“I’M SURE YOU DON’T REMEMBER ME, Detective Hart, but I knew you when you were six. I knew your parents as well.” Grace Murphy spoke as everyone sat at the table.

Luke tried to watch Abby without staring. She had such a cop face, but he thought he saw an array of emotions briefly before she could shut down: discomfort, curiosity, maybe longing?

“I remember your name from the reports. I know your brother died getting me out of the fire. Please, call me Abby.”

Grace took her seat. “That was my brother, always thinking of others. Luke was named after him. He loved working at that restaurant, loved your parents and Lowell.”

“Cookie. I called him Cookie.”

“Oh.” Grace put a hand over her mouth. “You remember that? Your dad gave him that nickname. My brother made the best sugar-orange cookies. He made the best because he loved to eat them.” She smiled and raised her hands, indicating it was time to bless the meal.

The girls stopped their chattering, clasped hands, and bowed their heads. Abby was on Luke’s right, and it was a couple of seconds before she took his hand.

Luke’s dad gave the blessing, ending by thanking God that Abby could join them for the meal. After the amen, the girls resumed their chatter, and Grace served everyone. While Luke had a million questions he wanted ask Abby, he let his mom start off.

“What a surprise when Luke told us who you were. My land, I’m amazed that you’d be back here. I admired your mom and dad; they were loving parents.”

“I wish I remembered more of that period of time.”

“You don’t remember anything about the fire?” Luke asked.

Abby shook her head. “Not really. Only heat and Cookie telling me I’d be okay.”

“Probably just as well,” Grace said, her brow furrowed. Luke knew that meant time for a change of subject. “I don’t recall your mother ever talking about a sister,” she said. “And I was at the restaurant a lot. I adored my big brother.”

“From what I know, my mother and her family were estranged. My grandparents let her stay here with friends to finish her senior year while they and Dede moved to Oregon. She never moved to rejoin them.”

“I actually talked to the family your mother stayed with,” Luke said. He wondered if Abby knew the family history he’d discovered during the course of his investigation. By the look on her face, he was betting no.

“You did? The Turners, right?”

“Yep. Betsy Turner was your mom’s best friend. Your mom didn’t want to be uprooted, and she was already dating your father.”

She twirled her fork on her plate, and Luke hoped he wasn’t upsetting her. But when she looked up, he saw only curiosity in her eyes.

“I know she married my father right after high school and before he joined the Army.”

“Yeah, I don’t know much about those years. I think your mom moved to where your father was stationed, and then they moved back to Long Beach after he got out. Most of the people I talked to remember her and your dad trying their hand at different businesses before they struck gold with the Triple Seven.”

“That I remember,” Grace said. “The first business was a flower shop —that was where my brother started working with them. He worked there while attending cooking school; then he went out of state for a while. When he got back, Lowell was in the picture with money, and they were talking about a restaurant.”

“Yeah, Lowell had the money to get the restaurant started.” Luke held Abby’s gaze. “Your mom and dad did all the work; he just supplied the capital.”

“The arrangement worked for them,” Grace said. “I never remember seeing any friction. What about your grandparents, Abby?”

Grace took over and Luke listened. He’d seen the interest in Abby’s eyes; they’d get back to Rollins soon enough.

“Something happened between my mom and my grandparents; I don’t know what. From what Dede says, my mom cut them off. I certainly don’t remember them at all. My dad’s parents were deceased. My dad’s brother, my only uncle, is in prison somewhere, so he was not an option. From the report I know police tried to notify my mom’s parents, but by then my granddad was dead, and my grandmother was in a nursing home with dementia. Word didn’t get to Dede about the murders for a couple of years. When she did hear and tried to find me, she spent a long time cutting red tape.”

“All that to keep you safe?” Luke asked.

“That’s what they told Dede. Social services was adamant that she keep quiet about who I was. As I got older, I wondered if they were more concerned that she might want to file a big, noisy lawsuit.”

That comment brought chuckles, and Abby paused before continuing.

“In any event, my aunt was happy to take me away from the big city. When she adopted me, I took her married name, Hart.”

“Is there still a threat for you?” Grace asked.

Abby grimaced. “Now? I don’t know. People I trust tell me to be cautious.”

“Which is wise,” Grace said. “I remember that day, the day we found out what happened. It was such a horrific crime. Now you hear about such brutality on a daily basis, it seems like, but then it seemed a rarity.”

“I can’t imagine what it would have been like growing up, knowing your parents were murdered.” Luke fought the urge to grip Abby’s hand, knowing the gesture would be misinterpreted. “It was tough enough dealing with the loss of my uncle.”

Abby held his gaze for a moment that Luke did not want to end.

Grace cleared her throat. “How about we move to a lighter subject. Do you attend a local church?” she asked.

Abby looked away. “Coast Christian Fellowship. My fiancé is the missions pastor there. He’s in Africa right now on a mission trip.”

“Ethan Carver is your fiancé?” Luke stared.

For her part, Abby looked surprised. “You know him?”

“I’m a part-time youth pastor at Central Community Church. I’ve heard Ethan give his testimony and talk about his trips.”

“He’s passionate about his work.”

“He is.” Luke didn’t say more, but he thought about Ethan and wondered at the match. While he didn’t know either Ethan or Abby very well, he didn’t see them as a couple. Ethan was too serious, too dour. What did this vibrant, dedicated woman see in him?

“How did you meet Ethan?” Grace asked.

Luke looked down at his plate, sorry this subject had come up. Maddeningly, Abby didn’t seem to mind.

Abby smiled. “I feel like I’ve always known him. My aunt Dede heads up the mission work for her church in Oregon. Ethan was a part of the group when I moved up there. He was just fifteen when I moved in with Dede. Over the years, we became good friends. Then after I moved down here, we reconnected when he came to church to speak about his work. About five years ago he accepted the job as head of the missions department here, and we started dating.”

“When did you get engaged?”

Luke felt like sticking his fingers in his ears and saying, “La, la, la, la, la.” He didn’t want her to belong to someone else, but she did.

“About six months ago. When he gets back from this trip, we’re going to set a date and start planning.”

“How exciting.” Grace beamed while Luke felt as though he were going to lose his dinner.