Link didn’t comment, which was wise. Grace wouldn’t have either. Link moved forward with his next question. “When was the last time you saw her and spoke to her?”

  “Um…” Luca closed his eyes. “She said she had a month left to her due date? Or something like that. The last time I spoke to her was the night after our date. I called her and told her I didn’t want to date her.”

  They spent another thirty minutes with Luca before they left. Grace jumped into the cruiser and heaved a breath while Link got behind the steering wheel. With the engine running, Grace glared. “That was a complete waste of time.”

  “We have one more person knocked off our list.” Link’s tone was quiet.

  “We have no more list.”

  Link sent Grace a glance. “You’re right, and we need to remedy that.”

  “I’m never going to find this kid.”

  “Don’t give up, Grace. Babies are relatively easy to hide for a short period of time, but the older they get the harder it is.”

  “Unless they completely change everything about him. It’s not hard with a baby, no one knows what they’ll look like in a few months or a few years.”

  Link sighed. “Who is most likely to take a baby?”

  “From a home? Someone the victims knew. Kidnappings by strangers don’t happen like this.”

  “Then it’s someone she knew, and we need to cast a wider net.”

  “I suppose,” Grace murmured, sinking into her seat. Link drove back to the station in silence.

  With the cruiser parked, Grace had her hand on the door when Link’s fingers on her shoulder stopped her. She jerked with a start, and he pulled his hand away sharply. “Sorry.”

  “No, I am.” She shook her head. Her reactions that day were all over the place, and she couldn’t figure out why. “What’d you need?”

  “Don’t give up hope, Grace. We’ve just got to be more persistent.”

  “You’re solving a murder investigation, Abrams. What hope can you have? Your victim is dead.”

  His lips thinned. “And don’t you think Felicia’s family deserves some answers? That Andrew deserves some when he gets older?”

  Grace shot him a glare. “I have to find him first for that to happen.”

  “You’ll find him, Halling.”

  She snorted.

  “Have some hope, and some faith in your abilities.”

  “I’m working a kidnapping case with no leads. Every way we turn is another road block. Everyone we’ve interviewed has led us nowhere. The more time passes, the more impossible it’ll be to find him.”

  “Grace.”

  His tone made her glare again. It was gentle, but there was a patronizing undercurrent to it she didn’t like at all.

  “You have to have some hope. Seriously.”

  “Fine,” Grace grumbled, mostly just to end the conversation. “I’m going inside to see if I can find us some real leads.”

  “You and me both.”

  Once they were in the main doors to the station, they parted ways. Grace passed by the chaplain’s offices, but the debate over whether to visit with Amya didn’t even occur to her. She’d probably just mess that up even more too. With heavy feet, Grace walked to her desk.

  ###

  Collapsing into her chair, Grace sighed. Her head hurt, her heart hurt, her body hurt. Link may have wanted her to have some hope, but she wasn’t sure where to find it anymore. Everything in her life, work to home life, seemed to be going wrong. Amya and she had barely spoken since their argument, and while they weren’t fighting, they were still fighting. Grace hadn’t been able to resolve anything with Amya in the meantime because she’d been so caught up in work and finding Andrew.

  She pulled out her messy bun, letting her hair float around her shoulders, the blonde strands way too long. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d managed to get it cut, but it was way past regulation length. She always followed regulations. Growing up with no rules, Grace had thrived as soon as the rules were in place and she had something to follow, something to guide her. It had been why she’d loved working for the Sheriff’s Department, although it wasn’t the only reason.

  Looking up, Grace glowered. Kline and Jackson both sent her pitying looks, and she wondered why. They couldn’t possibly know what she was thinking, right? Grace pulled up all the reports she had on Felicia and Andrew. There had to be a hint somewhere. She could work on it at home or even back here after she went to the school. It was Friday, after all, and she wanted to go down to the school. Amya had been right. She’d missed way too many of her Friday afternoons with the kids. She needed the rejuvenation for herself.

  Checking her watch, Grace noted the time. She had an hour before she had to be there. She could at least start making lists of the connections Felicia had. She was going to leave none of them unturned. Time for baby Andrew was running short.

  She spent thirty minutes starting her list from scratch. It was pointless in some ways, but it did help focus her. She was just getting to names with those she hadn’t visited or interviewed yet when the alarm she’d set on her phone went off. Ending it, Grace stretched her back and neck. She would go down to the school, spend some time with Kit and the other kids, and then come back and finish out her work for the night.

  It’d mean she’d work late, but at least she’d get to spend some time with Kit and the others. It might rejuvenate her, which was exactly what she needed. Grace pulled her hair back up into its messy bun and put her desk into order. She was just pushing out her chair to stand up with Paige’s cool tones hit her.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Uh…Hamilton High School.”

  “For the case?”

  Grace tilted her chin up, her spine resting against the hard back of her chair. Paige looked unmovable. She’d seen that look before, many times, but usually it was turned on suspects and not on fellow officers of the law. Grace crossed her arms. “No, for my class.”

  Paige shook her head. “You’re not going.”

  “Paige, I haven’t been in weeks. I can’t keep finding substitutes to cover for me.”

