Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“I’ve got my people checking into disgruntled APG employees,” Hill said, “but that’s slow going. They’re scattered all over the place, so we’re tracking them down one by one. I’ll let you know if anything pops there.”
“Good work today, everyone,” Sam said. “Let’s reconvene at HQ tomorrow at zero seven hundred and see where we are.
” She had to go into the office tomorrow, so she’d need to ask Ms. Finklestein whether she could leave the children with Shelby.
Until they figured out who had killed Jameson and Cleo, Sam didn’t think the children should return to school.
After the others left, Sam went upstairs to check on the kids, who were still sleeping. She hadn’t seen Shelby go back downstairs, so she must be in the kitchen. Then she looked in on Scotty, who was doing his homework with headphones on. When he saw her come in, he took off the headphones.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Just checking on all my kids.”
“Are they still asleep?”
Sam nodded. “We’ll have to get them up in about half an hour or so. Their older brother is due here soon.”
“Do you think we’ll get to keep them?” Scotty asked.
Sam went to sit on the edge of his bed. “Probably not. We offered them temporary shelter until something more permanent could be arranged.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that they can’t stay. If it makes you feel any better, I’m disappointed, too.”
“You are?”
“Yeah. It didn’t take long to get attached to them.”
“They’re cute.”
“Yes, they are.”
“Where will they go when they leave here?”
“We don’t know that yet. The social worker is trying to find family members who’d be willing to take them. It’s all very complicated and compounded by the tragic loss the family has already suffered.”
He looked up at her with big eyes. “Will you make sure that wherever they go, they’ll be safe and well cared for? Before you let them leave here?”
“Yes, buddy,” Sam said, hugging him. “I’ll make sure.”
“Not all foster homes are as good as this one.”
A feeling of acute unease had her sitting up straighter. “Scotty—”
“I need to finish this stupid math homework, okay?” He gave her a pleading look, all but begging her not to pursue it further.
But how could she hear that and not want to know what he’d meant? “Okay.” She got up to leave the room and encountered Nick coming up the stairs. “Did Terry and the others leave?”
“Just now. How are the littles?”
“Still sleeping. We’ll have to get them up soon.” She glanced at Darcy, the Secret Service agent sitting outside Scotty’s door, and took Nick by the hand, tugging him into their room and closing the door. “Scotty said something.”
“What did he say?”
“We were talking about the kids and where they might end up. He wanted me to promise I’d make sure they end up in a good place. He said not all foster homes are as good as this one.”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “What do you suppose that means?”
“He cut me off before I could say anything. It was obvious he didn’t want me to ask.”
Nick stood with his hands on his hips, his posture unusually rigid. “The thought of anyone being unkind to him makes me murderous.”
“I know. Me, too.”
“We’ve never talked to him about the time between when his mother and grandfather died and when he ended up with Mrs. Littlefield in Richmond.”
“Do you think we should?”
“Part of me is afraid to ask.”
Sam sighed. “Me, too. But now I need to know. There was definitely something to the way he said it that has me freaking out a little about what we don’t know.”
After a long pause, Nick said, “Let’s table this for now. We’ll talk to him when the time is right, and while we’re in the middle of the situation with Aubrey and Alden is not the time. Do you agree?”
“Yes, that works for me. But we do need to talk to him.”
He put his arms around her. “We will.”
“I wish there was a way to go back and erase everything that hurt him.”
“That’d be nice,” Nick said, “but all we can do is let him know we’re here and he can tell us anything.”
“This parenting gig is hard sometimes.”
“True, but most of the time he makes it easy on us.”
“Yes, he does, because he’s the best kid ever.”
“You won’t hear me arguing.” Nick drew back and put his hands on her face before he kissed her. “There’s no one else I’d rather be navigating the parenthood maze with than you.”
“Even if I’m a hot mess of a mother most of the time?”
“You are not. Why would you say that?”
“You ought to hear the stuff Cleo did for her kids. Volunteering at their school, craft parties and playdates—”
Nick kissed her until she forgot what she was going to say. “You’re a wonderful mother, and your son adores you.”
“For now. How will he feel when he finds out I was supposed to have craft parties?”
“He’ll be damned thankful you never put him through that nonsense. Now if you wanted to have his friends over for a video game tournament, he’d be all for that.”
“Let’s do it. When you get back, we’ll tell him to invite as many friends as he wants for a sleepover with video games and movies and pizza and up-all-night fun.”
“And who will be the one to supervise this up-all-night fun?”
“Duh. You. You’re the one with insomnia. It may as well be useful for once.”
Nick laughed and then kissed her again. “You’re a wonderful mother, Sam. Don’t ever think otherwise. You’d lay down your own life for that boy.”
“I really would.”
“That’s all that matters.”