214 Palmer Street(43)

“Kirk, you’re such a moron,” Gavin muttered. Giving out a cell phone number like that was an idiotic move. It didn’t really matter at this point because the only people who would see this notice would be his officers, but if this had gone out to the public, Kirk would have opened himself up to all kinds of crank calls.

He read it over again, sardonically chuckling. His reason for living. Sick with worry. My soulmate. Talk about laying it on thick. Sarah had only been gone a day and Kirk had already worked himself into a meltdown. Not surprising. As long as he’d known Kirk, he’d always been that way. If the guy didn’t have something to get worked up about he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

Kirk had always been a little too sensitive for his own good. Years earlier, when the whole community was searching for Jeremy, Kirk could barely keep it together. They were all worried, but it hit Kirk the hardest. He’d told Gavin, “I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I’m worried sick.” Even years later, he still suffered from the loss. One time he’d said to Gavin, “I keep thinking about Jeremy’s mom and his sister, and how they’re living in limbo, not knowing.”

Gavin sighed. At this point he’d been working in law enforcement for years and had seen plenty of tragedies. Sometimes the time-worn platitudes were spot on. It was true: bad things happened to good people and life wasn’t fair. “Dwelling on it isn’t helping. Try to move on.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” Gavin spoke bluntly because that’s what Kirk needed to hear. With Kirk’s history of depression, he couldn’t afford to spiral into despair. “You have it made. Great wife, a house in the best neighborhood, your own business. There’s nothing to be gained by living in the past.”

“You’re right,” Kirk said, his expression still glum.

Sometimes Gavin and Clarice talked about Kirk and his emotional problems. The three of them had been close in high school, but Kirk had become increasingly cool toward Clarice since then, something that rankled her.

“Kirk and I used to talk on the phone occasionally,” Clarice had told him, shortly after Kirk and Sarah had married. “Now he doesn’t want anything to do with me. Won’t even answer my texts. It’s like he’s trying to erase me from his life.” Gavin was at her apartment at the time, having met her for a tryst. That was her word—tryst. Gavin didn’t care what she called it. When Clarice called, Gavin was as good as there. He’d stop what he was doing, put out a call to Natalie saying he had to work late and he was out the door to meet Clarice. The sex was purely recreational. He didn’t really consider it cheating on his wife. He and Clarice had history. He and Natalie had love. There was no conflict of interest. Still, he kept it to himself. Natalie would never understand.

“Why can’t Kirk be more like you?” Clarice had asked at the end of their tryst, propped up on one elbow on the bed. “I don’t see why we can’t all be friends.”

Gavin had been standing nearby, buttoning his shirt. He’d shrugged. “I’m not sure why you care, Clarice. You and I are still friends.”

“And always will be, right?”

“Sure.” He had to agree. “Whatever you want.”

And now Kirk had worked himself into a ball of worry because Sarah decided she needed a short vacation and didn’t tell him about it. Gavin understood why she didn’t give him any notice. The guy was a bit controlling when it came to his wife. If he held Natalie on such a short leash she’d have left him years ago.

With a sigh he pushed print and made multiple copies of the missing person flyer. Kirk wouldn’t be pleased that it wasn’t in color, but too bad. When done, he picked up the stack and left his office, heading down the hall to the front desk. These flyers were an embarrassment to his standing as a law enforcement officer so he’d let Christy give them out. That way his promise to Kirk was fulfilled but it didn’t reflect on him.

When he reached Christy’s desk, he found she wasn’t alone. Heidi, a gray-haired woman who worked as an assistant in the town hall, was leaning over Christy’s desk blathering on about something. As she spoke, the reading glasses hanging on a chain around her neck swayed back and forth.

When he walked up, the conversation stopped, and Heidi straightened up but she didn’t leave. Instead, she offered an excuse for her presence. “We’re talking about the recipe booklet I’m putting together for the police department fundraiser.” She gave him a wide smile.

Probably wanted him to gush about her efforts. Gavin was capable of being complimentary, but he wasn’t going to make the effort for this woman. “I’ll only be a minute,” he said.

“We can talk later,” Christy said hurriedly to Heidi, but the woman didn’t move.

“Christy, I was hoping you can do me a favor,” he said. “A friend’s wife decided to take an impromptu getaway. She took off for a few days of R&R on her own and he’s not dealing with it well. Having a bit of a breakdown, actually.” He rolled his eyes. “Can you hand these out to everyone in the office? I imagine she’ll be back any time now, but I promised I’d get the word out.”

“Of course, Chief Kramer. I’d be happy to.”

One of his favorite things about Christy was how often she called him by his full title. He said, “Very good then.” He gave a small salute. “Carry on.”