“Do you think this has something to do with that skull?” Hadley asked.
“I think it might,” Pfeiffer said. “We all know Mom and Dad didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Hadley nodded. She did know that. Truly, she did. But at the same time there were things neither of her sisters knew, especially how desperate their mother had been to leave Cold River and start over. There were things they didn’t know about that awful day when her mother and Mary died, things she never wanted to tell them.
“Have you heard from Mark?” Pfeiffer asked. “He said last night he was coming back this morning.”
“He hasn’t come back,” Martha replied. “Have you heard from him?”
Hadley shook her head. “No, I was hoping he’d gone home to D.C.”
“Maybe he did,” Pfeiffer said. “We made it pretty obvious last night he wasn’t welcome.”
“Thanks,” Hadley replied. “I’m guessing he told you.”
“He did,” Pfeiffer said. “We can talk about it later.”
Hadley mouthed thank you to her before she turned to everyone else and said, “Why don’t you all come into the kitchen, and Martha and I will try to rustle us up something to eat that doesn’t involve using power.”
“We’ve still got tomatoes,” Martha said. “I can make us some tomato sandwiches.”
“Why don’t you make the sandwiches and I’ll go and see if I can find us some candles,” Hadley said.
“I’ll go with you,” Brody offered.
“Thanks,” Hadley replied. “I’m not sure where they are, but they may be in the cellar.”
“Outside?”
“Well, we have to go outside to get there,” Hadley said, rummaging through the pantry. “Here, we can put a couple of these trash bags on our heads.”
“Great,” Brody replied, rolling his eyes.
“Hey, you offered.”
“Let’s just go,” Brody said. “I’ve got a lighter in my truck. I’ll grab it on our way.”
Hadley ran out the front door and hurried to the back of the house, where the cellar was located. The water on the ground almost covered her shoes, and she almost slipped before Brody caught her by the arm.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Thanks,” Hadley replied. “I’m all right. This is way worse than it looked from inside.”
“My mom just sent me a text,” Brody said. “She says they’ve had to evacuate parts of town.”
“Is everyone okay?”
“She says they’re fine, but that it’s gotten pretty bad around the downtown area. We might need to tell Luke. His office could be affected.”
“Okay,” Hadley replied. “But first, let’s get in here and see if we can find the candles.”
Hadley threw open the door, and using the flashlight on Brody’s phone, made her way down the steps. It had been years since she’d been in the cellar, and the smell reminded her of opening the door the day of the tornado and seeing her sisters down there, huddled together. She remembered sitting on the damp earth and crying with them, telling them everything would be okay and knowing at the same time that it would never be.
“Where do you keep the candles?” Brody asked. “Hadley?”
“Yeah, uh, I’m not sure,” Hadley replied. “I think there’s a desk over there somewhere. That’s where Mom always kept the candles.”
“The candles are over twenty years old?”
“Probably.”
Brody sighed and rummaged through the desk until he found four tall, white candles. “I think these will do,” he said. “They don’t look too bad.”
“Great,” Hadley replied, taking a last look around the room. “Let’s get out of here.”
“There are cans of food and jars of jam down here,” Brody said. “Did you know that?”
“No,” Hadley replied. “I haven’t been down here since . . . well, in a long time.”
Brody’s face fell. “Oh, Hadley, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think . . .”
“It’s okay,” Hadley said. “I know. I wish I didn’t have to think about it either.”
“I should have gone with you that day,” he said. “I shouldn’t have let you leave like that, all alone.”
“We were eighteen,” Hadley replied. “Neither of us had the skills to deal with something like that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Brody said. “I should have gone with you.”
“I don’t blame you,” Hadley said.
“Don’t blame yourself either,” Brody replied. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”
“I blame myself for a lot of things.”
Brody took her hand. “Don’t talk like that,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” Hadley replied. “I don’t mean to dump all of this on you. You’ve listened to me enough already.”
“I want to listen to you,” he told her, using his grip on her hand to pull her closer to him. “I don’t ever want to stop listening to you.”
A smile played at the corners of Hadley’s lips. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Brody said. “But we better get back to the house before they start to get suspicious.”
“Trust me,” Hadley replied. “The second my sisters and I are alone together, I’m going to have some major explaining to do.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
Hadley looked down at her feet, realizing that both she and Brody were standing in water nearly up to their shins. “The cellar is starting to flood,” she said. “Look how high the water has gotten since we came down here.”
“I know,” Brody replied. “Come on.” He pulled her up the steps and back out into the rain. “Let’s get inside.”
Chapter 33
Pfeiffer
PFEIFFER LIT THE LAST OF THE CANDLES AND LOOKED around the kitchen with satisfaction. She knew it was probably wrong to feel happy given the weather and everything else going on, but she couldn’t keep her mind off Luke. All she wanted to do was have some time to sit down and think about their time together, to savor it, but she knew that right now that wasn’t going to be an option. Still, she felt lighter than she’d felt in decades, and she knew she owed it all to him.
“Pfeiffer?”
Pfeiffer turned to see Luke standing in the doorway. “Hey,” she said. “Did you get a sandwich?”
