Page 27 of Cassidy

“Very,” Steele said with a grin. He slid into the back seat. “Did you find anything useful from the phone?”

Gabe sighed and filled Steele in on the fact that the phone storage had been wiped clean. She caught Steele’s gaze in the rearview and shrugged. She didn’t have anything to add. The whole thing was a mystery that only Gabe could solve.

And his memory loss was the biggest hurdle holding them back.

“Good idea to get disposable phones too,” Steele said, rummaging through the bag.

“I know the routine,” she said dryly. She headed to a restaurant that wasn’t too far from the big box store where they’d picked up Gabe’s phone. Ten minutes later, they were seated in a booth with menus in hand.

“What would you like to drink?” their server asked.

“Hot chocolate,” she and Gabe answered at the same time.

“Coffee for me,” Steele said, shaking his head. “You guys and your chocolate.”

She shrugged and scanned the menu. After their server returned with their hot drinks, she took their order and hurried off.

“I spoke to Rhy while I was waiting,” Steele said, cupping his hands around his coffee mug for warmth. He was clearly more chilled as he’d been standing around outside the entire time she and Gabe were gone. Steele glanced at Gabe. “He sent Roscoe’s cousin Cameron to interview your mom and her husband to get more information regarding the last time they’ve seen or spoken to Travis.”

“That’s good,” Cass said. “Maybe we can narrow down the timeline of when he went missing.”

“I hope so.” Gabe frowned. “I really need a few pictures. It’s sad, but I can’t bring forth any clear memories of my own mother.”

She winced, putting a hand on his arm. They were seated side by side in the booth, with Steele across from them. “You weren’t close to your mom, Gabe. You told me she divorced your father to marry a rich lawyer.” She paused, then added, “A criminal defense lawyer, which your father viewed as a slap in the face.”

“My dad was an MPD detective,” Gabe said hotly. “Of course, it was a slap in the face.”

“See? You remembered your dad because you were close to him. You joined the police department as a civilian but have dedicated your life to supporting cops. Like us,” she said, gesturing to herself and Steele. “So don’t be upset that you can’t remember your mother.”

“I guess.” Gabe sipped his hot chocolate. “But she’s still my mother.”

“Hang on, I think I found a photograph of her,” Steele said, working his phone. Then he turned the device so Gabe could see the screen. “Does this help?”

She leaned closer to Gabe as he took the phone. Steele had used his fake social media profile to find Shelia McCord. The woman on the screen was pretty, but her smile came across as more calculating than nice as she stood next to a slightly overweight man with gray hair at his temples.

“Yeah, that’s her.” Gabe said. “I remember her now. She married Paul McCord, and they had Travis within one year after their wedding.” He handed the phone back to Steele. “Odd that I don’t have childhood memories to go along with this.”

“I believe you lived with your dad,” Cass said. “At least, that’s the way you made it sound.”

“That solves one mystery,” Gabe muttered. “She gave me up in favor of a life of luxury.”

She shot a helpless glance at Steele, unsure of how to answer.

“Her loss, Gabe,” Steele said. “And God expects us to forgive those who trespass against us. Holding a grudge hurts you, not her.”

“That’s true,” Cassidy agreed. “Besides, who did she come to when she needed help?”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” Gabe said. But she wasn’t sure if he meant in finding Travis or in forgiving his mother.

Maybe both.

“Can you find a picture of Travis?” Gabe asked.

“Hang on.” Steele scrolled through the site, then nodded. “Here’s one.”

Gabe took the phone. On the screen was a skinny, tall teenager with long brown hair, the same brown eyes as Gabe, and wearing clothes that looked like they were from a rummage sale but had likely been purchased with the rips and holes in them. To her mind, he looked like a younger, scruffier version of Gabe.

“He looks familiar,” Gabe said. “But I can’t picture us being together.”

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