Page 72 of Lost Cause
“Then I’m thankful we have you on our side.” Burke smiled.
He might be tough and impatient, but he readily praised solid work, which Abby’s family didn’t do. A characteristic in his favor, but did it outweigh the negative ones?
“Thanks again, Sam.” Abby turned toward the door. “No time like the present to talk to Victor.”
Burke caught up to her. “One of the pleasant parts of our job I’m sure you don’t miss.”
She didn’t stop walking, but continued toward the cabin. “I don’t, but in my current line of work, I always face the possibility of informing families their loved ones are deceased.”
“Has it happened often?”
She shook her head. “Thankfully, no. We’ve had good success so far, but we know every rescue can’t turn out positively.”
“I’ve got a lot of respect for what you do. Looks like you’ve got a solid crew—tight-knit, good chemistry.”
“We do. Makes facing challenges easier.” She reached the cabin and knocked on the door, then pushed it open.
He sat in an easy chair, a book in his lap, an empty plate on a nearby table. He shot a quick look in their direction and released a deep breath. “It’s just you. Good.”
“Relax. You don’t have to worry about any danger here.” She took a seat on the chair next to him.
“Then why send him to babysit me?” He jerked his thumb at Gabe, sitting at the dining table, lost in his phone.
Victor was right. She’d be wound up in his position too, but she wouldn’t explain their reasons when they had something far more difficult to talk about.
He glanced at Burke and then back at her. “With the somber looks on your faces, you must be here to give me bad news.”
“We are.” She shared the information about the lichen. She’d caught Gabe’s attention, but she had to focus on Victor.
Victor sat forward, the book on his lap sliding to the floor. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
“We wanted to see if it was important to the investigation before upsetting you.”
He clutched his hands together on his lap. “The thing you’re not saying is you think Estelle is buried near this lichen.”
“It’s a possibility we have to explore,” she said. “We’ll need your permission to search your entire property.”
He scratched his unkempt facial hair, but didn’t answer. She fell silent, waiting for his response.
“Seems like I don’t have any choice.” The defeat in his tone broke Abby’s heart. “Where do I sign?”
“I’ll get the necessary forms together for you in the next few minutes,” Burke said.
Victor shook his head. “I thought this day might come, but it will be hard to watch the search for Estelle.”
“About that,” Abby said, dreading sharing the next thing she had to tell him. “We can’t have a civilian present during the search, so you have to stay here for the day. But that’s good news. You’ll be safe and not have to worry.”
“Not worry? Of course, I’ll worry.” He messed up his hair, then clutched it as if wanting to pull it out. “The only way I’ll agree to remain here is if you call me immediately when you have information.”
Delivering negative information by phone wouldn’t be Abby’s first choice, but if she had to do it to keep him here, she would. “I’d rather wait until I see you.”
“Because you think you’ll find Estelle.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “But, okay. As long as you come to see me as soon as you can.”
“I promise.” She took his hand. “God can be by your side through all of this, Victor. You just have to ask Him.”
“I don’t know.” He shifted in his chair. “Maybe I can try it.”
She seized the opportunity to help bring God’s peace to his life. “Let’s do it together.”
