Chapter 7:

After Eddie spent about 45 minutes talking with Emelia's family, she was only able to determine only one possible connection to Julio Anthony - his place of work. Like many other people in their neighborhood, both Gil and Jennifer had taken seasonal work with UPS to supplement their income. Both of them claimed to have no idea who Julio Anthony was, and they were telling the truth as far as Eddie could tell. Neither of them knew anyone who rented cars from Empire Rent A Car. Rosa Perez had no connection to anyone or anyplace related to Julio or the car.

With only her disappointing results to report back, Eddie decided to follow her hunch about Rosa. She began to ask her about her cleaning business and slowly brought up things she may have seen that she wasn't supposed to. Rosa was very forthcoming. She had seen quite a bit in her time cleaning houses. She had found drugs, money, stashed items she knew must have been stolen, and even a "runaway" suitcase hidden by an abused wife tucked in the rear of a closet.

That was the only item she'd ever touched, slipping a twenty dollar bill into the top. Rosa knew the woman who lived there was deeply troubled, and her controlling husband was the reason Rosa had claimed to be "retiring" when she ended her relationship with them a couple months ago. She had recommended several other ladies that she knew would do a good job cleaning the surfaces but were less thorough and not likely to find anything else the woman of the house might have hidden to facilitate her escape. Rosa had offered no other support for the woman and the two of them had never spoken beyond the normal pleasantries. It was the husband who had hired Rosa and paid her each time she cleaned.

Eddie had a strange feeling about this client so she began to question Rosa more about the particulars of this job. It turns out that the strangest part of that job had not been what she found in the closet. It was the husband's reaction to a note she left for the couple with a list of cleaning supplies they were running out of. When nobody was there at the time she finished, she would find an envelope with her name on it attached to the fridge with a magnet. This time, Rosa had looked in a drawer near the phone and found a note pad. The main side was pre-printed but the back of each sheet was blank except for a faint watermark. She used a page from the notepad to write a list of four or five items they needed to replenish.

Two hours after she returned home, she received an irate phone call from the homeowner. He seemed incensed that she had used his paper, something Rosa found unexpected but not shocking. People were often making demands of her that were unreasonable or getting upset because she overused supplies. His anger at her looking through the drawers seemed ludicrous to her especially since she washed and put away his clothes. She had learned these types of jobs were not worth the money. As she'd aged, she would use that as an excuse to cut them off of her client list. Life was too short to be treated poorly. Just because she cleaned houses didn't mean she was less than them. Rosa Martinez was a proud, hardworking woman.

Eddie returned home after midnight both thoroughly exhausted but with her mind spinning. She saw several potential suspects emerging but none seemed to fit the scenario. She could tell the detectives were feeling the same way after she reported back to them on the drive home. She had the following day off, but she let the detectives know that she was available if they needed her. Tomorrow Emelia would be missing for three days. The longer she was gone, the worse the odds were that she would come home safely. As much as Eddie wanted to become a detective, she was becoming sorry she had made such a good impression on the detectives in charge of this case. She knew Emelia's disappearance was likely to end in a way that broke her heart.

Eddie wearily entered the apartment, pausing briefly in Ellie's doorway to stare at her sleeping form. The little girl peacefully slept, gripping her navy blue velvety elephant. Eddie instantly wondered if Emelia Perez had a comfort item she slept with. When she reached the bedroom and climbed under the covers, she wept as she clung to Jamie's body. Finally succumbing to exhaustion, Eddie slept until after noon the following day.

It was Elizabeth's giggles and Jamie singing an off key version of a Disney song from Beauty and the Beast that woke Eddie the next morning. She opened the bedroom door and was immediately greeted by Ellie's excited squeal when she saw her.

"Lamby!" The baby squeaked out using her pet name for Eddie that she came up with after hearing Jamie call her "Lambchop" one day.

"Hey there princess. What are you guys up to?"

Jamie answered. "We went to church then headed to the bakery for fresh donuts. I wanted to let you get some sleep."

"Any donuts for me?"

"Of course, how could I get donuts without bringing some home for my favorite beat cop?" he teased.

"Oh my god, apple fritters and chocolate frosted." Eddie declared, adding one of each to her plate and pouring herself a large mug of coffee. She settled on the couch to eat her breakfast.

Jamie and the baby had a bunch of Little People figures spread out on the floor and they were playing some role playing game with them. Once Eddie had sat down, it wasn't long before Elizabeth was drawing her into the game. Taking the figure from the baby she joined them. After 20 minutes, the baby was getting bored and restless.

"Let me put her down for a short nap before we get ready to go to my dad's house." Jamie offered. Eddie finished her breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen while Jamie was gone. He returned 15 minutes later.

"I must have worn her out, she's fast asleep already." He laughed softly.

"Thanks so much for the extra sleep. I really needed it." Eddie offered, her voice breaking.

"Want to talk about it?" Jamie asked, crossing the room in two quick strides and wrapping her in a hug.

"Honestly, I think I need to put it out of my head for a while. Maybe later? If I'm going to be a half decent detective someday, I need to be able to leave work at the front door."

"Ok, let me know...but Ed, remember that you're human. Everyone has cases that get to them. Sometimes they will follow you inside. Then you need to let me...our family...help you deal with it. Promise?"

"Promise. What I really need is a hot shower. I don't want to go to your Dad's looking like a mess. Care to join me?"

Jamie didn't need another invitation. He grabbed her hand and led her to the bathroom. Quickly and as quietly as possible, they undressed and stood under the hot water. Showering together was a favorite way to connect for both of them. They had both been in serious relationships before, but had rarely if ever enjoyed showering with former partners. It was something that felt like it was theirs alone. Not to mention, they felt like the rest of the world was a million miles away from their private oasis. It was Jamie who got out first, grabbing a fluffy towel off of the warming rack for each of them. Eddie had shut off the water so he stepped back in and wrapped her in a towel. It was these moments, when he took care of her like this, that Eddie could palpably feel her love for Jamie growing beyond what she had believed was possible only moments before.

Shortly after they were both dressed, the baby began to stir. Eddie went in and changed her out of the pull up she slept in. Then, she fixed Ellie's hair into two small ponytails. Jamie had gathered up the garlic bread and dessert they were bringing to dinner. Finally, Jamie took the dog for another short walk and they all headed to Frank and Henry's house.