“You need to rest tonight, Burt. You’ve had an emotional day. Tomorrow may not be better.”
Harris nodded and took a bite of pasta salad. “I even feel guilty sitting here eating. Are the kids being fed? Who’s taking care of them?”
“If they’re with the baby’s father he has every reason to keep them fed and cared for. If it’s someone else, then again kids are valuable assets that need to be taken care of. Either way they will be well kept and comfortable.”
“You’re right. I screwed up badly. I keep thinking Stephanie might be right, that they and Susan might be alive if I hadn’t run out on them.”
“You paid them alimony and child support. You didn’t abandon them. And from what you told me she wanted you out as much as you did. Don’t let her pull a ‘you abandoned me’ play on you. That’s bogus, and a game intended to control you to do things that are not to your benefit.”
“The other thing that’s bugging me is that Susan hated me. I’ve lived with that for a long time. Sharkey kept encouraging me to try to get in touch with her and try to make peace with her. I could have tried harder.”
“Hindsight is always noticeably clear. However, it’s too late now. You’ve set in motion a search for the boys, and they have a good chance to find them. Now you rest. Get some perspective on the case and trust that Sharkey will do everything possible to find them. I’m sure she’ll be very proud of you in the end. Love never dies. Not yours for her or hers for you.”
Harris put down his fork and pushed back from the table. “Let’s put the food away and get some rest.”
Amy smiled. “Good idea. I love you, Burt.”
He nodded. His eyes were pushing back tears.
She stopped at the bedroom door, smiled, and touched the side of his face. “We’ll get through this. Are you going to be able to stay away from the case?”
“I’m a detective. I’ll be working on the case in my mind. Trouble is I can’t have access to the files and information that Sharkey has. However, there are things that as a civilian are legal to me. I can hire a private eye to check out certain elements of the case where the police might not go. But it's too early for that. I need a little while to get my head clear and try to deal with everything that’s involved with the case. I’m still feeling like it’s all too much to understand. I do know that I can’t let my little girl down again. But right now, I feel like I’m just babbling.”
Amy rested her head on his chest. “I love you, Burt. I’m here for you. Talk as much as you need to. I have a big shoulder and a good ear for listening without filtering.”
“Thank God I have you.” He closed his eyes and held her close. “I love you, Amy.” Amy reached over to turned out the light. “Rest. I’ve got you,” she said.
Monday Morning
The next morning Sharkey entered the empty office. Looking at Harris’ empty desk, a feeling of despair hit him. He called Harris.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I have a wonderful lady here and I got a good night’s sleep. I’m trying hard to trust God that you find those kids in time.”
“We have an address in Santiago, Chile for Javier Trujillo. There’s no answer at his house. The local police said that he owns a vineyard. It’s a small one and he travels a lot to promote his and other local wines. His cell phone number isn’t answering either. The vinery said that he was out of the country working. So, he could be here in the US, maybe even here in Key West.”
“The trick is finding him. If he tries to leave on a plane or rents a car, we’ll know it. I have a nationwide alert out on him.”
“Good. I hired Alex Sloan to work on trying to find him on advisement of Sloan.”
“Good idea. Have him call me, would you? I can tell him things I can’t tell you.”
“Sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls you.”
“You hang in there. We’re working night and day.”
“That gives me something to hang on to. Thanks, partner.”
* * *
It was just a little after eight a.m. when Frank Demonte met Sharkey, Carl Abbott, and Stephanie at the entrance to the morgue.
“We have her ready. Are you sure you want to do this, Mrs. Williams? It’s not necessary for both of you to do this.”
“She’s my baby. I need to see her.”
“I understand.” They walked over to a curtained window. “When you’re ready.”
Abbott nodded. The curtain opened and Abbott’s face drained of color. “Yes, that’s Susan Abbott.”
“Yes, that’s her. Oh no, I’m going to…” Stephanie said.
Demonte quickly moved a chair over to her and caught her just in time. Becky brought a glass of water and cold cloths.
Carl turned away and accepted a glass of water from Frank’s assistant, Becky. She led him over to a nearby chair.
Becky patted Stephanie’s face with one of the cold cloths and she woke up. “Oh…oh dear…”
“Just take a deep breath and lean back,” Becky told Stephanie.
“May I have a few minutes with her?” Carl asked after draining the glass of water.
“Of course, come with me. Take your time,” Frank said. He drew the curtains and closed the door.
Frank turned to Sharkey,
