CHAPTER TWENTY
The central office at Family Friends and Services was a large, brightly lit space. Three of the walls were adorned with canvas prints of smiling children’s faces. The fourth wall was filled with a map of the Roanoke area and a large whiteboard adorned with names and dates. Kate and DeMarco sat on one side of a large conference table while the red-headed woman in her early fifties sat down across from them with a mug of coffee. This was Ruby Hendricks, the Director of Operations for Family Friends and Services. She looked bright-eyed and happy but Kate could see nervousness ticking along at the corners of her mouth as well.
“Ms. Hendricks, thank you for meeting with us on such short notice,” Kate said.
“Of course. With my position with FFS, I’m rarely out of the office. Wh
