I kept the book close to me on the table as we talked, glancing at it every so often, touched to have something personal of my mother’s that traced all the way back to my great-grandmother. While Rosie poured coffee for us, I kept thinking about what a complicated family history my biological family had. Drug problems, tragic deaths, dysfunctional family dynamics, secret pregnancies. And somehow, I’d come from all of that. My adoptive family was easily three times the size of this one, and yet, the worst we’d encountered was my cousin Luca getting kicked out of college for cheating on an exam. I’d noticed that Cris seemed to disapprove of my mother’s path just as much as my grandfather Frank had. Perhaps that accounted for his cool demeanor toward me. I hoped I’d be able to show him how different from Teresa I was. When the sun finally dipped down and the crickets began to sing, we thanked them for lunch, and said we needed to get back as we both had work the next day. I’d learned so much from this visit, I needed some space to process everything.

At the door, Rosie gave both Andie and I a tight hug. When I turned toward Cris, I put out my hand, assuming a hug would be too personal for him at this point. He took my hand in both of his, holding it for a long second. In that moment, I felt an icy chip fall from Cris’s shoulder as we let our hands fall. Andie and I walked to the car, but I stopped halfway down the path.

I turned to face Cris and Rosie, who were still watching us from the porch, and called out, ‘I’m covering a beer festival in Port Chester next weekend for work. Maybe I can stop by again?’

Rosie smiled and said, ‘Oh weekends aren’t good for Cris. He and several other vets founded Pause for Paws. He goes around in the mobile vet station van and neuters pets for people who can’t afford it, so he’s gone most weekends doing that. But we’d love to see you again. Give us a call and we’ll plan another date.’

‘Look forward to seeing you again soon,’ Cris called out.

I nodded and waved as we climbed into the car. When we drove away, I couldn’t help but smile. ‘They were nice.’

Andie was already scrolling through her playlist. ‘Yeah they were. Just don’t get into that neutering van. You want kids, right?’ She glanced up at me and we burst into laughter.

VICTIMS 6 & 7

Nancy Downs & Casey Becker

1995

CHAPTER 8