by T. L. Haddix
“Why did she come back with a different name?” Travis asked. “How did she afford to buy that gallery? I’m assuming she owned it.”
“I’m not sure why she changed her name. Maybe it was too painful for her to be Margie, I don’t know. As for the gallery, she owned it, and apparently had quite a sum of money, but that’s all I know. I should get some answers tomorrow.”
“Will you let me know?”
She nodded. “Of course.” Thinking about the odd conversation she’d had with Ava that morning, Lauren cringed inside. “There’s more.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m not sure I want to hear it, but go ahead. Hit me.”
“I’m not sure how to even begin… Charity, well, she and my daughter, Ava, had a—a friendship of sorts. Every time they would see each other, they’d trade jokes. This morning, Ava told me that she had a dream last night. In her dream, Charity came and told her a joke.” She cleared her throat. “Apparently, she also told Ava to give me a message for you. She said to tell you that ‘it wasn’t your fault, and that you shouldn’t feel guilty, because the secret wasn’t yours, and neither was the guilt. Also, she was sorry she lied.’”
As she spoke, the color drained from his face, leaving him ashen. She touched his arm, concerned. “Travis?”
He shook himself. “I’m okay,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “How old is your daughter?”
“Ava’s seven. That meant something to you, didn’t it? What she told me?” As the words began to sink in, their meaning dawned on Lauren. “My God,” she whispered. “She was pregnant when she left here, wasn’t she? And all these years… you thought it was your baby.” She closed her eyes. “Oh, Travis.”
He started talking. “We’d been seeing each other on and off since early that year—January, February, somewhere in along there. We’d meet out at the lake house; my parents were gone pretty much all the time. Margie and I had a fight, I don’t remember what over, and we broke it off at the beginning of summer. We hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks. She came to me a couple of weeks before she disappeared, told me she was pregnant, and asked for money. I knew she’d been with other guys,” he said bitterly. “Hell, she practically rubbed it in my face.”
“We had a huge fight, a real screaming match. She wanted money, she said, money to get away. She said there were problems at home, and she needed to leave.” He stopped, looking away for a minute before continuing. “When I told her no, that’s when she told me she was pregnant. I said some things I shouldn’t have to her, and she laughed in my face, but I think it hurt her. I ended up throwing all the cash I had in my wallet at her, and she took it.” He lifted his gaze to Lauren’s.
“I hated her, when she took that money. I could have easily strangled her. And at the same time, I loved her,” he said, laughing bitterly. “She broke my heart that summer. And when I found out she’d disappeared?” He shook his head and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I blamed myself. I knew she was in a bad situation at home. I didn’t know what to do about it. She wouldn’t talk about it, and all I had were my own suspicions. I thought her mom or dad might have been slapping her around.” He looked at Lauren with a questioning gaze.
“How old were you back then?” Lauren asked, not answering his unspoken question.
“I don’t know. Twenty-one? Twenty-two? Something like that. Why?”
“What could you really have done at that age?” she asked him. “When we’re that young, we may think we know everything, but believe me, we don’t.” She held out a hand and he grasped it. “She never confided in me, either, about what was going on at home. All I know is what her brother told my parents after it happened.”
She proceeded to tell him what Rob had said, not leaving out anything, including her own attack. When she finished, he looked ten years older.
“How did you handle it? How did you manage to go on?”
Lauren answered with care. “I was very lucky. My parents never doubted me, and my brother was great. They got me through that summer, and I tried to move on. I didn’t deal with it, not really, until after my marriage was over. I don’t regret my marriage, because I have Ava, but I never should have married David.”
“Why did you?”
“Because he made me feel safe,” she answered, smiling sadly. “He’s a cop, and he represented a strength I didn’t think I had. Nobody messes with a cop’s wife. He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, how ironic is that?” Disengaging her hand, she sat back. “We almost destroyed our friendship by getting married, and it all comes back to that summer.”
Travis nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I married my ex because she was about as far from Margie—personality-wise, physically, everything—as I could get, not because of any real feeling I had for her. It didn’t take long for the situation to deteriorate, and she hates my guts to this day because of it. My kids are the ones paying for it, and that kills me. She took them and moved to Texas. I hardly ever see them now.”
“How old are they?” Lauren asked.
“Zeke’s the oldest. He’s nine. Ariel’s eight. She’s the baby.” He got up and walked inside, coming back with a framed picture. “This is their latest picture.” He handed it to her. “I just got it a couple of weeks ago.”
Lauren admired the photo with a smile. “They’re adorable. How often do you get to see them?”
“Usually at either Christmas or Thanksgiving, and for a few weeks in the summer. Not enough, that’s for sure.” He sighed. “So have you had any successful relationships?”
She shrugged. “Define successful.”
Travis’s laugh was rueful. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe one that lasted more than a few weeks or months? One where you let your guard down with someone all the way? One that you’d fight for, come Hell or high water?”
