Page 54 of Gifts

I take care of shit when life goes awry.

I turn to Asa. “You can put Emma in Saylor’s room. She hasn’t slept in there in years—the sheets are clean. Levi can go to the guest room on the third floor. You,” I add and don’t feel the least bit bad about it, “can take the sofa.”

Asa narrows his eyes, probably also waiting for me to spew like a Mentos tossed into a two-liter.

I look at Maya one last time. “It was good to meet you. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to change into something more comfortable.”

Her eyes shoot between Asa and me before helping her little guy down from my bar stool. “We’ll get out of your way. Let us know if you need anything.”

I force a fake smile knowing I won’t need a thing. “I appreciate it.”

Finally, I stalk out of my kitchen, leaving them all.

*****

Asa

It’s late. I shut and lock the front door to Keelie’s house as the detectives leave. There was so much evidence at my house to process, they just made it here to question Emma and Keelie. Levi kept Knox and Saylor occupied with video games, but as much as we all tried, I’m pretty sure Knox knows something else is going on besides his mom having car problems.

We ate pizza and Keelie had baked ziti, even though she just picked at it. I got my kids settled in their rooms while Keelie bustled around her house like a fucking elf getting ready for Christmas. I couldn’t get the woman to sit still, so I finally gave up and let her run circles—doing laundry, making sure everyone had towels, organizing the closet in Saylor’s room for Emma. She even cleaned out her fucking refrigerator. Every damn thing came out of it and she scrubbed until it shined from the inside out.

I focused on Emma. If she’d made any progress in the last week, it was all for nothing, and if I’m honest with myself, today dug me into a deeper hole than where I started. She wouldn’t talk and barely answered the detectives’ questions, leaving it all to Keelie, who handled the interview like a press secretary in the middle of World War III.

I didn’t learn anything new from what Keelie told me earlier in the back of the ambulance. I sent the surveillance videos to the police for their investigation, but I doubt they’ll get further than we have, which isn’t saying much. Carson doesn’t have any leads and, like Crew, he doesn’t think it’s tied to our work which makes me think it could be tied to what happened to Levi at school.

Crew and Grady are working that angle now.

“I’m going to bed,” Emma mutters, as she trudges past me, heading for the stairs.

I catch her and pull her into my arms. “You promise me you’re okay?”

She stiffens before giving me a compulsory hug that isn’t genuine. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Did you talk to your mom?”

She pushes away from me and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, for what seemed like forever. Can I go to bed now?”

I sigh, knowing how she feels. Danielle reamed my ass for more than thirty minutes over what happened, like I asked for someone to shoot up my house.

I go into Keelie’s family room where I find Saylor sitting on my son’s shoulders with a video game controller balanced on his head. I’ve never seen the child with anything but off-the-wall energy, but she finally looks tired, slumped over the top of Levi.

Knox is sprawled on the floor but the second I enter, he comes alert. “What did they want?”

I give him a shrug and play it off. “They towed your mom’s van and just had some questions. What are you playing?”

“Time for bed,” Keelie butts in. She walks around me and plucks Saylor off of Levi’s shoulders. “You’re lucky Levi doesn’t have personal space issues.”

Keelie winces as she lifts Saylor, favoring her shoulder. I step forward and take the child from her arms before she rips out her stitches. I made her take some ibuprofen when we got home but that was hours ago. I’m sure it’s worn off by now.

Saylor comes to me easy, curls her body around me and tucks her head into my neck. Keelie seems taken aback, her face frozen in place for a moment before she turns to Knox and Levi. “Knox, bedtime. Thanks for hanging out with them, Levi. There are towels in the bathroom on the third floor and a TV in the guest room. Help yourself.”

“Thanks, Ms. Lockhart,” Levi says, moving to grab his bag and head upstairs.

“I’ll carry her. Lead the way,” I say.

I follow everyone and Levi continues one more flight to Keelie’s guest room. I trail behind her and Knox to his room and set Saylor down.

She rubs her eyes but doesn’t look at me when she mumbles, “Thanks, Asa.”

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