Connor could hardly breathe around the lump in his throat. “Thanks, Dad. I wouldn’t worry too much about making up with Jordan and Lizzy. Besides being very passionate women, they’re both very forgiving. I know you’ll work it out.”
Ian slowed the car. “Do you mind if I stop at the mall before we go home?”
“No, I guess not. I could probably use a few things myself.”
Connor came home with a small bag of grooming supplies and a bottle of perfume for Jordan. Ian carried a large pink box with a white bow on top. They found the women just getting out of the swimming pool.
“What’s in the box, Ian?” Melanie eyed him warily.
“A new grandpa has rights, you know,” Ian answered.
“Are you seriously going to try to bribe your way into Lizzy’s good graces?”
“I had to find some way to break the ice. Give me a break!” Ian looked embarrassed. “By the way, what’s for supper?”
“Connor’s favorites.” She smiled.
“Oh good Lord, where are the antacids?”
They had supper in the large formal dining room that evening. Connor and Caleb each ate three chilidogs with cheese and onions along with a plate of onion rings. Despite the fact that Lizzy was unusually quiet in Ian’s presence, she couldn’t resist the cuisine.
“Why’s the munchkin so quiet?” Caleb asked.
“She had a little run-in with dad this afternoon.”
“Any casualties?”
“Nothing serious, but Dad has a hell of a bruise on his right leg.”
“I’m surprised Jordan let him live.” Caleb grinned.
“The jury is still out on that.”
“Did you bring your guitar?”
“Do I go anywhere without it?”
****
Jordan helped Melanie finish clearing the table for Miss Hannah and was drawn down the hallway by the sound of music.
“You’re an amazing woman, Melly, teaching your sons to express themselves so openly through music.”
“Me? I made up a few songs for them when they were little, but I’m completely tone deaf.” She opened the door to reveal Ian sitting at the piano. He was singing an old Billy Joel song. His voice was as clear and strong as his sons’.
Jordan was surprised to see Lizzy move close to watch his fingers play over the keys. “Are you going to open your present?” he asked Lizzy.
“It doesn’t have my name on it,” she replied.
“I forgot that part, but you can open it anyway.”
“Do I have to?”
“Why not?” Ian tilted his head. “Don’t you like presents?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if I want a present from you.” Her voice lowered. “You’re kind of a stranger.”
“What about a trade?” Ian suggested. “I’ll give you the present if you’ll sing a song for me.”
“I can sing Mockingbird if somebody sings with me.”
“I guess I can help you out.”
She sat on the piano bench next to him and belted out the song in her childish voice as he accompanied her. When he handed her the box, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Jordan had never had the means to spoil Lizzy with impromptu gifts. Ian looked just as anxious. Her reaction seemed to mean a lot to him. Jordan hoped this would mark a new beginning for them.
Inside the large pink box was a big gray teddy bear wearing a blue T-shirt with Grandpa Bear printed across the front. In its arms was a little reddish-brown bear with a pink T-shirt that read Lizzy Bear. Lizzy wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“I’m sorry I was such a jerk, Lizzy,” he whispered.
“You’re not such a mean man, are you?” She smoothed his tie.
“I suppose I could be better, but I’ve never had a little girl to give me hugs before. I think that will make me much nicer.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
For the second day, Bobby Ray watched Jordan’s property from his new and closer hiding place under her house. She, McCrae, and the kid were still nowhere in sight. They’d left town, but they’d be back. Nothing had been moved out. Well, nothing except the big tree where he’d hung the investigator. A length of the rope still circled the trunk from when they’d cut it up to feed into a chipper. The memory must have been more than their poor little hearts could stand.
The old man, Arnie, supervised the twin boys unloading a bunch of wood from his truck. “That old tree was here before I was born. It’s a shame it had to come down, but all things must end sometime. Maybe it’ll be in a green pasture in heaven when I die. I wouldn’t mind lying in its shade again.”
“Don’t say such things, Mr. Coleman,” one boy said. They were so much alike it was hard to keep them separate when they moved around so much. Just like those McCrae brothers must have been before one was scarred.
“It’s the truth, son,” the old man continued. “We have to clear out and make room for the future. This old tree is gone now, but something new and beautiful will take its place.”
“I wish we had more time to work today,” the second boy remarked. “Do you think we’ll be able to get it all done tomorrow?”
“We will if we work steady all day. I want this to be a nice surprise for Jordan when she returns.”
Bobby Ray was glad when they finally got back in the truck and left. As he crawled out from under the house and stood, every muscle stretched to its breaking point like old taffy. He’d learned the patrol cars’ schedule. He had about half an hour before it came by again. That left plenty of time to look around.
If the old man and his boys planned to work the whole next day, chances were slim Jordan would return until the day after that. Bobby Ray would treat himself to a decent hotel bed for the next couple of nights.
He entered the barn first to find Jordan’s old car and McCrae’s van. The fancy sports car was gone. If he knew anything about cars, he’d cut the brake lines like they did in the movies. Maybe that only worked on twisty mountain roads, though.
