The Devaney Brothers: Daniel. Sherryl Woods

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      4

      Daniel tried to spend as much time as possible burying himself in work. Even so, for the next few days he made it a point to stop at Jess’s at various times, and at least once a day. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Kendra, but mostly he wanted to keep Molly rattled and aware that he was not letting her off the hook. He hadn’t quite decided what time to show up today—probably around dinnertime, maybe not until just before closing when she’d be breathing a mistaken sigh of relief that he hadn’t turned up.

      In the meantime, he went out to do follow-ups on five cases, checking on at-risk kids to make sure that their situations at home were under control. The unseasonably hot temperatures could escalate tensions, and family members who’d been making positive progress could suddenly revert to old ways. He tried to show up unexpectedly often enough to make sure that didn’t happen.

      But as he went from home visit to home visit, he couldn’t shake the image of Molly from his head. Why the devil did she have to be so damned stubborn? Couldn’t she see that she was just prolonging the inevitable? Sooner or later he would talk to Kendra. It would be best if their first meeting wasn’t when he walked through the door with her parents. He liked to make sure such reunions went smoothly, but right now his back was to the wall, thanks to Molly.

      He picked up a tuna on rye and a can of soda from the vendor in the basement of his office building in Portland, then climbed the stairs to his office. He found Joe Sutton waiting for him, his feet propped on Daniel’s tidy desk, his chair tilted back precariously, his eyes closed. Though it was barely noon, he looked as rumpled as if he’d slept in his clothes.

      “About time you got back,” he said, startling awake when Daniel knocked his feet off the desk.

      “Some of us spend our days out in the field checking on clients,” Daniel said.

      Joe stared hopefully at the sandwich Daniel was unwrapping. “Is that tuna on rye?”

      Daniel sighed. Joe was notorious for always stealing whatever food was around. Apparently there was plenty to be found, because he was at least thirty pounds overweight. That didn’t mean he couldn’t move when he had to.

      “Here,” he said, handing the policeman half of his sandwich.

      “No chips?” Joe asked, disappointment etched in the lines on his face.

      “There’s a vending machine at the end of the hall. You’ll have to buy your own.”

      “It’s out. I already checked.”

      “Then you’re out of luck.”

      “So how’s the Morrow girl doing?” Joe asked Daniel as he chewed.

      “Haven’t seen her,” Daniel admitted.

      Joe’s eyes filled with surprise. “Why the hell not? It’s not like you to brush off a case.”

      “I’m not brushing it off, believe me. I’m at an impasse. A temporary impasse,” he corrected.

      “How so?”

      “Molly refuses to admit she’s there.”

      “She’s there. I saw her.”

      “I know that,” Daniel said. “I spotted her, too. But it’s as if the two of them have a sixth sense about when I’m going to walk through the door and, poof, Kendra vanishes out the back.”

      “Any idea why Molly’s lying to you?”

      “Because she thinks she’s helping Kendra. She’s not giving her up until she knows what’s going on back at the girl’s home. Have you made any progress on that front?”

      “I’ve poked around the neighborhood and Kendra’s school,” Joe said. “From everything I’ve seen and heard, they’re a model family. Mom’s a chemist. Dad’s a brilliant physicist. Everybody’s squeaky clean, as near as I can tell. The kid’s some sort of genius. She’s skipped a few grades.”

      “Which is probably why she’s СКАЧАТЬ