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Chapter 49
As usual, MaryCatherine made dinner an event. And clearly she’d had the meal planned long before she knew I was coming. A pork roast with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, with a healthy assortment of vegetables on the side.
The food was heaven, as was the chance to listen to the kids chat about every possible subject, from the NBA to a Wolverine comic book.
Jane asked Fiona about joining the basketball team. Fiona’s smile confirmed I’d made the right decision. She said, “I’m going to play, and Dad is going to coach me. Coach the whole team.”
My policy of treating each of the kids equally could come back to haunt me. Though I could already picture myself having to coach a half dozen other teams, I shrugged and said, “Sounds like fun.”
After dinner, while all the kids pitched in on cleanup, my grandfather and I had a talk on the couch.
Seamus said, “Where is Mary Catherine?”
“Taking a well-earned hot bath.”
“Good plan. The girl deserves it. You should see the way she holds down the fort while you’re gone. And those kids love her. They may give her some grief, but they’ve got her back.”
“And she has mine. I would’ve gone crazy if she hadn’t surprised me in DC this week.”
“That why you had to come home now?”
I nodded. I was tired physically, psychically, and spiritually. That’s one of the reasons I was talking to my grandfather. I joke about him being ill-tempered and giving me a hard time, but it’s pretty much an act. He has more insight into the human condition than anyone I’ve ever known. And he knows me better than anyone else.
I said, “It’s getting a little late. Are you going to stay the night?”
He shook his head. “Not tonight. I’m hosting a community outreach meeting tomorrow morning. I’ve been pushing to open our playground to at-risk youth. The YMCA said they’d provide at least two coaches to help us keep an eye on everyone. The Y is a great outfit. I hope we can team up with them.” He paused and I knew he was framing a delicate question. Finally, he said, “When do you plan to go back?”
I sighed. I couldn’t hide my exhaustion. I said, “I guess tomorrow.”
“You don’t sound so enthusiastic about it.”
I shrugged. “I’m here with my family. That’s what I want. It’s all I ever want.”
“It may be what you want, but it’s not everything you want.”
I thought about it and said, “You’re right. I can’t stand the idea of Emily’s killer going unpunished. I’ll admit I didn’t think through all the problems my going to DC would cause. No one’s making it easy.”
“You’ve been in tough situations before. Even when Maeve was dying, you stayed on the scene of a hostage situation. And you did it because you have a sense of duty. A strong sense of duty. This is no different. You can’t stand the thought of any killer going unpunished.”
“Emily was my friend. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me.”
Seamus nodded. “I understand. I liked Emily too. She was a lovely woman.”
“What I’m saying is, I’m torn. I miss my family when I’m not here. But I know it will haunt me the rest of my life if I don’t find Emily’s killer.”
“You have to follow your heart.”
I smiled and looked at my grandfather. “You used to say, ‘Trust in faith.’”
“It’s essentially the same thing.”
“Sometimes I worry that wanting punishment for the killer is too close to vengeance. I’m not sure how Jesus would feel about that.”
“God threw down some punishments over the years. Everything from a flood to turning a woman into a pillar of salt. He did what he needed to do. Just like you need to do this for your friend. I truly feel we both found the right careers. You just did it at a much younger age.”
I turned on the couch and embraced my grandfather. When I felt his thin body in my arms, it made me worry about life without him. But at least I had him for now. And once again he was making sense.
