Eli got in his patrol car and drove the five minutes to Sara’s place on Sky Street, off Main. She worked the first shift at a county day care and should be home by now. Yep, her car was in the driveway. He parked behind it, then stepped out, walking slowly to the house. He felt deluged by emotions, contradictory ones—intense anger toward Eric, pity for Sara, even pity for her son. Fury at Eric’s father, the jerk who’d abandoned his family. Embarrassment for Sara, for Eric’s younger sister, Hayley—for himself. Everyone knew the kid was his nephew. He’d been thinking for some time now that he should’ve taken a more paternal role, but his work hours had made that difficult. And Eric’s behavior had only recently become a problem, which Eli had to admit was no excuse.
Well, things were about to change.
He straightened, then banged loudly at the door. When Sara opened it, she said, “Oh, hi! You should’ve told me you were coming. I’d—”
He gave her a quick hug. “Never mind that. Where’s Eric?”
She seemed surprised by his tone. “He’s in the basement, watching TV. I think...”
“Could you get him? We need to have a conversation, and I need you to be present.”
Her eyes grew large, her expression scared. “O-okay,” she stammered. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, wondering if the little bastard really was in the basement. Or hiding out with one of his loser friends, like Jack “Ass” Martin, as he was known, or Freddie Lansing. But he could hear stomping on the basement stairs and loud complaints that were obviously coming from Eric. Sara was keeping her voice down.
Eric slammed open the door and hurled himself through. Eli guessed he was half-drunk. Or half-stoned.
“Yeah?” he shouted in a belligerent tone. “What the hell do you want?”
“Eric!” Sara said.
“Oh, I think you know.” Eli turned to Sara. “Is Hayley up in her room?”
She nodded.
“Good. Okay, everybody, sit.”
Sara and Eli did; Eric refused and remained standing.
“Fine,” Eli said. “First things first. Give me your cell phone.”
“No way! You have no right to—”
“Oh, yes, I do. In fact, I can arrest you and I’m about two seconds away from doing it.”
That was when Sara started to cry. “What’s wrong?” she asked again between sobs.
Eli turned to face her. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Sara. But your son appears to be guilty of a serious crime. He’s the one who’s been releasing animals—with the assistance of his so-called friends.”
“Damn it!” Sara shrieked, and that was heavy-duty swearing for her. “Give him your phone, damn it! Now!” Tears were rushing down her cheeks.
Frowning, Eric reached into his back pocket and handed over his cell.
“Your password?”
He recited the numbers and Eli quickly got in and found the photos—which were exactly as Lindsey had described. Hard to believe he hadn’t deleted them. Clichéd though it was, maybe he wanted to get caught?
“Ready to make a confession?” Eli asked.
“Yeah. I did it. Don’t blame my friends. It was all me.”
“I doubt that, and these pictures are evidence to the contrary. But I do believe that you’re the ringleader here. Why, Eric?”
“Yes, why?” his mother sobbed.
“I guess I’m just an asshole, like everybody says.” There was no hiding the tears that had begun to seep out.
“You realize charges will probably be filed, and that means you’ll end up in court. I’d say there’s a good chance of jail. At the very least, you’ll have to compensate the people whose lives you’ve affected. Some of those animals died, you jerk!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for that to happen!”
“Then what was the point?”
“I just wanted to... I don’t know.” He paused. “I hated seeing them trapped. Behind those fences and stuff...”
Was this bullshit? A rationalization of sorts? A convenient lie? And even if it was something Eric actually believed, Eli doubted any of his accomplices had that kind of motive.
Eli couldn’t help wondering if Eric’s comment meant he felt trapped himself. Just in case there was some truth to that implication, he added, “Another thing we’ll request is a psychiatric assessment and likely a therapist. Your friends will be facing the same procedures.”
Sara nodded. “Yes! He needs help and I can’t do it!”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.” He turned back to Eric. “Anyone else involved, besides the guys in the pictures? And don’t bother trying to protect any of ’em.”
Eric shook his head. “Just them.”
