Page 61 of Fatal Betrayal

"I shouldn't have talked about the kidnapping," Monica said, regret in her eyes. "It made Dad think about what happened to Kyle when Hannah disappeared, and how that sent his life into a spiral. I should have kept my mouth shut."

Monica's words sent a cloud of pain through Joanne's eyes, and Cooper's mother's gaze was no longer as warm as it had been. Just like with Cooper, things went along fine for a while and then everyone remembered the role she'd played in the destruction of their family.

"I should get back to work," she said.

"Now, now, don't run off," Joanne said. "You haven't had your cookies yet, Andi. Let me get them."

As Joanne got up to get dessert, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get that," Monica said, eager to leave the table.

Andi looked at Cooper, who was sitting across from her. "I've gotten great at clearing a room."

"You had help from the cookies and the doorbell."

"And the reminder of what happened to Kyle."

"That, too," he admitted.

"Your mom is wonderful. I don't think I've ever known anyone as generous as she is." She felt an odd moisture gather in her eyes, and she blinked it away. She didn't get emotional. She didn't cry—ever. But she felt like tears were not that far away, and that was a shocking feeling.

Cooper gave her a funny look. "Andi? What's going on?"

Before she could answer, she heard voices getting louder. She looked to the doorway as Monica entered with an older woman, a woman she hadn't seen in a very long time. It was Kim Lassiter—TJ's mother. Kim was a curvy, short blond, now in her early sixties, wearing a white blazer over a sunny yellow dress that was as bright as her smile. Kim looked great, but there was a tightness to her face that suggested she'd had some work done. She certainly hadn't allowed herself to age as naturally as Joanne had.

"Hello, Andi," Kim said. "TJ said he saw you last night, and that you were with Cooper. That floored me. But here you are again."

"It's nice to see you, Mrs. Lassiter."

Kim waved her hand at her. "Oh, you're all grown up now, Andi. You can call me Kim. I saw your dad a few weeks ago. He really misses you. I hope you'll spend some time with him."

"We'll see."

"Your father told me you're very busy with your job."

She couldn't imagine how her father would know if she was busy or not. Despite his recent calls today, he had never tried that hard to see her. It was a little baffling that he was doing so now.

"Kim," Joanne said, as she returned to the table with a plate of cookies that she'd apparently warmed up. "Are you hungry? I have some chicken salad and cookies."

"I wouldn't mind a cookie. You are the best baker I know." Kim took the seat that Doug had vacated. "Is Doug around? I've been thinking about you all this week. I just wanted to stop in and say hello, ask if you need anything. I know this is a hard time for you."

"That's very kind of you," Joanne said, as she sat down. "We're fine. It's always a hard week, but we get through it, because we don't have a choice."

"I still remember when our boys used to hang out in my basement playing video games together. Will and Kyle and TJ and Cooper. It's hard to believe Kyle is gone. It was such a tragedy. Kyle was always kind to the younger kids, too. One time, when TJ was little, his bike broke down several blocks away, and Kyle walked him home to make sure he was safe. Kyle would have never hurt little Hannah, not in a million years."

"Kyle loved younger kids," Joanne said, nodding her head in agreement. "They were easier for him to deal with. They didn't have expectations. They didn't judge his behavior like kids his age did. Thank you for sharing that, Kim."

"I'm not sure if it helps or if it hurts to hear the memories."

"It helps more than anything," Joanne said.

"I hope so. Hannah has been on my mind all day since I heard about that other little girl going missing this morning. It brought back sad memories for me. So many days passed when I'd look at the yard between our two houses and wonder if someone had crept through there and taken Hannah out of her bed. I didn't sleep well for months after that. I kept checking on my kids every night."

"We all did that," Joanne said solemnly. "It was a difficult time."

"It was." Kim's gaze swung back to Andi. "Are you working on that case with the FBI?"

"I am."

---