  “You shouldn’t be doing it anyway since you have to leave the work early. I never approved it.”

  Grace’s heart raced. “Humbard approved it.”

  “And I’m not Humbard. He hasn’t worked here in months, Halling. He got fired. You really think his ethics were in line.”

  “You really think yours are?” Grace clenched her fist, not quite believing those words had come out of her mouth, but they had. She was finding her limits with Paige were far closer than she’d thought. Months of this bullshit was enough.

  Paige glowered. “That is over the line, Halling.”

  “You want to talk about being over the line. Let’s talk about it.”

  Paige glanced around the room, the sudden stillness and quiet of it setting Grace on edge. She knew she was making a scene, one she had vastly tried to avoid, but if she was going out, then she was going out with a bang. Paige needed to hear what she had to say.

  “That’s quite enough.” Paige’s voice was calm, cool, and collected. Everything Grace was not, and it made Grace even more on edge knowing she couldn’t even keep her shit together. Paige quieted her tone, leaning down so only Grace could hear her. “If you have a problem, Grace, you can speak to me in private in my office.”

  Shivers ran up and down Grace’s spine, Paige’s breath on her face. Being alone with Paige in her office was the last thing she wanted. Closing her eyes slowly and opening them to stare right into Paige’s green eyes, Grace pursed her lips. “My issues with you are well known throughout this unit. They all see how you treat me, don’t think it’s gone unnoticed.”

  Without another word, Grace pushed her chair out from her desk and stood up. She turned sharply, headed for the door, and didn’t intend to utter one more word to Paige that night.

  Paige gripped Grace’s forearm, holding her in place. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Ripping her arm away, Grace glared at Paige’s offending hand. “Somewhere to cool down, and somewhere I can find a replacement for my other obligations.”

  Paige released her. Grace let out a snort as she twisted around and stalked out of the room. Her anger didn’t subside as soon as she was in the hallway. Every nerve in her body was on fire with rage. People walked through the halls, officers, captains, victims, and perpetrators. Grace had no mind for them. She knew where she had to go, the only place she could.

  The first door revealed Khloe. Grace gave her a hard look. “Is she—”

  “Go on in.”

  At Khloe’s worried tone, Grace knew she must look a mess. Nodding sharply, Grace stepped around the main desk and straight for Amya’s office. The door was open, and as she moved inside, she shut it, locking the door. Amya looked startled as she turned in her chair and stared up, her crystalline eyes watering with tears. Grace hadn’t realized how bad it had become.

  Sighing, Grace leaned over Amya’s chair, cupped her cheek, and pressed their mouths together. She closed her eyes, putting all of her pent up frustration into the kiss. Amya resisted at first, but within seconds, she’d given in. Her hand curled behind Grace’s head, holding her in place. Grace tangled their tongues, slid a hand against Amya’s breast before settling it on her waist.

  Grace’s anger seeped away from her, just like she’d hoped it would. Grace moved down to her knees, pulling Amya’s face toward her as the angle changed. Amya’s hands were in her hair, pulling the strands from her bun as their mouths remained locked together. Grace didn’t want to pull back, didn’t want whatever they were doing to end. She needed this comfort only Amya could give her. She needed Amya.

  She had a few moments in her life since they’d been together when it was as clear as day that she needed and wanted Amya. This was one of them. Nipping at Amya’s lower lip, Grace ended the kiss and pressed her forehead to Amya’s.

  “I need to go to the school today, don’t I?” Amya’s voice was sad, resigned.

  Sitting back on her heels, Grace looked up into Amya’s eyes and pleaded with her silently. “Paige won’t give me the time.”

  “She never does.”

  “I know.” Grace was resigned, her heart shattered. Her mentor had planned for this program before he’d died, and she’d so desperately wanted to keep his memory alive and honor who Daniel was in helping those kids who desperately needed the help and attention. That was why she’d started the program to begin with, to help the kids who desperately needed it, to lighten her case load because she got to them before they went missing.

  “Grace.” Amya’s eyes were sad. She brushed a thumb over Grace’s lips.

  “I promise you, I’m working on it. I promise.”

  “You can’t keep doing this. It’s not good for you.”

  “You’re right.” Tears pricked at Grace’s eyes, but she didn’t want to cry. She was tired of feeling this way, tired of feeling like her whole world was falling apart piece by piece and no matter how desperately she tried to hold it all together, it wasn’t working. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “You don’t have to figure it out alone.”

  But everything Grace had ever done, she’d done alone. Every decision she’d made since she was sixteen she had done on her own. Daniel had given input, but she had been the one to make it. Not sure what to say, Grace nodded. “I need to get back.”

  “All right. Can we talk last weekend, please?”

  “Yeah. We need to.”

  Amya’s fingers against Grace’s cheek tilted her chin upward again. Leaning down, Amya pressed their mouths together in a sweet kiss. “I guess I better get going, then.”

  “Probably. Tell Kit I’m sorry.”

  “Always.”

