Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(65)

“I know,” he said absently, his gaze on a tall, sandy-haired child in soccer uniform running toward him. He was suddenly straightening, moving protectively closer to Eve. “It’s going to be okay, Mama.”

“I know it will.” Her gaze went to the boy. Freckles, pale skin, huge blue eyes, dressed in the same red-and-gold soccer uniform Michael was wearing. And Joe was right, he was almost a head taller than Michael. “Gary?”

He nodded. “I thought I made him understand, but maybe he’s not—” He took a step forward. “Hi, Gary, do you need something?”

“Nah, I just wanted to see her.” He was standing there, gazing at Eve. “Michael says you bring people like my dad home.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that, Gary,” she said gently. “I’ll be glad to explain myself later if your mom says it’s okay.”

“I don’t think there’s going to be time. But I think maybe my Dad wanted me to know about you.” His eyes were fixed intently on her face. “He knew I was scared.”

“There’s no reason to be scared, Gary,” Eve said. “No reason at all.”

“I know that.” He smiled. “Michael told me. But I still had to see you. He said it would be better.” He turned to Michael. “Coach said to tell you that he’s going to take the whole team to Pops Ice Cream Emporium on the square. He said we can’t celebrate a win, but we can practice for the win next week. Can you go?”

Michael’s face lit with eagerness as he looked at Joe. “May I?”

He nodded. “Why not?” He got in the car and waved the squad car on duty to follow them. “We’ll drive you to the square and wait in the car until you’re done. We wouldn’t want to intrude.” He looked at Gary. “Need a lift?”

He shook his head. “I’ll go with the rest of the guys in the coach’s van. See you, Michael.” He was dashing back toward the field.

Eve was gazing after him as she got into the passenger seat. It had been a strange few minutes, but she supposed it was positive. “I take it you and Gary have straightened out your differences. You told him it would be better if he saw me?”

“No. That wasn’t me.” Michael was buckling up his seat belt. “I wasn’t the one who told him that.” He leaned forward to talk to Joe. “Isn’t this cool? Do coaches always buy ice cream after a game? You said you played football. Did you get—”

“No, I don’t recall ever being offered ice cream for making touchdowns.” Joe was grinning. “But then I could be mistaken…”

*

Joe pulled into the square at the same time as Coach Wilkes and parked the next row down from him. The boys poured out of the van and ran toward a shop with “Pops Ice Cream Emporium” in ornate red script on the frosted windows.

Michael jumped out of the backseat of their car and was streaking after the other boys. He caught up with them at the red swinging doors. He gave Eve and Joe a brilliant smile and a wave, then disappeared inside with the rest of the red-and-gold-uniformed boys.

“I believe he might be a little excited,” Eve said as she leaned back in the seat gazing through the frosted windows at the boys running around the ice-cream shop. “That poor coach is going to earn his money today.”

ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT ATLANTA, GEORGIA

“I’ve been in a police station before but this is much different,” Darcy told Cara as she stared with interest into the offices they were passing as they made their way toward the evidence room. “No one’s paying any attention to me. The last time I was only ten, and we were filming in a police station in New York. I was supposed to have run away from home, and the cops brought me to the station until they could convince me I should go back to my family.”

“What an amazingly original script,” Jock murmured.

“Hey, don’t knock it. The ratings went off the charts for the episode. I even got an Emmy nomination. I was touching, funny, and I even sang a wistful little song to those cops. It wasn’t like ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ but it hit square on dreams and family values so it—” She stopped and drew a shaky breath. “I’m talking too much. Sorry. I guess I’m kind of nervous about this.”

“You don’t have to do it,” Cara said. “Go back to the car and wait for us.”

“I do have to do it. He put Sylvie in that box. I’ve seen the rest of what he did to her. I have to finish it.” She smiled determinedly. “And I will. It’s not so bad. Come to think of it, I did get some attention as we came into the station. Maybe they thought I was a hooker. No, at least a high-class escort. The first is Academy Award material, but I’m not ready for that yet and I—”

“Hush.” Jock was showing his pass to the policeman in the wire cage. “We’ll be out of here soon. I don’t really expect to find anything unless something just strikes a note. It just needs to be checked.” He took the gold-foil box from the policeman and placed it on the table. “Joe said it was a double-sided mirror with the top mirror intact and that the mirror facing down to reflect the skull was broken.” He was carefully opening the lid. “I just wondered about the mirror that was left unbroken. It’s been nagging at me. Norwalk has been planning this down to the last detail. The broken mirror was to reflect Sylvie’s death. What was the other mirror meant to reflect?”