Page 150 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

“Except for when it’s not,” Sanchez said with a smile. “Teenagers.”

Callie laughed as she poured two coffees, automatically doctoring Nate’s with a splash of cream the way he liked. “Anything for your coffee, Detective?”

“Black’s fine.”

Callie moved over to the soup station, ladling a healthy portion of ham and white bean. She looked over her shoulder at Nate. “Want some?”

“I’ll take a bowl to go.”

“Sure.” She ladled a second to-go bowl and took two homemade whole-grain rolls from a container, then two brownies from the tray to the right, and bagged everything up—one for Sanchez and the other for Nate. “Here we go. Today’s lunch is on me.”

Sanchez shook his head as he held up his hand. “I couldn’t—”

“I insist.” She pushed the bag closer. “You’ve traveled all this way. The soup is amazing, but the brownie will have made your trip worth it.”

Sanchez smiled. “All right, then. Thank you.”

“We’re going to head out so we can make sure Sanchez gets the next ferry.” Nate leaned over the counter and kissed Callie. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Okay.” She looked at Sanchez again. “Thank you.”

Sanchez grabbed his bag. “Carter Island’s a beautiful place. I’ll have to bring the family sometime. When it’s warmer.”

Callie grinned. “We hope you will.”

Nate snagged his food and left with Sanchez, tossing Callie another quick wave before they started back toward the station.

“I recognize her now that I’ve seen her for myself. I’m not much of an art buff, but she’s caught my eye in the papers and on TV.”

Nate readjusted his hat as the wind kicked up with a vengeance. “Embarrassingly enough, I had no idea who she was when she first got here. Took me over a week to clue in.”

Sanchez chuckled. “She looks a lot like her mother.”

Nate nodded. “There’s certainly a resemblance.” He cleared his throat, ready to broach the question that had been weighing on his mind since he read through Callie’s file early this morning. “What are the odds we’ll find her—your best guess?”

“Thirty-seventy. Probably less. And that’s if she’s alive.”

Nate scratched at his jaw, not liking the odds. “You think she’s dead?”

Sanchez shrugged. “It’s certainly not out of the question. You’ve seen the video and read the medical reports. Callie was well cared for. The woman in the video was attentive—loving. Nothing in the footage indicates that she would have just left her kid at some grody-ass restaurant in the middle of the night.”

Nate sighed as they approached the station. Sanchez wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t already thought himself. “You’re thinking she met with foul play.”

Sanchez nodded. “Initially this was a child abandonment case with nothing else to go on. That’s changed. It’s not looking good from where I’m standing.”

Nate nodded. “So, let’s play it out. Biological mother meets unfortunate circumstances. Why wouldn’t the offender take care of the child too? Why leave a witness—especially one who can’t do anything to fight back but has the potential to make an ID?”

“That’s a damn good question. For all we know, the offender had no idea there was a witness. One way or the other, I hope we can figure it out.”

Nate sighed again. “That’s certainly the plan.”

“You’re thinking the same thing though—that she’s dead.”

Nate nodded.

“Have you mentioned your thoughts to Callie?”

“Nope. And I don’t plan to until I have something more to go on. For all we know, her biological mother is alive and well.” At least, that’s what he was hoping for. At this point, nothing was out of the question. He heard the ferry’s horn in the distance. “Let’s get you the copy of that tape and get you on your way. They’re docking now.”