I never wanted her to experience the pain I went through, but I was still proud of her.

“That’s fantastic. Although, I never for a second doubted you’d get anything less,” I said, smiling.

She was never the sister I expected, but my heart couldn’t help but swell every time I spoke to her.

“Are you working a new case?” she asked, and I noted the hopeful tone.

It’d been awhile since I was away on assignment. Lyla loved hearing about the new places I traveled. I couldn’t help but give her a little of what she hoped for.

“I am,” I lied.

Was it really a lie? Technically, I was working a case…a cold case. 

I wasn’t so sure the FBI or Lyla, for that matter, would accept my technicalities if they all knew exactly what I was doing.

“I’ll be heading to Maine soon,” I continued.

“To Augusta?” she asked.

“I’m flying to Portland and staying on the coast, in Briarport,” I answered.

There was a pause of silence.

“Time to go, Lyla,” my mother’s faint voice came from the background.

“I have to go,” Lyla said sadly.

“School this early?” I was an early riser to get work done, but there was no way schools were making children go in as early as 5:00 a.m., were they? It’d be counterproductive to the amount of sleep children needed combined with the average bedtime.

“No, silly,” Lyla laughed. “Mom and I woke early today to get the best bagels from Don’s for the week.”

Don’s Bakery, the staple of our small California town. I checked the calendar on my wall beside me, realizing it was Tuesday. That one day of the week, the bakery had half price bagels and a giant selection of flavors.

I envied them.

“Send me one,” I joked.

“Pretty sure it will get stale in the mail,” Lyla laughed.

“You’re right. I’ll just have to get my own soon.”

A promise I planned to keep the moment I finished this case. I missed my family, but I had to work through everything haunting me before I could see them, for their sake and my own sanity.

Briarport had to have the answers I sought, to put to rest the feeling I couldn’t shake of failing more people.

“I have to go, but Winston, listen to me,” my mother said, taking the phone back. “You deserve a break from so much work. You’re so young. Don’t let life slip you by.”