Thats certainly understandable, Rachel said. Well do our best not to take too long.

Tommy led them through the house, a modest two-story in a neighborhood where a lot of the homes looked pretty much identical from the outside. They passed by a small den, where a piano sat off in the corner all alone, before coming to the kitchen. There, they found an older woman and a younger woman that was unmistakably her daughter at work behind the stove and a cutting board.

Mom, Tommy said as they entered, the FBI agents are here.

The older woman, currently stirring something in a large pot on the stove, turned to greet them. She smiled in the same tired way Tommy had. Her hair was out of sorts and her eyes, though wide by design, looked wiped out. The older woman set the spoon she was stirring with down on the side of the stove and walked around the small island to greet them.

Hi, Im Eloise Webber. Thanks so much for coming by. She turned and looked almost apologetically at the stove. Were making Brunswick stewa little odd for so early in the morning, but it was Bruces favorite. We felt it was sort of appropriate.

Mrs. Webber, Jack said, I am of the firm opinion that no one should ever apologize for making stew.

The smile that touched the corner of Mrs. Webbers lips was genuine, though brief. It was yet another reminder of just how good Jack was with people. Rachel often prided herself on her bedside manner, but Jack had a way of setting people at ease in just about any sort of situation.

The daughter spoke up then, finally setting down her knife and gently pushing a pile of chopped carrots to the side. Im Jade, she said. Like Mom said, thanks for coming by. Its been hard these last few days.

Of course, Rachel said. Now, all we know from the initial police report was that Mr. Webber was headed to an appointment with a hepatologist. Was this an appointment you knew about beforehand?

Yes, Mrs. Webber said. He was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis about seven months ago. Hes been ill a lot ever since and finally got on a transplant list about two months ago.

Im sorry, but I have no idea what that is, Rachel said.

Few people do, Jade said.

Its a condition of the liver where the bile ducts get clogged up, Mrs. Webber added. And when those bile ducts get clogged, it wreaks havoc on liver cells. With Bruces it was leading toward liver failure without a viable transplant. The appointment was essentially for a checkup to see how he was doing.

Jack, looking over toward the pot of stew-in-the making, asked, How likely was it that he was going to get the transplant?

From what the specialist told us, it was looking good.