It was after six by the time Georgia got home. April brought with it the return of daylight savings time, and the extra hour of light improved her mood. The weather was cooperating too. The light rain had ended, and late afternoon sun streamed through cracks in the sky, promising a pink sunset strewn with puffy clouds.
It had only been two weeks since she’d started Emily Waldorf’s case. At the time, with mass deployment of the vaccines and talk of a booster, a lightness that coincided with the arrival of spring was emerging. Despite her anguish about her mother’s abduction, Georgia had hoped the world might be tilting back to a more normal, benign orbit. But then a new variant came to dominate Covid cases, and everyone realized the pandemic was still darkening the world with sickness, fear, and death.
The cheerful din of a family before dinner met her as she opened the door to her apartment. Jimmy was watching the news. Vanna was feeding Charlie. The baby was in a good mood, probably because with JoBeth gone, Vanna had been with him nonstop for a couple of days. He was happily banging his spoon on his high chair. Jimmy had the TV news on full blast, and he and Vanna were trying to discuss something over the canned noise. Georgia had to smile at the changes in her life over the past eighteen months. The silence of solitude had turned into a cacophony of sound. Despite the commotion, she wanted to believe in a happy ending. Which would materialize if they rescued JoBeth.
“Hey babe! You’re back! We’re just watching you on the news.” Jimmy rose and clasped her to him.
“Then you know as much as me.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay. They’re speculating that this all happened because his mother died from a bad reaction to the vaccine.”
“I was wondering about that…” She hugged him back, and they exchanged a kiss.
“You’ve had a rough day at the office,” he said. “Let me take you to dinner.”
“I’m fine with a pizza at home.”
Vanna piped up. “With mushrooms and bacon?”
Jimmy gazed from Georgia to Vanna. “You both win. I’ll order a pizza for you and take your sister out. Got some things to discuss with her, anyway.”
“Cool,” Vanna said. “Is it okay if a friend comes over?”
“What friend?” Georgia asked.
“His name is—”
“His…?” Jimmy said. “Do we know him?”
“Come on, Jimmy,” Georgia cut in. “Leave her alone.”
Vanna rolled her eyes. “He’s a graphic artist. He teaches at Oakdale. We’ve been…um…talking.”
“Not that professor who said how great your work was,” Georgia said.
“No. He turned out to be a real creep.”
“Is that so?” Georgia said. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Vanna swatted the air. “This is a different guy.”
“Uh-huh,” Jimmy said. “I want his name, phone number, and social security number.”
“Jimmy!” Georgia shook her head. She knew he was kidding, but to joke about boyfriends when her mother was missing seemed almost contemptible.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Jimmy wiped the smile off his face. To Vanna he said, “We’ll be home early, but if anyone calls about your mom, give them my cell. Or your sister’s.”
“I know that.” Vanna’s tone was of the ‘how dumb do you think I am’ variety. Georgia was continually surprised at how normal Vanna sounded. Just like a typical teenager. As if the year of horror she had gone through had never happened. Georgia hoped it would—at least—continue to fade.