She nodded her head. “I know, you never think it will happen to someone you know. My grandmother never really got over it.” She continued speaking, but I had tuned her out.
I couldn’t believe it was her.
My mind was full of fog. She was still talking, but her words blurred into one another. “What was her last name, Mom?” I interrupted her, my voice raising a few octaves.
She stopped speaking and glanced at me with a confused look on her face. “Simms. That was my grandmother’s maiden name.”
I shoved back in my chair suddenly. The loud scrape startled my parents. “I just remembered I left a sweater at Lucas’. I’m going to run over and get it, I won’t be long.”
“It’s just a sweater. Have him bring it to school tomorrow. You’re not supposed to travel alone, remember?” my dad said with a firm tone. He had no intention of letting me go.
“Dad, I won’t be long. I’ll call you when I get there and when I leave. Please.” I pleaded with my eyes, the way I used to when I was a kid; he always said he couldn’t resist me.
Obviously, I had outgrown my persuasion, because his expression did not change. “You’re not going, and that’s the end of it.”
“Fine, can you drive me then, I need to see him.”
His face softened. “Fine, let’s go.”
I beat him to the door. “I’ll meet you in the car, hurry up.” I slammed the door. Before I reached his car, I realized that in my haste, I had forgotten my coat, and the snow had turned to rain. Thankfully, I was wearing a warm sweater. I climbed into my dad’s SUV and honked the horn. A few seconds later the front door opened, and he rushed over. He wasn’t wearing a jacket either.
As we drove to Lucas’, the rain started to come down harder. It was dark, and with the fat raindrops crashing down on the windshield, my dad could barely see. He grumbled constantly about me making him go out in this weather. I ignored him, concentrating instead on what I needed to tell Lucas.
Once in Lucas’ driveway I rushed out, leaving my dad to wait in the car, promising I wouldn’t be long.
After a hard knock on the door, it swung open. “Sarah! You look like a drowned rat. Come in,” his father said, pulling me inside. I stumbled over the step, but he caught me. “Hi, Mr. Tate, is Lucas here?” I asked, my teeth chattering.
“Yes, he is. Lucas!” he turned to the kitchen and yelled. “He’s probably downstairs taking a round out on the heavy bag. That’s all he’s done since you two broke up.” It wasn’t long before I heard heavy footsteps coming from the kitchen.
“Sarah! What are you doing here?” Lucas asked, walking toward me. His face was flushed and glistening with sweat. His father was right about his working out.
Nick was escorting me to the living room where Karen was watching TV.
“Sarah you’re soaked. Where’s you’re coat?” Karen asked me.
“I forgot it. I’m sorry I’m dripping on your floor.” My shivering slowed slightly as I stood next to the fireplace.
“Luke, take her to your room and get her some dry clothes,” she instructed. As I walked passed her, I could have sworn she was smiling.
In his room, Lucas dug through his dresser, pulling out a pair of his plaid cotton pants and a Hamilton High Basketball sweatshirt. “They won’t fit, but at least they’re dry. I’ll be right back; I’ll get a towel for your hair.” He walked out of the room with a confused glance my way.
While he was gone I quickly changed into the dry clothes. I was just pulling the sweatshirt over my head when he opened the door.
He stared at me as I slid the shirt down over my stomach. I blushed at his intense gaze. “Here,” he said, tossing me the towel. He cleared his throat. “After this afternoon, I’m surprised to see you. I thought you were mad at me.”
The kiss we shared earlier popped into my head. I quickly pushed the image away. “Katie Simms was my great-great-aunt.”
His eyes widened. “What?” he whispered, after about half a minute of silence.
“Yep, you heard me. We were listening to the news during dinner, and they reported that someone was murdered in their backyard. It reminded my mom of her grandmother’s sister that was murdered in her backyard.”
“Wow. Do you think I’m related to David since we look so much alike?” he asked, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans.
“Yep, that’s what I was thinking. And on the way over here, I thought it would come in handy if we could track down Tony’s relatives. If we could get a good look at them, maybe someone might look familiar. All this might finally be over.” I patted my head with the towel. When my hair was no longer dripping, I hung the towel on the hook on the back of his door.
“Let’s go ask my parents then,” Lucas said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out the door.
Back in the living room, we sat down on one of the couches, trying to look natural. Of course, I felt stupid in Lucas’ oversized clothes. His parents were watching a movie. They both looked up at us. “Is there something you want?” Karen asked.
“No, we just thought we would come out and watch the movie with you before Sarah has to leave,” Lucas said, trying to sound casual. I was sure they didn’t buy it, but they turned their heads back to the TV. I tried to focus on the movie, but it was hard. I just wanted to blurt out and ask if they had any relatives that were murdered. But if we did that, they would ask questions, and the answers were just too weird. Luck was with us because in the movie someone was stabbed in the shower. Original, I know, but it worked for us. I elbowed Lucas in the ribs, so he would ask the question. I couldn’t stay here much longer with my dad outside.
He groaned. “Sarah was just telling me what she saw on the news today. A lady was stabbed in her backyard in Langton.”
His mom glanced at us. “Really, that is awful, when did that happen?”
