8
G abriel sat by Ava’s bedside, gently rubbing her back as she drifted asleep. Just then, Hayden poked his head into the room. “The police are here,” he whispered.
Nodding, Gabriel tenderly kissed his daughter’s forehead before quietly leaving the bedroom. As he reached the foyer, he joined Hunter, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and listened intently as Hunter recounted to the officers what had transpired and the details of what he had witnessed that night. When he finished, one of the officers turned to Gabriel, introduced himself, and said, “I see you have a security system. Did the alarm go off?”
“Not until the intruder left,” said Gabriel.
The officer turned his attention back to Hunter, “Did you disarm the system when you got home?”
Hunter replied, “I went to do it, but it wasn’t armed. I thought my Dad had forgotten to set it, so I activated the system, put it in stay mode, andthen headed up the stairs to bed.”
The officer asked Gabriel, “Do you remember setting the alarm before you went to bed?”
Gabriel nodded confidently. “Yes, I’m sure of it.”
“How many people know the code?” the officer inquired.
“My wife, my two boys, the housekeeper, and myself,” Gabriel responded.
The officer glanced around the room, asking, “And where is your wife now?”
Gabriel cleared his throat, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Um, she’s out of town,” he said. “Do you think this could have been a random burglary?”
“It’s possible,” the officer said. “Hackers are incredibly sophisticated nowadays and can access the codes of security systems. Do you have any cameras installed?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t,” Gabriel replied.
“You might want to invest in some. It helps to deter burglars.”
“I will, right away.”
“Good. We’ll collect some prints from the keypad, just in case,” the officer said, nodding to his partner, who immediately began dusting the keypad.
“Did you notice if the intruder wore gloves?” he asked Hunter.
“No, sir, it was too dark and happened so fast,” Hunter replied.
“Is anything missing that you can tell?” the officer asked Gabriel.
“It doesn’t appear so, but I will have to inspect the house. We have twin teenagers and there are a lot of electronics. Can I do a report tomorrow after I have a chance to check?” Gabriel responded.
“Yes, you can do that.”
“Is there anyone you can think of who would have a reason to break in?” the officer asked.
“No, sir,” Gabriel replied.
“All right, I need your housekeeper’s full name and address,” the officer said.
Gabriel protested, “She’s not involved. She’s worked for me for twelve years.”
The officer, unfazed, handed Gabriel a pad and pen. “I still need her full name and address.”
With a reluctant sigh, Gabriel took the pad and pen, jotted down the information, and handed it back to the officer.
“Thank you,” said the officer, “We’ll file a report and check with the neighbors to see if anyone saw or heard anything unusual.” The officer handed Gabriel his card. “If you remember anything important or discover something is missing, please call us.”
Accepting the card, Gabriel said, “I will. Thank you, officer.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll contact you if we have any updates,” the officer replied before departing.
The following morning, despite a restless, anxiety-ridden night of little sleep due to the break-in and Emily’s absence, Gabriel woke up early. Before calling the office to reschedule his first few appointments, he knew he needed coffee. He went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup, but there was no coffee in the coffeemaker – yet another reminder that Emily wasn’t there.
After loading coffee and water into the high-end coffee maker, it took him several minutes to figure out how to operate the sophisticated machine. He longed for an old-fashioned coffee maker with a simple on/off button at that moment. When the pot was only half full, he impatiently removed the carafe and poured himself a cup, eager for that first jolt of caffeine to kick in and jumpstart his day.
He took his first sip and grimaced—the coffee tasted bitter and unpleasant. Frustrated, he poured it down the sink, silently cursing Emily for her absence.
Ava drifted into the kitchen, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Where’s Mommy?” she mumbled.
Gabriel walked over to Ava and gently took her hand. “Mommy’s not here right now. Daddy’s going to get you ready for school today,” he said, leading her out of the kitchen.
When they reached her bedroom, Gabriel went directly to her closet and selected a dress off the rack.
“Not that one,” Ava said before he could even turn around.
Sighing, Gabriel placed the dress back and grabbed another. “How about this one?” he asked, holding it up for her approval.
Ava crossed her arms in front of her chest and shook her head.
