Page 306 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Do you blame me?”

“Yes, Emily. I do.” He blew out a frustrated breath and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Who was the gorgeous blonde?”

“A cold case detective.” He modulated his tone. “She’s working on that Virginia case where they found the body in the wall.”

Emily deflated. “Why didn’t you tell me that on Tuesday night?”

“You wouldn’t let me.”

“You could’ve texted.”

“It’s not something you put in a text.”

He slid his arm around her shoulders and guided her over to a nearby bench. She sank down onto it. “It was Nora?”

He lowered himself onto the bench beside her and pulled her close. “They did. I asked to be the one to tell you and your parents. I didn’t want you to hear it from a stranger.”

It felt like she was suffocating. She needed air. She jumped up and paced. The pain in her chest felt like daggers. Sobs wracked her body, and she dropped to the ground hugging her knees to her chest.

Wade didn’t try to placate her with meaningless sentiments. Nor did he tell her Nora was in a better place and quote Romans 8:28. He knew it wasn’t what she needed. Not in that particular moment. She needed to grieve.

Long minutes passed before she swiped her palms over her eyes. Wade held out his hand to help her up off the ground, and then he held her. She melted into the strength of his embrace.

She’d been expecting the news for years, but, somehow, it still came as a shock. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been hoping Nora was alive somewhere. Now all hope was gone. Dried up like a potsherd.

She swiped away her tears and looked Wade in the eyes. “How did you connect with the detective?”

“Back in July when I saw the request for her dental records, I contacted her department. Detective McKenna returned my call. They don’t consider cold cases to be a rush, so they’re justgetting around to confirming that it was Nora they found. The detective was in the area on an unrelated case and offered to meet face to face. I figured we could grab dinner before I headed home. It wasn’t a date. Just food.”

Emily covered her face with her hands. “I feel like such an idiot. You were trying to help me and my family, and I jumped to conclusions. Even if it was a date, I don’t have any claim on you.”

“You do have a claim on me. Always have.” He said the words so quietly she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “I probably should’ve been keeping you updated. I didn’t want to exhume the past until we knew for sure it was her.”

“I behaved like a child.”

“I’m glad you care enough about me to get jealous.”

She pushed him. “I was not jealous.”

He grinned. “Were too.”

“Do they know how she wound up in Virginia?”

“From what they can piece together a trucker who went by the alias of Mark Williams was renting the house back then. He’s been connected with other missing girls, but they haven’t been able to prove his responsibility yet. Maybe this case will be the one to do it. The assumption is that he picked her up on one of his trips to New York and back. Whether she went willingly or not is unknown. I’m sure Detective McKenna will interview family and friends to see if any of us recognize Williams. I checked the photo she had and he didn’t look familiar.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “I need to go home. My parents don’t know.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“You have to stay here. Jamie’s missing, and you might have the key to finding her in your files.”

“Then wait for me. After Jamie is home, we’ll go together.”

“This isn’t the kind of thing that can wait, Wade. What if a reporter finds out first?”

“You’re right, but I don’t want you to go alone.”

---