Page 37 of Vanishing Legacy
Alana laughed. “Oh…believe me, he wouldn’t have a phone if he didn’t need one. Rocco is diabetic. Type 1. He’s a little small for his age.”
That made sense about the phone. “Pretty common for children with diabetes, but he’ll catch up. So, the phone is for his continuous glucose monitoring system?”
“The CGM and his insulin pump. I’m a bit of a helicopter mom.” She glanced at her hands. “But I can’t be there all the time…so the system works great for us.”
Other parents probably gave her grief for giving her young son a phone. For some reason, complete strangers were compelled to offer advice on raising an autistic child. More often than not, it was criticism masked as helpful tips. As far as he was concerned, Alana could manage her son’s medical issues in the way that worked best for their lifestyle.
“I think it’s a great choice for active children and families. And I’m sorry about the pizza. I’ll try to keep that in mind for future meals.”
“We’ve learned to splurge now and again, but thank you, Cash. That means a lot to me.”
They sat in comfortable silence. The mere presence of Alana in his home pushed back the danger and kept it at bay. And their connection went even deeper. She got being a single parent. He could see it etched in her features. The constant pull between a career and parenting—the one job that never ended. Alana knew the weight of tending to Penny’s emotional state like a mother would. And it was sweet to see her interact with Penny as a mom, not just a bodyguard.
He leaned back and stretched his arms across the back of the couch. “I’ve made up my mind to keep Penny home as much as possible. After what happened today, it’s too risky to have her in public.”
“That’s probably a good plan.” Alana angled herself to face him. “How will she handle it?”
Cash caught the soft scent of lavender. Was that her shampoo, or perfume? Maybe a soap or lotion. Whatever it was, he liked it.
“I mean, you said changes in the routine are hard for her to process, right?”
“Oh, right.” He pulled himself back into the conversation. “It’s spring break, and with work, I hadn’t made any plans other than keeping her therapy appointment. Libby was making plans to take Penny on one of the trolley tours. You know, the kind where the actors get on at random stops?”
“Yeah, we’ve been meaning to do one of those since we moved here.”
“Maybe we can all go sometime.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” Alana flashed a small smile and brushed her bangs aside. He liked the way they sometimes fell into her eyes and she’d toss her head to get them back in place.
“I have to admit, Alana,” he said with a sigh. “When Jonah suggested hiring you—the Elite Guardians, I mean—well, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Maybe I still can’t. But all I know is if it weren’t for you…” Well, he didn’t need to spell it out for her. “I just can’t believe this is happening. I spent years as a combat surgeon, working in war zones, and now I can’t even keep my daughter safe in our own hometown.”
“It’s not your fault. You’re doing everything you can. Sometimes, no matter how prepared we are, bad things happen.”
“I just wish I knew what was going on. Why someone would want to take Penny.”
Alana’s expression softened. “I have a theory, but it’s a long shot.”
“I’m listening.” He leaned in.
She glanced in the direction of the piano fort, then scooted closer. “It’s not so much a theory as a door I’d like to close.” Alana spoke in a quiet voice but paused and pressed her lips together. “Okay, so here’s the long shot part. Ever since you told me about Sonia, I can’t get over how difficult it must be. The not knowing, I mean. I thought I could study these current maps and the weather patterns and maybe get an idea about where her car could be.”
Cash’s heart skipped a beat. “Alana, that’s great, but I’ve spent years trying to find her car. The Chatham County dive team tried, and the Coast Guard said they’ll look during training exercises, but nothing. I don’t mean this to sound hurtful, but what makes you think you’d do any better?”
“Don’t get me wrong, the underwater search and recovery team is great. When they offered a job, I thought about taking it. It’s just that they aren’t actively searching. They don’t have the time to pore over data when so many other cases keep them occupied. I have a friend who does this type of search for a living. He has the right equipment to scan some of the probable areas for anomalies.”
“Side-scan sonar?”
Alana nodded.
“Why would he do that for us?”
“He owes me a favor.”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know why some guy owed her a favor. It seemed like it would be a pretty big favor to conduct a search on that scale. Especially when others had failed. “What happens if this friend finds an anomaly?” His words had a hint of sarcasm, but he hadn’t meant it that way.
If Alana noticed, she ignored it. “He’ll mark it and we’ll determine if it’s safe to dive.”
It seemed like a lot of work for…for what? Another disappointment? “You can investigate it, sure. But I don’t know how this will help us stop Trejo’s men from trying to kidnap Penny.”