“I have to get going,” he said, his brow creased with worry. “Brody said his mom sent him a text about flooding near the downtown area. Now it seems like all the towers are out, because nobody has any reception. I have to go and make sure my office is okay.”
“You can’t leave,” Pfeiffer said. “The bridge will be washed out by now.”
“I need to at least check,” Luke replied.
“But your office is on the third floor.”
“I own the whole building,” Luke said. “Some of the stuff stored on the bottom floor has belonged to my family for years. I can’t let it get ruined if I can help it.”
“Okay,” Pfeiffer replied, putting down the lighter. “I’m coming with you.”
“No way,” Luke said.
“Why not?”
“Something could happen.”
“Well, if it does, you’ll for sure want my help,” Pfeiffer said.
“That’s not funny,” Luke replied, his jaw set. “I’d never be able to forgive myself if something happened while you were with me.”
“Ditto,” Pfeiffer said. “And if we get to the low water bridge and it’s washed out, you’ll have no choice but to come back, lest you risk putting me in danger.”
“Are you sure you weren’t a lawyer in a previous life?” Luke asked.
Pfeiffer resisted the urge to kiss him and instead pulled on her shoes, which were still soggy from their previous trips out in the rain. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to go with him, but she was entirely sure he would try to cross the low water bridge without her. She wondered what it was about some men that made them think d
riving in terrible weather was a good idea. Her father had been that way. She remembered him taking to the roads as soon as the first snow fell and her mother worrying until he got home that he was stuck in a ditch somewhere, freezing to death.
“Are you ready?” Luke asked.
“Yep,” Pfeiffer replied, not feeling ready at all. “Let’s go.”
“Please be careful,” Hadley said.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Brody asked, stepping forward.
“We’ll be fine,” Pfeiffer said. “Besides, I’d rather you be here just in case something happens.”
Brody nodded. “You’re right. With the way this water is rising up, I don’t know that any house is safe.”
“Promise me you’ll get my sisters out if it comes to that,” Pfeiffer replied.
“I will,” Brody said. “My house sits up a bit higher, so we can always go there.”
“Who’s watching your house?” Pfeiffer wanted to know. “And the farm?”
“I have help,” Brody replied. “The animals are safe, and the house will be fine, and if it’s not, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it now.”
Pfeiffer leaned in and gave Brody an impulsive hug before she said, “Thank you. Keep an eye on my sisters for me.”
Brody gave her a mock salute. “Will do.”
“We’ll be back,” Luke said. “And if we can’t come back once we’re in town, I’ll find some way to let you know we’re fine.”
“Okay,” Hadley replied. “Hopefully cell reception will be back soon.”
Pfeiffer followed Luke outside and into the downpour, hurrying as fast as her soaking-wet shoes would carry her. She gave a sigh of relief once she’d jumped into the relative dryness of the truck’s cab.
“So where should I take you for dinner next week?” Luke asked as he started up the truck’s engine. “Assuming all the restaurants don’t get washed away.”
Pfeiffer grinned, almost able to ignore how cold her feet were in her wet shoes. “How about that Italian place on the way out of town?”
“Bello Italiano?”
“I think that’s it.”
“I’m impressed.”
“With what?”
Luke slid a smile in her direction and said, “Aren’t women famous for not being able to make up their minds when it comes to dinner?”
“I’m not most women,” Pfeiffer replied. “I will always tell you where I want to eat.”
“Good to know.”
“I mean,” she said, realizing how she’d probably sounded, “if there happens to be another dinner after the first one.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to be . . .” Luke trailed off as they came upon the rush of water that was once the bridge.
“Is that a car down there?” Pfeiffer asked, pointing to the top half of a black sedan, lodged sideways and off the road.
Luke threw the truck into park and hopped out, with Pfeiffer at his heels. “It looks like someone tried to cross from the other side,” he said.
“Do you think there’s someone still inside?” Pfeiffer asked, squinting through the rain. “I can’t tell. The windows are blacked out.”
Luke ventured closer to the water, wading in all the way up to his shins. “I don’t know,” he yelled over the gush. “Maybe I should check.”
“You’ll get swept away!” Pfeiffer yelled back. She scanned the scene before her, but she knew better than to get too close. A person could be swept away and drown within a matter of seconds.
“There’s someone on that tree branch in the water,” Luke said, pointing to a massive branch caught up in the current. “Look.”
Pfeiffer fixed her eyes to the tree branch, wading slightly closer to the water. The person was holding onto the branch, head down, eyes closed, but Pfeiffer recognized the suit that was clinging to his wet body. “It’s Mark!”
“Who?”
“Hadley’s husband,” Pfeiffer replied, her voice growing hoarse from yelling.
“The congressman?”
“Yes!”
“We’ve got to get him out of there before he falls off and drowns!” Luke said, ripples of water dripping down his forehead and clinging to his eyelashes.
“I know.” Pfeiffer waded even farther into the water, using all of her strength not to topple over. “I think I could reach him if you held onto that tree over there with one hand and onto me with the other.”
“No,” Luke said. “You won’t be able to withstand the current.”
