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Once I walk into the kitchen, Dottie immediately comes up and gives me a hug.
“Oh dear, Ava told us what was going on before she left last night. I am so sorry you are going through all of this. What can I do for you?” Dottie said.
“How about both of you take the day off and spend some time just talking. There is nothing that can’t wait to get done until tomorrow. I will order out lunch and dinner for us all today. And before you say anything Emma about it is not necessary, it is necessary and I am not taking no for an answer,” Grayson said as he walked into the kitchen. “Binge watch some TV, go swim in the pool, anything but work, understood?”
“Grayson, first let me say how sorry I am to bring this into your life and home. I don’t know how you can not be mad at me and how you are so calm. And thank for the offer to relax today,” I told him.
“You didn’t bring anything into my life or my home. I have an art collection that is worth millions of dollars and I knew eventually that it would gain attention. That is not your fault. Meeting Wayne isn’t your fault either. He went after you and wanted to use you to get close to the collection. Meeting him is not your fault and you stopped him from getting close to the collection because of a gut feeling you had that made you listen to a conversation. A conversation I might add that if you had been caught listening to could have cost you your life. So, there is no need to apologize. Now, you two finish eating breakfast, clean the dishes and take the day off,” Grayson replied.
“Thank you so much,” I replied as a few tears went down my face.
Grayson came up and gave me a hug and said, “We are family! Let’s eat!”
We set down at the table and ate like we did every morning with the exception that Ava was in Fort Wayne.
After Dottie and I cleaned up from breakfast we headed into the home theater and turned on a romantic comedy and ate popcorn and candy that we always make sure are stocked in the homemade theater.
At lunchtime, the guard at the shack calls us to let us know that he has our lunch at the gate that Grayson ordered for us and said that Grayson advised that he would be bringing dinner back with him after work.
Dottie and I hopped in the golf cart and headed out to the gate and picked up our lunch and straight back to the house and back into the theater. We spent the rest of the afternoon in there until Grayson came across the intercom system that dinner was downstairs.
When we got to the dinning room Ava was back. She was sitting out the Thai food and Grayson had grabbed the plates and utensils. Dottie and I went into the kitchen and grabbed the glasses. There was already a bottle of wine sitting on the table. Wolf and Caroline came in and joined us for dinner and the movie. They had been out all-day site seeing. Ava had told them that they didn’t have to in the mansion all day.
“Ava, I am so glad you are back. Did their foster mother have any good information?” I asked when we sat down.
“I promised Grayson no shop talk, but I will say that other than Wayne and Jake were always in trouble in school from fighting and what we already knew about them being in jail, she hadn’t seen or spoken to them since before they went to prison,” Ava said.
“Now let’s eat and we will all go upstairs and watch a movie afterwards. Ava called Bryan and told him not to come until around 8:30 tonight. That will give us time to eat, clean up and watch a comedy!” Grayson said.
They were such amazing people. How could I have gotten so lucky to be a part of their lives? I went home thinking that live couldn’t get any better than this. I had finally found a real family.
CHAPTERTEN
Blair
When I got to the station the next morning Sergeant Harper met me at my desk.
“Good morning, Connors,” Sergeant Harper said.
“Good morning, Sargeant Harper,” I replied.
“I hope you have had at least one cup of coffee this morning already. We have dozens of files to go through to see if there are any similarities between cases. Captain Shepherd said that there are a few more that will be in later today. Let’s head to the conference room,” Sergeant Harper said.
On our way to the conference room, I told Sergeant Harper what Ava had found out on her trip to see the foster mother.
We spent the next ten hours going through files. We made three piles. A definite yes pile, a maybe pile and a definite no pile.
Then we walked into Captain Shepherd’s office and told him that there was one confirmed case that matched ours in Indiana and possibly another dozen that crossed state lines. It was time to call in the feds.
“Well, I guess I knew that. I figured it was a 70/30 shot that it would be the same guys in some of the other states,” Captain Shepherd told us. “I will call them in a few more days. I want you guys to go through that maybe list again. Give them a second look with fresh eyes and decided if they go in the yes or no stack tomorrow. For now, let’s call it a night tonight.”
On my way home I called Ava and tell her what we found in the case files. She said she would text out a message to the team and let them know.
I get home and go through my normal nightly routine and once again, I can’t help but to think of Emma. At least tonight I fall asleep dreaming about her and not tossing and turning. Hopefully we are able to catch these guys in the act soon or get a confession.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Emma
