'Why is that?'
'Well, Dottie goes to my church,' he told her. 'I just assumed she'd call on me.'
'Do you know her well?'
'Well enough to say hi to,' he answered. 'Plus, that little Jenny was a peach. She was in the children's choir for a while. Sang like an angel.'
Sara nodded, remembering that Brock directed the children's choir in his spare time. 'Sara?' Brock prompted.
'Sorry,' Sara told him, thinking she was too easily distracted lately. 'Thanks for the information.'
'It hasn't been in the paper, either.'
'What's that?'
'The obituaries,' Brock said, giving a self-deprecating chuckle. 'Tools of the trade. We like to see who's doing who, if you know what I mean.'
'And there's been no mention?'
'Nary a peep,' he told her. 'Maybe they sent her up North? I think that's where her daddy is.'
'Still, it would've been in the paper, right?' Sara asked, playing dumb. Brock was generally discreet because of the business he was in, but she did not want to start rumors.
'Maybe,' he said. 'Or the church bulletin at least. I haven't seen it there, either.' He paused, then said, 'Heck, Sara, you know how some people are about death. They just don't want to admit it happened, especially with a kid involved. Maybe she handled it quietly just so she could get through it, you know?'
'You're right,' Sara told him. 'Anyway, thanks for the information.'
'I hear Grace Patterson doesn't have much longer,' he said, and she imagined business was slow if he was being so chatty. 'That's gonna be a hard one.'
'You know her, too?'
'She helped me with the choir before she took sick this last time. Wonderful woman.'
'I've heard that.'
'From what I've gathered, she's just eat up with the cancer,' he said. 'Those are always the hard ones.' His voice had dropped, and he seemed genuinely upset. 'Well, hell, Sara, you know what I'm talking about.'
Sara did, and she understood his grief. She couldn't imagine having to do Dan Brock's job. He probably felt the same way about hers.
'Guess there's no word on the little girl yet?' he asked.
'No,' Sara said. 'Not that I know of.'
'Jeffrey's a good man,' he told her. 'If anyone can find her, it's him.'
Sara wanted to believe this, but with everything she had learned about the case lately, she wasn't too sure.
Brock lightened his tone. 'You take care now,' he said. 'Best to your mama and them.'
Sara wished him the same and hung up the phone. She pressed the button for a new line and called Jeffrey.
Chapter Fourteen
Lena tried not to make it too obvious that she was listening to Jeffrey's telephone conversation with Sara Linton. This was incredibly difficult to do, as they were both in the front seat of Jeffrey's car. Lena looked out the window, feigning a casualness she did not feel. Part of her was still struck by what had happened with Mark only hours before. Time would only tell if he would make it. Oxygen had been cut off to his brain for some time, and until he woke up from the coma, there was no way to predict how much damage had been done.
Lena glanced at Jeffrey as he told Sara what Mark had said about his relationship with Grace Patterson. Whatever Sara said in response was brief and to the point, because Jeffrey agreed with her immediately.
'I'll see you tonight,' Jeffrey said, then replaced the phone in the cradle. He started in on Lena immediately. 'I told you not to be alone with Mark,' he said.
'I know,' Lena responded, and started to tell him again why she had let Brad leave the trailer. He stopped her, holding up his hand.
'I'm only going to say this once, Lena,' Jeffrey began, and it seemed like he had been wanting to say this for a while. 'You're not the boss here.'
'I know that.'
'Don't interrupt me,' he ordered, cutting his eyes at her. 'I've been doing this job a hell of a lot longer than you, and I tell you to do things a certain way because I know what I'm doing.'
She opened her mouth to agree, but then thought better of it.
'Being a detective gives you some autonomy, but at the end of the day you take your orders from me.' He looked at her, as if anticipating she'd argue. 'If I can't trust you to follow simple orders, why should I keep you working for me?'
Obviously, it was her turn to speak, but she couldn't come up with anything to say.
'I want you to think about this, Lena. I know you like your job and I know you're good at it when you decide to be, but after what happened…' He shook his head, as if that wasn't right. 'Even before what happened. You've got a problem taking orders, and that makes you more dangerous to me than the crooks.'
Lena felt the sting from his words and rushed to defend herself. 'Mark wouldn't have confided in me if Brad had been there.'
'He might not have tried to take his life, either,' Jeffrey said. He was quiet, staring out at the road as he drove. He sighed, then said, 'That wasn't fair.'
Lena was silent.
'Mark probably would've found a way to do something like this. He's a very troubled kid. It wasn't your fault.'
She nodded, not knowing whether what he was saying was true or not. At least he was trying to comfort her, which is a hell of a lot more than she had done with him when they had talked about his shooting Jenny Weaver.
'And it's not just Mark. Have you made an appointment with a therapist yet?'
She shook her head.
Jeffrey said, ' Lena, I hate to say this now, but there never seems to be a good time.' He paused, as if making sure to word this carefully. 'You need to think about whether or not you want to be a cop anymore.'
She nodded, biting the tip of her tongue so that she wouldn't start crying. How could she not be a cop? If she wasn't a police detective, what was she? Certainly not a sister; barely a woman. Lena wasn't even sure some days if she was a human being.
'You're a good cop,' he said.