“You’re stronger than me,” Pfeiffer argued. “There is no way I’ll be able to pull you both in. “You’ve got to let me be in the middle.”
“What if you get swept up by the current?”
Pfeiffer reached up and curled her hand around his neck, bringing him down to her level. “Just hold onto me, okay?”
Luke nodded, pulling her into him and kissing her hard on the mouth. “Let’s do it.”
Pfeiffer pulled back, trying to keep herself from thinking about the fact that Luke had just kissed her, and focusing more on the task at hand—rescuing Hadley’s soon-to-be ex-husband from a tree branch in the middle of a flash flood. “Okay,” she said, grabbing onto his hand. “I’m going to wade down.”
“Be careful,” Luke said as she stumbled into the water. “Dig in your feet.”
Pfeiffer inched her way toward the tree branch. “Mark!” she yelled. “Mark!”
Mark lifted his head slightly, his face bloodied. There was a gash over one eye, and his nose was bleeding. “Help,” he rasped. “Help me.”
“Take my hand,” Pfeiffer said.
Mark dangled his legs off the branch, one arm holding on and the other reaching out for Pfeiffer. “I can’t reach you!”
Pfeiffer stretched farther, until just her fingertips were holding onto Luke. Luke was screaming at her to hold on, and for a moment, she lost his grip and plunged into the water, landing on her back. She felt rocks cutting through her shirt as she was dragged along by the current.
“Pfeiffer!” Luke yelled.
Rolling over onto her belly, Pfeiffer dug her hands into the rocks until she was able to stop herself. She pulled herself up against the current, the water filling her lungs while she gasped for air. Just before she was again pulled under, she felt Luke’s hand around her wrist, jerking her up. With Luke’s strength behind her, she lunged at Mark, this time grasping his hand. “I’ve got you,” she panted.
Luke pulled at Pfeiffer, who in turn used everything she had to pull at Mark until the three of them were tangled in a wet heap on what was left of the dirt road.
“Pfeiffer, are you okay?” Luke asked, pushing her hair from her eyes. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” she said, pulling herself into a half-sitting position.
Beside her, Mark sat up, coughing and bloody. “Thank you,” he sputtered. “I thought I was going to die out there.”
“Are you all right?” Pfeiffer asked, looking over at him. “You don’t look all right.”
“I think my nose is broken,” Mark said.
“What happened?” Luke wanted to know. “What in God’s name did you think you were doing trying to cross that bridge?”
“I realized it was a bad idea after it was too late,” Mark said, holding his middle. “I managed to get out through a window, but the current was so strong, and I can’t swim.”
“You can’t swim?” Pfeiffer and Luke exclaimed together.
“Not very well,” Mark admitted. “I managed to grab that branch and pull myself up.”
“Jesus,” Pfeiffer said.
“We need to get him back to your house,” Luke replied. “At least until the water goes down enough to take him to the hospital.”
Pfeiffer nodded. “Can you walk?”
“I think so.” Mark rolled over onto his knees and heaved himself up with a groan.
Pfeiffer and Luke helped him back to the truck, squeezing him into the middle between them. Mark slumped over on h
is side, his eyes rolling back into his head.
“Is he going to be okay?” Luke asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Pfeiffer said. “I’m sure we’ve got a first-aid kit somewhere, and I doubt he’s got any internal damage. He’s just in shock.”
Luke nodded, his jaw tight as he reversed the truck up the road and turned it around in the soft earth. “Let’s just get him back.”
Pfeiffer looked out the window in an effort to keep from looking at Mark, whose bloody nose was beginning to make her feel nauseous. In the distance, she saw Old Crow’s house, and realized that he was probably alone down there at the bottom of the hill. She also knew that he would be too stubborn to leave if his decrepit farm flooded. “Stop,” she said.
“What is it?” Luke asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Rufus Crowley,” she said. “His house is down there at the bottom of that hill.”
“Let’s take Mark back first,” Luke said. “Brody and I can go down and check on him after.”
“I’ll go,” Pfeiffer said, the door to the truck already halfway open.
“No way,” Luke replied. “I’m not letting you go all the way down there by yourself.”
“Take Mark back,” Pfeiffer instructed. “I’ll be fine.”
“No.”
Pfeiffer could feel the blood trickling down her back from where she’d been dragged along the rocks, and her head felt like it was full of cotton, but she couldn’t leave Old Crow by himself, even if she was slightly afraid he might’ve killed someone and buried them in her garden. “Take Mark back,” she repeated.
“Don’t you have a lick of sense, Pfeiffer?” Luke asked. “You almost drowned five minutes ago.”
“I’m going,” she replied. “You can run me over or go back to the house.” She slipped out of the truck and into the red mud.
Luke’s truck stayed put for a few minutes and then continued down the path toward the James farm. She knew she should have gone back with him and waited, but she’d always been too stubborn to listen to reason.
Pfeiffer trudged down the path toward Old Crow’s shack, her feet sticking to the sludge beneath them. By the time she got to the door, the water was up to her shins. “Old Crow,” she said, banging on the door. “Are you in there?”
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