Her Name Was Annie by Beth Rinyu (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📕

I didn’t like her tone, and when Jack began to reply, I held up my hand to stop him.

“Kara, first of all, don’t speak to your father in that disrespectful manner.”

She rolled her eyes and let out a huff. Now she was pushing my buttons, and I was trying my best to remain calm and not add any more drama to an already tense situation.

“Second of all, we don’t know if he was that man who was taking the pictures or if he had someone else take them for a reason.”

“Well, what’s the reason?” She threw her hands up in the air.

“I don’t know,” Jack chimed in. “It may be related to one of the cases I worked on. We’re trying to figure it out.”

“Oh great, because you decided to be a stupid FBI agent, my whole life has to be disrupted! This really sucks!” Kara shouted and ran up the stairs with Max right behind her.

“Kara, really? Stop acting like a childish brat!” I shouted just before her bedroom door slammed.

Jack shook his head, still seeming like he was a million miles away. “She’s gonna have to get used to it until we get it figured out.”

“What about when she goes back to school?” I asked.

“If we don’t know any more at that point, then yes, she’ll have an agent on her there as well.”

I didn’t know what was worse, still not knowing what the deal was by then or Kara having another hissy fit at the prospect of being babysat as she referred to it.

“Well, let’s not break that news to her yet.”

“Agreed.” Jack nodded. “I’m gonna head into the office and go over some of my old cases to see if there are any possible connections to this Cavlan guy.” He looked exhausted both physically and mentally. “Great!” he muttered as he looked at the text message that just signaled on his phone. “That’s after I swing by my parents’ house to check out the tree that came down in front of it. My mother’s neighbor texted them in Florida to let them know.”

“Your parents are in Florida? I thought they usually go after Christmas.”

“This year they decided to go earlier. Who knows?” He shrugged.

“So are you going to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with them?”

“No, I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Oh.” I nodded, following him to the front door. “So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I asked as he placed his hand on the doorknob to leave.

“No clue. Probably going through the last two years’ worth of files, trying to figure out where the connection is with this guy.” He was nonchalant, as if the prospect of spending Thanksgiving alone at work was no big deal.

“Well, you can eat here…if you’d like. It’s just going to be Kara, my dad, and me.” I was wishing I could take back my words, certain he really did have plans with someone he didn’t wish to mention to me. He must’ve thought I was really stupid for buying into his working-on-Thanksgiving excuse.

“Oh…okay. That sounds good.” He seemed to be taken a little off guard by the invite. This was the first time I ever entertained spending a holiday with him since our divorce.

“Okay, great.” I flashed an uneasy smile as he opened up the door, taking a backward step onto the porch. “Keep me posted if you figure anything out.”

“You’ll be the first to know,” he shouted from the driveway.

I closed the door and walked back into the kitchen. “Mom.” I jumped at the sound of Kara’s voice. I was so deep in thought, staring out the kitchen window while filling up the tea kettle, I hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. “Sorry for acting like such a jerk.” She took a few wary steps closer.

“I think it’s Dad you need to apologize to.”

She nodded and took a seat at the island. “Do you really think this has something to do with one of his old cases?”

“I don’t know. The whole thing is just so bizarre.”

“What if that man was just some crazed stalker who was obsessed with you?”

I was willing to accept that, and I was actually hoping that was true. Because that would mean he was dead and we had nothing more to worry about, and it would also mean that Kara wasn’t in any danger. But in the back of my mind it just wasn’t adding up.

“Then why would he have photos of you too?”

“I don’t know.” Kara expelled a defeated sigh.

“Let Dad do his work and figure this out, but in the meantime, don’t get on his case about what he needs to do to keep you safe. He loves you, Kara, and if anything were to ever happen to you because of his job, he’d never forgive himself.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, then stood up.

“Where are you going?” I asked when she pulled her hoodie over her head.

“For a run.”

“Is that really necessary to do today?”

“Mom, I run every single day.”

She was impossible, but I knew nothing I said was going to make her change her mind. “Fine, but take Max with you.”

“What? I can’t run with him. We’re still working on walking. He’s a total spaz on the leash.”

“Then at least take this with you.” I reached into my purse and grabbed the bottle of pepper spray I always carried.

“Oh my God! The man who took those pictures is dead. Remember, you watched him walk into the ocean? But to put your mind at ease, I will take the spray in case some other psychopath is roaming the neighborhood.” She reluctantly took it from me and stuffed it in the pocket of her hoodie.

“Do you have your phone?” I shouted as she was almost out the door.

“Yes, Mother! I’ll be back in an hour,” she shouted back. As I heard the door close behind her, I wondered how on earth I was going to watch her drive off to school in a week if this was