“All right. I’ll be making a few other visits tonight. Now, here are the rules. You do not leave this house. You will give your mother your keys. I’ll keep your cell phone. You will not communicate with anyone unless or until I give you permission. And you will apologize to Lindsey and Carly—by written letter, which you will pass to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes...”
“I’ll see if I can take tomorrow off,” Sara said in a tremulous voice.
“You shouldn’t have to, Sara. But it’s up to you.” He walked to the front door. “I’ll be in touch. Soon.”
Then he left, after giving his sister another hug. Eric ignored him. Eli felt only compassion for Sara—and even greater fury toward Eric and his piece-of-shit father.
Nothing more he could do here tonight. Time to make a few other visits...
* * *
CARLY GOT UP Saturday morning, feeling both relieved—because Eli was taking care of the Eric Worthless mess—and excited. She and Tina were going over to Meg Simon’s house so Carly could meet her and the cats.
She dressed quickly, choosing another Susan T-shirt (she sure owned a lot!). This one appropriately proclaiming that “I Love Cats and They Love Me,” with the sweetest photo of a young woman surrounded by tabbies and Persians and a Siamese.
As soon as she got to the kitchen, Mitch poured her a coffee with exactly the right amount of cream, then returned to his crossword puzzle book. Thanking him with a smile, she took an invigorating sip. Tina walked in then and said she was making scrambled eggs and toast.
“Thanks, Tina, but let me help.”
“No, no. This won’t take long. Why don’t you help Mitch with his puzzle instead?”
“If I can...”
He moved the book in her direction. “This one’s all about popular music. That should be right up your alley. Now, who sang ‘One Too Many Mornings’?”
“Mitch! It’s Bob Dylan, of course.”
“Hey, just funning. I knew that. How about ‘Hallelujah’?”
“It’s a Leonard Cohen song! Probably his best known.” She began to hum the first lines.
Their puzzle solving went on until Tina presented them with plates of cheesy scrambled eggs and toast. “How come you know so much about all these old-time songs and musicians?” Mitch asked. “They’re our generation, not yours.”
“Well, for one thing, they’re classics. And... I learned them from my mom.” That was part of why she loved those songs and it was one of her most important memories.
“We only met Reba a few times,” Tina said.
“You would’ve loved her if you’d had a chance to really know her.”
Tina nodded, a thoughtful nod, then changed the subject. “I see that Russ, over at the motel, is getting out more. He knew Reba from way back. You met him, remember? That night at Cord’s?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s a little...odd, but—”
“Always was.”
“But he seems decent.”
“He is. He’s just kept to himself too much. I’m glad to see him discovering life again.”
“I’ll bet wh
at made the difference is Shallie coming back to town,” Carly suggested.
“I’ll bet you’re right.”
“What time is Meg expecting us?”
“Around ten,” Tina replied, “so we’ll leave at nine thirty. Anything you need to do before we go?”
“Not really.”
“Okay.” Mitch clasped his hands on the table. “Give us a quick rundown on the Eric Worth situation.”
“If you’re okay with doing that,” Tina said, “we’d like to hear.”
Their request startled Carly, but she realized Shallie must have talked to Cord yesterday afternoon, and he’d probably told Mitch some of it, and naturally Mitch had told Tina.
She began with her visit to the coffee shop, ending with the trip to Eli’s office. They asked the occasional question, then congratulated her on taking action. “Smart and brave,” they agreed, which embarrassed Carly, who thought Lindsey had been the brave one. It also reminded her of Eli’s remark about courage.
By now, it was almost time to leave. Carly went to retrieve her purse, tore a few pages from her “journal” to make notes if needed and put on a little makeup. She and Tina got into the SUV, chatting in their usual friendly manner. Carly recognized again how much she loved her, loved Shallie—and that suddenly made her miss Reba so much more.