“That kind of successful. Hmmm. No, not yet.” She paused, smiling a little as she thought about Charlie. “I may have met someone with whom I want all that, though. I’ve… avoided serious relationships since my divorce. Intimacy is hard for me.” She felt her cheeks ignite as she spoke, and her hands flew up to cover them. “I can’t believe I told you that!”
He grinned. “Don’t be embarrassed. We may barely know each other, but we share an incredibly painful summer. That means we can discuss whatever we like with no worries about repercussions. I’ve had the opposite problem than you, though. Sex has always been too easy for me. I often wish I had been less… wild, I guess.” He took a drink of tea, and seeing that her face was still red, he asked “So tell me about this guy. What’s he like?”
They talked for a while about Charlie, about their children, and various things. Eventually, the conversation came back to Margie and the vandalism.
“Did her father ever get the punishment he deserved?”
“I don’t know how to answer that,” Lauren replied. “He’s terminally ill. I know the past thirteen years haven’t been easy for him, or her mother. They’ve suffered, but I don’t know how much. As for Carl, well, word last night was that he probably wouldn’t make it through the night. We hadn’t heard anything as of seven-thirty this morning.”
Glancing at her watch, she was horrified to see that the time had passed so quickly. She had been at Travis’ for nearly two hours. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to take this much of your time. I need to head back home.” Standing, she reached for her purse.
“Don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m glad you came here today. I wish it had been under different circumstances, but I appreciate you taking the time to come out here and tell me in person. You could have handled it over the phone.”
She disagreed. “No, Travis, I couldn’t. After we talked the other day in the shop, I knew that I had to see you face to face. There’s no way I’d have delivered this kind of news over the phone unless I had no choice.”
“Still, I appreciate the consideration. I’ll walk you out.” Once they were back downstairs, he touched her shoulder. “Lis
ten, if you ever need anything—and I mean anything, money, friendship, a kidney, promise you’ll come to me?”
Lauren smiled, shaking her head at him. “I have a hard time asking for help. I’m a very independent person.” Seeing that he was serious, she relented. “I promise that I will call you if I need to, okay? Scout’s honor.”
He held the door open for her and they walked out into the parking lot. “Okay. But you sure don’t look like any scout I ever shared a tent with, lemme tell you.”
She laughed, fighting back sudden tears. When she opened her arms, he stepped in, hugging her tight. “I’ll call you,” she told him. “As soon as I know anything, okay?” She felt him nod, and he released her.
“I’m a night owl, and I get up early, so don’t worry about waking me. But that doesn’t mean you can’t call me in the middle of the night if you need to.”
“Take care, Travis,” she told him. “If you ever need to talk, you have my number, right?” She got in the car and he closed the door. Starting the engine, she rolled the window down and waited for his answer. He hunkered down beside the car, resting his arms on the window.
“How’s that boyfriend of yours going to feel if some strange guy from the past calls you up to chat?” he asked, speculation in his voice.
Lauren was slightly taken aback at hearing Charlie described as her ‘boyfriend.’ “I guess he is my boyfriend,” she said slowly, coming to terms with their relationship. “Charlie knows about this whole mess, so I don’t think he’d get too upset if you called.”
Travis’s expression told her he wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t be okay with it. Especially if the other man was me.”
“Why don’t we worry about that if it becomes a problem? I honestly don’t think it will.”
He just raised his eyebrows and looked at her, shaking his head. Thankfully, he moved on. “Sounds like a plan.” Standing, he backed away from the car. “Drive safely, Lauren.”
“I will.”
Heading home, she thought about the incredibly handsome man she’d just left. If she hadn’t met Charlie a few weeks earlier, she might have been tempted by Travis. Now, however, she realized that no matter how handsome the other man was, the one she wanted was spending the afternoon flying RC airplanes with her father.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
With the gas gauge sitting nearly on empty, Lauren stopped at a gas station on her way out of town, using the restroom while she was there. As she came back outside, she called home. She was surprised when Charlie answered at her parents’ house.
“Hey,” she said. “How are things there?”
“Hey, yourself. Things are okay here, a little crazy.” She could hear Ava laughing and shrieking in the background. “Your dad and I have been working on his latest RC plane, and Ava’s been supervising. Your mom’s at the store. How’d it go?” he asked, his voice neutral.
From the tone, Lauren assumed her father had told him where she’d gone. “It went okay, I think. He took it pretty hard. He’d thought all these years that she left here pregnant with his child, and I think he’s carried a lot of guilt about that.” Rolling the windows down, she turned on the fan, but didn’t start the engine.
“That would be hard. Not knowing, I mean, one way or another, what happened…” He hesitated, clearly wanting to say something, but he held it back. “Anyhow, he probably deserved to know the truth. I know I’d want to, if it were me.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine you just sitting back and letting someone go if there was even a slight chance she was pregnant with your child. In all fairness, I don’t think that’s what happened here, necessarily, but I don’t think he tried that hard to find her, either.”
“So you’re heading back now, I guess?”
“Yes. I should be there in about an hour.” She paused. “How’s my dad? He was pretty upset with me this morning.”
“He’s okay. He vented to me a little bit after your mom left, and I think getting it off his chest helped. He’s just worried about you. I’m not all that thrilled with this trip, myself, if you want the truth.”
