since had been marked by tragedy. His first wife had died of a car wreck, and his second wife left him for another man. He had two grown children, but they didn’t speak to him anymore. He’d also had a heart attack just a few years ago.
She admired the fact that he didn’t seem the least bit bitter. In fact, he seemed full of hope and optimism about the future.
She thought he was sweet, but naive.
She knew that his life wasn’t going to take a turn for the better.
It was too late for that.
The bell from the microwave snapped her out of her little reverie. Cody was looking up at her with kindly, expectant eyes.
She patted his hand, got up, and walked over to the microwave. She took out the mugs, which were now hot to the touch.
She reminded herself yet again.
Yellow for Cody, blue for me.
It was important not to mix them up.
They both sipped their tea without saying much. Hallie liked to think of these moments as times of quiet companionship. It made her a little sad to realize that there would be no more of them. After just a few days, this patient would no longer need her.
Soon Cody was nodding off to sleep. She had mixed the powder with just enough sleeping medicine to make sure he did.
Hallie got up and gathered her belongings to leave.
And then she began to sing softly, a song she’d known for as long as she could remember:
Far from home,
So far from home —
This little baby’s far from home.
You pine away
From day to day
Too sad to laugh, too sad to play.
No need to weep,
Dream long and deep.
Give yourself to slumber’s sweep.
No more sighs,
Just close your eyes
And you will go home in your sleep.
His eyes closed, she stroked his hair from his face lovingly.
Then, with a gentle kiss on the forehead, she stood and walked away.
CHAPTER ONE
FBI Agent Riley Paige worried as she walked through the jetway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. She’d been anxious all during the flight from Reagan Washington International. She’d come here in a hurry because she’d heard that a teenage girl was missing – Jilly – a girl Riley felt especially protective toward. She was determined to help the girl and was even thinking about trying to adopt her.
As Riley stepped through the exit gate, walking hurriedly, she looked up and was shocked to see the very girl herself standing there, FBI agent Garrett Holbrook from the Phoenix field office beside her.
Thirteen-year-old Jilly Scarlatti stood next to Garrett, blinking back, clearly waiting for her.
Riley was confused. It was Garrett who had called to tell her that Jilly had run away and was nowhere to be found.
Before Riley could ask any questions, though, Jilly rushed forward and threw herself into her arms, sobbing.
“Oh, Riley, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’ll never do it again.”
Riley hugged Jilly comfortingly, looking at Garrett for an explanation. Garrett’s sister, Bonnie Flaxman, had tried to take Jilly in as a foster child. But Jilly had rebelled and run away.
Garrett smiled a little – an unusual expression from a normally taciturn man.
“She called Bonnie shortly after you left Fredericksburg,” he said. “She said she just wanted to say goodbye once and for all. But then Bonnie told her that you were on your way here to take her home with you. She got really excited and told us where to pick her up.”
He looked at Riley.
“Your flying all the way here saved her,” he concluded.
Riley just stood there for a moment, Jilly sobbing in her arms, feeling oddly clumsy and helpless.
Jilly whispered something that Riley couldn’t hear.
“What?” Riley asked.
Jilly drew her face back and looked into Riley’s eyes, her own earnest brown eyes filled with tears.
“Mom?” she said in a choked, shy voice. “Can I call you Mom?”
Riley hugged her close again, overwhelmed by a confusing onslaught of emotions.
“Of course,” Riley said.
Then she turned to Garrett. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.”
“I’m glad I could help, at least a little,” he replied. “Do you need a place to stay while you’re here?”
“No. Now that she’s been found, there’s no point. We’ll catch the next flight back.”
Garrett shook her hand. “I hope this works out for both of you.”
Then he left.
Riley looked down at the teenager who was still clinging to her. She was struck with an odd mix of elation to have found her and concern for what the future might hold for them both.
“Let’s go grab a burger,” she said to Jilly.
It was snowing lightly during the drive home from Reagan Washington International Airport. Jilly sat staring silently out the window as Riley drove. Her silence was a big change after the more than four-hour flight from Phoenix. Then, Jilly hadn’t been able to stop talking. She’d never been on a plane before and was curious about absolutely everything.
Why is she so quiet now? Riley wondered.
It occurred to her that snow must be an unusual sight for a girl who had lived all her life in Arizona.
“Have you ever seen snow before?” Riley asked.
“Only on TV.”
“Do you like it?” Riley said.
Jilly didn’t reply, which made Riley feel uneasy. She remembered the first time she had seen Jilly. The girl had run away from an abusive father. In sheer desperation, she had decided to become a prostitute. She’d gone to a truck stop that was notorious as a pickup place for prostitutes – “lot lizards,” they were called, because they were especially down-and-out.
Riley had gone there investigating a series of murders of prostitutes. She’d happened to find Jilly hidden away in the cab of a truck, waiting to sell herself to the driver whenever he came back.
Riley had gotten Jilly into Child Protective Services and had stayed in touch with her. Garrett’s sister had taken Jilly in as a foster child, but eventually Jilly had run away again.
It