She tried not to let herself dwell on her loss very often. She didn’t understand why her mom had never mentioned Shallie, at least by name, and why Reba had never explained how she’d ended up in this small town, in that dump of a motel. But their meeting—hers and Shallie’s—seemed...fated. She gathered from Cord that Reba had been Shallie’s protector, a mentor of sorts, for the months she’d been in Painted Pony Creek. And now Shallie was doing the same for her.
“We’re just about there,” Tina said, interrupting Carly’s thoughts. She turned into a driveway near the edge of town. The house was small but charming. It had redbrick walls, a well-kept garden, a porch with an old-fashioned swing, and windows with traditional-looking shutters.
“Oh, I should mention. The cats are Logan, a large orange boy of about six, and Plum, a gray tabby with the biggest eyes you’ve ever seen. She’s three or so. They’re healthy and lovely, and on Barb’s recommendation, Meg doesn’t let them out—what with the coyotes and cars around here and all.”
“Makes sense to me.” Coming from a big city with its heavy traffic, she’d always believed in keeping cats inside. And that way, they’d provide Meg with more companionship, too.
She and Tina approached the door, up a short flight of steps, and Tina knocked. A minute or two later, Meg opened it. She was probably in her late sixties, attractive but too thin. Her hair, which she’d lost to chemo, was starting to grow back, looking sparse and spiky. Her smile was warm and reflected in her eyes. “Hi, Tina! And you must be Carly. Hi, darling.” She reached forward, enfolding first Tina and then Carly in a hug. “Come on in and meet the fur babies.”
As they followed her, the cats—precisely as described by Tina—came rushing toward them, and Carly immediately bent to stroke Logan, then picked up Plum who was purring madly. “Hey, sweeties! I’m so glad to meet you.” Glancing up at Meg, she said, “They’re adorable!”
“I think so, too.”
Meg had them sit in her living room, with its fireplace and antique chairs. When coffee or tea had been declined by her guests, she turned to Carly. “You’ve probably heard that I’m going through chemo for breast cancer.”
“I...didn’t know the details. Just about the chemo.” She felt her eyes fill with tears. “My mom died of breast cancer.”
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!”
“Thank you. She got diagnosed too late.” And part of the reason was that Reba had ignored her symptoms and avoided seeing her doctor...
“I’ve been lucky—if that’s a word you can associate with cancer. It hasn’t spread and the chemo seems to be working. Afterward, I’ll be having radiation.” She glanced down at Logan, sitting by her feet. “Listen, Carly. I’m so grateful you’re willing to help me out, supporting me, supporting my pets.”
Carly stood up and hurried to Meg’s chair, leaning over to hug her carefully. She could feel her protruding ribs, her fragile shoulders. “And I’m happy to be doing this. I’d be happy to do it for other people—and animals, too.”
“Does that mean you’ll be staying in Painted Pony Creek?”
The question was unexpected but shouldn’t have been. “Uh, I hope so.” She didn’t want to expand on her situation, not yet, anyway, and Tina obviously hadn’t.
“You’ll be going to the county high school?”
“Yes, I hope so,” she repeated. She hadn’t given it much consideration, but regardless of which man turned out to be her dad, regardless of where she ended up, she planned to continue her education. Or rather, resume it.
Unlike her mom...
“Good.” Meg nodded. “My kids attended that school and so did Tina’s. And they all went on to live successful lives. Now, you’ve met my feline community. Do you have any questions for me?”
Carly took out her pages and pen and made notes as Meg gave her the cats’ feeding and care instructions.
Meg went through her treatment schedule. “My next chemo’s in four days at a cancer hospital in Missoula, and every two weeks after that. I’ll be away overnight on my chemo days, staying with my son or daughter. I’ll leave you their contact info.”
After the comment about staying with her family, Meg explained that she’d been a widow for six years. “We’re very close, my kids and I, especially since my husband died.”
Carly murmured her condolences.
“He died of cancer, too. Melanoma. I still have a hard time with losing him, and so do our kids.”
Again, Carly couldn’t prevent her tears.
