“Why?”
“He said you’d know what to do. If he was murdered, it was connected to a case.”
“Okay. What case?” This was an odd conversation. Why hadn’t Joe called him himself? Why get a third party involved?
“He didn’t tell me. All he said was the answer was in his office and that you’d know where to look.”
“That’s all. He didn’t—” The phone disconnected. The number was private, so there was no way to call him back. And he didn’t give his name.
Quinn looked at him expectantly as he put the phone down.
“Sounds like Joe knew whoever killed him and has proof.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means it’s time to go home.”
****
Reid’s house stood dark on the otherwise well-lit street. Not sure what to expect when he left or when he’d be coming back to his house, he hadn’t left his porch light on like he normally would. There weren’t any notes stuck to his door, so whoever had picked up the package hadn’t left anything alerting him to a missing delivery. He would run across the street and check the mail after he got Quinn and JJ settled in. The boy had fallen asleep once they had hit the open road.
Quinn couldn’t get him awake enough to walk himself up to the house. She stood behind Reid, holding her sleeping child. He’d give them his room and sleep on the couch. That’s where he slept most of the time anyway.
He turned on the lights and showed Quinn to the bedroom. She laid JJ down, then removed his shoes and set them on the floor.
She pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet,” she whispered.
“That’s a nice good night saying. Does it work?” Everyone had good night rituals. He remembered his mother reading him a story before tucking him in every night.
“It’s not a saying. It’s a verse in Proverbs. I think it helps him sleep, or at least, it’s my prayer for his sleep.”
“You believe that?”
“Believe that he’s not afraid? I want him not to be afraid. He knows I’m here to protect him, but more importantly, he knows God is protecting him.”
Reid had to control himself, or an exasperated sigh would escape. He turned and walked down the hall.
“I know you’re not a believer and that you’ve seen too many bad things to believe in the good.” She followed him.
He turned to face her, stopping them in the middle of the hallway. Was she really going to talk about a loving God right now? “What about this situation? Someone is trying to kill you and your child. You still believe God is good?”
“I see God’s goodness in all of this. He brought you to us. Without you, I don’t think we’d have made it this far.” Her eyes had tenderness in them.
She truly believed God was using him. He almost pitied her belief. God would never use a man like him for anything. “If you say so.” He scoffed.
“You don’t think God can use you?” She took a small step toward him, studying his eyes.
“A man with a past like mine can’t be used for anything other than a lesson.”
“You’re not too far gone to be loved and used by God. He loved you even in the midst of this past that haunts you.” She pressed her palm to his cheek.
He wanted to lean into it, to believe what she said, but he couldn’t. That’s not how things worked. He grabbed her hand, removed it from his face, and turned back toward the front of the house.
“Wait.” She tried to squeeze past him.
He stretched his arm out, stopping her, and took a step toward her. She took a step backward and hit the wall. His hand rested on the wall next to her head. He leaned in, never taking his gaze from hers. “I’ve done some unforgivable things in my life.”
She studied him.
