Page 37 of Search for the Truth
Liam didn’t respond.
The sound of Blake shifting in her seat had him guess that she had turned toward him.
“Why? Is there something there?”
Liam shook his head.
“There was nothing there.”
Blake sighed out long.
“There was nothing there,” she repeated, like the topic was done.
But for Liam it had just started.
“No,” he said. “I mean we never found a laptop with Missy or with her belongings. There was nothing there.”
This time he did glance at his passenger. Light from the approaching intersection showed him an expression that was all thoughtful.
“Then what happened to it between the café and the bridge?”
Liam didn’t know, but he sure was going to try to find out.
Chapter Nine
Rain started to fall two steps after they were inside of the house. Once again Liam took charge of carrying Clem. If Blake hadn’t called ahead to let Lola know they were coming, she was sure the older woman would have been shocked quiet at the sudden appearance of the big man holding their small kiddo.
Instead, she greeted them all at the door with a tight hug for Blake, a soft back rub for the sleeping Clem, and a little pat on Liam’s arm. It wasn’t until Clem had been settled in her room and all three adults were standing around the living room that Lola and Liam were officially introduced.
“I would have liked meeting you under better circumstances, but I have to say, Sheriff, I’m sure glad you were around.” Lola reached out for Blake’s hand. “When Blake called me earlier to tell me about what happened... I, well, I’m just really glad everything worked out the way it did.”
Liam gave her a small smile. He waved his hand a little as if swatting away the nice.
“I didn’t do much,” he said. “Blake here is the one that did all the work. I just showed up at the end.”
They all knew that wasn’t true—Liam had put a stop to the madness—but it was late, and they weren’t there to rehash what had happened. Lola wasn’t letting him go that fast though. While Blake and Clem had eaten takeout at the sheriff’s department, Liam hadn’t had one bite. Once Lola realized he had an empty stomach, her Southern manners refused to let him leave.
“I’m making you an egg-and-bacon scramble,” she announced. “Unless you really want to fight me on it, why don’t the two of you go take the weight off your poor feet?” Lola caught Blake’s eye. “The chairs are ready.”
The sheriff raised his eyebrow at that.
“The chairs?”
Blake led the way back outside to the front porch. She motioned to the random assortment of outdoor chairs lined up next to the railing. There were two adult-sized and one miniature chair, covered in rainbows. Around those were a few wayward dinosaur figurines, an empty can of Play-Doh, two bottles of bubbles, and a smattering of shoes lined haphazardly along the wall.
“We’re a family who really likes to watch the rain,” Blake explained. She eyed the slight chaos that was around the chairs. “And apparently a family who forgets to clean the front porch. Sorry for the mess.”
Liam settled into one of the chairs. He laughed.
Blake followed suit and settled in the chair next to him. The rain was still falling outside, but it was a soft shower. Soothing. Cool. Relaxing. At least as much as it could be considering the last few hours.
“It’s not mess,” he said. “It’s breadcrumbs.”
“Breadcrumbs?” Blake parroted.
She watched as the corner of Liam’s lip turned up ever so slightly.
“A buddy of mine used to say the thing he missed the most about home while we were deployed were the breadcrumbs. You know, the little things people leave around their homes that prove a family lives there.” He laughed. “He used to talk about the hair ties his daughter and wife would leave lying around everywhere. The cats would find them, eat them, and then cough them up, making a mess. He’d say he’d get up in the middle of the night for some water, and if he could make it to the fridge without stepping on one or the other, it was a win. Things like that. A chipped bowl no one ever throws away, discarded socks in random places, toys and books and the pen you can never find when you need it, but it’s always in the way when you don’t. His family called that breadcrumbs. You follow them, you’ll find a family.”
