Page 19 of Pretty Broken Dolls

Katie listened intently, trying to figure out his body language as he struggled to tell her something that was clearly extremely important because it was difficult for him to say.

“Well, to make a long story short…We talked about the job of fire investigator and it’s been something that I’ve been interested in for a while.”

Katie nodded. “Yeah, even when we were kids. Ever since the McClellan family house burned down, you wanted to do something important and investigate arson.”

“Well, there’s a training program that’s very difficult to get into. You have to be invited.”

“And you got an invitation?” she said.

“Yep.”

“Oh, that’s great! I’m so happy for you.” She leaned in and kissed him, relieved that it was something positive.

“Wait a minute.”

“What?”

“I start my training in a few days.”

“Okay?” she said, surprised he hadn’t told her anything about it before signing up.

“And it’s for six months in Los Angeles.”

“Oh,” she said as her heart sank. “What about…?”

“Our wedding?” he said. “We will have to postpone it for a while longer. But we haven’t set a date yet…”

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“Katie, I’ve been waiting for something like this my entire life. And now I get the chance to train.”

“I know,” she said, forcing a smile. Inside, she felt abandoned. “You so deserve this.”

“I’ve loved you my entire life, even when I was five years old. Every time I have good news or bad, you’re the first person I want to talk to. I want you to be the first person I see in the morning and the last at night.”

“We’ve been through a lot. Your mom’s cancer and the death of my parents. We can get through anything.” She made herself comfortable next to Chad. Not wanting to talk about it anymore, they passed the evening with the usual conversation. There was a subtle tension between them, but it wasn’t about Chad going to LA. It was about a huge change coming, affecting their relationship. Katie wasn’t completely convinced if they could survive the distance issue.

* * *

Katie’s mood was downcast, which was unusual for her. She didn’t feel like doing anything but going to bed after Chad left. She couldn’t shake the strange feeling that her life was going to be turned upside-down. These unorthodox cold cases and Chad leaving for six months made her uneasy.

The evening turned colder and she snuggled in bed with Cisco at her feet. Katie slowly fell into a sound sleep for once, without killers, suspects, and flashbacks of her time in Afghanistan running throughout her dreams.

Her cell phone interrupted her peaceful slumber.

Katie jerked awake and automatically checked the time: the clock read 2:35 in the morning.

Picking up the cell, she said, “Hello?” her voice groggy.

“Katie?”

“Uncle Wayne? What’s wrong? You okay?”

“I’m fine. You need to come to the fairgrounds through the west gate,” he stated simply. It wasn’t a request.

Katie sat up, fighting her sleepiness. “What? Why?”

“McGaven is on his way, as well as Special Agent Campbell. I expect you to be here in fifteen minutes.”