Christian seemed to sense that Becca was struggling to process this news and stepped in. “We think Ash has been seeing someone she met down here and that she may have run away with him. Do you know anything about that?”

“No. Once the volunteers are trained, we send them on their way. It’s so chaotic around here, I’m usually putting out some kind of fire. You might want to talk to the clients, ask around and see if they know anything. She was very popular with everyone. They loved her pictures.”

Ash’s pictures. Becca didn’t know why she hadn’t thought about them. “Hey, Pat, did you keep any of Ash’s photos?” Becca asked. There was a good chance that if Ash took photos here, Becca might be able to locate the boyfriend.

“Oh yeah, Ash uploaded all of them to the cloud before she left. You’re welcome to go through them.” He pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and stood, gesturing for Becca to take his seat.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course. I’ll check with the other staff and volunteers, see if anyone might have any insights or know anything about who she was seeing. Please let me know if you need anything,” Patrick said.

“Thanks, Pat,” Becca said, her voice wavering.

“We appreciate your time and cooperation,” Christian said, shaking Patrick’s hand.

Patrick nodded, but directed his attention to Becca. “I know this isn’t easy. When Maddie, my youngest, was a teenager, she was a total hellion. We made it through. You’ll do the same with Ash. I mean, that kid adores you. Everyone can see that,” he said.

Becca’s eyes welled with tears. She appreciated Patrick’s kindness. If it were true though, if Ash really adored her, she wouldn’t have left. He closed the door behind him, leaving Becca and Christian alone with thousands of Ash’s photos. She hurried over to Patrick’s desk and sank into the seat, scrolling through the massive file of photos. Christian stood behind her, his breath on her neck, the closeness unsettling. Becca forced herself to focus as she made her way through the massive selection. The images were of the residents captured in and around the mission, illustrating the beauty and sadness of street life. There was a photo of a group of wrinkled men and women seated at folding tables, happily eating ice cream cones, their smiles a stark contrast to their surroundings. Another photo showed a homeless mother and her infant son on a cot, wrapped in a loving embrace, surrounded by dozens of other families asleep on their cots, their faces slightly out of focus.

“Ash took all of those?” Christian asked. Becca could hear the amazement in his voice.