Page 36 of Hard Shift

“You said it was after her first shift? What’s her animal?”

“She’s a fox.”

Elizabeth nodded and let the information sink in. “Do you have any pictures of Jenny?”

“Yeah.” She walked over to the fridge and slid a picture from behind a magnet. “She may be a bitch, but she’s our bitch.”

Elizabeth stared down at the picture of the young blonde with crooked teeth. The only resemblance between the woman she’d met earlier, and the unruly teen in the picture, was her striking blue eyes and the unmistakable mole on her neck. “Do you mind if I hold on to this?”

Matilda hesitated. “That’s the only one we have.”

“I’ll make a copy and have the original returned within the hour.”

“Yeah, I guess that would be okay.”

“Thanks for your time.” Elizabeth gave the woman a sad smile. She was a mother who missed her child, no matter what the circumstances. Elizabeth felt the waves of sorrow coming from the woman.

“If you see our Jenny…” the woman started to say, her eyes hopeful. “Tell her we never moved in hopes she’d come home.”

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