by Nancy Naigle
Riley stepped between them. “Beautiful service wasn’t it, Miss Emily?”
“It was nice.” Grem cleared her throat. “Kasey, darling, the photo of Nick and Jake at the service was lovely.”
“Thank you,” Kasey said, her voice tight. Sometimes it’s so hard to be nice to her.
She reached for her copy of that photograph on the mantel. Nick and Jake both wore jeans and cowboy hats. The candid shot had captured them so well.
She remembered that day like yesterday. They’d gone to get ice cream at the Pungo Strawberry Festival when something photo-worthy caught her attention. Nick had turned to find her straggling behind—something that happened all the time.
“Where’s Mommy? Crazy Mommy is clicking again.” Nick had teased.
Jake had reached in her direction and yelled, “Click me, Mommy. Click me!”
And she had. As both her boys had reached toward her, calling her name.
That one moment. So special.
A lucky shot.
Tiny details in the image were the most special to her. The folded ball cap in Nick’s back pocket and the scrape on Jake’s elbow. Jake had insisted on trying to take one of the goats for a walk; but the goat had other ideas and was faster than Jake. He’d fallen. But that didn’t slow him down. Jake jumped up, dusted himself off and finished the walk—bloody elbow and all. He’d never even shed a tear.
Grem’s voice carried from a nearby group. “Kasey is my granddaughter. She is quite talented.”
Come on, God. Give me a break here. Kasey walked over to her. “Grem, this isn’t the time.”
She shook her head. “Nonsense, dear. They love to hear about your work.”
Grem continued on, telling them that Kasey would be moving home with her.
Kasey clenched her teeth.
The stunning old woman drew a crowd. She looked so sweet, vulnerable, until you got right up close and her fangs started to show.
Riley took control of the wheelchair. “Come on, Grandma. Jeremy is going to take you home.” She wheeled her directly to the front door and out onto the porch. “I’m sure this has been a tough day for you.”
“Oh.” Grem looked taken aback. “Oh, yes. You’re so right. You are such a doll, Riley. Yes. I should get back home. The excitement is not good for someone my age.”
“There he is now.” Riley gave Jeremy the don’t-ask-questions-just-get-her-the-hell-out-of -here look. “Can you take her home?”
“Thank you, dear.” Grem patted Riley’s arm.
Jeremy helped her into the Mercedes and closed the door. “I don’t know what gets into the old bird sometimes.”
Riley rolled her eyes and shrugged.
Jeremy said, “I didn’t get to say much to Kasey. Do they have any leads yet?”
“No. Not a one, but Von is keeping tabs on the investigation for us.”
“Yeah. That’s good. Will you call me if they hear anything, and if I can help?” Jeremy untwisted the wrapper on a butterscotch candy and popped it in his mouth. He dug in his pocket and handed two to Riley. “Here. Give one to Kasey to remind her I’m just a phone call away. Keep me posted, will you?”
“I will.”
Grem tooted the horn, and they both jumped.
“Never a dull moment,” Riley said.
Jeremy hugged her, then jogged around to the driver’s side of the car.
Riley held the butterscotch candies in her hand with her thumb as she waved goodbye. When they cleared the driveway, she went back inside.
“Is she gone?” Kasey asked as Riley came toward her.
“Mission accomplished.” Riley handed Kasey the yellow wrapped butterscotch.
“Jeremy.” Kasey took the candy and cracked a slight smile. “He’s such a sweetheart.”
“Yeah. He’s taking her home. The cranky old bat. I can’t believe he hasn’t quit after all these years.”
Kasey shrugged. “He’s used to her moods. He earns every penny he makes, that’s for sure.”
A few hours later, the house finally began to empty.
Riley busied herself in the kitchen with a couple of neighbors. They must have opened and closed the freezer door twenty times as they stored away the food. So much food.