The grumpy tone in his voice made her smile. “I appreciate the concern, but the two of you need to realize that I really am a big girl now. I can take care of myself.”
“Well, one of us realizes that very well. In fact, that’s what worries me. This Travis guy seems to have noticed that you’re a woman, too.” Before she could say anything, he changed the subject. “Your mom just came in. I’ll turn you over to her. Be careful coming home, okay?”
“I will be.”
As Molly took the phone, Lauren heard him tell her he would get the rest of the groceries. Molly thanked him, and then came on the line.
“Lauren? You okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom, on my way home now. Sounds like you guys have things pretty much under control there.”
“We’re okay. Ava’s having a blast helping your dad and Charlie, though I’m not sure how much actual help she’s providing. Hang on a second,” Molly told her. “I want to get to somewhere private before we talk.” Lauren heard a door click. “Okay, I can talk now. If you don’t marry Charlie, I’m going to adopt him.”
“Mom! That’d make for an interesting family dynamic, don’t you think?” She sobered. “Have you heard anything yet?”
“Yes. Shannon called a couple hours ago. Carl died this morning.” There was silence as she gave Lauren time to absorb the news. “How did your visit with Travis go?”
“It went okay, I guess. He was shocked about the whole Margie/Charity thing. He took it pretty hard. I’ll give you details when I get home. How’s the family holding up? Did Shannon say?”
“She said it’s been a pretty rough few days for them, first learning about Margie and now losing Carl. The kids weren’t close to him, but he’s still their father, and it’s a blow,” Molly said. “Especially with Troy having been arrested for Margie’s murder and the vandalism. She said the whole family is reeling from that. Are you heading back soon?”
“On my way now,” Lauren told her. “I’m pulling out as soon as we hang up.”
Molly told her to drive safely, and promised they would talk more when Lauren got home. Disconnecting, she rested her head briefly against the steering wheel. She suddenly felt tired, worn out, and old. The next few weeks were going to be a challenge, and she wondered if she was up for it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Iris eased the bedroom door closed, trying to be quiet as she left the baby’s room. All the tension in the farmhouse had gotten to Jamie, and he had been nearly inconsolable the last few hours. Leaning against the doorjamb, she sighed. She was weary down to her bones, and felt decades older than her nineteen years. Placing a hand on her abdomen, she felt the fullness that contained the life inside and swallowed.
Mary Margaret had come home a couple of hours ago, escorted by her sister Patricia and brother-in-law. The doctor had given her something for her nerves, and they’d had to practically carry her upstairs to her room. She was sleeping now, but Iris knew it would be an ugly situation when she woke up. Marci, Troy’s cousin, had stayed with her the night before, only leaving when Patricia came. She was a nice person, Iris thought, only a few years older than Iris herself. Iris thought they could have been friends, in another life.
Slowly making her way down the stairs, she peeked in the kitchen and saw that Patricia and her husband were out on the back porch. Grabbing the cordless phone from the counter, she backed down the hall toward the front door, quietly opening it and moving out onto the front porch. She closed her eyes, clenching the phone to her chest as she fought back tears. It was going to take a lot of her pride away, making this phone call, but she had little choice. She had to think of her children, and now that Troy had been arrested, her options were running out.
There was little doubt in her mind that he had, indeed, killed his sister. Remembering how he had been Monday night when he finally came home still gave her chills. He’d bru
ised her that night in bed, and she even bled a little afterward, the sex had been so rough.
Her parents had warned her that she was making a mistake, marrying Troy, but Iris had wanted him, Hell or high water. Theirs was nothing more or less than the stereotypical good girl/bad boy relationship. She had loved the idea of being a wife and mother, and rebelled against every safeguard her parents put in place to protect her. Although they had divorced years ago, they both strived to be good parents to their youngest daughter, and when she married Troy, they’d been horribly disappointed. Her mother told her then that if she ever decided to walk away, all she had to do was call, and she would get her out of there, wherever ‘there’ happened to be.
Hands shaking, she considered her options one last time. She’d learned things living in this household she never would have imagined. She laughed bitterly at how naïve she’d been, at how right her parents had been in their concerns. Taking a deep breath, she hit the talk button and dialed the number. As it rang, she prayed someone would answer. Finally, someone did.
“Hello?” she said. “Mom? It’s me, Iris. I need you.”
Chapter Forty
Lauren stopped by her house first when she got back into town, needing a little more time to herself. As she let herself inside, her cell phone rang. She saw that it was David, and answered.
“Hey,” he said. “Are you back from your meeting? How’d it go?”
“It went well enough. What’s up?” She had called him first thing that morning to let him know about the situation and her plans. He told her that he would check in with her this afternoon.
“Josie and I would like to pick Ava up for a few days, have her stay with us until you get back on your feet a little bit. You’ve had a lot to deal with the last week, and it’s probably not going to get any easier for a while. You’re a good mother, Lauren, so don’t take this as criticism, but you could probably get a lot more done without an active, curious seven-year-old under your feet.”