“Yeah, and—”
Rachel’s phone rang and even though she knew it was coming from Grandma Tate thanks to the caller display, she still nearly answered it “Agent Gift.” She supposed it was just her natural instinct whenever she was with Jack.
“I need to get this,” she said. Jack nodded and started scrolling through his own phone as Rachel answered. Rather than answer formally, she answered with: “I know. I should have been home by now.”
“Well, that’s according to what you told me,” Grandma Tate said. “But honestly, it’s no big deal. Paige got invited to one of her friends’ house for the afternoon. A little girl name Suzanne. You know her?”
“Yes, and I know her mother, too,” Rachel said. She felt relief at first—in that she now had an out to remain with Jack and the case for a bit longer—and then guilt for feeling that way. “If you’re fine with it, I am, too.”
“She says it’s just two blocks or so over, is that right?”
“It is, yes.”
“Then I think I’ll just walk her over. Do you think you’ll be home in time for dinner?”
She almost answered yes right away, but didn’t want to paint herself into another lie. She answered as honestly as she could with: “I just don’t know yet. I’ll certainly be home before Paige has to go to bed, though.”
There was the slightest hesitation from the other end of the line and Rachel didn’t blame her. Grandma Tate was likely annoyed, maybe even a little disappointed. “That’s fine. I believe we’ll just have one of those oven pizzas for dinner.”
Rachel heard this, but she also watched as two people exited the Life Fulfilled offices. It was the older gentleman and his woman companion. Now that she saw their faces, she was quite sure they were father and daughter.
“That sounds good,” Rachel said, her attention now on the father-daughter pair. “Thanks again for this.”
“I’m just happy to do what I can. But…if you don’t mind my saying so, you really need to hang it up soon.”
“I know.” But even then, she was already reaching for the door handle to step outside. “I’m trying. I’m still figuring things out.”
“I know, dear. Now, you get back to whatever it is you’re doing. Paige and I will be fine.”
As they ended the call, Jack looked to her, realizing that she was getting out of the car. Before he could ask what, exactly, she was doing, Rachel walked quickly over to the older man and his daughter. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say to them, but she did feel getting an insider view of how Life Fulfilled worked would be important to the case.
“Excuse me,” she said, catching up to the pair as they made their way to a small truck parked along the side of the curb. “Excuse me, sir?”
They both turned to her and she was surprised to see that the younger woman looked relatively happy. Apparently, the meeting they’d just had was a good one. The older gentleman looked tired but there was the trace of a smile on his face as well.
“Yeah?” he said.
“I’m Agent Rachel Gift, with the FBI.” She said this, realizing she had no ID. But Jack was there, coming in behind her and showing his badge. It was yet another thing that made her feel like she was really nothing more than a supporting actor.
“And I’m Agent Rivers,” he said.
“We’re looking into a few things for a case in the area,” Rachel said. “And Life Fulfilled came up. Now, we don’t necessarily suspect them of anything, but we’re trying to get a better understanding of how they operate. Would you be willing to share your experience?”
The father looked to the daughter, as if for permission. “Yeah,” he said. “I think that would be okay.”
“I don’t see why not,” the daughter said. “Now, you said there’s nothing going on with them, right?”
“Nothing that would raise alarms, no,” Jack said. “It’s more about them being referenced in a case.”
“Oh…well, I have nothing but good things to say about them,” the daughter said. She smiled again, her face lighting up. She was very pretty, her blue eyes the same as her father’s. Rachel suspected the blonde hair had also come from her father, though the bit of hair he did still have remaining was thin and gray.
“They’re maybe a little too kind,” the father said.
“And they’re a non-profit, so I’m still not sure where all the money comes from,” the daughter said. “They’ve told us that if we want, Dad can get just about any seat for a Ravens game in Baltimore. They’re even willing to have someone drive us.”
“And was this something you asked for specifically?” Rachel asked.
“No. But during the first meeting we had with them, they’d asked about things he now feared he wouldn’t be able to do because of what is looking to be a shortened lifespan. He mentioned never getting to go to a Ravens game and they sort of zoned in on that. It’s probably because he really never asks for anything. Now, we’re only on the waiting list for right now, but they’re already trying to make plans for us.”