  Standing up, Grace moved to the door as Amya shifted around her office and gathered her things. Grace said nothing else as she went back to her desk, plopping into her chair. There was a stilted silence in the room, people sending her looks over their shoulders and computers, probably wondering when she’d break again. Paige didn’t dare come out of her office—thank God.

  Grace pulled out the list she’d started earlier, she went to work on continuing it, but she found it desperately hard to keep focused. When the clock hit five, Grace grabbed her bag after shoving her work in it and left. She couldn’t stay there any longer than necessary, and even if she had to work from home, she would. At least she’d be able to concentrate there and not wonder what Paige had up her sleeve this time.

  Interference

  Grace was barely up Saturday morning when her phone buzzed. She sipped at her coffee slowly before glancing down at the device, debating whether or not she even wanted to see who was calling. The possibility that it might be someone with information on baby Andrew made her pause. She had to answer it.

  “This is Detective Halling.” Her voice wasn’t as confident sounding as she’d hoped, but it was still early in the morning and she’d barely been awake more than five minutes. Amya was up, blessedly had made the coffee already so Grace didn’t have to, but it wasn’t even seven in the morning and after the last few weeks, Grace didn’t care if someone thought she was unprofessional.

  “Grace. It’s Paige.”

  Furrowing her brow, Grace pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the number. Where the hell was Paige calling from? “What’s wrong?”

  “I need you to come in today.”

  “No.”

  “This isn’t optional, Halling. This case with Andrew needs to be resolved immediately. I spoke with the FBI this morning, and if we don’t make any progress on it in the next few days, they’re going to take over the investigation.”

  Grace froze with the coffee mug halfway to her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t want the FBI to take over the investigation. Who would want that? But maybe it would be for the better. She would be able to sleep again that was for damn sure. No, she had to stop thinking that way. She’d never wanted to give up on a case before, and even though she thought about it now, it wasn’t because of the case itself. It was because of the woman she was on the phone with.

  “When?” Grace asked.

  “I need you here in the next hour.”

  Grace flicked her gaze up to the clock on the microwave. Seven-twenty-one. She pressed her lips together tightly. “I will be there before noon.”

  “Before ten.”

  “No. Noon, Paige. I will stay as late as I need to tonight, but I won’t be there before noon.”

  “Halling, get your ass in here before ten.”

  Sighing, Grace gritted her teeth. “Fine.”

  She hung up the phone and set it on the kitchen counter and walked away. If Paige called back, she could easily wait an hour and a half until Grace was in the office to deal with it. There was no need to talk to her again so quickly. Taking her coffee into the bathroom, Grace shut the door and turned on the shower, staring longingly at the bathtub. Oh she missed the days when she had time for a hot bath after work. Even if she had to do it without the whiskey because Peter was still there it would be a welcome respite.

  Sipping her coffee while she showered, Grace prepared herself emotionally for the day. It would be quiet in the office on the weekend, most likely her and Paige, but hopefully Abrams would have been called in to help too. He had as much stake in the case as Grace did. If he hadn’t been called in, maybe Grace would call him herself—although, maybe she’d also give him the day off too, like she wasn’t able to have.

  Washing her hair and rinsing it out, Grace got out of the shower, finding Amya staring right at her as soon as she opened the curtain. She raised an eyebrow in Amya’s direction as she took the offered towel and dried herself off.

  “You’re going in to work, aren’t you?”

  “Please don’t argue with me, Amya. I don’t have the energy for it.”

  Amya sighed, leaning against the bathroom sink as she watched Grace finish drying off and wrap the towel in her hair. Grace grabbed a second towel and wrapped it around her middle. Before Peter and Kit, she would have walked unabashedly naked in her own house down the hall to her bedroom. Now she had to be more careful.

  Picking up her empty mug, Grace gave Amya a pointed look. “She said the FBI is going to take over the investigation soon if we don’t make any progress on it.”

  “Andrew’s case?”

  Grace nodded.

  “What about your other case?”

  Shrugging, Grace walked to their bedroom, Amya hot on her heels. “I don’t know. Paige doesn’t seem to care much about that one.”

  “Are you still working at the mall next weekend?”

  Grace paused as she reached in their closet for clothes. “I plan on it. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  “Good.” Amya crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess I’ll see you for dinner?”

  “Probably not.” Grace stepped over and kissed Amya gently, although there wasn’t much energy in the embrace. She finished getting dressed, grabbed herself a travel mug full of coffee and headed in to work.

  Snow had been falling all night, so the tires on the cruiser crunched as Grace pulled into the parking lot at the station. It had been plowed at one point, probably hours before, but there was enough of a dusting on top of it that it covers the soles of Grace’s boots. Grabbing her shit, she made her way inside. One day without seeing the inside of that building would do her some good.

  Kit was about to be on winter break soon, and Christmas was coming up, as Amya had so kindly pointed out that morning. Grace and she still needed to do some shopping, though Grace figured Amya would end up doing all of it. Walking into her unit, Grace stopped short. No one else was there. The light was on in Paige’s office, but that was it.

  Great, this is going to go well. Grace settled into her desk, turning on her computer and sipping her coffee. She would try to get out of there as soon as possible because the prospect of being alone with Paige all day was not one she wanted.