Alone. Waiting for any news that might come in. She had Adrianne’s favorite teddy bear braced against her chest, hugging it tightly, as the ISP searched Adrianne’s room behind her. It was clear they knew a hell of a lot more than they were sharing.Jo was cool with that. A tragedy coming in little by little was okay.Good news all at once; bad news in spurts.It helped numb the pain.Cushion the blow.Cops don’t drop painful bombshells on family members as a case is unfolding, even if they know the ultimate outcome. Police give them time to take things in, bits and pieces, gradually.After a time, the detectives searching Adrianne’s room came out with several items. Papers, mainly. Notes. Letters. Address book.One of the cops sat down next to Jo. He must have picked up on what she was going through, how she was feeling.Was there any other way to put this?“Listen,” he said as Jo stared at him, “sometimes . . . you know, sometimes they don’t come home alive.”Jo was floored by this comment.
