“I’m not sure what the question is, Detective,” Rachel said.
“I’d like you to come with me somewhere. I have something I want to show you.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes. “What about my kids . . .”
“They can come too. It’s nothing dangerous, I promise. Actually, I think they’ll have fun. But there’s something you need to see. Trust me.”
“All right . . . ,” Rachel said.
Serrano led her to the lieutenant’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
He opened the door. Rachel breathed in and smiled. Megan was sitting on the floor licking her fingers, which were covered in dust from a shredded bag of Funyuns. Eric was in a plush chair playing on an iPad, beeps and boops coming from whatever game he was engrossed in.
“I hope you don’t mind the Funyuns,” Lieutenant George said. “I wasn’t sure if the little one had any dietary restrictions.”
“She’s unfortunately not restricted from junk food,” Rachel said. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“Please, don’t mention it. Your daughter is quite the conversationalist. Your son, well, let’s just say I’ve had better conversations with my shoe.”
“Eric, did you hear that?” Rachel said. Eric did not look up. She sighed. “OK, kids, playtime’s over. Let’s go.”
They got up and marched out of the office. The lieutenant tousled Megan’s hair as she walked past, and she giggled.
“Be good, young man,” he said to Eric. Eric nodded and slunk past.
Rachel extended her hand.
“Lieutenant, I . . .”
Lieutenant George shook her hand and waved her off. “Please. Don’t mention it. They can tell their friends they were in protective custody. They’ll be the coolest kids in their class for a day or two.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said. Lieutenant George smiled, and Serrano closed the office door behind them.
The kids put on their coats, and they followed Serrano out to the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” Eric asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rachel said.
“I’m scared,” Megan said. “I want to go back to the loonant’s office.”
“Lieutenant,” Rachel corrected.
“Whatever,” Megan replied. “It was warm in there.”
“I promise you that in a few minutes, you won’t even think about the cold,” Serrano said, turning around. He knelt down to speak to Megan at eye level. “As a matter of fact, I’m taking you to the place where you can make the absolute best snow angels in Ashby.”
Megan’s face lit up.
“Mommy, can we?” she said, her face glowing with excitement. Rachel laughed.
“I guess so, sweetie.”
“I bet mine are better than Eric’s,” she said.
“Snow angels are stupid,” Eric said glumly.
“You’re stupid.”
“Let’s settle this: best snow angel gets to be an Ashby PD deputy for a day,” Serrano said.
That got Eric excited.
Serrano unlocked the Crown Vic, and the kids slid into the back seat. He motioned for Rachel to get in the passenger side.
“Can you tell me where we’re going?” she said.
“To see the angels,” Serrano replied. “Just trust me.”
Rachel hesitated, then got into the front seat. Serrano turned on the car, and a voice piped in over the stereo.
Home is behind, the world ahead,
and there are many paths to tread
“That’s from The Fellowship of the Ring,” Eric said, proud at recognizing the lines.
“That it is,” Serrano replied. “I think you and I have a lot in common.”
Serrano drove off. Rachel stared at the side-view mirror, watching the police station disappear into the white night, wondering where Serrano was taking them. But for some reason, she trusted him.
Rachel thought about the last time she’d trusted a cop, and it terrified her.
CHAPTER 25
Serrano pulled into the empty parking lot and turned off the ignition. He sat there, unspeaking, unmoving, for a full minute while Rachel and the children waited for an explanation.
“Look at this,” Serrano said finally, his voice full of awe and reverence. “Isn’t it just about the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
“A baseball field?” Rachel said, confused. “You took us to a baseball field? In December? Have you been drinking?”
Serrano laughed. “This isn’t just a baseball field. This is Voss Field, where the Ashby Angels play every spring. This field is where local legends are made. Did you know that six players from Ashby High have gone on to play in the major leagues?”
“No way,” Eric said.
“Yes way,” Serrano said. “Two of them actually had pretty good careers. Bobby Callahan made an All-Star team twice, and Ricardo Dominguez hit a walk-off homer for the Astros in the 2004 ALCS.”
“Whoa,” Eric said. “What about the other four?”
“Eh, let’s just say it’s a good thing they had backup plans. Let’s go.”
“Do we really get to go on the field?” Eric said. Serrano nodded.
“Let’s just say I know people.”
Serrano got out of the car, and the Marin family followed.
Voss Field was covered in a layer of glistening snow. Tall spotlights ringed the small stadium, dark in the winter, but they could still see snowflakes falling around the tall structures, reflected in the glass. The grass was long and unkempt, poking through the powder in spots, and the dugouts were covered with tarps to shield the wood from moisture.
“This is where I played in high school,” Serrano said to Eric. “Left field. I wanted to play shortstop or third but always had problems making that long throw off a hot grounder in the hole.”
“I played first base for a little while in peewee,” Eric said, his voice downbeat. There was sadness underneath. Serrano picked up on it.
“What happened?” Serrano asked. Eric remained silent. Rachel cast her son a look that Serrano noticed as well.
“Just stopped playing,” he said.
“Mom Mom Mom Mom Mom,” Megan said, rapid fire. “Can I go make snow angels?”
She pointed toward the infield, covered in mounds of undisturbed white. Rachel smiled.
“Go ahead, hon,” she said, “but make sure you’re wearing your hat and gloves. Eric, go with her. And no eating the snow. You don’t know what kind of presents animals might have left in it.”
“I’m too old to make snow angels,” Eric said as Megan made a dash for the field.
“Well, that’s just about the saddest and most untrue thing I’ve ever heard,” Serrano said. “In fact, snow angels get more fun the older you get. ’Cause at some point you get so busy with life that you forget how much fun it is. One day you’ll wake up an adult and wish you’d spent more time being a kid. Go ahead. Let’s see what you got.”
Eric smiled and gave a Sure, why not? look and trundled off after Megan.
“I haven’t seen him smile like that in a long, long time,” she said softly.