Ed visibly relaxed once the plane touched ground. After the Warrens and Drew retrieved their belongings, they took a taxi to their hotel, where they spent the remainder of the day adjusting to the time-zone difference and preparing to meet with Father Sato the following day.
"It's been a while since we've had a case where there was such a significant time difference," Lorraine commented as she and Ed ate dinner (a bowl of steaming hot ramen) in their room.
Ed smiled at his wife. The poor thing looked like she was ready to fall asleep at any moment. But to be fair, he knew he looked the same. "Maybe we should take on cases that are only in New England for a while," he suggested.
Lorraine twirled the noodles with her chopsticks. "I think that would be best,"
Noting the uneasiness in her voice that had nothing to do with fragmented sleep, Ed asked "Is everything all right?"
Lorraine sighed, setting the utensils down and placing her hands in her lap. "I keep thinking about Judy,"
"She's with your mother," Ed reminded her. "She's in safe hands, and probably enjoying extra helpings of dessert with every meal,"
"I know," Lorraine said. "It just feels strange to be so far away from her for so long,"
Ed knew exactly how she felt. Their daughter would greet them with the biggest hugs whenever they returned from a case, no matter if it was ten miles away or more than ten hundred.
Extending his reach across the table, Lorraine took Ed's outstretched hand. "We'll work this case as quickly as possible," he promised, "And return home to our little girl as soon as we can,"
Lorraine gave his hand a squeeze. "Thank you,"
"In the meantime, let's keep our eyes open for toy stores," Ed said. "Perhaps we can bring her something unique from Japan," This was always something they tried to do when they took cases far away from home. Judy was gracious and never demanded anything from their travels, but they knew she always appreciated a gift.
"Yes," Lorraine said, her voice already a little more upbeat, "Let's do just that,"