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Charlotte shook her head It’d been so many years now… "I can’t say for sure, three or four decades ago Maybe more His aunt or whoever it was had taken him to the waterfront park He was enthralled with it She said it was probably the first ti?"

"Even now I can see that boy on the , so happy to be outside in the sunshine"

Her , just as Ben had suggested

"Go on," he urged

Charlotte closed her eyes "His aunt see he did" She sh she couldn’t picture the woman clearly Oh, why couldn’t she remember her na happened to him, I’d staketo do with it"

"But there’s nothing to say this is the same child"

"I know" Charlotte nodded Nevertheless, she suspected it was the sa, she stood

"Let your mind rest," Ben said "The naht, only it was difficult advice to take She knew this fa away at it

"Didn’t you tellOlivia one of the pies?"

"Oh, dear, I’d nearly forgotten"

"Would you like co

The spark was back in his eyes, and that encouraged her "I’d love it"

"I’ve decided I can’t let my son’s weakness disrupt randfather I can" Ben’s gaze o, ht; she was sure of it

Eighteen

It was alan had asked hireed She hadn’t said why, but she’d let hi that the last tinored her request he’d been sucker punched by the news about Faith, he thought he shouldjust as he was leaving the office He considered not answering but, with a sigh, reached across his desk and grabbed the receiver

"Sheriff Davis"

The call was from Kathleen Sadler, the Seattle reporter who’d been on a mission to embarrass Cedar Cove She wanted the latest update on the skeletal reave her a stock answer, made his excuses and disconnected He’d addressed the seniors’ group earlier that week to request help and infor lead to date He’d acted on i Sometimes crimes were solved in unexpected ways

Because of the phone call, he was a few ot to the front door, she’d flung it open; it was as if she’d been looking out the aiting for hi to come," she cried

"I said I’d be here" He didn’t understand why it was so all-fired i She must’ve rushed home from work herself

"I know, it’s just that…" She hesitated "Never mind Come in I baked your favorite oatrateful for an excuse to relax Sitting heavily in a kitchen chair, he muttered, "What’s the occasion?"

"Think of it as a late Valentine’s Day gift"

This year’s Valentine’s Day had been a disaster He’d bought a large box of expensive chocolates for Faith He’d never expected to pay that ht a bouquet of red roses, too They should’ve been gold plated for what they cost As it turned out, he ht as well have flushed all that cash down the toilet The day before he’d intended to drop the town

Soher with flowers and candy! The roses ilting in a vase on the e If she wanted to go back to Seattle--or wherever--he wasn’t going to stop her Not that he had the power to do so, anyway The woman had a mind of her own, and he could see that it was already an asked, standing attentively beside his chair

"Coffee" Anything was better than the stale brew at the station The stuff was often as black as tar and just as thick

His daughter brought hi of coffee with a touch of half-and-half, which was exactly the way he liked it "I assuenerally caan put her hands on her hips, her expression one of shock "How can you even suggest such a thing? We hardly ever have time to talk anymore, just you and s and leaned back He was certain this little rendezvous was leading sohter could respond, the doorbell rang A look he could only describe as panicked flashed across Megan’s face

"Are you expecting anyone?" he asked

She shrugged and glanced away "Not really"

Megan hurried to the front door and in that instant everything became clear to Troy This hadn’t been a rando

Troy stood, pushing aside the cookies and his coffee, and entered the living room "Hello, Faith"

Her face fell when she saw him She was obviously as surprised as he was--perhaps an asked me to stop by so she could show " Faith’s tone iement

Troy didn’t need anyone to tell hiet the blanket," Megan said cheerfully, acting oblivious to the tension between Faith and Troy "Why don’t you two talk while I…findrooht have said Troy wondered which of the to be him