Absorbed in their conversation, neither Claire nor Emily saw the children approaching. “I’m gonna be a sister?” Nichol asked, her cheeks pink from sun and exercise and her eyes wide with questioning.
Claire reached out and rubbed Nichol’s back. “You’re all hot. Do you want some water?”
“Shannon’s getting some. Can we have a baby too?”
“Maybe someday, sweetie,” Claire answered. “Maybe someday. Right now you’re a big cousin. How do you like that?”
“I like it, a lot!”
Michael ran towards the table as the light on the small monitor flashed and the springtime air filled with the sounds of baby whimpers. “Mommy, baby Bef’s cry’n again!” Turning toward Claire he said, “Baby Bef cries a lot.”
“Oh, she does?”
Covering his ears, he said, “It’s bad. It hurts my ears.”
Nichol turned toward her cousin. “No, Michael, Baby Beff’s not bad. She wants Aunt Em’s tension.” She looked back at Claire. “Right, Momma? Just like my puppy. He wasn’t bad. He just wanted new batteries.”
Claire hugged Nichol and winked at Emily. “That’s right, sweetie, and listen, Michael. Beth’s sleeping again. Sometimes we all make cranky noises and say things we don’t mean when we’re sleepy.”
Emily shook her head. “Okay, Claire. I get it. Let’s talk about this later, after I’ve had a good night’s sleep. I know my opinion doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.”
“Your opinion matters. I just want your support.”
“You have it. I’ll be more excited after that good night’s sleep.”
Picking up her coffee, Claire commented, “So in about a year or so?”
“Yes,” Emily replied wearily. “Think about that before you do anything rash.”
Claire raised her brow.
“Are you willing to give up sleep?”
Nodding, Claire replied, “In a heartbeat to hold a little one again—my little one.”
The warm breeze continued to blow as the children ran back to their waiting soccer ball.
PHIL LOOKED OVER the FBI report. In a nutshell, it corroborated what he knew: the bureau confirmed that Patricia Miles had been living in a small rented house under an alias, Melissa Garrison, in Olivia, Minnesota. According to the report, she’d been working as a paralegal for Jefferson Diamond, a small-town attorney, doing research for the firm. Mr. Diamond claimed that one day she was at work and the next day she wasn’t. Few of her coworkers claimed a private relationship with her. Most people interviewed in town knew her from her job. They all claimed that she was quiet and kept mostly to herself. Ami Beech, Jefferson Diamond’s office manager, claimed that Ms. Garrison’s skills were impressive in the field of research and admitted to not completing the necessary background check prior to her hiring.
The small home Ms. Garrison rented contained physical evidence to link her to the Rawls-Nichols mailings. There were even pre-addressed cards. From her personal items, they were able to test her DNA. It too confirmed that Ms. Garrison, aka Patricia Miles, was the female who sealed the envelopes. For unknown reasons, Ms. Garrison had moved on. The FBI will continue their pursuit. At the end of the report, the bureau asked for continued assistance from all members of the Rawlings security team. They asked to be notified if anything unusual came up or another similar mailing arrived.
Phil handed the report to Eric, leaned back in his chair, and waited for a response.
After a few minutes, Eric’s eyes met Phil’s and he asked, “Gone. Sounds like no signs of foul play.”
“No, apparently not, at least not any mentioned in this report.”
Phil wondered if the FBI chose to be unforthcoming with the evidence of foul intentions toward Nichol or if they truly didn’t know the information that he and his team had learned. Either way, the report confirmed that the FBI’s suspect was missing and the bureau appeared to have no suspects or theories as to her disappearance.
Taylor sat back and waited. “I’d like to read that once you’re finished, Eric.”
He nodded as he continued to read.
Turning to Phil, she asked, “Do they have any theories as to why she’d disappear after trying to make a life?”
“No,” Phil replied. “Not officially. However, I spoke with my contact and the unspoken innuendo I picked up was that they believe Ms. Miles may’ve become suspicious that the FBI was getting close and decided to move on.”
“Is that what you think?”
Phil didn’t respond as his mind flashed back to that night in Olivia.
Taylor’s voice returned him to present. “Do either of you plan on telling me what happened?”
Eric shrugged. “I don’t know what you want to hear. It sounds like she’s moved on. I guess we just keep an eye out for her or new mailings. At least we now know for sure who we’re looking for.”
Taylor crossed her arms over her chest and wrinkled her brow. “I went to Olivia. I haven’t said a word to Mr. or Mrs. Rawlings and this is the way I’m treated. If you think I’m naive enough to believe this report at face value, you’ve seriously underestimated me.”
Eric stood and handed her the pages. “Read it, and see if you find something we missed.”
As she reached for the report, Eric’s gaze met hers and he whispered something Phil couldn’t hear. A cold chill filled the room as Taylor turned and met Phil’s frigid stare. A moment later the door to the security office closed and Phil and Taylor were alone. Taking the pages, Taylor silently went to the sofa and settled against the soft leather. Her blue eyes scanned each page. Occasionally she’d stop and reread a sentence or a paragraph. Phil wasn’t sure. He hadn’t heard exactly what Eric had said, but by the way she looked at them, he knew it was about Patricia.