Finding Sky (A Nicki Valentine Mystery Book 1) by Susan O'Brien Read Free Book Online

respected law enforcement. And I hadn’t been straightforward.
    “I was so scared of messing up your adoption. I told them I was lost and what I’d seen. They asked if I knew ‘Marcus Gomez,’ and I said no. I mean, I was lost, and I don’t know him.”
    “I can’t believe you saw him. And he’s shot! You probably saved him.” Her mouth hung open.
    I was afraid probably not . Yes, he’d been alive enough to scare me silly and rush off in an ambulance, but he’d been shot in the head. How often did people survive that?
    An image from the past filled my mind. I was working on a hospital psychiatric unit. It was my first post-college job, so I was the lowest on the totem pole: a psychiatric technician. I did everything from take blood pressure to conduct “suicide checks”—monitoring patients’ safety every few minutes. One woman was admitted for shooting herself. She’d survived just fine and walked around the unit, pleasant as can be, with a telltale bandage around her head. It was bizarre.
    The image switched to Marcus’s injury, which in retrospect seemed rather small. Then I saw police officers fanning out, knocking on doors, questioning me. Why hadn’t I been truthful? Could I have hurt Beth by holding back? If they questioned me again, would it be too late?
    “I can’t believe any of this,” I replied.
    “We should sleep on it,” Kenna said.
    “We should, but we won’t.”
    We rehashed everything until my eyes closed involuntarily, right after watching Kenna walk home safely.

Four

      
    You can’t watch or listen to the news with kids. Not unless you want to explain things like murder, sexual assault and, despite the weather guy’s prediction of thunderstorms, the necessity of wearing sunscreen to camp.
    Yet I had to turn it on. So when Sophie poked me awake at 6:45, I put on the Disney Channel in my room and stumbled downstairs to watch a local report. Good thing, since Marcus’s shooting was the lead story at seven, complete with video of his car surrounded by officers and flashing lights.
    Officials say shots were fired outside a King County party last night. An eighteen-year-old victim is in serious condition, and neighbors say the shooting may have been gang related. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information should call the number on the screen.
    For so many reasons, I was relieved Marcus was alive. For the sake of human life, for Beth’s sake if he knew where she was, and for the baby’s sake if he or she needed him in any way.
    He or she. I closed my eyes and pictured a precious little one, growing inside Beth, waiting to meet the right family. I got teary and spent a few minutes asking for divine intervention.
    “Mom?” It was Sophie. “What are you doing?”
    “Just praying.” She walked over and stood next to me. I pressed record on the DVR remote and clicked off the TV.
    “I have a prayer.”
    I loved these little insights into my kids’ minds. I looked into her eyes. “What is it?”
    “I want to do Slip ’N Slide.”
    Not as deep as I’d hoped. Possibly the simplest request God would receive that day.
    “We can do Slip ’N Slide. When you get dressed, put on a bathing suit instead of an outfit.” She jumped up and down in her princess nightgown, making excited noises, and scurried off. “Find some water toys too,” I called. Hopefully that would keep her busy for a few minutes.
    As I headed toward my office, I realized I’d set an unintentional record. It had been more than twenty-four hours since I’d checked email. I knew just what I could have missed.

      
    One of the benefits of living in King County, Virginia, is the email alert system, which contacts residents about various issues. It’s a dream come true if you like technology and avoid the news.
    You can sign up for everything from storm warnings to traffic reports to crime information, and sadly, there are often emails about missing kids.
    Lo and behold, an alert titled “Police seek