The Penitent One (Boston Crime Thriller Book 3), Brian Shea [best non fiction books of all time .TXT] 📗

be there as much as she was. Kelly’s Liquors, their family-owned business started by his late father, was in the watchful hands of Reyansh Gupta, the manager she'd hired. He’d proven to be as honest and hardworking as any they'd ever had in the past, if not more so. The store was in good hands, but Kelly knew his mother needed to keep busy.

Ma Kelly never refused any of his requests to assist in raising Embry. She'd taken great joy when Michael had returned to his childhood house after the divorce, and especially on the weekends and nights his daughter slept over. Even so, he felt a modicum of guilt for his constant need for help.

Kelly grabbed a slip of paper from the magnetized pad stuck to the outdated beige fridge, removing a clean sheet from underneath the running shopping list.

He took a second to write a quick note to his daughter: "I love you. I'll miss you. But we’ll see each other on Turkey Day. - Gobble Gobble." Much to his frustration, Embry had received notes like this more times than he cared to admit. He wanted to wake her and tell her in person but couldn't bring himself to disrupt her sleep just to fulfill his selfish need to tell her that he loved her. That’s why he made sure to tell her at every opportunity, especially when he was on a case. Working with the dead called to mind the importance of those he loved most. A side benefit to the darkness of his profession.

Simple acts of kindness had lasting effects, especially for those left behind. His job had given him an amazing perspective on that particular aspect of life, and he tried to keep that in mind.

Kelly finished the note with a cartoon caricature of a turkey that looked more like a fat duck with big, dreamy eyes. He learned how to draw the eyes while watching his daughter doodle. She taught him how to make what she called “emoji love eyes,” and he found himself scribbling them on scraps of paper around the office. It came in handy on days like today. He was hoping she'd be pleased when she found the note, easing some of the guilt he had for leaving before she was awake.

He heard a creak on the floorboard behind him and turned to see his mother’s bright eyes and soft curled hair, white as fresh snow. She was standing there in her nightgown and slippers, giving him a warm smile.

"We're up early, Mike," she said, kissing him on the cheek before moving past him to retrieve her own cup from the mug tree that dangled a variety of choices. She picked one with a hand-painted sunflower, a gift Embry had recently given her. Setting it down, she poured herself a cup from the percolator. "Smells good. It actually woke me up. You do something different this time?"

"No. Same old pot. Same old coffee, Ma. Nothing different."

"Hmm. Well, it smells different. Either way, I'd rather wake up to the scent of coffee than our neighbor's damn car alarm. Can't you do something about it, Mike? For the last week and a half, that red Jetta's car alarm goes off at godawful times of the night. I have half a mind to go out there and smash it with a rock."

"Ma, please don't do that," Kelly said, knowing her Irish temper could get the best of her and turn an idle comment into action. He regretted staying for the second cup of coffee that kept him from avoiding this conversation. He’d meant to address the problem when it was first brought to his attention. "Like I said, Ma, I’ll look into it."

"When? You’re not home all that much."

Kelly let the verbal jab slide off his chin. Too early for a back-and-forth. As far as the car alarm went, he assumed the person probably worked late or left early. Probably something as simple as an accidental push of the panic button instead of the door unlock, simple mistakes, but at 3:00 in the morning, those sounds were exacerbated.

Back in the days of Kelly's youth, his mother probably would have walked around until she found the neighbor and had a polite but direct conversation about common courtesy, but in today's world, that was a dangerous thing. Neighbors were not so neighborly, and overreactions could be disastrous. Most people now took to social media, putting neighborly disputes on blast for the world to see. Kelly had advised his mother to leave the problem to him, but right now, it was the last thing on his mind. He had a long list of things on his agenda to complete before the day was up.

His mother looked down at the note he had scribbled and then back at him. "I guess I'll be taking Embry to school today, huh?"

Kelly shrugged. "I was going to leave a note for you too, Ma. I'm sorry. I caught a bad one."

"Mike," she interrupted. "You do not have to explain. I saw the news. I actually saw you on it. Looked like you were trying to hide from the cameras. I don't know why. You're so handsome."

Kelly blushed slightly at his mother's compliment.

"But I know what you're doing and what you're working on. It's important. The people are very nervous. It’s a scary time for the neighborhood. You’ve got plenty on your plate. I understand that you have to go, and Embry will too.” She looked down at the note again. “She sure does love getting them. I just wish you didn't have to write them so often."

"Me, too," Kelly said quietly, more to himself than his mother.

They'd had this conversation before, and she was well aware of the guilt he felt over Embry.

"And you don't have to worry about picking her up, Ma. Samantha is going to get her from school,” Kelly said. “We'll get her back on Thanksgiving Day. We'll split the day with Sam and get her just in