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“Absolutely. With your background and eye for art, you’re perfect,” she responds.
“Wow, I would be honored to help you with the store. What does the timeline look like?” Trish gives me a huge excited smile and claps her hands together. Over the course of the next hour, she gives me all of the details, and we make a game plan for what she’ll need my help with, which is quite a bit more than I expected.
In the beginning, my job will be overseeing construction and ensuring the space is built to enhance the art. When we’re satisfied with that portion, I’ll basically be working with the artists to keep inventory up and then selling the artwork.
I am ecstatic and ready to jump in right now. Trish told me Levi and Max’s construction company are going to be working on the remodel and can’t get started for a couple of weeks, but that will give us time to plan out the store and be ready to hit the ground running when they begin.
Trish and I set up a time to meet again, and I head out afterward. I go grocery shopping to get some stuff for dinner even though I’m not sure what time Cooper will be home. I figure whatever I make, I can reheat if he’s home late.
I hope he’s doing okay and that the call he got this morning isn’t anything serious. I guess if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have been called at six in the morning.
Who would’ve thought something so serious would happen in such a small town? I guess no matter where you go, bad things can happen.
25
COOPER
“Anybody got an update?” I ask, looking around at my guys.
This has been one fucked up day, and it still isn’t over. We spent most of it at the lake and are now back at the station trying to identify our Jane Doe. She doesn’t match anyone on the missing persons list, and no one has come forward asking about her.
We’re running her DNA but that can take a few days, and if she’s not in the system already, it won’t do any good. Without an ID, we don’t have many leads to run down until the evidence from the scene gets processed.
“We’ve still got guys out canvassing but so far, nothing, Chief,” Derek says from his desk. In normal circumstances, the guys share desks with each other, and we’ve never had any issues with space, but as the extra guys trickle in from canvassing, our small bullpen is rapidly filling up.
“Okay, come find me when everyone’s back. I’d like to lay out everything we know before calling it a day,” I respond, making my way out of the bullpen and back to my office.
As I sit down at my desk, I take a deep breath to try and calm my racing thoughts. There are too many questions and scenarios running through my mind to make sense of what was discovered today.
A murder.
Done so cruelly, I wouldn’t even wish it on my worst enemy.
It’s hard to fathom it actually happening here, in my sleepy little town.
When I signed on as chief, I knew there would be some tough days. Having seen my dad go through the ups and downs of being chief, I thought I was pretty well prepared, but this is a whole new ball game.
How do I help my guys overcome the horrors of that crime scene? How do I help them stay grounded when all I want to do is rip the bastard who did this to shreds? For the first time since joining the force, I wish I’d done something different. Something that would never have allowed me to see what I did today.
I shake my head to clear my pointless thoughts. While I may not have wanted to see what I did today, the fact of the matter is, I did see it, and that Jane Doe needs me to find out who hurt her. No matter what happens on the job, I know I was born to be a police officer, and maybe fate led this girl to me because I’ll stop at nothing to get her justice.
A knock on my door interrupts my inner monologue. Looking up, I see it’s Rachel.
“Hey, can I get you anything? Something to drink or eat?” she asks me, a small empathetic smile on her face.
“No, not right now, but would you order some sandwiches for the guys?”
“Sure, I’ll call Sal’s and have them bring it by. Any updates?”
“Not yet, unfortunately, but we’ve still got a few more guys out canvassing.”
“Okay, well let me know if you need anything. I’m here to help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, Rachel, I appreciate it.” She gives me a quick nod and then leaves my office.
Taking advantage of this little break, I check my phone to see if I’ve missed anything. I’ve missed a call from my mom, and I have a text message from Quinn. I open the message and, for the first time all day, a huge grin stretches across my face. She sent me a picture of her and Piper. They’re lying on the floor of the living room, and Piper’s head is on Quinn's shoulder. Piper has a toy rope in her mouth and Quinn is sticking her tongue out at the camera.
The text says,We’re missing you.
