Sacred Heart by a social worker with Social Services. Looking back, they probably thought it was going to be temporary, but most people looking to adopt are looking for babies. There were a lot of girls who came through Sacred Heart that were there for temporary reasons, but there were some of us that stayed.”
She watched a tic in his jaw and recognized the tension as he appeared to fight with his emotions. “It wasn’t bad, no matter what you might think. It wasn’t like something you see in a movie where the other girls were mean and the nuns were horrid. Quite the opposite, actually. The nuns were very sweet, and the school was excellent. The other girls were wonderful, and I had friends. Sacred Heart made sure I had grief counseling, and while there were times I cried buckets over the loss of my parents—still do, occasionally—I was loved and nurtured.”
He sighed again and shook his head. “I’m just so sorry that I introduced you to my family in such an overwhelming way—”
“Kyle, stop. Don’t apologize. Your family and friends are amazing. They laugh and talk and joke, and most of all, care. At first, it seemed like a lot to take all at one time, but then I realized that it’s in their coming together that they exude the best about family, which is love.”
He reached across the console and linked fingers with her, smiling. “Never thought about it that way.”
She squeezed his fingers as she watched the Hope City skyline come into view as they neared his house. “That’s the best way to think about family. Love.”
19
“How do you work with this shit in your gut?” Kyle asked, grimacing after one sip of coffee while staring at Todd. He and Alex had gone back to talk to Todd and Birdie, getting a call that they had more information on the truck involved in the Kilton Pharmaceuticals thefts.
“Quit bitchin’,” Todd said. “You can’t tell me yours is any better.”
“That’s why I don’t get it at the office. Got a shop down the street.”
Birdie rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re arguing about coffee?”
“Point taken.” Kyle inclined his head at the file on Todd’s desk and said, “What have you got for us?”
“It was a couple of blocks away, but we’re pretty sure we picked up the truck leaving the scene. Tracing the tags, it’s owned by Jon Ying. He runs a laundry service that has contracts with several hotels in the area. But before you get excited… he says he reported it stolen last week. We checked, and he did file a report.”
“Anything suspicious about him?”
“Nope,” Birdie said. “I know you want a connection, but this guy is on the up and up. He’s pissed about his delivery truck being gone and is having to get another one to use. Said corporate is making him jump through hoops, hoping we’ll find it for him.”
Todd added, “We wanted to get this to you. It’s just one of many robberies we’re working on, so we can’t give it our full attention. But you’re more than welcome to take this information and run with it. And if there’s anything you need from us, let us know.”
The four sat for a few minutes, each reviewing the reports, hoping that something would stand out to them. Kyle was a firm believer that the more eyes on a situation the less something would slip through and was glad Todd and Birdie felt the same.
Looking up, he said, “Corporate?” Seeing the others stare, he added, “You said corporate was making him jump through hoops to get another truck. So, he’s not just some independent business owner?”
“He didn’t gain financially from the loss of the truck,” Todd said. “In fact, he’s out of luck until he can get another one.” Dragging his hand through his hair, he shook his head. “But I didn’t check to see what the fuck he was talking about when he said corporate.”
Birdie began tapping on her keyboard, and the three turned their attention to her. Grumbling and cursing under her breath, she continued searching for several minutes. “It looks like he was referring to Hope City Linen and Uniform Service. I can’t tell if they actually own his business or if he just has a contract with them.”
“Print that off for me, if you don’t mind,” Kyle said, standing. “We’ll take all this now and see if there’s anything we can go with. A laundry service hardly ties into Kilton Pharmaceuticals, but