Page 20 of Her Last Secret

“Oh.” He frowned and said, “Well, your mom is certainly going on the naughty list, then.”

Paige chuckled and pointed down to the unfinished game of Uno. “Hey, do you want to continue the game? I promise I won't beat you too bad."

Carson nodded and sat down on the floor where Janell had been. "You're talking to a man who's seen every trick in the book, Paige. I'm not so easily defeated."

"Challenge accepted," Paige grinned, her competitive spirit reigniting as they faced each other. She really had missed him…and she wished Grandma Tate was here to see him again, too.

As they played, it occurred to Paige that Agent Carson was just another example of how her mother cared for her even when she was away at work. And though Paige wanted her mother at home all the time, she wanted the version of her mother from before the cancer. She knew it was selfish and a bit mean, but it was true. She missed that mom—not just the shell of her that returned from the hospital worn and fragile, but the vibrant, fearless FBI agent who regaled her with stories of chases and bravery. She wondered if she’d ever see that version of her mother again.

"Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?" Carson nudged gently, pulling Paige back to the present.

“Huh?”

“It’s your go, silly.”

“Oh. Oh yeah. Sorry.”

Paige played a Skip, then a Draw Two. On the next turn, she was out. She'd forgotten to call "uno," but Agent Carson had missed it, so she didn't say anything.

“Sneaky, sneaky, young sleuth," Carson chuckled, and Paige couldn't help but join in.

As they continued their duel, Paige also thought about the wedding coming up in less than two weeks. She was nervous about her part in it (she was her mother’s bridesmaid, whatever that meant) but she was also excited. Mr. Jack was going to be her new dad. And though Paige missed her real dad, she knew that he would want her safe and looked after.

She’d be part of a family again. And even at such a young age, she understood that after having lost so much—her father, her great-grandmother, and nearly her mother to cancer—it was about time she and her mother actuallygainedsomething.

And with that determined thought in her head, she dropped a Draw Four with a little too much enthusiasm.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Rachel's hand pushed open the heavy glass door of the field office with a bit of frustration. She hated going back and forth, to and from the building. Most of the time when she returned here during the course of the case, it meant there were no real trails to follow; it meant they would have to go digging through databases, forms, and all sort of case files.

But for now, at least, they had an incident to follow—the report of a man being hauled away from the backstage door of a theater by the police.

Yet, as she and Jack made their way across the front lobby, Rachel stepped to the side, into the waiting area. “You go on up,” she told Jack. “I want to check in on things at home.”

“Sure thing.”

Rachel pulled up the number for home. As it rang, her heart ached a bit. She was still always expecting the line to be answered by Grandma Tate, her sweet sing-song voice greeting her. When it was answered by Stephen Carson on the third ring, Rachel swallowed her grief down and put on the happiest voice she could.

“This is Agent Carson,” he answered.

“Carson, it’s Rachel.”

“Oh, hello there, Agent Gift. Good thing you’re calling, because I need to report a crime.”

“Why? What did she do?”

“Let’s just say it’s criminal how good this girl is at Uno.”

“Oh, yeah, I could have told you that. You might want to avoid Rummy, too.”

“Ah, noted.”

“Do you mind if I chat with her for a moment?” Rachel asked.

“Not at all.”

“Thanks. Hey, Stephen? Thank you," she said, the relief palpable in her tone. "I can't tell you how much it means to have you back with us.”

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