* * * *
The week after the funeral, the police in Southampton County contacted Kasey about the tape from Penny’s Candy and Soda Shoppe. Finally, they had dated proof positive that Jake had been with Nick just moments before the crash.
The news made for a restless night for Kasey, but at least maybe now the police would keep looking for Jake. She’d been worried that they might give up. The combination of renewed hope and fear tugged at her. Even her dreams taunted her, twisting joyful reunions with tragic replays of the funeral. And all of the dreams ended in the woods. She opened her eyes to the sun streaming through a sliver of an opening between the curtains. Were the dreams a sign? Was there something in the woods that would help her find Jake? She’d heard of stranger ways of solving cases.
Dutch laid next to the bed. Kasey swung her feet around to the edge and sat up. She rubbed her feet on his soft coat. “Quiet, isn’t it, buddy?”
She rolled her shoulders and rubbed her feet on Dutch’s back. He groaned.
“Feel good?”
No more back rubs in my future. I’ll miss your back rubs, Nick. You gave the best.
Kasey got up, put on jeans, hiking boots, and one of Nick’s rodeo t-shirts. In a moment of clarity, she’d decided to go back to the crash site and see if anything came to her that might help her find Jake. Crazier things happened all the time—she had nothing to lose.
She went downstairs and left a note on the counter in case Riley came by.
An hour and a half later, Kasey pulled her car off on the soft shoulder near the accident site. She put her business card on the dash of her car in hopes it would be enough to keep anyone from towing it while she explored.
She stepped over the shiny new guardrail and followed the path of scarred trees that marked the path Nick’s truck had taken down the embankment. The incline was steeper than it looked. She sidestepped her way down to the water’s edge. Debris marked the high water line left from the storm.
If Jake had somehow climbed ashore, where would he have headed?
She squatted. From this level, Jake’s level, she couldn’t see the road.
He could’ve made it to shore if the water had been as low as it was today. She stepped out on the rocks. They were slick, but plenty big to walk on.
She stood in the center of the river on the large rock where Nick’s truck had once lain crooked, its interior sucking up water like a sponge.
I probably cried enough tears last week to crest this river.
To her left was a large clearing. She walked back across the rocky waterway, climbed the sloping terrain, and headed to that area.
She snapped off a twig from a tree and poked at the brush in front of her as she walked. No sense stepping on a snoozing snake. “Where are you, Jake? Help me find you.”
I’m not crazy.
After three hours of wandering the woods, she knew, crazy or not, that she couldn’t stay out much longer. Mosquitoes had begun nibbling on her as if she was a buffet. She swatted at one buzzing around her head.
She hiked toward the highway noise to her car. Her legs ached and so did her heart.
The next morning, Jeremy stopped by. It was Wednesday—the day Grem got her hair done each week. He’d been stopping by every Wednesday since the accident. Kasey wasn’t sure if it was Grem’s idea or his, but she’d started to appreciate his visits.
Still in her nightshirt, Kasey opened the door. Dots of pink calamine lotion highlighted her itchy mosquito bites.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
“Promise not to laugh?”
Jeremy smiled. “Hell, no. If you’re going to make me promise, it has to be funny.” He followed her into the living room.
“Fine. I went back to the accident site to se
e if I could get a connection or idea about where I might find Jake.”
He sat down in the chair across from her. “I wouldn’t laugh about that. I know how you’re hurting. I wish I could fix everything for you right now.”
“You’re so sweet. It was stupid, I know, but it seemed like it was worth a shot. Better than sitting here wondering.”
A glazed look spread over his face.
“I’ve brought you down, too.” She sat next to him. “I’m not very good company these days.”
He patted her leg. “Don’t be silly. It’s just so hard for me to see you so sad.”
“I just wish I knew. I’ve memorized every angle of the terrain near the accident, and I’m no closer to finding Jake. I’m running out of ideas. And to make matters worse, the police don’t seem to have the same sense of urgency they had before.” Tears slid to her chin. She swept them away with her sleeve. “I know he’s alive. I know in here.” She tapped her heart. “But I need a glimmer of hope that I’ll find him.”