He walked onto the back patio to look through the windows. Bobby Ray closed his eyes and recalled the neat, clean rooms from when he’d gone inside and found the cat. He wished he could have seen Jordan’s face when she saw it. He felt that it made a clear statement, but McCrae hadn’t paid attention. Jordan was his woman. McCrae should have gone back where he belonged. Too late now.
If Jordan had kept her mouth shut and stayed with him this would be his house. By all rights, it should be his. She was nothing more than a whore. She had him put in prison so she could find herself a rich man. Connor McCrae was living the life that should have been his.
Bobby Ray hiked two miles to where he’d left the borrowed SUV, his muscles aching. The cops were probably looking for the vehicle by now, so he drove for an hour in the opposite direction from its owner. A grizzly, ill-tempered innkeeper rented him a room. It didn’t matter what it looked like; he was exhausted.
Bobby Ray took a two-hour nap, showered and changed into clean clothes. He still felt restless. He walked to the motel office to get a cold drink from the vending machine.
“Hey mister, you need anything for your room?” The female voice came from the front desk. She was a young girl about seventeen-years-old, filing her nails and chewing gum. She was a very petite brunette with dark eyes. Her eyes reminded him of Jordan’s. She wore only a bikini top and cut-off jeans.
“I don’t remember seeing you in here earlier.” He gave her an interested smile.
“My name is Donna. My dad owns this shithole. I don’t really like looking after the place, but my mom took off last year. Once a week, Dad goes to town. He’s on a bowling league. He doesn’t get back until the bars close, but if you need to talk to him, he’ll be here in the morning.”
“I was just wondering where a person goes around here for some fun.” He winked seductively. “Where do you like to go?”
“I don’t get to go out very much. Even if I did, there ain’t any fun places nearby,” sh
e answered with a coy smile.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend? Where does he take you?” He moved closer to lean on the desk.
“I’m not allowed to go out with boys.” She pouted. “My dad is a real pain in the ass since my sister got pregnant and took off with her boyfriend. That was three years ago. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since, except for bowling nights.”
“I bet your sister knew where to have fun.” He looked directly into her bikini top.
“She sure did,” the girl giggled. “She told me about how she and her boyfriend used to take a six-pack down to the levy and skinny dip in the moonlight.”
“Sounds like fun to me. Have you ever done that?”
“Are you kidding? My dad would have a conniption.”
“You want to go there with me tonight? It could be our secret.” He ran one finger down her neck and around the top edge of her bikini top. “You know, I’m an artist. I’d love to do a portrait of you while I’m here.”
“Really?” Her voice sounded breathless. “Well, it is an awful hot night, but what about the motel? Somebody might come by.”
“Turn on the No Vacancy sign and lock up. We’ll be back long before your dad gets home. I’ll go get the beer and pick you up in half an hour. Remember though, this is our secret. Don’t tell anybody.”
“See you in a half hour.”
****
Connor laid in bed that night thinking about the day ahead of him. He knew how much Josh must dread the duty of carrying his father to his final resting place. He wasn’t looking forward to it either. John had been the right hand of McCrae and Sons legal team for over twenty years. He was family. They had shared tragedy and triumph.
Jordan was sleeping more soundly than she had for weeks. She felt safe. He wished so much that he could just take her away until it was all over. The truth was, she was a magnet for Butler. Wherever she went, he would follow. He thought of Lizzy, sleeping across the hall. She was never really of any interest to Butler. She was just a means to an end. Perhaps he could talk Jordan into leaving her with his mother for a while. He’d miss the little munchkin, but there was no safer place on earth.
He finally decided he needed something to help him sleep. He slid out of bed and pulled on his jeans. Walking down the stairway, he thought about how familiar the house still was after all these years. Even the sounds and smells of the house were the same as he remembered. He was glad to share it with Jordan. He was glad it would be a part of Lizzy’s memories as she grew.
When did all these things become important to him? He’d never thought about this kind of stuff before they came into his life. Then he realized he could hardly remember living without them. And, he couldn’t imagine living without them now.
Downstairs in his father’s study, Connor turned on the desk lamp and poured a glass of brandy. He looked over the shelves of law books he and Caleb had studied for so many years. On the lowest shelves were photo albums his mother kept. Each album was marked by its year on the spine. They started the year Connor’s parents had married and continued until last year. Jordan and Lizzy would be included in this year’s album. Connor saw the last album he would have been in, and picked out the ones for the years after. He sat at his father’s desk before opening the first one. As long as he couldn’t sleep, he may as well catch up a little.
This album was thinner than the rest. The pictures inside were different. No family vacations and smiling faces. Mostly newspaper articles about the court cases his father and Caleb had been involved in. His mother had kept those since the day his father landed his first job as an attorney.
