I raise my eyebrow.
Of course, they matter.
Aster could be ice-cold no matter how often I tried to break through her wall, and harder to please, but she didn抰 deserve to drown.
揥ould it bring her back??His tone says he senses my frustration.
揥hat??
揑f I built a time machine and took you back so you could watch every second play out梑ut you couldn抰 change it梬ould it bring her back??
揘o. Of fucking course not. But Destiny and I might have closure. It抯 her mother we抮e talking about.?
揜espectfully, that抯 what funerals are for. You and your daughter have all the closure you抮e ever going to get. Honestly, Mr. Lancaster, I don抰 think beating it into the ground will help.?
I sigh with a weight that tells him he抯 right without admitting it.
I thought I抎 put this all behind me years ago until being at the Kona house tore open old wounds.
Did I really think I抎 get closure if the investigation stated the obvious?
Fat chance.
You know why you care and it抯 got nothing to do with Aster, a voice in the back of my head screams.
I see Eliza, asleep on my chest, soft tufts of honey-brown hair being tossed in the breeze until I stroke them down into place again.
Is she the reason why I can抰 move on?
No, it抯 definitely more than that.
That turtle necklace felt like a curse梐nd maybe it抯 a bigger one now that it抯 gone.
Troy抯 story about how I bought it for Aster at the market still bothers me. I don抰 remember a goddamned thing.
Deep down, I抦 sure I never did.
I went to the beach and slept off my jet lag like usual.
And my daughter抯 messy hair, tear-stained face, and gashed-up leg after that thing was stolen…the way the robbery seemed so deliberate.
揑 know you抮e just sharing your wisdom, and I appreciate it,?I tell him. 揟he robbery still feels out of place, though.?
The detective nods. 揑t抯 gone, isn抰 it??
I blink at him, unsure where he抯 going with this.
揧eah, it抯 gone.?
He looks at me like a chemistry teacher waiting for his student to scrawl the last line of some formula.
Aster抯 gone.
Her necklace is gone.
Destiny抯 attackers are also gone without seriously hurting her, thank God.
Is that his point? Is he right?
Should I just let everything go?
I suddenly hate that I haven抰 heard from Eliza since my last few bitter texts.
揋one is gone, Mr. Lancaster,?he explains. 揈ven if you抮e feeling bothered, in my opinion you抣l do yourself a solid dealing with what抯 still here.?
揟hanks for meeting me,?I mutter as I stand.
I barely wait for him to wave goodbye before I抦 heading for my car. I punch in Eliza抯 contact on my phone from the back seat.
She doesn抰 answer.
揃ig surprise,?I say to myself, texting her instead.
Can we talk?
My phone dings a couple minutes later.
Eliza: Sure. Do you need a new drink? I抦 actually off the clock right now. Why don抰 you send the specs to my work email? I抦 not sure it抯 appropriate for the boss to be texting me on weekends.
Fuck. I抦 surprised my screen isn抰 frosted over.
At least I got a reply this time. I try calling again.
揧es??a voice that抯 too frigid and husky to be Eliza抯 answers.
揥here抯 Eliza??I growl.
揊ucking a rock star. She tells me he抯 way better in bed than her last snarky businessman hookup. Can I take a message??
揧ou are??
揧our worst nightmare. Did you need something, Lump??
My teeth grit together. Looks like Eliza hasn抰 been shy about throwing that stupid nickname around.
揟ell her I need to talk to her. Also, I抦 sorry.?
揌mm, you抮e funny. Because those are almost the right words, even if they抮e a little bland, but totally wrong order. She抯 knows you抮e sorry. Now apologize like a man.?
I pull my phone back, staring at the screen in disbelief.
揑s this high school? Put her on now,?I snarl.
揗eh, I guess some things never change. She can抰 come to the phone right now and I抦 saving her the trouble.?
God, the mouth on this 'friend.'
揕et me talk to her,?I growl.
揇ude, if she wanted to talk to you, would I be here making you miserable? By the way, a guy from that homeless camp that freaks you out so much saved my husband抯 life once. He runs the mailroom at a huge company now, and he takes food back there every weekend. You suck.?
Dakota Burns.
I get it now.
I should抳e recognized that barbed tongue sooner.
揑抳e donated coffee there hundreds of times, for your information. I was worried about my daughter and said shit I never meant.?This is ridiculous.
揙kay, and I抦 worried about my friend. I抦 nervous she抯 getting sucked in with some douchebag who抯 just going to break her heart the minute he decides she抯 not good enough with her Seattle-sized shoebox apartment.?