by T. L. Haddix
“Well, that was a big surprise,” Ethan said, rolling his eyes.
The sheriff wasn’t concerned. “He’s an ex-con. I expected he’d lawyer up.”
“Yeah, it figures, but I thought this one might be a talker, for some reason.”
Wyatt clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck up there in Jefferson County. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Ethan nodded. “Will do. I’ll see you later.”
Wyatt saw Stacy and the other deputy escort Troy out of the interrogation room. “We’re going to head to the booking room, Sheriff. Do you need anything else before we go?”
“No. I think we’ve covered pretty much everything we need to for the moment. Once you’re finished, take a break and get some food. We’re going to have a ton of paperwork to wrap this one up.” He watched them go down the hall, thinking about the firestorm that was going to erupt when the news about this case broke. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Thirty-Four
After she’d gotten some of the emotions out and calmed down enough to talk, Lauren and Charlie moved into the kitchen, where she watched him prepare a pot of coffee.
“So what now?” she asked.
He looked over his shoulder at her. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t even know. What do I do about telling my parents? What do I do about the shop? Any of it?”
He hunkered down, taking her hands in his. “You lean on the people who love you a little, and you take it one day, one hour, one minute at a time.” Charlie reached up and smoothed her hair back, letting his hand linger to caress her cheek. “And you give it time.”
Lauren turned her face into his hand, eyes closing. “Can you help me forget? Just for a little while?” When he drew in a quick breath, she opened her eyes and saw the stunned look on his face. “I don’t mean sex. Just—hold me. Make the ugliness go away? Like you did earlier?”
He swallowed, holding her gaze steadily, even though the hand touching her face trembled ever so slightly. “Are you sure you’d be comfortable with that?”
“I don’t know.”
With a short laugh, he put his head on her knee. “What if I mess things up?”
Tunneling her hand through his hair, she smiled. “You won’t. I might, but you won’t.”
With a low growl, he captured her face between his hands. “Don’t say that. Please, don’t say that.”
Before he could say anything else, Lauren pulled him in and kissed him, her mouth moving against his with desperation. Very quickly, he took command of the kiss. When she scooted to the edge of her chair, trying to get closer, he rocked back on his heels and overbalanced. In a flurry of movement, they both ended up on the floor, Lauren on top. It was blatantly obvious that Charlie was aroused and, feeling that, she rocked her hips against his.
He groaned and reached his hands down to stop her. “Lauren, no.”
She didn’t bother responding, just lowered her mouth to his. Biting his lower lip, she soothed the wound with her tongue and deepened the kiss.
Charlie locked one hand in her hair and, using the other to anchor her hips, rolled them so that he was on top. Carefully encircling her wrists, he held her hands above her head. “Lauren, sweetheart, not like this. Listen to me—you’ll hate both of us if we keep going.”
She shook her head in denial and wrapped her legs around him. “No, I won’t. I want this. I want you.”
Breathing heavily, he forced her to look him in the eye. “No, you don’t. Or you might, but not like this. I care about you too much to let you do this right now.” He saw the realization dawn on her face, and let go of her hands.
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. Charlie, I—” she stammered. Covering her face with her hands, she gave a shuddering, embarrassed laugh that turned into a sob. “Let me up, please.”
“Not just yet. Look at me first.” She turned her head away, but he gently guided her eyes back to his. “Listen to me. Okay?” He waited until she nodded before he continued. “Someday, I have every hope that you and I will consummate this relationship.” Very slowly, he moved his hips against hers. The movement caused them both to suck in a breath. “I will be a very happy man when that happens. But today, right now? If we do this now, you will regret it. Lauren, when we come together, I don’t want either of us to have any regrets.”
Carefully, he eased off her and helped her to her feet. Once they were standing, she wouldn’t look at him.
“Lauren?”
She shook her head. “I need to call my parents. Will you excuse me?”
~ * * * ~
Standing in the kitchen after she left, Charlie cursed under his breath. Stopping had been the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn’t risk their future relationship for a few minutes of mindless passion. Even if she initiated it.
When she returned a few minutes later, she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and carrying an overnight bag. “I’m going to meet Mom and Dad at their house and spend the night.”
“Okay. Would you like a ride over? I’m going that way.”
For a moment, he thought she was going to refuse, but she nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”
Charlie’s heart sank at her withdrawal, but he didn’t try to argue with her. “I don’t mind at all. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I just need to lock up.”
The drive to Molly and Winston’s house was quiet. When they pulled into Charlie’s driveway, Lauren spoke.
“About what happened—I’m sorry.”
He shut the engine off and looked at her. “Please don’t apologize.”
“No, I need to. I practically assaulted you. You didn’t ask for that. Of all people, I should know better than to do something like that.”
Stunned, he just stared at her as she unbuckled her seat belt. Before she could get out, though, he scooted across the seat and stopped her. “Don’t you dare compare what just happened between us to assault. That’s insulting to both of us. Sweetheart, if you approached me like that under normal circumstances, we’d still be on that floor. But you’ve had an incredible shock today. Just let it go, and we’ll hash it out after you’ve had a chance to process everything.”
