Page 14 of Save Me
“Well, I’ll help out where I can.” He turned to Crissy. “What can I do to help?”
She looked at him, thinking for a moment. “I thought… don’t you have… something you need to do?”
He shrugged. “Nope. I’m here. It’s where I’m supposed to be.”
“Okay,” Crissy said slowly. “I suppose you can help with my Crazy List items.” She motioned to the paper on the refrigerator.
“Crazy List?” He got up and took the list from the fridge.
“Yeah, it’s my list of things that, if I’m crazy bored enough, I’ll get around to doing.” She smiled.
He read over the items and smiled. The list contained things like touch-up painting, sanding a rocking chair, changing a light bulb on the front porch, nailing down a loose board on the porch, and other odd jobs that she’d put off for a while.
“This is perfect.” He set the list down and went back to finishing his meal. “I’ll start these later today.”
“Thank you,” Crissy replied. She thought quickly then added, “Chester can roam the house. If he wants.”
Brock smiled again. “He’s already on that. He’s exploring somewhere.”
“So, what do you and Tilly do together?” he asked Emma.
“Watch cartoons and play,” Emma answered with a shrug.
“What kinds of cartoons?” he asked her.
“Recorded ones. Mama doesn’t like me watching television. Tilly’s mama has to record them, but I like them all so very much,” Emma finished with a heavy sigh, and Crissy felt her stomach roll at the possibility of having to explain why to Brock.
Instead, he quickly glanced over at her and gave her a weak smile, then started asking her daughter what her favorite cartoon was.
After breakfast, he convinced Crissy that he’d clean up while she dressed and walked Emma next door. This gave her some time to think as she cleaned the rental.
She heard him working outside, possibly on the rocking chair, but didn’t stop to look and see what he was doing. After all, he and his father had built this entire house. Almost two hours later she stepped back outside, a bouquet of fresh flowers and a thank-you note the last group had left on the table in her hands.
She loved flowers. Loved that the family had thought to give her a little something extra. Sometimes she received cash tips. More often than not, she wasn’t even acknowledged.
Brock was sitting in one of the chairs just outside the pool house. He had a laptop in his lap and a notepad on the coffee table in front of him.
“Do you have a moment?” he asked her, nodding to the chair next to him.
“Sure.” She set the flowers on the table in front of them before sitting down next to him.
“Do any of these names ring a bell to you?” He handed her the notepad.
She felt her stomach drop as she looked over the long list. When not a single name jumped out at her, she handed it back to him with a slight shake of her head. “Should I know any of them?”
He frowned down at the notepad. “These are all the people who have accessed your case photos.”
She stiffened and glanced down at the list in his hands. Pushing the panic attack back, she forced herself to breathe slowly. She held out her hands and he handed her the list once more. This time, she went over each name more slowly, forcing herself to really think about each name.
“No.” She leaned back in the chair. “None of the names ring a bell.” She set the list down on the table this time. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” he assured her. “It was just the first step.”
“What’s the second one?” she asked, curious of how much more she could handle. How much more she could hide her emotions from him. After all, she didn’t want to make him feel… well, beholden in any way.
“Tracing the calls that come in. My dad has already put a trace request into the court for the number here. With any luck, it’s active already.”
She shook her head slightly, not fully understanding. “Trace? Like they do in the movies?”
