Returning to the kitchen, this time wearing a burnt-orange short-sleeved blouse with her jeans, she made Mikey breakfast. Her nephew loved pancakes, so she whipped up a batch, making half a dozen for them to share. As she set his plate before him and dropped into the seat beside him, she was reminded of how Finn had said grace the day before. It had felt a little awkward watching him pray, yet, at the same time, she was touched by his faith.
She and Malina had been raised to believe in God, but their parents hadn’t attended church on a regular basis and had never prayed before every meal. The little childhood customs had gone away after her mother lost her eyesight, the same way Eva was destined to do. Her parents now lived in Arizona, and she only saw them a few times a year.
After learning about her diagnosis and Malina’s untimely death, she’d begun to doubt that God existed.
“More syrup,” Mikey said, breaking into her thoughts.
“How do you ask nicely?” She reached for the bottle of maple syrup but didn’t pour any onto his pancakes until Mikey responded.
“Please,” Mikey said, stretching for the bottle.
“I’ll help you.” She poured a generous dollop of syrup on his pancakes.
It was at times like this when she struggled the most with her diagnosis. As much as she tried to fight against the bouts of self-pity, the feelings remained buried just below the surface, ready to pop out at the least provocation.
A knock at the door made her heart jump crazily in her chest. Shaking her head at her foolishness, Eva peered through the window to see Finn and Abernathy standing there, and she unlocked the door.
“Hey.” Finn greeted her with a broad smile. “I’m a little early. For some reason traffic wasn’t as bad as usual.”
“That’s fine, come on in.” She opened the door wider, giving them room to enter. “We’re eating breakfast. There might be an extra pancake or two if you’re hungry.”
“I already ate, but I wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee.”
She laughed at the hopeful expression on his face. “Of course, there’s plenty.”
“Hi, Officer Finn,” Mikey said, waving his fork. The little boy peered down from his perch at the table. “Did you bring Abe?”
“Sure did.” Finn gestured to the boy and Abernathy eagerly gave him sloppy kisses. Or maybe, Eva thought, he was simply licking the sticky syrup off him.
“Thanks,” Finn said when she handed him a mug filled with coffee, then returned to finish her pancakes.
“No news on yesterday’s events?” She studiously avoided using Cocoa’s name, so Mikey wouldn’t ask once again what happened to the puppy.
“I’m afraid not.” Finn’s smile faded. “But don’t worry. We’re keeping an eye on things.”
Fifteen minutes later, using Mikey’s car seat so they could return the borrowed one, they arrived at the preschool. Peggy was grateful to have the car seat back, and Mikey waved happily before running over to play with the others.
After ten minutes, they were on their way to the training center.
“I’ll come inside with you,” Finn said. “I need to pick up the video your boss promised me anyway.”
She nodded and led the way inside the center. Finn and Abernathy followed close behind.
“Wade? Officer Gallagher is here.”
Her boss came out of his office with a harried expression on his face. “Did you find Cocoa?”
“Not yet, but I’d like to view the video you have from over the past week or so, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, yeah, almost forgot.” Wade disappeared into his office, returning a few minutes later with a disk. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Finn took the disk and glanced at her. “I’ll see you later. Stay safe, Eva, okay? And call if you need anything.”
“I will.” She quickly turned and went to the kennel to begin training another puppy, a black Lab named George. George was a week younger than Cocoa, and needed more work than Cocoa had. Young puppies were left at the training center until they were twelve weeks old, then were fostered out with a trainer for a full year. After the first year, the dog would be paired with an owner, and the training continued at the center until both trainer and owner were adjusted to each other.