It shouldn’t have surprised her. Joe was always protective, and he hadn’t liked Nalchek’s persistence. “It’s clear he had a right to be concerned.”
“Clear to you. Perhaps clear to me. But not so clear to anyone else. Have you ever run across a cold case like this in which the murderer after eight years was still hovering, ready to leap on anyone investigating the crime?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true.” She paused. “Nalchek had my dossier in that squad car, and he thinks that whoever killed Carstairs took photos of it.”
Joe went still. “There wasn’t any mention of that on the Net. And it’s something you should have told me.”
“I’m telling you now.” She inclined her head toward the reconstruction. “And that’s an excellent reason why I should get Jenny finished right away.”
“Yes.” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “And is that the only reason?”
“No.” She hadn’t wanted to go into this right now. It was too involved. She needed to get back to Jenny. But she had to be honest with Joe. “Unless I’ve gone wacko, our Jenny is communicating with me.”
“What? How?”
She had to smile. “Only you would accept the fact and just want to know the method.”
“You have me well trained.” He was still frowning. “I’ve been living with you and your visits from Bonnie all these years. I’ve even had experiences with her. You have a bond with every child on whom you do a reconstruction, but they don’t communicate. The bond just helps you to get an accurate resemblance. Why is this one different?”
“I have no idea.” She held up her hand as he opened his lips to speak. “But she doesn’t want to do me any harm. I know it. She’s just bewildered and lonely. She’s not sure why she’s here.”
“Because you’re doing her damn reconstruction, and she needs you. Hell, we all need you.”
“She’s very strong, Joe. I guess I gave you the impression that she’s clinging, but I can feel how strong she is. I don’t believe she would have been able to reach me if she didn’t have that strength.”
“Good for her. I hope she’ll find her home and Nalchek finds her killer. But I want to be sure that you’re not damaged in the process.” He looked down at the reconstruction. “Finish her. Send her on her way.” He turned and headed for the door. “In the meantime, I’ll take a look around the woods and make sure that we don’t have any visitors.”
The door shut firmly behind him.
She shook her head as she stared after him. Joe was definitely on the alert and moving with his usual efficiency.
“He doesn’t want me here,” Jenny said. “Why does he think I’ll hurt you?”
“He doesn’t. He’s just cautious. When you care about someone, you always want to be sure that they’re safe. I’m sure your parents were like that with you.”
“I don’t think so. I don’t remember anyone’s being like him.”
She chuckled. “Because there is no one like him. He stands alone.”
“You feel … warm … toward him. Like standing before a fireplace and just toasting. It’s nice.”
“I feel many things toward him. And they’re all nice.” She thought about it. “Well, mostly nice. He’s very stubborn, and that can be annoying.”
“But it doesn’t stop the warmth.”
“No, it doesn’t stop that. Nothing stops that.” She turned toward the reconstruction. “Now be quiet while I get back to work.”
“Okay. I was just curious.”
And Jenny’s interruption had the gentleness and familiarity of an old friend whispering in her ear. “Children are always curious.”
“I don’t know if I’m a child anymore. Am I?”
If Jenny had lived, she would be seventeen now. She had missed so much … “I don’t know. My Bonnie says that she couldn’t stand still when she crossed over, that she kept maturing. I imagine it might be the same for you. But that doesn’t mean you might not be a little stunted as far as experiences are concerned. I guess that depends on what you’ve been doing for the last eight years.”