Page 14 of Little Child Gone

Daddy laughed his loud laugh, his dark eyes twinkling. “Time is different in heaven, I think. What seems like an eternity here is just moments in heaven. I think the ones who go before us are probably so peaceful they don’t realize time is passing.”

Her throat ached as Rebecca fought back the tears. Would Daddy be waiting for her when it was her turn? She was young, with so much time ahead of her. What if Daddy forgot about them while he was having fun in heaven?

Cold mist fell on her nose as a soft drizzle began to fall from the gray sky, creating delicate ripples on the sea of black umbrellas on the other side of the grave site. Daddy had been liked by so many people that his funeral had spilled out from the church into the parking lot, and now the cemetery seemed filled to the gills with living people.

Little Jason sniffled beside her. He still didn’t understand why Daddy was never home. Rebecca didn’t either. Why had the person who killed Daddy decided to drive drunk instead of getting a ride home? Why had Daddy gone to the store that night instead of just waiting until morning?

Over the last few days, Rebecca had heard the adults talking about accidents happening close to home and arguing about things like manslaughter and second-degree murder. She didn’t understand any of it, but she knew it had something to do with punishing the man who’d killed her father.

The priest droned on, talking about how Daddy would be better off in heaven. Rebecca wanted to scream that it was a lie. How could Daddy be better off without them?

Rebecca couldn’t stop staring at the casket, a simple but elegant piece of polished wood where Daddy would be locked away from them forever. The man who had been her hero, her protector, and her friend was now gone, and Rebecca didn’t know what they were going to do without him. Memories of his warm smile, his hearty laugh, and the way he would lift her high into the air, making her feel like she could touch the clouds, flooded her mind. Maybe if she stared at the casket hard enough before it was all the way down, Daddy could still come back.

Rebecca was old enough to know better.

After a few years passed, little Jason would forget Daddy, too. He would never remember how much Daddy loved him, or Daddy comforting them during a storm. One day, Daddy would be more of an idea than anything else.

Her mother’s hand squeezed her shoulder. Rebecca looked up at Mama, the priest’s words a distant murmur, lost in the patter of rain. Mama nodded at her. It was time.

Rebecca struggled not to tremble too much, because she didn’t want to crumple the perfect red rose in her hand. She stepped forward, her boots sinking into the wet earth, pulling her little brother with her. Her small fingers traced the rose petals before she laid it gently on top of the casket.

“Goodbye, Daddy,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain. “I love you.” She nudged her little brother, and he put his rose on top of the casket as well.

With one last look, she stood and returned to her mother’s side. The world around her seemed a blur, but she felt her mother’s arm around her shoulders, a comforting presence in the midst of her heartbreak. As they walked away clutching Mama’s hand, Rebecca turned back for one final glance, etching the moment into her memory.

What would happen to them now?

SIX

Nikki’s drive from Stillwater to the FBI office in Brooklyn Park took longer than usual. It seemed like everyone in the city was running late. She was ten minutes late by the time she rolled up to the newly installed security gates at the Bureau office, along with an additional security guard. After the building had been infiltrated a few months ago, the FBI’s already tight security had become a noose. Nikki understood the incident had to be addressed, mostly because of the media scrutiny that had increased since the events last fall. Still, the situation had been one of a kind, the killer relying on the naivety of a young lab assistant to gain access. The poor girl had never seen it coming.

She parked in her usual spot and hurried into the building lobby, where she had to go through additional security checks. The ego in her wanted to pull rank, to remind the guards that was her commendation photo on the FBI wall of honor, but she complied like the rest of the employees. After the lobby check, she used her new ID badge to get onto the elevator. All elevators had to be accessed by key cards, along with each floor. After the tragedy in October, FBI security had issued new cards that allowed them to track an employee throughout the building instead of specific areas.

She’d debated calling Garcia while they were at Matt’s yesterday, but it was Miller’s jurisdiction and likely a cold case. Hopefully he didn’t blow a gasket at her decision. Garcia had turned out to be a better supervisor than Nikki ever expected, but his ego still popped up every now and then.

Her phone chimed with a text. Courtney and Liam, Nikki’s partner, were already in Garcia’s office, but their boss hadn’t shown up yet. Nikki hit the floor five button. Violent Crime had the entire floor, with Nikki’s small, elite unit at the far end, near her boss’s office and her own. She scanned her ID to enter the fifth-floor bullpen. Nikki always made it a point to say good morning with the other Violent Crime agents, because it was important they were all equals. Her team had profiling experience and the ability to travel out of state, but every agent on the fifth floor did solid work.

After last fall, security had wanted to put in an additional secured door between Violent Crime and Nikki’s team. With Garcia on her side, she convinced them that wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t be good for day-to-day operations and morale.

She bypassed their bullpen and her office on the way to Garcia’s corner office. Thankfully, he still hadn’t arrived when she finally came through the door.

Courtney and Liam sat in two chairs in front of their boss’s desk, and Nikki fell into the third. Courtney sipped her iced coffee and pointed to her left. “He came in, said hi, and went to sleep ten minutes ago.”

Liam’s fair skin had a pink hue, and white bits of peeling skin dotted his forehead. “I wonder how many times he forgot sunscreen,” Nikki whispered.

“Dummy.” Courtney rolled her eyes. “How does a freaking redhead forget to put on sunscreen.”

“I didn’t.” Liam didn’t open his eyes. “This is with the sunscreen.”

Nikki looked at Courtney. “You didn’t get a chance to tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Liam yawned and sat up straighter in the chair, his long legs crossed in front of him, his eyes finally opened.

“You’ll just have to hear it when Garcia does,” Nikki answered. “No point in repeating. How was the vacation?”

“Awesome. Exhausting. I need a recovery week.”

“That’s part of the reason I hate taking vacations,” Nikki said. “It takes me months to feel caught up. Zach and Caitlin have fun?” Nikki wasn’t sure if Courtney had known about Liam’s plans to propose to Caitlin after nearly four years together.

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