He looked up and met Ashley Rankin's gaze."Ashley."
Hjalmar had had the biggest crush on her in school.He'd believed she'd left town.
"You remember me."She smiled, but she looked exhausted.Frode looked down at the girl again.She had the same hair color as Ashley.
"Of course, I do.Is this lovely girl yours?"He smiled at the kid.Part of him had believed if Ashley ever had kids, they'd be his nieces or nephews.
"Yes, sorry if she..."She breathed in deeply, and for a second Frode feared she'd cry.The Ashley he remembered used to laugh.A lot.The sound of it traveling the corridors.This current version looked like she was heading for a breakdown.
He looked up toward the freezers and met the rug guy's gaze.Fuck."We collided."He smiled at the girl, but she wasn't looking at him, and something niggled at the back of his mind.Maybe she was shy, but maybe...He crouched a little and met the girl's gaze only to have her look away.
"She's eh..."Ashley grimaced."Non-verbal."
Frode forced a smile."No worries."Ashley's expression shattered, and Frode winced.Was it the wrong thing to say?"She's young."
Ashley nodded.
"Sign language?"
Ashley widened her eyes."Eh...no.We haven't...We still hope..."
Silence stretched, and Frode wanted to escape, but Ashley was staring at him as if he was a lifebuoy.He wasn't."Are you back in town?I believed you'd moved to..."He had no idea where she'd moved.
He looked toward the freezer again, no rug guy.Was he watching them?He glanced over his shoulder toward the dairy section but couldn't see him.
"Been back for about a month.I moved back with Ava to be closer to my parents."A shuddering breath."I...eh...figured I'll need all the help I can get raising her."
Frode curled his fingers around the handle of his shopping basket--because, of course, when faced with entering the grocery store, he'd chickened out on the cart and the long-term food plans.Was he supposed to ask why she needed help raising her daughter or was it one of those things he should ignore?
Ashley looked at him expectantly, and he started to panic."Where's her father?"
Something closed off in Ashley's expression.Fuck.The wrong thing to ask.
"I'm sorry.It's none of my--"
"We've separated.I have sole custody."
He nodded.
"Not the life I believed I'd have."Then it was as if she realized what she'd said."I didn't mean...I love her and wouldn't give her up for anything."
"No, of course."
She breathed in deeply again and looked around--Frode did too because somewhere in the store was a man he believed had killed four women.Fuck, Ashley wasn't safe here.So far, none of the women had been mothers, but it didn't mean he wouldn't kill someone who had a child.
"Hey, you want to go grab lunch?"What time was it?Was it appropriate to ask for lunch?Nope.He hadn't spoken to Ashley in over a decade.
"Lunch?"She looked confused.
"I'm sorry.I...I think we should get out of here."Shit, he was messing this up.
She looked around, growing more alert."Okay.Why?"Her gaze dropped to his hands."I heard you're a psychic now."
She'd heard?How the fuck had she heard that?
"Yes."
"And we need to get out of here?"