After several more suggestions, Gabriel’s patience began to wear thin. “What do you want to wear?” he asked, his voice rising in frustration.
Ava’s eyes welled up with tears. “I want Mommy!” she cried.
Instantly regretting his tone, Gabriel bent down to pick up his daughter. “I know you do. I miss Mommy too,” he said softly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Carrying her to the closet, he gently asked, “Now, which pretty dress do you want to wear today?”
“That one,” Ava said, pointing to a pink dress.
Gabriel smiled, taking the dress off the hanger, “That one is perfect.”
After getting Ava dressed, they made their way down the hallway. Gabriel knocked on each of the boys’ bedroom doors, opening them slightly, and called out, “Time to get up.”
He headed downstairs, poured Ava a bowl of cereal, and set up cartoons on the iPad to keep her entertained. Then he set about packing her lunch. When he finished, a glance at the clock told him it was almost time to leave. What’s taking the boys so long? he wondered. Concerned, he went back upstairs to hurry them along.
He entered Hunter’s room first. Seeing him still asleep in bed, Gabriel’s frustration boiled over. He yanked the covers off and shouted, “Get up! You’re going to be late for school.”
Startled, Hunter jumped out of bed, wide-eyed from his father’s uncharacteristic outburst. “Where’s Emily?” he asked, confusion etched on his face.
“She’s not here. I’m taking you to school today. Now get moving, we’re leaving in a few minutes.” Gabriel said before leaving Hunter’s room to check on Hayden.
When he entered Hayden’s room, Hayden was up, no doubt from hearing Gabriel yelling at his brother. Hayden pulled a pair of pants out of his dresser, glancing at his father with a guilty sideways glance.
“We’re leaving in five,” Gabriel said.
Knowing better than to argue, Hayden nodded in acknowledgment.
When Gabriel returned to the kitchen, he found Ava drinking milk from her bowl and spilling it down the front of her dress. “Ava! Look what you’re doing,” he shouted in frustration.
Startled, Ava dropped the bowl, sending it crashing to the floor, and ran out of the kitchen in tears.
It took another twenty minutes to calm Ava, change her clothes, and get everyone into the car. They were going to be late again. As he drove to school, Gabriel couldn’t help but repeatedly replay his words to Emily in his mind: “You’re the adult. It’s your responsibility to get the kids to school on time.” Now, he had a newfound appreciation for how difficult the task was.
He pulled the car up to the high school, and Hunter put out his hand.
“What?” Gabriel asked.
“We need lunch money,” Hunter stated.
“Oh, right,” Gabriel said, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. “How much is lunch?” He asked, opening his wallet and pulling out a couple of bills.
“$3.50,” the twins said in unison.
Gabriel rifled through the money in his hand, “I don’t have any small bills.”
“This will work,” Hunter said, grabbing a ten-dollar bill from his father’s hand before hopping out of the car.
“I need money too,” Hayden said.
“Can you get five from Hunter?”
“We don’t have the same lunch period.”
Gabriel held out a twenty. “Here is your lunch money for the week.”
Hayden snatched the money from his father’s hand, saying, “Bye, Dad.”
Gabriel’s next stop was Ava’s preschool. He dropped Ava off with no problems, then let out a sigh of relief when he was back in the car. He was pulling into his office parking lot when he got a call from the preschool.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Dr. Anderson. This is Ms. Kathy, from Ava’s preschool.”
“Yes,” Gabriel said, trying to hide his annoyance.
“We can’t find Ava’s lunch. It’s not in her cubby.”
He parked the car and glanced into the rearview mirror, spotting Ava’s lunchbox lying on the back seat next to her booster seat. “I have it,” he said into the phone. “I just got to work; I can’t bring it now. What time is lunch?”
“Twelve o’clock,” Ms. Kathy said.
“Okay, I’ll have it there before noon,” he assured Ms. Kathy.
“Thank you, Dr. Anderson.”
“You’re welcome.” Gabriel ended the call.
He then turned off the car and removed the key from the ignition. He grabbed his briefcase from the passenger seat, removed Ava’s lunchbox from the back seat, and exited the car. He then long-legged it across the parking lot toward his building.