Page 60 of Bring Them Home

Amanda’s phone beeped with a message, pulling her from her spinning thoughts. A mercy…

It was a text from Trent.

Thinking of you two. I’m here if you want to talk.

As much as she appreciated his concern, when she saw his name she hoped he was contacting her with an update on the investigation.

Find the Johnsons? How did it go with Malone?

Only after firing back her response did she realize she hadn’t acknowledged his offer at all. She tapped out another text.

Thank you.

Three dots came up to show he was typing, and she waited it out.

No luck tracking Johnsons. Bill not at bowling alley but regular. They promised to call if he shows up. Meantime, BOLOs issued. An officer has been posted at their houses and the business. Not approved to track phones yet.

Not the answers she wanted. Before she could respond, Trent messaged again.

Are you coming back tonight?

She stared at his question. In the starkest sense, Valerie and Brooke Archer were out there with a cold-blooded killer. Someone who hadn’t been satisfied stabbing Paul just once. No, they had butchered his dead body before discarding it for wildlife to feast upon. Assuming the mother and girl were still alive, every second counted. But Zoe also needed her.

If Amanda fielded this question to her ex, Logan Hunter, he’d say she’d choose her job hands down. And he had a point. Despite claiming that family came first, her track record and actions said otherwise. Investigations frequently interfered with her personal life, disrupted plans, and took her away from the people who mattered most in her life.

Zoe’s words from earlier cycled back. You need to find Mr. Archer’s family and who killed him…

She had told Zoe she was working on that, but Zoe pointed out she couldn’t if she was with her. But there was no way she was leaving her girl’s side tonight. It was also a safe bet Trent had the investigation under control, which was more than she could say for herself with Zoe. She also didn’t want to delegate the therapist appointment to anyone else. It was her place to be there for Zoe.

Amanda flipped back a reply.

I’ll be back first thing in the morning.

Understood. Remember, call if you need to.

Will do. Thx. Call with updates on the case should they happen.

Amanda put her phone back in her pants pocket. She’d made the right decision picking Zoe, a no-brainer, but that didn’t stop her thoughts from drifting. Were the Johnsons behind this, or were she and Trent following a false lead? Whatever the case, it would get sorted out tomorrow. Hopefully. But right now, Amanda had something else to do.

She took out the folder that held Zoe’s story and sat at the kitchen peninsula to read it.

TWENTY-NINE

The next morning, Amanda woke up and pressed on in a daze. Zoe’s story was fixed in her brain. Even for a ten-year-old, the emotional punch was strong. The fear, the sadness, the anger… all of it came across. There were also the images and memories haunting her from last night.

When Amanda had gone to fetch Zoe to make up the pizza, she was lying on her bed hugging her stuffed dog, Lucky. It was with the girl when she’d witnessed her parents’ murders, and became a support for her in the months after their deaths. Years had passed since the last time Amanda saw her with it.

She decided it was best to say nothing about it, honoring Zoe’s space. But after dinner, Amanda wanted to talk, to fully open up to her daughter. She told Zoe about Nathan and the fact she could no longer have children. She thought it was important to broach this subject before the therapist appointment in case it was something that Zoe wanted to discuss.

“Is that why you wanted me? Because you couldn’t have your own?” Zoe’s eyes had filled with tears, as if she were a second thought.

Amanda had taken her hands into hers. “I wanted you because I fell in love with you from the moment we met.”

Zoe had hugged her, melting against her. But just as Amanda was letting herself sink into the embrace, Zoe pulled back.

There was a lot being said in Zoe’s silence, but Amanda appreciated she couldn’t force the girl to talk. Nor did she want to. This was her grief, her process. Amanda could only be there to help her navigate the storm.

Amanda waited until after dinner to tell Zoe that they were expected at her therapist’s office. She handled that news and the appointment better than Amanda had expected. Zoe was still scheduled to return next Thursday evening unless something arose that necessitated a faster follow-up.