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To May, the words of praise felt like a warm balm.
“Just doing my job,” she said modestly.
“Well, I can’t wait to hear all about it and to give you a big hug. Do you think you’ll be able to get here for dinner?”
“Sure. It’s only five p.m. now. We should be done here in another hour.”
“I’ll get the roast in the oven, then, and slow cook it. And May?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Your father sends his love.”
May smiled, feeling bemused. Kerry was looking ever so slightly miffed as May handed the phone back.
“It’s a team effort, right?” her sister asked.
“Absolutely,” May confirmed. “A team effort.”
Kerry thought for a moment.
Then she leaned closer.
“By the way,” she said, “I haven’t forgotten about that key you found in Lauren’s evidence box. I know we need to research it, but it seems to be quite difficult. The software isn’t translating the label properly and the techs need to make tweaks to it, and the shaft itself could be any of a hundred different possibilities and I won’t settle for naming just ten of them. I want to know which.” Her chin jutted stubbornly.
“Thank you,” May said.
“So, bottom line, I’m working on it. And I’ll let you know. I’d better go and wrap up now if we’re going to be in time for that roast.”
Already focused on the cabin again, Kerry hurried away.
May took a last gulp of water. Then she turned to look at the scene around her.
Everything was under control. Even in her exhaustion, she couldn’t help but feel a little smile creasing her face.
The stress of this case was finally over. She had the killer. And he was going to be behind bars for the rest of his life, most likely in a psychiatric prison ward.
May felt a sense of relief. And also of hope. They had solved one crime that was based on an incident from the past, and she felt hopeful that between her and Kerry, they could find out what the key was for.
And then it might take them on the next step of this slow and emotionally painful journey to solve another mystery that lay hidden in the past.
But that was something to think about tomorrow. For now, work called.
“Come on,” she said to Owen with a grin, stepping forward. Her shoes were still squelchy, but that was a minor detail, and the late afternoon, though starting to darken, was not cold. “Let’s finish up here. We’ve got a case to wrap up.”
EPILOGUE
It was late at night when May finally arrived home. What a day it had been. A capture, a takedown, a rescue. And finally, the event she’d dreaded most of all—a family dinner. Only this time, May had to admit, it hadn’t been as excruciating as the ones in the past.
Her parents had been proud of both of them. They’d asked May questions, and that made her feel incredibly happy. They cared. They valued her. She wasn’t just the embarrassing afterthought to Kerry’s glory.
Immersed in the memories, May only realized after she opened the front door that it hadn’t been locked.
She paused, feeling a sudden chill.
May always locked her door. She never forgot to do that. And she clearly remembered locking it before she’d headed out this morning.
What was going on? Had there been a burglary?
