She opened up her laptop and went on social media, where she opened the message from Matt. Nicky hesitated. It had been so long since she'd seen him. Or anyone from home. It'd been so long since she'd seen someone who actually knew Rosie in real life.
Maybe it would be triggering for her. Matt was a reminder of her past, a reminder of her home. Jacksonville, and Florida in general, was a different world from West Virginia.
Nicky had a lot of memories of Matt. Most of them were good. She remembered how he used to be able to tease her about her goofy family and her goofy friends. He was fun. He was smart. He was funny.
He'd also helped her through the first few months after Rosie went missing. He'd tried so hard to make sure Nicky was okay. But she also had some memories that were less than pleasant.
Matt had been where she felt the most alone, and that was when she was in his arms. She'd had a hard enough time without having him be a part of the pain. They never dated, they were just close friends, but Nicky knew that Matt had always had a soft spot for her.
And now he was back for her.
The key to her heart had always been hard to find.
But maybe she could at least accept Matt's olive branch and go for coffee or something.
She messaged him back, saying:
Hey Matt--I gave your offer some more thought. Would you want to meet for coffee soon?
Thanks.
Nik.
Nicky stared at her screen for a bit, then looked back out the window. She turned off the computer and stretched out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Now, all she had to do was wait for an answer, but it felt like taking that first step. She was ready to see him again--ready to face her past again.
Nicky stood up and went into her room. In the drawer of her dresser, she dug through some papers until she found a single photo. Nicky carefully extracted it from the drawer of her dresser. It was a Polaroid taken with a small camera. It was time-stained, but the picture still held a certain charm. Nicky smiled at the photo.
It was of Rosie.
Her sister's brown hair and freckled face brought back too many memories. Some good. Some bad.
It had always killed her that Rosie's case went cold. Even with Nicky's statement, they had never been able to find the man who'd abducted them. But Nicky would never forget his face. It was ingrained into her mind.
Rosie's eyes stared back at her.
I can't quit thinking about you, Rosie. Even after all this time.
It haunted her nightmares. He'd been so fast.
Nicky's hand shook a little as she took the photo and slipped it back into its place in the drawer.
All these years, the man had felt like a ghost. Where did he come from? Nicky had no idea. He was white, she remembered that much. American accent. He was real.
So where did he go?
And if Rosie was dead, then why didn't her body ever turn up?
Nicky shook her head. She was an FBI agent. It occurred to her that she didn't have to let this keep slipping by. She could find out who the man was. She could do something about it. She could find the asshole who took her and her sister and put him in prison.
But it wouldn't be that easy. Not at all.
By now, Nicky felt like she had a lot of questions, but she hadn't been able to find the answers.
But now she knew she needed to keep going.
She gazed out the large windows of the living room and saw the skyline of Jacksonville. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting a long, golden shadow across the bay. The buildings were so brightly lit that they almost appeared to be on fire. The bright blue sky was a painting on the horizon, and it looked so peaceful and calm. Rosie would love this view. Nicky wanted to have her here someday, to show her.
Nicky took a deep breath, then marched to the second bedroom, the room she'd dedicated to Rosie. It had every picture Nicky had. Every newspaper clipping. Every video and every report she'd ever done. She'd had to spend hours putting it together. She'd read so much about her sister, so many stories that told her she was dead. But she was alive. She was somewhere.