“Okay. Thank you—for coming over, and for the ride.” She got out before he could say anything else, and Charlie followed her to the edge of her parents’ property.
“I’ll check on you tomorrow. Call me if you need me?”
Lauren just waved and went inside, leaving him standing on the edge of the driveway. “Well, that went just terrifically well.” Not knowing what else to do, he let himself into his own house and slammed the door.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Mary Margaret sat in a chair next to the hospital bed watching her husband’s labored breathing. His doctor had come in a little bit earlier and had taken her into the hall to talk.
“It won’t be long,” he told her sympathetically. “Probably within twenty four hours, if he even makes it that long. We’re doing what we can to keep him comfortable, Mrs. Vernon. Is there anything we can get you?”
“No,” she told him, stoic and tragic. “You’ve treated Carl real well, Doctor. I appreciate that.”
“I wish we could have done more, but we just didn’t get to him in time. If he had come in for treatment a few months earlier, we might have been able to preserve at least part of his kidney function, but it didn’t work out that way. That’s neither here nor there, now. Try to get some rest. You’re going to stay here with him tonight?”
“That’s my place, Doctor. I’ve always been a good wife to Carl, and I won’t stop now.”
“Okay, then. Just use the call button if you need anything.” As he headed down the hall, she turned and went back to be with her husband. That was almost an hour ago. After speaking with the doctor, she had called Pastor Jenkins. He should be arriving any time now.
Carl moaned, a low and mournful sound, and she reached out to smooth the thinning hair off
his brow. His face was bloated and yellow from the fluid buildup. Dialysis was no longer enough to purge the toxins from his system. He coughed, the wheezing breath rattling deep inside his chest as he fought for air. When he opened his eyes, he motioned with his hand to indicate that he needed to sit up.
“I’ll fix the bed. Hang on.” She pushed the button to raise the head of the bed, and winced as he coughed harder and harder. He held up a hand when he was propped up enough, and was finally able to draw in a slightly deeper breath. The coughing spell wound down at last.
With a dampened washcloth, she wiped the phlegm from his mouth and nose. After a minute, he caught his breath enough to ask about the pastor.
“He’ll be here soon. Don’t you fret, now. Save your energy so you can talk to him when he gets here.” Carl nodded weakly and closed his eyes, exhausted by the effort to stay conscious.
Five minutes later, Pastor Jenkins came into the room, carrying his bible. He walked over and gave her a gentle hug, speaking in a low voice so as not to disturb Carl.
“He’s really been wanting to talk to you tonight, Pastor. I hope he’s able to.” Moving to the bed, she lowered one of the rails and gently shook Carl’s shoulder. “Pastor Jenkins is here.”
He roused enough to open his eyes, and looked over her shoulder. When he saw the man standing there, he seemed to gain energy. Wheezing, his voice raspy from disuse, he spoke. “I need to talk to you.” His gaze locked onto the other man, and he waved his hand at his wife. “Mary Margaret, go get some coffee or something while I talk to the pastor.”
“Of course, Carl. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” She thought she’d go to the cafeteria and get something to eat, but she only made it halfway down the hall before realizing she’d left her wallet behind. She went back down to the room and eased inside, protected from view by the privacy curtain. As she reached for the closet door handle, she realized what Carl was saying and froze.
“I’ve done some bad things, pastor, and I want to confess my sins before I go to meet God. I had desires, a man’s desires, you understand?”
“Of course. Most men do, Carl.”
“I couldn’t help myself, no, sir. I did things with my daughters. Things that were wrong. I told myself to stop, that the Lord didn’t want me to act like that, but I couldn’t quit.” A spasm of pain crossed his face, and he coughed deeply.
“Do you mean you molested those girls? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“Yes.” His breathing under control, he spoke again. “There’s more. After we left here, after my girls were gone, I started drinking. I went to places no decent man should go, and I had relations with women who sold themselves. I gambled, I lost money, and I stole, pastor.” He drew in a rasping breath and continued. “I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stop. Not until I got sick. I was weak,” he said, crying a little bit. “I was weak, and I did wrong.”
“Carl, I can’t promise you absolution. I can’t see what’s in your heart, so I can’t judge whether you’re truly sorry for what you’ve done, or whether you’re just scared because you’re dying. That’s God’s place, not mine.” The pastor sighed. “Does Mary Margaret know about this?”
“She never would believe it. The girls tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t hear it. She believed me over our daughters, and I reckon that’s another sin I’ll carry to my grave.”
“You need to tell her. If you’re truly sorry, you need to tell her the truth so she can make her own restitution.”
Mary Margaret ripped the privacy curtain back, making both men jump. Furious, she pointed a shaking hand at the pastor, shouting. “You’re the devil! My Carl is a good man. You’re the devil for making him say those things. He never would’ve touched our girls like that. He’s a good man.” She trembled with fury, and the pastor tried to interrupt her, but she wouldn’t have it.
