“Good.” He sighed heavily. “I guess this is good news, sweetheart. I don’t know.”
“I think it is.”
“It’s because of Bishop. He’s triggering memories from your childhood.”
“I know.”
“I’m concerned that it’s all... too much for you.”
“It’s not. I swear it’s not.” He picked up on her overly emphatic tone.
“I’m not sure you’re in a position to judge.”
“Let me do the story. I’ll be out of his world by August.”
“Okay, sweetheart. I trust you. Nathan’s a good man. Truth be told, I trust him too.”
“Me too, Dad.”
He paused, looking down at her for a moment. He tweaked her nose with his knuckles, the benign gesture belying the serious look in his eyes.
“He contacted me, you know.”
“Nathan?”
“Yes. Many times.” He squinted up at the ceiling, recalling. “On your ninth birthday—that would have been his fourteenth, you were still missing. Then again about six months later.”
Emma thought he was finished, so she stepped away, but he kept going.
“Then, every year on your birthday. Though he stopped calling when he went into the Navy, and just sent emails.”
“What did he say?”
“He used to want to leap to action. Asked what he could do, what was being done, that sort of thing. Eventually, I stopped taking the calls, and he would just leave a message with Janine. The emails, well, they were different, more resigned. I can forward them to you. They are mostly just well-wishes.”
“He gave up.” She didn’t know why the thought broke her heart.
“Hardly. I think he may have...” He stopped himself from finishing the thought. “I think he thought I would contact him if I received any new information. I don’t think he had given up hope.”
“I don’t know why, but that makes me feel so... relieved.”
Her father smiled. He knew why.
“I regret not telling him the truth, but I had to draw a line and his father... I hated to punish Nathan for Henry’s behavior, but I just couldn’t risk anyone else knowing.”
“I understand, Dad.”
“It may be time to expand our little circle of trust.”
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Yes, but think long and hard about it. You can’t unring that bell.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good.” He gave Emma a probing look but kept his thoughts to himself. He was about to say something else when the sound of the key in the door stopped him. Caroline came through the door with a small, black French Bulldog on a leash.
“Don’t ask. Oh, hey, Mr. Web. What brings you by?” She held up a hand. “Kidding. I just won a bet with myself. I had you showing up sometime between her second and fourth interview with Nathan.” She gave Emma’s dad a hug, still not acknowledging the dog.