Well, go ahead and put it on the calendar. What she did not say was that shed not once ever heard Paige mention being interested in soccer. But she knew that Paige was in a very experimental phase right now. She wanted to try everything, and Rachel and Peter supported it.

Will you be back in time? Paige asked.

Before next Saturday? Absolutely. Honey, Im hoping to be back home in another couple of days.

Oh, okay.

Everything else good?

Yeah! Becka is making pancakes for dinner. And then Daddy is going to take me out for ice cream.

Thats whole lot of sugar. Make sure you brush your teeth really good before bed.

I will. Bye, Mommy!

It had been a brief conversation but, as was always the case when Paige called, it felt as if shes been tossed into a whirlwind and spit out. Even in little conversations, her daughter was a little force of nature. As Rachel slowly placed the phone back into her pocket, she realized that she missed Paige more than she usually did when she was on a trip.

Its because youre keeping a secret from her, she thought. Really, youre lying by omission.

This was true and she knew shed have to deal with it eventually. She slowly made her way down Gemma Chapmans porch steps, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving Paige in the dark. She was likely too young to fully understand what her diagnosis meant but, still…she deserved to know. So did Peter, and so did Jack.

The guilt ate at her for just a moment, but she then shoved it away. For now, she had to focus on this case. This case was an island off the coast of every other part of her life and she could not leave it until they had their killer.

And with no real leads to speak of, she figured they only had the papers and records back at the station. Maybe theyd missed some obvious connection buried in the mundane nature of lists of peoples names and medical records. There had to be something there. And once they found it, they could get their killer…and she could then devote her time and energy to figuring out how to break the news to her family.

But first…the case. She held that list of priorities firm in her mind as she got back into the car and, without a word, started the engine and left Gemma Chapmans house.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE