Terreto was 33 years old, married to Lisa Palmer who was 31 years old. They had two kids; ages 4 and 2. He was born in El Salvador and moved to the United States with his parents when he was five years old. The file listed his address, where he went to high school and college, as well as his parents’ names, ages and address. He had no known record and had not even had a traffic ticket in the state of Oregon in the four years since he had lived here. As Thomas kept reading the email, he found himself more and more impressed by the accomplishments of this Terreto person. However, Thomas could not figure out why he was so interested in him and Derrick and their lives here on the Coast. If it was a follow up story on the death of Sarah or on Thomas and Daniel life since her death, that story had already been written before and Terreto should know that. Nevertheless, that theory did not make total sense to Thomas anyway. He thought about it for a few more minutes and realized how tired he was. He quickly sent Derrick a short email response and shut off the laptop. He could feel his gut trying to tell him something but he could not figure out what it was.
He walked out onto the deck to get some fresh air and looked out at the expanse of black in front of him. The moon would occasionally poke through the clouds and every so often Thomas thought he felt a raindrop or two; he had been waiting for it. It was supposed to start raining sometime the next day and then for three or four days after that. A front was coming in from the southwest and there was the possibility of gale watches and warnings for the next week. In the morning, he would put the deck furniture and anything else that may blow away in the storage shed next to the house. After another fifteen minutes or so Thomas went back inside to take his own shower then went to bed, his dog Layla was already there waiting for him half asleep.
Fourteen
It was 8:30 in the morning on Tuesday in Michigan and Stephanie Davis had been sitting at her desk for nearly an hour already. Normally on any other day she wasn’t even there until 9 am. She had decided to take a sick day on Monday and drive up north, just her and her dog Shadow, so she could think. Today she had to play catch up for everything she had not gotten done yesterday, which so far hadn’t taken her long. When she woke up for work, she sent her friend Karen a text message to let her know that she would be at work today. Karen had called all day Sunday and eventually briefly stopped by Stephanie’s house to check on her. It was then that she let Karen know she would not be into work on Monday.
Stephanie sat at her desk typing out emails in the nearly empty corporate headquarters where she worked; looking up when she heard the unmistakable sound of Karen throwing her stuff on her own desk after coming in the door. A few moments later Karen came marching into Stephanie’s office not bothering to knock first.
“Okay woman, spill it, what the hell is going on, why the hell did you take the day off yesterday, what the hell is on your mind”? Karen asked forcefully the way she always was in the morning.
“I took a drive Hun, I told you I had stuff to think about and things I needed to deal with” Stephanie said calmly as she continued her typing.
“And did you get it figured out, you know you scared the living shit out of me on Sunday with your not answering your phone crap” Karen said.
“Yes I did and I made some decisions Karen. I’m sorry about the Sunday thing I was still reeling from what you and I talked about on Friday night, I am very sorry Sweetie,” Stephanie said.
“Bah… fine, I suppose you deserved the space, you did deal with a lot. You seem calmer, maybe content…not too sure if I like it” Karen said.
“I don’t know maybe I am I suppose” Stephanie said with a simple smile.
“So have you figured out what you’re going to do about this business with your man Thomas?” Karen asked.
“Okay for one he’s not my man Karen and yes I have figured it out I think, at least for now” Stephanie answered.
“So…don’t leave me hanging girl what are you gunna do” Karen asked as tapped her hand on armrest of her chair.
Stephanie reached into the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a few pieces of paper. She looked across the desk at her friend who was eyeing the papers she was holding in her hand, smiled and hand them over. Karen grabbed them like a kid in a candy store and read them a few times making sure she was reading them right.
“Holy shit girl you’re actually going there to see him?” Karen said partially exasperated.
“I’m going there yes, but to see Thomas…I don’t know yet. I am taking a long weekend and going to see the Oregon Coast. I’ll be leaving on a Wednesday morning and coming back Sunday night,” Stephanie said.
“Umm yeah, I can see that, but why and why so soon? You just read all of the stuff I got for you Steph; you have not had much time to process it Darlin. And now you’re going on a plane to get back a guy a you haven’t seen in damn near five years, it’s insane Sweetie…specially for you” Karen said.
“Karen I’m not going out there to see him so to speak, I’m going out there to see what it’s like where he lives. The information and pictures you got for me were wonderful and helpful and I learned a lot. However, I realized for as long as I knew Thomas and for as much as he talked about Oregon, I have really no idea what it is like there. However, sometimes there are thing’s a girl just needs to see and learn on her own. I suppose maybe you could say I’m going on my own research trip and vacation” Stephanie said.
“Interesting, well did you at least tell your friend Derrick you’re heading out there on vacation?” Karen asked.
“Well I called him Saturday night and left him a voicemail, I was going to talk to him when he called me back. But he hasn’t done that yet” Stephanie said then adding “and I’m worried if I let him know before I get there that he will tell Thomas I’m there and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I do not know if Thomas would even want to see me at all, I may not even see Derrick at all either. Besides I’ve been working my ass off and been through hell with that bastard ex-boyfriend of mine and I think I deserve a little vacation for myself”
“It’s true you do deserve a vacation that’s very true. So basically you’re going out there to stalk him…them” Karen asked pressing her friend.