“I’m so sorry.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat silent for a moment. Then he lifted his head and looked her square in the eye. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
Kasey’s eyes brightened. “Anything.”
He started to speak, then paused. “Well.” He cleared his throat, then scooched to the edge of his seat. “I know this gal. It’s a long shot. She does tea-leaf readings.”
She leaned back and rolled her eyes. “Oh, no. You know how I feel about that black magic. It’s just tempting bad stuff to come your way. I don’t think I could do that.”
“No. It’s not like that. Tasseography is a divine practice.”
She grimaced. “Tassy-whatever-ography doesn’t sound divine. It sounds scary.”
“Just think about it.” He shrugged. “The practice is based on meditation and stuff, so you probably need to believe and trust that it will work. You said you’d do anything.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I know, but I don’t think I’m that desperate. That’s just....” She ran her hands up and down her arms to chase the nervous tingle that followed the thought of tempting fate with that sort of magic.
“The offer stands. If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll set it up.”
She was hesitant to even consider it. “You’d go with me?”
“Of course. Anything.” His gaze pleaded with her.
“I’ll think about it,” Kasey said.
“You could ask if Jake’s alive. Find out for sure, one way or the other. Maybe get a lead.”
“I could ask specific questions like that?” She needed answers, but that magic stuff had always given her the heebie-jeebies. “If I only knew he was safe, it would be easier.” She slouched, then shook her head. “No, I’m not ready for that. I have an aerial photographer going up tomorrow to search the area again. He’s doing it as a favor. I’m going to photograph his plane for a print ad in exchange. Maybe something will turn up this time.”
Jeremy looked at his watch. “I’ve got to go. Your grandmother will be a real pain in the ass if I pick her up late.”
“Like she won’t be anyway?”
“Be nice. She’s not as bad as you think. She loves you.” Jeremy gave her a hug, then left.
Kasey watched him back out of the driveway. The thought of somebody predicting her future or knowing her past sent a tingle down her spine, and not in a good way. Time was slipping away though, and the longer Jake was missing, the more likely it was she’d never find him. Some said it had already been too long.
Even Riley had asked if she wanted to consider a memorial for Jake if something didn’t turn up soon.
Kasey couldn’t—wouldn’t—give up on Jake yet.
Chapter Seven
Kasey stared at the ceiling until the swirled plaster blurred, forming images—silhouettes of better times. She sprawled her leg across Nick’s side of the bed. Empty and cool.
She’d promised herself she’d get out of bed today, but that had been yesterday, and today didn’t seem as far away as tomorrow had seemed at the time she made that promise.
One month. Exactly one month today since she’d laid Nick to rest. Everyone said it would get easier with time, but how much time and how much easier?
Although the wounds were still tender, she knew in her heart she couldn’t let time keep slipping by. Nick would hate that. He’d lived life to the fullest—never wasted a minute. She hadn’t done a good job of either lately.
She sat upright on the edge of the bed and forced her feet to the ground. She held her arms out to the side to steady herself as she stood. Taking slow steps, she made her way to the bathroom and twisted the knobs on the shower.
She stepped out of her pajamas and into the shower, letting the gentle spray wash over her as she prayed for strength. She turned counter-clockwise, wishing that would rewind her life to happier times. The water began to run cool so she got out. Wrapped in a towel, she went back in the bedroom and sat at the antique dressing table. She hadn’t put on makeup since the funeral, but it was a step, even if she was faking it, toward feeling better. She brushed her hair, then picked out something to wear.
Her favorite pair of khakis hung loose on her now. She cinched the waist tight with a belt. It would have to do.
The melancholy she’d woken up with slid away, now replaced by anger. Nick had given her a wonderful life and then abandoned her.
How could you leave me? You promised you’d always be here.
