No, I think I’m going to nap. Crying wore me out,” she said with a forced smile. Ava studied the woman, wondering if she should do more for her. Was she failing Lilian?
“Okay. Come down if you can’t sleep.”
“I suspect I’ll be asleep in sixty seconds.” Lilian closed the door.
Did she have sleeping meds? Ava stood in the hallway. Should she ask if Lilian was self-medicating? Was it any of her business?
She’d done her part. She’d offered and been refused. She wasn’t a psychologist.
She was an investigator, and every cell in her body was itching to get to the command center and see what was going on. She’d checked in with her charges. All were stable. She should be allowed to leave, right?
She strode through the kitchen. Butter and sugar were being creamed together in Robin’s stand mixer. More desserts. Robin looked satisfied and calm in her kitchen. Ava couldn’t improve anything there. “Have you heard from Mason?” Robin asked.
“No. He told me he had to address some things at work and didn’t know how long he’d be.”
“I’m here.” Mason stepped into the kitchen from the utility room next to the garage entrance.
Ava started to smile at him and froze.
What’d happened?
He looked . . . fake. As if he were trying to hide an uproar behind a calm face. She glanced at Robin, who didn’t indicate she noticed anything unusual. She’d greeted Mason and gone back to her mixer. Ava looked at him again. His eyes were expressionless and his smile was forced. He’d removed his cowboy hat, his knuckles white as he gripped the brim.
She raised a brow at him. He wasn’t on her list of family members to babysit, but something was clearly up. Why wasn’t his ex-wife picking up on it?
Because she had enough on her mind.
She jerked her head toward the family room and he nodded. She led the way behind the sofa where Lucas and Jake were sitting and outside to the covered deck area. He closed the door behind them.
“What happened?” She folded her arms across her chest. Her thick sweater would be fine for a while in the chilly air, but not for a lengthy discussion.
Mason worked the brim of his hat, his gaze going past her to the landscaped yard. His lips pressed into a pale line. She wondered what he thought when he looked at the luxury home and grounds. Mason was a police detective. His salary couldn’t buy a home like this. Ava knew few people whose salary could. Did he feel like he’d failed Robin and Jake? Or was he happy for them?
She suspected it was both. From what she’d seen, he wanted his ex and Jake to be happy. He treated Lucas with a respect that seemed rare among divorced couples. Mason worked hard so the people around him could have better lives. Possibly to the point of ignoring his own well-being. Some people had it in their DNA.
“There’s some issues at work.”
“And?” She wasn’t going to let him off easy.
“Some stuff I need to deal with. But it won’t affect what’s going on here.”
Did he expect her to leave it at that? His shoulders were stiff, and he was still avoiding her gaze. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere but talking to her. Her gaze narrowed.