Page 12 (1/2)

"No! Give the phone number to me and I’ll take care of it" When he saw the worry in her eyes, Troy wondered if he’d frightened her "Will you do that?"

The stubborn look was back

"If not for your own peace of ht, if you insist," she said with a resigned shrug

"Ido"

Once again she glanced at the door

Troy started in that direction "Have a good evening, Faith," he said, touching the brim of his hat in farewell

"You, too"

She followed him to the front door and watched him walk away Troy felt her eyes on his back and wondered if she had as rets as he did He wondered if she missed him half as much as he missed her

By the tiot back to his house on Pacific Boulevard, it was pitch-dark Troy let hi, picked up the television rerams Mostly he appreciated the noise

The local Seattle news flashed across the screen as Troy hung up his coat He was about to close the closet door when he saw a reporter with athat was far too familiar

Troy stared It was the area outside the cave where the skeletal remains had been discovered

"This is Jean Everson with a story that’swoman said, her voice low and intense "I’m here in Cedar Cove to report that the unidentified re man have been found in this cave directly behindNo one appears to knoho this young ht be The autopsy report indicates that he was sealed inside this cave for approximately thirty years However, local law enforceic case"

All Troy could hope was that Louie Benson hadn’t seen this news item The woman’s voice droned on in the distance, and she finally ended with soht be buried along with those unidentified remains This is Channel 7 Eyewitness News Jean Everson reporting froton"

After a day like the one he’d had, this wasn’t what Troy wanted to see on his TV

NoHe didn’t need to check caller ID to figure out who it was Louie Benson wanted to talk to him for the second ti forward to seeing Mary Jo Wyse and her infant daughter He’d delivered the baby on Christh, Mary Jo had named her Noelle

It had been Mack’s first delivery, the only time he’d ever witnessed, let alone participated in, a birth Being with Mary Jo, being the very first person to hold Noelle, had been one of the most emotional experiences of his life Later on Christone to visit his parents, he hadn’t been able to stop talking about it He’d never felt anything like this before--this exhilaration, this sense of joy, of significance Everything else he’d ever done paled in comparison He’d been overwhelhter with EMT training He’d worked at a nu part of the Cedar Cove fire departed, the kind of work he was meant to do

He turned down the radio as he crossed the Narrows Bridge in Tacohts were hectic and disorganized; he needed to settle down before seeing Mary Jo again Noelle o days shy of being a ed since his visit a couple of weeks earlier

When they’d last spoken, Mary Jo had sounded pleased to hear from him, but she had bad news The insurance coiven a severance package The future felt uncertain and he could tell she was trying hard to be optie her, Mack had phoned twice since his previous visit, and their conversations, although short, had gone well Still, he wished there was some way he could help her Frankly he couldn’t think of anything She wouldn’t accept financial assistance fro it from her brothers

He knew she’d rather not live with them but there really weren’t many options, especially now that she was une frustration, but Mack sensed how she felt

Having lived in the Seattle area forthe route to Mary Jo’s address As he’d already discovered, it was a nice house in a pleasant neighborhood He knew she’d been raised in this very hoest of four children Her brothers considered theuardians and had done so ever since their parents had died in an autoht, Mack walked up the pathway that led to the house He stared at the front door for a long , before he pressed the bell

Mary Jo answered alainst her shoulder The baby cried, a steady, plaintive whi

"Hi," he said

"Hi," she returned, s up at him

Mary Jo looked…dreadful No other word for it She was dressed and her hair was brushed, but her uise her paleness or the circles that darkened her eyes Those tired eyes did light up when she saw hih

She moved aside so Mack could step into the house, which he noted was tidy A white bassinet was set up in the living room close to the sofa, and there was a stack of disposable diapers on the coffee table

"I’m so sorry," she said "I planned to have Noelle bathed and ready to receive co" She patted Noelle’s back "And consequently, so have I"

"No need to apologize," Mack told her