“They found her today,” I said, hoping it would remind them, like it did with my mom, but they turned back to the TV.
“My mom said it reminded her of a murder in my family a long time ago. Was anyone in your family ever killed?”
They seemed to think the question was strange; they just looked at me and shook their heads. Probably wondering why we were being so morbid, with all this talk of murder. We gave it a few more minutes before we slowly stood up.
We were about to turn the corner into the hall leading to Lucas’ room when we heard his dad say, “Well, there was one murder in my family. I had forgotten about it, it was so long ago. My grandmother’s brother was killed in his girlfriend’s backyard, by someone he knew. That’s weird, I hadn’t thought of that since I was a kid, when my dad told me.”
We went back to stand beside them, Lucas leaning against the couch.
“You never told me this,” his mom said.
“I just remembered,” his dad said as he pushed pause on the DVD remote.
“What was his name?” Lucas asked.
His father was quiet for a few minutes, thinking. “David Wilson, that’s it,” he said, pointing to Lucas and shaking his head. “I can’t believe I remembered that.”
Lucas grabbed my hand; his felt a little shaky. His mother glanced at our hands and smiled. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, so I pulled mine back and walked to his room, with him following behind me.
“Wow. I can’t believe we’re related to them,” he said, reeling, once we were safe behind closed doors.
“Well, it does make sense; why else would we look alike? We need to get together again so we can research Tony’s family on the Internet. Can I come over tomorrow? My house isn’t good; you may not be welcome there.”
Pain flashed briefly across his face but was gone the next second. “Yeah that’s fine. Just tell your mom you’re going home with Emma. I’ll take you home later.”
I stood awkwardly in front of him, unsure of what else to say. “Well, I should go, my dad’s waiting. I’ll see you at school.” I picked up my wet clothes. “I’ll bring these back to you tomorrow.” I
tugged at his sweatshirt and then gave him an awkward wave as I left his room. He seemed disappointed that I was leaving. This was going to be hard.
My dad was sleeping when I approached his car, until I opened the door. His eyes popped open, and he glared at me.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find the sweater,” I lied. He just shook his head and pulled out of the driveway. As we turned back onto the road, I could have sworn I saw someone staring out at me from the bushes. But as I turned back, they were gone. I must have imagined it. If we didn’t figure out what was happening soon, I would slowly go crazy.
I woke up the next morning feeling comfortable and cozy wrapped in Lucas’ sweatshirt. I decided to keep the clothes so I could wear them when I missed him. He might want them back, but I really didn’t care. After I had my shower and got dressed for school, I went down to eat breakfast.
“Hurry up, Sarah. If you want to keep driving with me, you can’t dawdle like you used to,” my mom said. She was rushing around, picking up papers and stuffing snacks into her purse.
“Do I have a choice?” I asked her, after a swallow of orange juice.
“No. Let’s go,” she yelled walking out of the house. I shoved the rest of my bagel in my mouth and put my dish away.
I took the raincoat I borrowed from Lucas along with my own off the hook, and ran out the door. It had stopped raining, but it was still overcast and windy. The air was crisp, which usually meant more rain was coming. “I hate going to school at this time in the morning. No one was meant to get up as early as I have been, since you started driving me,” I grumbled, scowling out the window at the miserable day. The weather seemed to match my mood.
“You could have waited and driven with Alex and his friends,” she said, sounding annoyed.
“No thanks!”
“Then quit complaining.”
We pulled up to the parking lot, where she parked on the teachers’ side.
“I’m getting a ride with Derrick and Emma after school, so I’ll see you at home later. I probably won’t be home for supper.”
She was rushing into the side door, and waved. That was easy.
I arrived at my locker and jammed the coats and bag inside. Then I slid down onto the floor and cracked open a book. First bell wasn’t for another twenty minutes.
“Hey. Come on, I’ll walk you to class,” Derrick said, heading toward me just before the first bell was about to go off. I traded my novel for my English books then shoved my locker door shut with a clang.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Renford
After school, I met Lucas at his car. When he walked up, I was hiding behind it, hoping my mother wouldn’t see us. As he opened the driver’s side door, he glanced at me, shaking his head. I looked all around to make sure my mother wasn’t around before I snuck inside.
The ride to his house was quiet; the awkwardness between us was palpable.
“Are your parents at the restaurant?” I asked as we pulled into his driveway.
“Yes, my mom works until six, my dad until closing. I can take you home before she gets here if you don’t want to see her.”
“I think that would be best.”
He didn’t say anything, just nodded and got out of the car.
I followed, handing him the jacket I had borrowed.
“Where are my clothes?” he asked as he unlocked the front door, holding it open for me.
“Oh, I’m keeping them,” I said, walking toward his bedroom.
“Okaay,” I heard him say quietly behind me.
I was sitting on his bed when he walked through the door. He glanced at me, winced, and then sat down at his desk.
“So, what’s up with Andy and Kyle? I haven’t seen much of them lately,” I asked to hopefully end the weirdness between us.
“Andy is planning a rematch in paintball. They’re both not happy that Emma beat them. They’re sure she cheated somehow.” He cracked the first smile of the day.