“It’s not stalking Karen, I just need to know what I’m dealing with if I have any chance of rekindling something with Thomas…if that’s even possible at this point in our lives, hell he may have a girlfriend you know. But I still love him and I just have to do this” Stephanie said
“Okay I understand you having to do this for you, but from what you told me about Thomas and Derrick their pretty smart. What are you going to do if Thomas sees you or finds out you’re there? Obviously you can’t just go around town asking questions about him. I mean look what happened with my reporter friend Sam, he got shut down faster than hell” Karen said.
“I don’t plan on asking questions Karen, I have enough information already to lead me around. And I don’t really think that after five year Thomas would even recognize me anymore if we just happened to run into each other. People change as we get older. I look a lot different than I did before he left” Stephanie said.
“Okay good point Steph but what about Derrick? And where are you going to stay, I mean it’s not like you can just check into a hotel in the town where they live, that’s a little chancy don’t you think?” Karen asked then adding “and sometimes you never forget the face of someone you once loved, even years later”
“If I run into Derrick I’ll deal with him. As I said, I may call him anyway while I am there. As far as a hotel, I am going to be staying up the coast a ways from Tillamook, about an hour. I managed to find a little place to rent for that weekend though in a town called Cannon Beach, Thomas told me about it once. It was not as cheap as a hotel would have been. But the older guy and his wife who own it said the view is amazing and the beach is only a hundred feet away. And it’s away from the crowds and the more touristy part of town which will be nice. The big plus is that it is an actual house and not some
crappy hotel room. They told me that it’s getting towards the busy tourist season out there and rooms get harder to come by, and more expensive,” Stephanie explained.
“So you’re thinking if you stay outside of the town they live in; Tillamook or whatever it is. You can just pop in and out and not really be noticed too much and hopefully at all. And then just pass yourself of as a typical tourist while you’re there?” Karen asked.
“Yep that’s about it, just a normal tourist my friend, that’s on vacation on the Oregon Coast,” Stephanie said
“And stalking someone while she’s there” Karen said giving her friend a look.
“Would you stop saying that, I’m not stalking him Karen,” Stephanie said getting kind of annoyed.
“Fine we will call it research if it makes you happy, but at least acknowledge that this could go really…really badly,” Karen said.
“Yes it could I’ll admit that, I’m just going to have to be very, very careful and not be stupid about how I do things” Stephanie said.
“I don’t know whether I should kick your ass and try and stop you, or support you on this” Karen said then adding “but it’s probably my fault for staring all of this”.
“Damn right it is” Stephanie said as she threw a pen at her friend and laughing.
“So, when do you leave?” Karen asked.
“Three weeks from Wednesday, I leave May 12th,” Stephanie said.
“And I suppose you need a ride to airport and someone to watch your big dumb dog too”? Karen asked.
“Just a ride, my brother Rob is going to watch Shadow for me,” Stephanie said.
“Fine, I suppose I should give you a ride to the airport and see you off, I am the one who got you into this sort of,” Karen said.
“What would I do without you” Stephanie said
“You would be lost and boring forever, and never do crazy irrational things ever again, and I want the whole day off too. But I should get going and get the coffee ready and put my face on,” Karen said.
“The coffee is made already, I did it for you. And I already gave you the day off” Stephanie said laughing and then adding “but yeah, you should do something about your face though”.
“Ha, ha, very funny. I’ll come bother you again in a bit and we can talk more” Karen said. Then she stood up, grabbed her purse and walked out of her friends office as quick and as blustery as she when came in.
Stephanie spent the rest of the day feeling more at ease than she had since all of this had started. She felt as if she was actually taking a chance in life and that was something she had not done in a long time. She was not sure what would happen in Oregon, but she was glad she was doing something. She looked forward to going somewhere new that she had never seen, and forward to getting the hell out of Michigan.
Fifteen
It was Tuesday night in Oregon and Thomas had a busier day at the shop than normal. Derrick had stopped by to talk to him about the whole Samuel Terreto situation. Derrick had done some more digging on his own concerning Terreto and had relayed most of that back to Thomas during their conversation earlier in the day. However, Derrick had left out for the time being a few things. He had a hunch about some things, certain coincidences that he had noticed lately and he decided to keep an eye open on things for his best friend. The police had been to the shop to deal with a few unruly teenagers that Tracie did not have the patience for. Thomas had to stop back after picking Daniel up from school and talk to the two police officers who came, it happened on occasion though and wasn’t usually a big deal. Thomas also decided earlier in the day after talking to Tracie, to invite Derrick and Erin over for dinner to celebrate their engagement. Considering the potentially bad weather, Tracie took up Derrick’s offer of riding with him and Erin to Thomas’ house.
