“How?”
“He said that he and my gramps started reading the Bible together. First, I laughed, then I resisted. Eventually, I agreed. We started in Genesis. Every Tuesday, after dinner, we’dread the Bible, talk about different passages. I remember one Tuesday, he had this big work deadline, but he didn’t cancel our study time. That was a turning point for me. He made it a priority, maybe I should too. I started paying more attention, but I did it mostly because I liked doing it with him. It took us years, but we got through it.”
“Did things change for you?
“I stopped drinking and doing drugs, made the football team, so yeah, it did.”
“Are you close with your family now?” she asked.
“Yeah. We get together once or twice a month. My brother and sister are married, both have kids. My mom loves being a grandma, but I know she misses my dad a lot.”
“That’s sad. She’s lucky she found her person.”
“What about you, Britain Skye? What kind of a kid were you?”
“I lovednotlistening to my dad, just ‘cause it drove him crazy. I was a good student, except if I didn’t like a class. Then, my mind would wander.”
“Tell me about the family you painted.”
She smiled. “One year, my dad took Addison and me on vacation to the beach. I was ten. She was thirteen. I remember playing in the water with them. One afternoon, we built a sand castle, and I saw this family nearby. The kids were fighting, the dad kept leaving to go swim, so the mom had to deal with these three brats. I wanted to go over and tell them to be nice to her. They were lucky to have a mom, but I didn’t know if maybe she was a bad mom. That’s when I made up a family, one where everyone got along. It made me happy. A few years ago, I started painting them and it reminded me what an amazing dad I have. When I learned what hereallydoes for a living, I couldn’t believe it.”
He clasped her hand. “He and I are a lot alike.”
She smiled. “I know that.”
As Rebel got closer to the metro area, he told Brit he needed to make a quick stop at a gas station in Arlington.
“Can you hang in there a little longer?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m not slowing down until the killer is caught.”
“You’re a beast.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
“The mechanic was an informant of mine,” he said. “I gotta talk to him about my dad’s case.”
When he pulled into the gas station, he parked in front of one of the bays. “I’ll grab some money from the ATM machine. You want something?”
“Surprise me.”
He retreated inside, got some cash, then bought a banana, a yogurt smoothie drink, and a little stuffed dog.
Back in the vehicle, he set the bag on her lap. “For you, beautiful.”
She peered inside, pulled out the stuffed dog. “He’s so cute.” Then, she extracted the banana. “Yummy. I’ll think of you with every bite.” She opened the lid to the yogurt drink and sipped. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
He shot her a smile. “Be right back.”
Inside, the hammering and whirring were deafening. After he caught Gordy’s eye, the mechanic sauntered over.
“Hey, Rebel, it’s been a while.”
“How you been?” Rebel asked.
“Doing okay.”
“Let’s talk outside.”