I laughed. “They’re so funny; I miss hanging out with them.” As soon as the words came out, I regretted them. His face hardened and he looked away.
“I hear you’ve been hitting the heavy bag pretty hard.”
“There’s nothing else to do,” he mumbled, glancing at the computer as he typed the words “Tony Garrison - murder.” The article from the other day came up, and he read it quietly. “His parents are Helen and William Garrison. His brother’s name was Donald.”
I stood up and read the article from over his shoulder. “We’d have to look into Donald Garrison’s family, since he’s the only sibling.”
I leaned over him; he smelled faintly of soap and aftershave. The smell was familiar and tempting, but I needed to focus. I typed in “Family of Donald Garrison - Renford, New Hampshire.” A family tree came up, and after clicking on the print button I pulled away. Our close proximity was causing a stir inside me that I wasn’t ready to explore. And by the look on his face, I could tell I wasn’t the only one that our closeness was affecting. I cleared my throat and held the family tree up so both of us could look it at.
Don Garrison had four children. Out of those four were eleven grandchildren. From those eleven, there were fourteen families with twenty-seven children. Unfortunately, we had no idea of the ages of these kids. We were guessing the guy we were looking for was seventeen to twenty. Tony was nineteen when he killed David and Katie, but we didn’t want to miss anyone. We sat in silence, contemplating our next step.
After a few minutes, an idea came to me. “What if we find the phone numbers, and say that we’re doing a survey of the ages of children in the area, and ask what school’s they go to.”
His eyes lit up. “That sounds good.” He went back to the computer, pulled up the phone directory, and wrote down the numbers. The problem was, we could only find thirteen out of the fourteen families. “Crap, how are we going to find the last one?” I asked frustrated. It wasn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped.
“Let’s just go through all of these, and then we’ll worry about that one.”
We split up the numbers; he went into the kitchen to make his calls while I stayed in his room.
Half an hour later, we met back in front of his computer to discuss what we had found. “There are six kids in that age group from my list. How about you?” He sat back on his chair in front of the computer.
“Four. I have only two schools to look into, and they are both in Renford. Where are yours?” I asked.
“Three go to a school in Renford, two in a nearby town. And the last one goes to NYU. But we can probably look that up on the Internet.”
“So I guess we’re going to New Hampshire,” I said grimly. Pulling my teeth out one by one with a set of pliers held more of an appeal than seven hours of uncomfortable silence with my maybe ex-boyfriend.
“Looks like it. Can you get Saturday off?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s about seven hours in driving alone, not to mention looking around. We’ll have to stay the night,” I complained. He didn’t seem to like the idea any more than I did, but we really didn’t have a choice.
Was it only two months ago that we were excited for an overnight trip together? How I longed to go back to that time, when all I worried about was my dad finding out that we slept in the same bed.
“We can just tell our parents we’re at our friends’. I’ve got enough money for gas and a hotel. We’ll be fine,” he said, tossing the notepad he was holding on the desk.
“I’ll pay for half.”
He sighed in frustration, as though he was expecting my words. “I’ll pick you up at Emma’s at nine o’clock Saturday morning. You should probably stay at her place Friday night.”
“Sounds good, but I should be getting home. It’s almost six.” I stood up and picked up my bag.
The drive home was quiet again. The silence was brutal. Thankfully, it didn’t last long before we hit my street. He parked at the end of the block and watched me from his car. I still didn’t want my
parents to know what was going on.
The rest of the week went by without any problems. I had a few dreams of Lucas and Tony. When I dreamed of Tony, I always woke up shaking. It was as if he was taunting me, knowing we were searching for him.
Friday rolled around, and I was nervous that my parents would find out what I was up to. Emma agreed to lie for me.
“Are you sure we can’t come?” she asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
We were sitting on her bedroom floor leaning against her bed, watching my favorite movie. “No, you can’t come. You work, and it’s going to be boring anyway. All we’re doing is driving up, looking around, and then we’re coming home. Besides, I need you as a cover.”
She pouted into her bag of popcorn.
I shook my head and turned my attention back to the TV. The two main characters were standing on the dock in the rain expressing their love for each other. This was my favorite part, but it always made me cry.
“So what’s going on with you and Lucas anyway? Are you going to get back together?”
“Not yet. I think he wants to, but I’m annoyed at him for putting us through this.”
“What do you mean?” she asked before tilting up the popcorn bag and draining the contents into her mouth.
I smiled as I watched little bits of popcorn fall over her face and into her hair. “When he left me, he said it was to keep me safe. I begged him to change his mind. I wanted to figure this out together. But no, he made the decision without me, I had no say. So we both went through hell in the last month. And what are we doing? Working together to find out who it is, just like I wanted. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on, I could have helped, but no. So now I’m mad, and I can’t be with him until I get over it. It’s so awkward around him, he barely speaks, and when I ask him a question, he gives me a short answer, and he’s quiet again.” I sighed. “It’s going to be a long weekend.”
She grimaced. “On second thought I’m glad I can’t go, sounds fun.” She picked up the small pieces of popcorn that had fallen out of her hair onto the floor, and put them into the now empty bag.
Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) Page 26