I shake my head. “No.”

“Have you gone into the home, ma’am?” His radio squawks with a string of garbled commands.

“No.”

“Good. I’m going to check the perimeter of the property and the interior. Please stay out here until I’ve completed the search.”

“Thanks, Officer.” Jess whistles when he walks away. “Who knew Elmhurst had such hot cops?”

I laugh and elbow her. Another cop name floats through my mind. To distract myself until Toby returns, I blurt: “I used to date a cop.”

“What? When?”

I shrug and shush Jackson as he fusses in his stroller. I reach around for his pacifier and pop it back into his mouth. “A lifetime ago. Before Chris.” Just saying my husband’s name sends a pang of fresh grief through my gut. “I met him when I still had my sight. I was twenty-five. He was a cop trying to make detective with CPD. Both of our careers were flourishing.”

“So what happened?”

“He got transferred to Florida,” I say. Though we both assumed we’d get married, have kids, and live in the city, when he got an offer to lead a narcotics unit, he took it.

“Ugh. Florida? No wonder you broke up.”

I playfully slap her arm.

“That wasn’t it, but I couldn’t leave the symphony. And he couldn’t miss out on such a great opportunity.” I shrug. “We were both realistic about long distance. Once he left, my sight got worse. I met Chris when he was volunteering at the Chicago Lighthouse.”

“What in the hell is that?”

“It’s a community center for the visually impaired.”

“Then Chris was a rebound.”

I roll my eyes. “Chris was not a rebound.”

“Chris was totally a rebound.”

“No, he was just there when I needed him.” I smile. “Chris was always there for me. He was dependable.”

“Like a minivan.”

“He was a bit like a minivan.” My heart lifts just joking about Chris. This is what I want to do more of, I remind myself. Talk about him as if he’s right here. Before I can say anything else, Jess leans in.

“Hottie approaching.”

“Ma’am, the perimeter and interior are secure. No sign of forced entry. Nothing suspicious in or around the property. I’m happy to do a walk-through with you to make sure nothing is out of place.”

“That’s not necessary.” I remove my ball cap and run a hand through my sweaty hair. “I’m sorry about this.”

“No problem. You ladies have a great day, okay?”

“Thanks so much, Officer.” Jess lightly touches my elbow. “Want me to come in with you?”