Page 5 of The Girl and the Lies

Opening the doors releases a deluge of children into the room, all excitedly oohing and ahhing as they take in the sights gleefully. I can almost see the gears churning in their little heads as they try to decide what they want to do first.

“Everybody, take a seat,” Mary instructs them.

The children who are able flop down to sit on the floor while those in wheelchairs are brought up close beside them. I step back to watch as Mary introduces the party and describes what the children will be doing. She gives the usual gentle admonishments to make sure that they all behave and give everyone a chance to enjoy everything, then throws her arms up in the air.

“Go have fun!”

I can’t help but smile at the sight of the children running to the games and giggling over the decorations. Mike steps up beside me to organize some extra snacks and treats on one of the tables, and I smile at him.

“This is really amazing,” I say. “They look like they’re having a blast.”

“I look forward to the party every month,” he says. “The hospital has a really special place in my heart. My brother spent a lot of time here when it was still the old facility. They took really good care of him, and they tried to do as many special things as they could for all the kids. I knew I wanted to help make being here easier and more fun for them.”

“Agent Griffin?”

Mary is coming toward me with her hand on the back of a boy I’d place at nine or ten years old. He’s wearing cotton lounge pants and a baggy T-shirt with socks, and I notice a port in his arm.

“Hi,” I say.

“This is Lucas Potter. He’s really excited to meet you.”

Mike smiles at me and moves away to join in the fun of the party while I talk to Lucas. We chat for a while, his enthusiasm glowing in big brown eyes that defy his surroundings and circumstances. By the time he rejoins the party, I am filled with emotion and even more dedicated to finding out who is at once targeting the hospital with horrifying threats and forcing Terrence Brooks to make a large donation with the mark of the Game Master.

I call Sam while I’m on the drive back to Sherwood from Ashbury so he knows I’m on the way.

“How was the party? Did you tell the kids all about the glamorous life of an FBI agent?”

“I… skimped on some of the more grisly details,” I admit. “But that didn’t stop Lucas. He wanted everything. He was a little disappointed when I told him it’s a lot more paperwork than in the movies though. Good kid.”

“Are you hungry?” he asks. “I’ll order some food from the Thai place.”

“That sounds amazing,” I tell him. “I didn’t even stop for lunch today.”

“Don’t tell Xavier that, you’ll end up with another emergency pack of snacks and water stuffed in your back seat,” he says.

“That was actually really useful,” I tell him. “The chocolate coating on the protein bars might not survive the summer heat as well as they did in the winter, but I got good use out of those during a few investigations last winter. Especially when my tire went flat during that storm and I had to wait for roadside assistance.”

Sam laughs. “I think you would prefer your noodles.”

“I would always prefer my noodles.”

“I’ll see you when you get home.”

The drive from Ashbury isn’t very long, but it gives me enough time to churn the new developments through my mind, trying to piece the new details together with what we already know about Terrence Brooks’s death.

I’m still bouncing thoughts around when I get home and pull in behind Sam’s car in the driveway. The long summer evenings mean the sun hasn’t set yet, but the front light is already on. It’s a comforting, welcoming sight that makes me relax into the feeling of being home.

I grab my bag and the papers I got from Mary Billings and head inside.

“Hey, babe,” I call out when I open the door. “I’m home.”

Sam places something down with a clatter, then emerges out of the kitchen with a dishtowel over his shoulder and comes over to me for a kiss.

“Glad you’re back,” he says.

“What are you doing in there?” I ask.

“Cleaning out the refrigerator. There were some things in there I think we’ve forgotten about for a few weeks.”

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