‘All they said was they had reason to believe someone in this family was linked to a case they were working on but wouldn’t tell him why they thought that. It’s unbelievable. It irritated Cris that they wouldn’t give him any details yet expected him to drop everything for them. I’m not surprised he dismissed them.’

‘Have you heard anything since? Did they call to make an appointment?’

‘They left a message for Cris last night but I don’t know if he’s gotten back to them yet. Considering how many innocent people wrongly end up in jail these days, Cris isn’t the most trusting of law enforcement, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dragging his feet.’

At that moment, the sputtering coffee machine quieted and Rosie jumped up. Cris walked back into the kitchen. ‘Oh, good, coffee ready?’

‘Just about. Have a seat, dear.’

While I sipped my coffee, my brain went into overdrive thinking about everything I’d learned that day. The fact that he hadn’t given them a DNA sample made me pause. If he didn’t have anything to hide, why not just give it? All I wanted was to enjoy this new relationship I was forming with him and Rosie but these questions were making it difficult. Maybe he was just too busy, I thought, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I just wished he’d given the sample so he could be cleared and put my mind at ease. Realizing I’d zoned out, I snapped my attention back to the present and tried to make sense of the conversation buzzing in front of me.

Cris was explaining that he had popped into his office to see if he’d gotten a call back yet from Mrs. Lindel. He had been fielding calls from her all week about one of the medications their Goldendoodle, Charlie, was on. I tried to quiet my anxiety as I listened to Cris and Rosie talk about the dog. I only heard bits and pieces as my thoughts drifted, something in the back of my mind needling me. The FBI agents had seemed interested in the fact that Cris was a vet and now had shown up at his place of work to request DNA. Did they have other evidence that pointed to him? I couldn’t stand to abandon my new family but I also couldn’t get close to them until I knew the truth.