Several pages into the album there were a few photos of houseguests. Then a day spent at the beach. On one page, Caleb stood proudly next to a new Corvette that he must have just purchased. It was a sharp looking black convertible. Connor wondered what had happened to the car. He hadn’t seen it in the garage. He figured Caleb must have gotten tired of it and sold it. The next pictures were of Caleb with a cute little blonde at a barbeque here at the house. For several more pages the blonde girl was in all the pictures that included Caleb. She must have been important to him. Maybe she was the source of his broken heart. Caleb certainly hadn’t mentioned her. The last picture in the album was just halfway through the book. That was odd. His mother had always been a shutterbug. Looking closely at the last picture of Caleb with his arms around the girl, he saw she was very pregnant. They smiled happily under the banner for the Labor Day picnic. That would have been in September.
The next album contained mostly pictures of his parents at various social and charity events. Not even the newspaper clippings mentioned Caleb until halfway through the next year. There were no more pictures of the blonde.
Connor remembered asking Caleb if he had started a family, one day at the courthouse. His exact words were Close, but no cigar. He had avoided any further explanation. Something must have happened to the baby. Connor’s heart broke for his brother’s loss. He couldn’t imagine that kind of pain. He wondered what had become of the girl. They’d looked so happy together.
“I thought I heard noises down here,” Caleb said from the doorway. After pouring himself a drink, he sat in a guest chair in front of the desk. He looked down at the photo albums in front of Connor.
“Catching up on lost time?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Caleb pulled the album on top around to look at it from his side of the desk. The album beneath it was still opened to the enlarged picture of himself and the pregnant girl. His face froze in a pale, painful expression as he stared down at it.
“She must have been important to you.” Connor didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m sure you didn’t miss the fact that she was pregnant with my baby. That did make her pretty damn important to me.”
“What happened, Cal?”
“I killed her.” Caleb stood to leave.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Connor couldn’t allow him to leave without an explanation.
“I really don’t feel like talking about this.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before? This must have been about a year after I left. No one told me anything.”
Caleb turned back around to face Connor. “Don’t you remember, brother? You were wallowing in your own self-pity. You weren’t interested in anything that was happening to the rest of us, least of all me. After all, what problems could I have, with my pretty face?” Caleb answered sarcastically. “Mom was the only one you’d have any contact with and that was after a year. She was going to tell you, but I convinced her not to worry you about it. You’d already been through enough.” Caleb poured a shot of whiskey and threw it back. “Do you want to know the most ironic part? When I got to Mayville, I found out that you had avoided me all that time because of my face. And I found you with everything that I had lost. Jordan loves you so much. My daughter would have been almost the same age as Lizzy. I envied you. I would give a lot more than my looks to have my family back.”
“We used to be so close. How did this happen to us?”
“Life happened to us. Bad things happen in life.” Caleb poured another shot.
“Why did you say you killed this girl? I know that can’t be true.”
“I was responsible. Everybody said it was an accident, but I should have been more careful.
“Two weeks after that picture was taken I was driving her home from the mall. We’d been shopping for the baby. She was due in two months. It was late and the roads were wet after a big storm. We were going down the highway with the top down. I hit an oil slick on the road. My corvette spun out. After I’d hit a utility pole my legs were pinned under the dashboard. They were both broken. Brenda had been thrown onto the road and hit by another car. By the time they cut me out and took me to the hospital, she was already gone. They’d removed the baby just before she died. It was too soon for her to survive. They let me hold her. I wouldn’t let them set my legs as long as my daughter need
ed me. She lasted thirty minutes. In that thirty minutes I thought about all the things I had done wrong. With a baby on the way I should have had a more sensible car. I shouldn’t have had the top down. I should have driven slower. I should have taken better care of her. I said I love you to her occasionally, but I never told her how much I loved her. I never even asked her to marry me. I just assumed we would get married one day. There always seemed to be plenty of time. Then, that night, the time was suddenly over. The baby was so tiny. Brenda had talked about names for her, but I’d told her we’d decide later. When they asked me to give her a name at the hospital, I couldn’t think of a single one Brenda had mentioned. She was gone back to God so quickly. I named her Angel, just Angel.”
“I should have been there for you, Caleb. I’ll never forgive myself for that.” A tear slid down Connor’s cheek and he wiped it away.
“I could be mad at you for that, but I’m not. You see, no one could have been there for me. I had to go through that by myself. Sure I missed you that whole time, but you couldn’t have done anything to help.”
“I don’t know how you get over something like that. I can’t imagine it.”
“After five years, I’ve come to understand how that works. You never get over it. You just get used to it, but you think about it every day. Everything reminds you, but you learn to live with it and keep going, hoping for another chance to love like that again.”
“I’m so sorry, Caleb.”
“So am I, Connor.” Caleb swallowed the last of his drink. “Always tell your family how much you love them and never forget how precious they are.”
Conner watched him walk up the stairs. He finished his drink then returned to his room and Jordan.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was past noon when the visitor Bobby Ray had been expecting knocked at his door. He threw the bed spread over the sketchbook he’d been using.
The hotel manager looked badly hung over and pissed off. He was a short, skinny man with a beard that looked like it was shaved once a week. Probably the same day he took a bath. His head was bald on top and the back hung down in a thin ponytail. He wore baggy shorts and a cotton shirt that hung to each side unbuttoned. His dirty feet sported black rubber flip-flops. His eyes were bloodshot and his teeth were stained brown from nicotine and coffee.
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