Kasey went downstairs and walked outside. She looked at the beautiful property, as if through Nick and Jake’s eyes, and remembered each precious day, each moment. She wasn’t alone. Dutch wandered around with her every step of the way, like a shadow. The old dog had loved those two Rolly boys as much as she did, and his eyes seemed sadder than normal. Every time she stopped, Dutch pushed his head under her hand. He needed the connection, too.
She went back inside with a plan, with Dutch at her heels. His nails clicked on the hardwood floors like seconds ticking by on a clock.
Kasey picked up the phone and dialed Grem to tell her she was coming by. She made the call short though, because Grem had a way of saying the wrong thing, and all she needed was an excuse to crawl back under the covers.
She wasn’t going to give herself a way out today.
* * * *
It was a beautiful day for a drive. Kasey drove with the top down on the Porsche. She usually loved the wind in her hair and breathing in the air that rushed around the car as she sped along. She’d been known to sing at the top of her lungs without a care about who might hear. No radio and no singing today, though. She was going through the motions for Nick, but her heart wasn’t in it.
She punched in the security code at the gates to her grandmother’s estate, then idled between the flowering crepe myrtles that dotted the path to the big house. When she reached the end of the driveway, she caught sight of Grem on the porch, waving at her.
Kasey waved and parked in front. The old Porsche had been Daddy’s car, his pride and joy. When she’d been little, Daddy would speed down the road with the top down and her by his side. It had cost her dearly to rebuild the old car over the years, but she felt close to Dad when the leather seats wrapped around her like a hug. She’d always been a daddy’s girl.
“It’s about time. I haven’t heard from you in weeks,” the old woman complained. “Now get your fanny over here already. The day is half gone.”
Had to give it to her for being spunky at her age. “It’s only eight o’clock. Most people are just getting their day started.”
Grem pursed her lips with a vague hint of disapproval. “Don’t be sassing me. Just give me a hug.”
Kasey pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and hugged her grandmother.
“Let me get a good look at you.”
Kasey stepped back and posed, forcing a smile.
“Goodness dear, you look thin, and you could use a haircut.” The old woman to
ok Kasey’s hands into hers, then rubbed her thumb over Kasey’s nails. “Would you have a look at those nails? My goodness. Are you sure you’re my granddaughter?”
“Yes, I am.” She rolled her eyes. “I haven’t had time.”
“Pshaw, you’ve just been sitting around moping. You’ve had plenty of time to take care of those little things.”
Kasey sat on the top step in front of her grandmother. “Yeah, well that’s just it. Those are little things, aren’t they? Not so important in the scheme of things.”
“Don’t dismiss the importance of taking care of yourself. Lucky for you, I had a feeling you would be in a mess. I already called Seth at home. I’ve made appointments for both of us with him and George this morning, dear.”
“Tell me you didn’t.” Kasey slumped. She like being pampered, and George and Seth were the best stylists around. But they were so full of energy, and she wasn’t up to that.
“Yes, I did. If we don’t get a move on, we’re going to be late.”
Defeated, she knew better than to argue. Grem always got her damn way. “Fine. I gather you already have Jeremy lined up to take us.”
“Of course, dear. He should be around any minute. Why don’t you put on some lipstick? You look a little pale.”
“I look fine.” She gave her grandmother a stern look. “Don’t push it, okay?” She now remembered why, when she’d lived here, she stayed in the carriage house where she could come and go without bumping into Grem on a daily basis, and why she’d hired Jeremy in the first place. Well, that and the fact that Grem had run off all the other help. Jeremy had staying power.
The older that woman got, the more she thought she had the right to do and say whatever she damn well pleased. That wasn’t always pleasant.
Jeremy pulled the Mercedes around. Kasey scooted to the edge of the step and stood, muttering under her breath, “Saved by the Benz.”
He made his way to the porch and hugged Kasey. “Glad to see you out and about. We’ve missed you. You doing okay?”