Time flew by, and before long, Casey cooked supper for his family. He settled on spaghetti and meatballs with some garlic bread. Casey always loved baking and cooking, even as a little kid. So far, Wyatt had shown no interest in it, but he sure enjoyed eating anything Casey made.

While the pasta cooked, Casey got out some loose leaf paper and crayons to color with Wyatt. His son had been having fun doodling all kinds of shapes lately, along with some very artistic portraits of their family. Last time, Wyatt made his grandmother a purple blob. She loved the picture regardless and hung it up on the fridge with some alphabet magnets.

“Whatcha drawing?” Casey asked, peeking over as his son concentrated on scribbling a blue crayon across his paper.

“Me and Daddy.” Wyatt pointed to each colorful, disfigured shape that barely resembled a human. “This is the park and this is our sled.”

“Looks amazing. Definitely one that needs to go up on the fridge when you’re done.”

Wyatt grinned, continuing to color more while Casey checked on the pasta’s progress and the garlic bread. Sparing a glance at the digital clock on the microwave, he realized his mom should be home soon. He’d be sure to save his dad and Lani their food for later.

While serving their supper that night, Casey couldn’t stop thinking about the call he received from Veronica. Part of him considered visiting her again. The last time they’d talked was when he and his family filed for full custody of Wyatt during her trial to be sentenced. During that time, they’d called each other a lot of nasty names and Casey swore he’d never speak to her again.

So far, Wyatt hadn’t questioned him about his mother’s whereabouts, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He’d get curious, and Casey had a tough decision to make. Should he be honest or try to lie and protect him from what she did? Casey hated the thought of lying to his boy, but he didn’t want to tell him about his mom, either.

As night blanketed the sky, Casey wondered if his mom got held up at the station again. Crime had been running rampant more than usual, with the gangs fighting over territory. Earlier that evening, there had been a drive-by shooting in Hell’s Hollow. Two men had been killed and five others critically wounded at New Syracuse Memorial Hospital according to the news. Maybe his mom handled that case and got caught up in investigating.

Casey and Wyatt ate their spaghetti at the dining room table by themselves. He stowed leftovers in the fridge for everyone else. While cleaning up in the kitchen, he sent his mom another message and tried calling her. It went straight to voicemail. She had to be busy, but he wished she’d at least respond to him.

By the time Dad and Lani got home, their mom still hadn’t come back. Which wasn’t unusual, but she normally texted him when she’d be working overtime. Perhaps they got a break in their case and she didn’t have the time to send a message about coming home later or answer his call.

“Your mom still not back yet?” Mr. Lockhart removed his coat and wool hat, making his way into the living room.

“Nope. Haven’t heard from her either,” Casey replied. “I guess she’s putting in more overtime.”

Mr. Lockhart nodded. “You know how she is when she’s on a case. Like a dog with a bone. I’m sure she’ll be home soon. Have you already had supper?”

“Yep. I’ve got leftover spaghetti in the fridge for you guys.”

“Great cuz I’m starving.” Lani moseyed her way into the kitchen.

“You have fun sledding with Wyatt?” Mr. Lockhart asked as they followed Lani to the kitchen, where she’d already started reheating her supper.

“Oh yeah, we had a blast out there,” Casey replied.

He didn’t mention how Veronica called him. It was best not to bring that drama up again. His dad kept pestering him to change his phone number to prevent that from happening and he never listened. Maybe he should have.

While his dad and sister ate their supper, Casey went to his bedroom and checked on Wyatt. His sweet boy was out like a light, clad in his favorite Spiderman pajamas. He was careful with cracking the door, ensuring he didn’t wake him.

Casey sent his mom another text on his way back to the living room, taking a load off on the sofa. He’d sent her a few photos of Wyatt sledding earlier, but she never responded. Whatever she was doing must’ve been important. Maybe they really got a lead in that drive-by. Surely she’d be home soon.