It was lightly raining now and nearly 7 pm and the four grownups and Daniel had just finished with dinner. Tracie had insisted on cooking everything despite Thomas’ offer to help. She made her homemade spaghetti with the biggest meatballs Thomas had ever seen in his life. The girls insisted on cleaning up after dinner so they could have girl talk and Thomas sent his son to his room to do his homework after dinner which was part of their agreement. Thomas and Derrick were now standing outside the back of the house that faced the road and were enjoying a cigarette and a beer and some nonbusiness talk.
“She seems really excited man,” Thomas said.
“You have no idea Bro; she started crying as soon as I pulled out the ring. I had to wait five minutes just too actually ask her” Derrick said laughing.
“I’m proud of you man, I never thought I would see the day that you actually asked someone to marry you, it’s pretty great” Thomas said then adding “looks like both our crazy days as bachelors are finally over”
“Yeah, but it had to happen sooner or later for us both. I called my mom, dad, and my brothers today with Erin and we told them the news. They’re very excited, they’re going to try and come out for a week sometime in July or August and see us” Derrick said.
“I bet they’re happy their baby boy is finally getting married. They still hate me for talking you into moving out here,” Thomas said.
“Yeah they seem really happy about it, and I think Mom is still not your biggest fan but it happens” Derrick said.
“So you guys figure out a date yet?” Thomas asked.
“I think so actually, you know how women are. I think Erin had this planned out in her head before I even asked her” Derrick said then adding “I think we’re loosely shooting for early next spring, end of March maybe”.
“Sounds awesome man,” Thomas answered.
Thomas and his friend stood outside for a few more minutes and finished their cigarettes and man talk then went back inside. Tracie and Erin were already sitting on the couch with a wedding magazine in between them looking at dresses. Thomas went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine, opened it then grabbed four wine glasses and set them down on the coffee table. He poured the wine into the glasses and handed them to his friends and Tracie.
He looked at Derrick and Erin who were now sitting next to each other and said, “Hey you two, I just want to say congratulations. You are two of my closest friends in the world and I love you. I could not be happier for you both, now Derrick don’t mess it up”.
Derrick and Erin laughed and Erin said “thank you Thomas, I hope he doesn’t mess this up either”.
“Hey now, If I was going to mess things up I would have done it far sooner than this,” Derrick said laughing
“You must be in love…or she really loves you” Thomas said.
“I can’t believe you managed to put up with him Sweetie” Tracie said to Erin.
“Well what I can say I’m a very patient woman, right baby?” Erin replied as she patted her fiancés leg with her hand.
Thomas leaned back onto the coach and Tracie rested her head on his shoulder.
Erin was whispering something into Derricks ear when she turned and looked over at Thomas and Tracie then said, “We have something to ask you two”.
“Sure what’s up?” Tracie answered after giving Thomas a wondering look.
“Well…” Erin started saying then she looked at Derrick and whispered “baby why don’t you go first”.
“Okay babe sure thing” Derrick said then looking at Thomas and saying “I was wondering if you want to be my best man?”
“For real…what about your brothers”? Thomas asked kind of surprised.
“They’re in South Dakota and Michigan and you’re here Tom. You’re like a brother to me to man, we’ve been through some shit together” Derrick said.
“Well I don’t know man” Thomas said as he pretended to think about it, Even though he had already decided to say yes.
“Oh shut the hell up, you know you already decided to say yes” Derrick said.
“Sometimes I hate how well you know me Derrick” Thomas said then adding “But yeah man I’d love to, if I’m your guy…t
hen I’m in”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I thought otherwise” Derrick said and reaching over the table and shaking his best friends hand. Then barely even waiting for Derrick and Thomas to finish talking, Erin blurted out “TRACIE WILL YOU BE MY MAID OF HONOR”?
“OH MY GOD REALLY…yes, yes of course I will” Tracie yelled. They stood up at the same time then the two women started screaming at the top of their lungs and crying.
“For real, are you sure…I mean what about your sister”? Tracie asked as she tried to calm down.
“Of course I’m sure honey, you’re by best friend. And my sister lives all the way over in Boston and she’s a bitch anyway…and you’re so not a bitch” Erin said, her face full of smiles a tears.
“Awe you don’t think I’m a bitch, you are such a great friend” Tracie said as tears came out of her eyes. Thomas and Derrick looked at each other not knowing what to think and had to fight not too break out laughing.
The next minute or so was full of screams and female crying and hugging. Thomas and Derrick were fighting the urge to plug their ears from the high-pitched noise.
A moment later Daniel came out of the bedroom with his pajamas on, both dogs following and said “is everything okay I heard crying and stuff, the dogs were kind of freaking out”?
“Oh everything is fine” Erin said as she ad Tracie ran over and hugged the little boy as hard as they could, tears still coming out of their eyes.
“What the heck is wrong with them Dad” the very confused boy asked as his father who tried not to laugh.
“Oh they’re just really happy buddy, they will be okay though” his father said
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