Meg lurched to her feet and came toward her with Tina’s help; she knelt—a laborious process—and slid both arms around her and kissed her on one cheek, then the other. “Carly, I get some of what you’re going through. Your mom—and at such a young age for both of you. Anytime you want to talk, let me know.”
“I will! Thank you...”
Tina hugged Meg, too, her own eyes noticeably damp.
“Aren’t we a huggy group today?” Meg joked.
“Hey, that’s better than muggy,” Tina joked back. “We’ll see you soon, okay? And we’ll see Logan and Plum in a few days.”
* * *
MEG HANDED CARLY her house key, attached to a cat-shaped ring, before they left. “This is your copy. The fact that I’m giving you this tells you how much I trust you.”
“Your trust is not misplaced,” Tina said quietly. “I guarantee it.” Carly looked up at her gratefully.
“I’ll need your help when I’m away for treatments,” Meg continued, “and for a day or two once I’m back. Is that okay? Also, I’m willing to pay you...”
“No!” Carly insisted. “I want to do this.”
Carly sat on the floor to kiss the cats goodbye. “Love you,” she whispered. “And love your mommy.” After their protracted farewells, human and animal, Carly and Tina got into the car again, and at Tina’s suggestion, stopped at Bailey’s for lunch. They were served by Miranda and enjoyed more back-and-forth joking—and their large order of nachos. “I’m thrilled to be doing this,” Carly told her. “And I’m going to sing lullabies to those adorable critters! But—” she frowned “—how will I get to the house? You won’t always be able to drive me.”
“Don’t worry. Like I said, we’ll sort something out.”
Carly decided to simply trust her.
* * *
CORD WAS SERVING himself and Mitch some chili, left over from yesterday’s dinner, when he got a phone call.
It was the two veterinary students from Montana State University, Karen Christie and Joey Knight, who’d been in touch a
few days earlier. They would arrive in a week, Karen said, if that was okay. She also repeated that they’d read some of the more recent material on his site, regarding therapy horses, and this was an area of interest for them.
After a moment’s hesitation, he agreed with their plan and said he’d get back to them about lodging. The options? Have Shallie move into his room so the guest suite would be available? He wanted to do that, but was she ready? Having Karen and Joey stay at the elegant but expensive Big Sky Inn on the other side of town, as many of his clients had, was another possibility. However, they were students, with limited resources, as Karen had pointed out when they’d ended their conversation. Or—and this never would have occurred to him before—maybe they could get a couple of rooms at Russ’s motel cleaned up, with repairs made as needed. Cord was willing to assume the cost. He’d ask Shallie what she thought; in fact, he’d ask Mitch and Tina, too.
Mitch felt it was a reasonable plan, if Russ consented. And there was no way of knowing whether he would until someone—preferably Shallie—had spoken to him.
As they finished their lunch and their discussion, Tina and Carly reappeared, and Shallie came in right after with the dogs, having taken them for a long ramble.
“Chili, anyone?” Cord offered.
Tina and Carly had grabbed a salad at Bailey’s, while Shallie said she’d eaten a late breakfast and wasn’t hungry yet—but she’d take one of Tina’s blueberry muffins. “I’ll have one, too,” Mitch agreed enthusiastically.
Cord began by asking Carly about her morning with Meg. “Loved it! Love her, love the cats.” She gave a quick shrug. “We’ll have to work out rides, though. And Meg, Tina and I will need to set up a schedule.”
“I admire you for doing this,” Cord said, and both Mitch and Shallie chimed in. “Whatever we can do to help, we will. And that includes driving you there.” Nods all around.
“Now on another subject, Shallie, those new clients I mentioned are confirmed.” He paused. “This couple—not sure if they’re a couple in that sense—they want to pursue horse therapy. As I said earlier, I’m hoping you’ll be able to stay another couple of weeks.” He realized they’d never really discussed the duration of her stay—beyond the original two weeks and then the extension to work with the Lewises. “You’re still on leave from work, right?” He wasn’t clear on the arrangements she’d made; she’d never really said. Was it a longer period than he’d assumed?
Country Strong--A Novel Page 21