Spare Change Summary
I looked out the window. Nightfall was still an hour away, but the sky was dark and ominous. Another crack of thunder made me jump. The lights flickered, then went out for about thirty seconds, came back on for fifteen, and then another crack of thunder and lightning killed the power. I sat in the darkness and suddenly a drink seemed appealing: four fingers of Jack over some ice with a splash of soda would do the trick. But history said that both Hayden Jaimes and the empty bottle lying useless on the floor would be the reality.
I became a little jumpy. I couldn’t flip on the TV, or read. I was in no mood to play the guitar, and I knew Ivan would be gone for the evening. I was alone with myself, just like I’d insisted, but now I craved company. I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax, and I was marginally successful. I sat there for about an hour, just trying to chill. But then my phone lit up from the coffee table. The screen told me it was my ex-wife calling. I smiled. Telepathy I figured. But that wasn’t the case. I knew something was wrong the minute I heard her voice. It was frightened and panicked. The news she shared shattered my world. Our daughter was missing.
