Homecoming Day

“You must be reaching her on some level. After all, she did call you when she was waiting for her mom.”

Laura nodded. “Yes, there’s that. Thanks. Although, it’s not like she’s said a lot that night or this week.”

“So the strategy is to wait it out and try to get her to talk.” It was a statement, not a question. Seth hardly knew Laura, but he knew this much about her.

“Yes.”

“Is there something I can do?”

“I’d take any advice you have. I’m at my wit’s end.”

“Just keep caring about her. Sometimes it simply takes one person caring to help a kid turn a corner.”

“Two,” she said.

“Two?”

“You care, too. You stopped by today to check on her because you care, so she’s got two of us in her corner.”

“It’s my job.”

She shook her head, looking as if she didn’t believe him.

“It is,” he protested. “A good cop’s goal isn’t just to arrest someone, but to step in before they have to arrest someone.”

She shook her head again. “It’s more than your job, at least with JT. You see a lot of troubled kids. You stopped by today because she’s more than a job for you.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” he pointed out. “I’ll be the first to admit, we can’t save everyone, but we can save some. I have a sister, Cessy, who’s only a few years older than JT. I would hope that if she had problems, someone would step in and help her if I couldn’t be there for her.”

The pizza came and they each chose a slice.

After a couple bites, Laura asked, “Is your family here in Erie?”

Not a topic he wanted to discuss, but he answered, “No, not Erie proper. They’re in Whedon.”

Seth had grown up in Whedon, a small town just outside of Erie. But he’d joined the Erie police force because it was bigger and offered a lot more opportunities to advance.

“That’s nice that your family’s so close,” Laura said.

It didn’t seem as if they were close at all. The mere fifteen minutes distance might as well have been hours, days. Seth hadn’t felt connected to his family in years.

No, that wasn’t right. He still felt connected to his siblings. It was his parents he was no longer close to. And the irony was, he loved them. But their estrangement had gone on for so long he didn’t know how to fix it.

“How many siblings?” Laura asked.

He smiled when he thought of his eclectic family. “There are six of us. My parents adopted us—” He stopped, unsure why he’d felt the need to share that. “You?”

“Just me. An only child of two only children.”

Seth couldn’t imagine what that was like. He had friends who came from big families, and most of them said they dreamed of being an only child. Not Seth. His family, the way it was, had been his dream. It was a dream that he sometimes thought he’d lost, and that hurt. Worse, he was unsure what he could do to get it back.

Truthfully, he didn’t want to think about his family…or his past. He’d spent the last few years perfecting each as an art form. Concentrating on Laura was easier. Not that he was spying on her for the chief. But if he could put his commander at ease, without betraying Laura’s confidence in him, he would.

“Do your parents live in town?” he asked conversationally.

“My mom died when I was in fourth grade. After that it was me and Dad. He passed away right after I started college. Sometimes I think he held out long enough to be sure I could take care of myself before he felt he could join her.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too,” Laura admitted. “About JT, maybe between the two of us we can get her to open up.”

They chatted about Laura’s classes and he described his new job as liaison to the school district. She listened to him talk about his hopes for the position as they ate their pizza. Stunned that they’d been talking for more than forty-five minutes, he shoved his last bite of pizza into his mouth. “Laura, this has been great, but I’ve got to be at the station.”

“Thanks for dinner, but more than that, thanks for caring, Lieutenant.”

“I thought I was Seth now?” he reminded her.

“You are.” Laura smiled as she repeated his name. “Seth. Thanks for following up with JT and for the pizza. Any night I don’t have to cook is a bonus.”

“I’ll try to stop in and check on JT…Friday, if that works?”

“That would be nice.”

“I’ll see you then. Take the rest of the pizza home, would you? I hate to let it go to waste.” He stood up.

Laura got up out of her chair. It was almost painful to watch her struggle onto her feet. “Sure. Feed the pregnant woman. That’s what she needs.”

He’d forgotten about her being pregnant and blanched at the reminder. “Friday. See you Friday.” He bolted.

He knew that’s what he’d done. It was cowardly. Still, seeing her reminded him of Allie. And even now, years later, it hurt.

And now he’d promised to visit Laura on Friday.

Way to go, Keller.

ON THURSDAY AT HER SECOND period freshman art class, Laura took attendance and discovered that JT wasn’t there.

She toyed with Seth’s card.

During her lunch break, she called the number and got his voice mail. “Hi, Seth. You said to let you know if I had any problems with JT. Well, she didn’t come to school today. I’m going to head over to her house after school. I’ll keep you posted.” She was ready to hang up and then added, “Oh, I should have said, this is Laura.”

What a moron, of course he’d know it was her. Who else would have called about JT?

She tried the number listed on JT’s contact form. No one answered.

By the time school ended, she gathered up her things and hurried out of the room…and right into Lieutenant Seth Keller’s ample chest.

He jumped back as if he’d been burned, went beet-red and stammered, “Are you okay? The baby. I mean—”