Page 34 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Nepal?”

“She and her husband are missionaries.”

“How’d you become friends with her?”

“They were in Kona for years. There’s a big missionary organization not far from where I lived, and Dad and I were involved a lot when I was in high school and college. Jaslynn and I have been friends since I was nineteen. They moved a few months before Dad died.”

“Must have been hard not having your best friend around.”

When Aspen didn’t say anything, he glanced her way to find her nodding. She looked out the opposite window into the dense snow-covered woods.

“What was he like, your dad? Or is it too hard to talk about him?”

“No, I like talking about him.” She faced Garrett again. “He was generous and funny and sweet. He worked a lot of hours, but when I was a kid, he always managed to be there for me. He owned a restaurant that was within walking distance of our apartment. Every day after school, he’d meet the bus and walk back to the restaurant with me. It was my favorite part of the day, just Dad and me catching up. While he worked, I’d do myhomework, talk to the customers, clean off the tables. Even when I was old enough to stay home by myself, he preferred for me to be with him. And I did too.”

Garrett couldn’t imagine. His own father had commuted from their house just north of the Massachusetts border to Boston every day, leaving before Garrett woke up and returning after dinner. The little time they had together, Dad had spent lecturing Garrett about his grades or berating him about how he dressed or how he should choose better quality friends, as if the kids at his expensive private school weren’t good enough for him.

Garrett said, “Your dad sounds like a good man.”

“He was the best.”

Garrett detected emotion in her voice. He gave her a moment before asking, “How long ago did he die?”

“It was a year on Tuesday. I thought it would be symbolic or something, starting this journey to fulfill his final wish exactly a year after his death. It was stupid. I cried all day long and then had to get on a plane and travel. It’s no wonder I’m still so tired.”

“And it hasn’t exactly gotten easier this week.”

She sniffed beside him, blew out a breath, and said, “I’m fine. It’s fine.” Her voice was forced-cheerful.

“It’s okay to not be fine, you know.” He looked her way and caught her eyes. “It’s okay to grieve, and to be angry at your stupid nosy stalker guy. And Bart Bradley and all the rude people at The Patriot yesterday.”

“You remind me a little of him.” She let out a short laugh. “Not Bart.”

“Your dad? I’m flattered.”

“It’s just… you’re kind, and you anticipate people’s needs, like the way you got the house ready for me. And managed the phone and internet installation and brought over the furniture this morning.”

“The furniture was just taking up space in my aunt and uncle’s garage.”

“But you asked them for it and brought it. And most people don’t ask about my dad. I guess they think maybe it’ll be painful to talk about, or maybe they don’t want to deal with my emotions. Dad would have asked too. He had a way of drawing people out, getting them to share. Like you, he genuinely cared about people.”

Garrett caught her shrug and looked her way to find her cheeks were a little pink, and this definitely wasn’t the cold. She was blushing.

He might’ve been too.

“Would it be pushing my luck to ask what your father’s dying wish was?”

After he asked, he drove a good mile before she spoke.

“You heard me tell that guy at the restaurant yesterday that my mom’s been missing most of my life.”

Garrett hadn’t been trying to pry. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t do that, but maybe he’d asked the right question to get the information his uncle wanted.

He half wanted to change the subject before she could share, not wanting to be in the position of having to decide what to do with what she told him.

But the other half of him was too curious to interrupt.

“Dad told me that she was missing and probably dead. He always referred to her in the past tense. My mom had some mental problems, and because of that, he didn’t think she’d be able to disappear and never be found.”

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