“You get out of here, you damned spawn of Satan. We don’t need you and your kind around here, saying things that ain’t true, upsetting a dying man like this. You hear me? Get out!”
She rounded the bed to reach for the pastor as the door flew open and hospital personnel rushed in. Carl’s heart monitor beeped erratically, and he struggled to breathe. While several nurses attended to Carl, one got between Mary Margaret and the pastor.
“You both need to leave,” he told them, not taking ‘no’ for an answer as he ushered them out the door.
Mary Margaret stood in the hall, shaking, not caring that she had tears running down her face. As more nurses rushed into the room with a crash cart, the pastor tried again to calm her down.
“Let’s go in here and sit down,” he said, pointing at the waiting room. “Let me call your children, at least. They need to be here.” He moved to take her arm.
“Don’t touch me!” she yelled, backing away. “I know you for what you are now, and you can go to hell!”
“Okay, Mary Margaret.” He backed away from her. “I’ll leave. I understand that you’re upset right now. You call me if you need to, all right?”
A nurse’s aide came up to them. She shot Pastor Jenkins a wary look and touched Mary Margaret on the shoulder. “Why don’t we go sit down, Mrs. Vernon? The pastor is leaving right now, okay?” She glanced up to make sure he’d gotten the message.
With a nod, he walked away. Mary Margaret watched until he got on the elevator, only then allowing herself to be led into the waiting room. As she took a seat, the aide asked her if she needed anything. Mary Margaret shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, rocking back and forth.
“How’s my husband?”
“They’re working on him right now, trying to get his breathing stabilized,” the aide replied and patted Mary Margaret’s shoulder. “Would you like me to go and check on him for you?”
“Please. I hate to be trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” the dark-haired aide assured her kindly. “It might be a few minutes before they know anything, though, so if I’m not back soon, don’t think I’ve forgotten you.” With a sympathetic smile, she headed to the room to check on Carl.
Mary Margaret sat staring at nothing, trying to forget what she’d overheard. Carl had to be out of his mind to be saying those things. The medicines must have messed him up somehow, made him remember things that hadn’t happened. She prayed fervently that he would survive this attack, and that she would be able to ask him about what he’d said.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lauren woke up early on Wednesday morning, surprised at how well-rested she felt. After putting Ava to bed, she had gone to bed herself, and promptly fallen asleep. It was just after dawn when she quietly got out of bed, dressing in the old jeans and t-shirt from the night before.
Slipping outside, she walked into the garden and went back to the swing. The cushions were covered with dew, but she sat down despite the wetness. As the sun rose over the river valley below, the town and surrounding countryside was bathed with golden light. The trail of fog that wound along the river began to burn off as the sun rose higher.
The next few days were going to be stressful and unpleasant in a lot of ways. As if losing the shop wasn’t bad enough, she assumed there would be a funeral to have to get through. The last death in the family had been that of her grandfather, Edward, who died ten years ago. His had been a short illness, and while there had been time to prepare, when he passed it was still a shock and an ordeal. Whoever ended up handling Charity’s arrangements would certainly have their hands full.
Heavy thoughts circling in her mind, she walked back to the house, and quietly opened the door.
“You’re up earlier than I expected,” Molly greeted her. “How’d you sleep? You look like you’re feeling better today.” She handed Lauren a cup of coffee across the kitchen island, and Lauren smiled her thanks.
“I am feeling better. I actually slept last night, which surprised me.” She curled her hands around the mug, a little chilled from being out in the early morning dew.
“Do they know?” Lauren asked.
“They do. Ethan went out there last night and talked to pretty much the whole family. To say they were shocked is an understatement.”
“Who wasn’t shocked? I guess I can understand what she did, though.” She took another sip of coffee, and set her mug down with a thunk. “No, no I can’t, damn it. She must have known that we’d support her if she came back. There’s no way I would be able to turn my back on my family that way, Mom.” She frowned, angry and confused.
Molly sighed. “It doesn’t make much sense to me, either, but we have an advantage Margie didn’t.” She waited for Lauren’s gaze to meet hers before continuing. “Margie tried to tell her family what that man was doing to her. Her own mother didn’t believe her. I suspect that she probably told a few other people, as well, maybe a teacher or a friend at school, but no one did anything. If someone had believed her, things probably would have turned out differently, but no one did.”
She cleared her throat, looking down at her own coffee. “You aren’t the only one who wonders how things would have been different if she had come to us. Even if we hadn’t believed her, we would have helped her. I thought she knew that, but apparently she didn’t. I worried for a long time that I could have done something, anything, to prevent what happened, but I finally had to accept that there was nothing I could have done, because I didn’t know what was going on, and she wouldn’t talk. Remember how we tried?”
“I do.”
Lauren reached out her hand and covered her mother’s in silent support. After a minute, they both regained their composure, and Molly straightened.