She sniffled and blew her nose on a tissue. I opened her untouched water and handed it to her. “Drink.”
I couldn’t do much to help, but I could take care of her.
Protect her.
“Who were the people from the fire?”
It took a second for my brain to catch up to her disconnected question.
“Greg and Sheila Foster. We’re still tracing their connection to your parents.”
“How come no one knew I was there?” Nina’s whisper was high pitched.
I couldn’t imagine growing up with so many gaping holes in my history. Nina could’ve grown up bitter; instead, she’d let go of her odd history and embraced life.Thanks to the Novaks. Every record indicated they were model parents and had given Nina the best life they could.
“Gibson?”
“Nothing yet, boss.”
“This is purely speculation, but we think your parents asked the Smith’s to take care of you while they worked a case. Only they never came home.”
When she winced, I placed a hand over hers to comfort her.
Gibson cleared his throat behind me.
I ignored his less than subtle suggestion that I needed to keep it professional and left my hand where it was. Nina’s comfort was more important than protocol.
“Did they die because of me?”
“No. The house fire was ruled an accident.” I handed her the water, and she sipped without hesitation. “Do you remember anything about them?”
“No, my parents.” She paused, her eyes drifting to the photos again. “The Novaks told me about the fire, but they didn’tknow anything about the couple.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember anything.”
No surprise there; she was three when the Fosters died in the house fire.
“They didn’t live completely off grid, but they used cash for just about everything.”
The police report stated there wasn’t a single credit card charge for anything baby related. There wasn’t a single picture of them with a baby. If they had paperwork linking them to Nina or the Singers, the fire destroyed it.
“My parents said the police assumed they had kidnapped me, but I didn’t match any missing children reports.” She sniffled as she straightened her spine. “I spent my whole life thinking my parents didn’t want me.”
Tears filled Nina’s eyes, but she blinked them away.
Her strength at each shocking revelation impressed me. No doubt, she’d break down later, but right now she was handling our meeting like a champ.
“We’re done for today,” John said, standing.
“Nina, I’m sorry we sprang all this on you.”
She looked up at me, her beautiful dark blue eyes glossy from tears.
“Can I keep the picture?” She reached for the one of her parents holding her.
“I’m sorry, it’s evidence.” Hating the depth of the pain in her eyes, I offered, “Maybe John can make you a copy.”
When she looked at John, he nodded.
“Thank you,” Nina said.
