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that situation today?”
    It was a question he’d asked himself many times. And he gave her the answer he’d memorized. “No. I did what I had to do, despite the tragic outcome.”
    He knew in his head that was true. But his heart was still struggling to accept it.
    “How did his family react?”
    “I don’t know. They were fully briefed on what happened by senior people in the Bureau while I was in the hospital. And I sent them a letter, carefully vetted by Bureau lawyers, who were convinced we’d be sued.” A mirthless smile twisted his lips, and he shook his head. “But we never heard a word from them.”
    “Not everyone is litigation-happy. Perhaps they recognized that you did your best.”
    “It’s possible, I guess.” He knew his disheartened tone suggested he didn’t hold out much hope of that, and he gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t intend to get into all of this today.”
    “I’m glad you told me.”
    He was too. But it was time now to talk about the present.
    “Do you feel up to giving a statement to the police?”
    “Yes. Although I doubt I can tell them much.”
    “That’s okay.” He pulled out his BlackBerry as he spoke. “They won’t expect a lot. I couldn’t help them much, either. Except to suggest that the shooting might be connected to the convenience store incident.” He punched in Steve’s number. It was answered on the first ring. “It’s Mark. I’m with Emily. She’s ready to talk to the police.”
    “Good.” Steve sounded relieved. “Oakdale is pushing. I’ll let them know they can send someone over.”
    As Mark said good-bye and slid the BlackBerry back into its holder, a nurse entered to offer another round of pain medication. “Is it going to knock me out again?” Emily asked.
    “That’s a possibility.”
    “Can I wait a bit?”
    “Sure. Press the buzzer whenever you’re ready.”
    Watching the woman exit, Emily wrinkled her nose. “I hate medicine. Besides, your visit is far more effective than a pill in distracting me, anyway.”
    “I’m flattered. And the feeling is mutual, by the way.”
    She smiled. “You always were a charmer.”
    As he looked at her across the bed—and across the years— Mark suddenly couldn’t remember why they’d lost touch. “How come we didn’t stay in contact after that summer?”
    “We did for a while. But a serious relationship wasn’t on our agenda in those days. We had other priorities.”
    “The foolishness of youth,” he murmured.
    Giving him a quizzical look, Emily asked a question of her own. “How is your family? Do they still live in Tennessee?”
    “Yes. Dad died a few years ago, but Mom’s doing well. My sister has three kids now and lives close to her. I get down as often as I can.”
    “Tell me about them.”
    She plied him with questions, and he was able to conjure up a few stories about his nieces and nephew that elicited some much-needed laughter. When he ran out of those, he turned the tables on her.
    “How about you, Em? How’s your dad?”
    She’d had little family, he recalled. The summer she’d come to visit her grandmother, a few months after her mother died, it had been just her and her dad, a military officer. She’d spent her youth moving every few years as her father’s assignments took him all over the world. Six months after her visit to Tennessee, her grandmother had suffered a fatal stroke. The last time he’d seen her was at that funeral.
    “He died ten years ago,” she told him.
    Meaning she was alone. Emily had told him once that with all the moving, she’d never had a chance to build long-term friendships. He wondered if she had fared better on that score after settling in St. Louis. Good friends would have helped sustain her through the loneliness and the losses.
    He took a back-door approach to that question. “We’re going to try to keep your name out of the media, but we may not be successful. Is there anyone you need to notify about this before