by Joy Fielding
“Not yet,” Melanie said. “But I’m sure he’ll be arriving any day now.”
“Cassidy’s suddenly very popular,” Robin chimed in. “Why is that, I wonder?”
“I don’t know about anyone else,” Holly began, ignoring the two sisters and speaking directly to Cassidy. “But I’m here because, in spite of everything, and no matter what you might think, I loved your mother. And I love you. You’re all I have left of her. My baby is dead…”
“And you haven’t seen me since I was a baby. I wouldn’t have known you if I tripped over you on the street. And now you suddenly show up and want to be my nana? Give me a break. You’re here for the same reason that Dylan Campbell is here.”
“Dylan’s here?”
“Staying at the Red Rooster,” Melanie said.
“You might want to get in touch,” Robin added.
“Dylan Campbell may be here because he smells a payoff, but I’m not.” Holly Bishop looked down at her plain beige dress. “Material goods have never been important to me. I’m here because—”
“Because you loved Mommy, you love me, I’m all you have left, your baby’s dead, it’s the Lord’s plan. Did I miss anything?” Cassidy said. “I’m tired. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” She moved toward Landon. “Come on, Landon. Let’s go upstairs.” She took Landon’s hand and together they started to climb the steps.
“Cassidy, wait,” Holly called after them.
“Call me when the pizza gets here,” Cassidy said, without looking back.
Robin watched them disappear up the stairs.
“Wow,” Melanie said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m liking that girl more every day.”
“She’s her mother’s daughter, all right,” Holly said. “God help us.”
“What exactly did you think was going to happen?” Robin demanded. “Did you really expect that after all this time, after everything that’s happened, Cassidy was just going to welcome you into her life with open arms?”
“I don’t know what I thought,” Holly admitted. “Maybe that she’d want to come back to Oregon with me.” A lone tear tracked down her cheek and disappeared inside the corner of her mouth. “Wishful thinking, I guess. And now I should go.” She reached inside the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small white card. “It’s Reverend Sampson’s private line,” she said, handing the card to Robin. “In case Cassidy changes her mind.”
“Drive carefully,” Robin told Holly, opening the front door, then watching her climb behind the wheel of her rented Ford and drive away. “Don’t think we’ll be needing this,” she said, crumpling the card in her fist.
“Wait,” Melanie said, taking the card from Robin’s hand and smoothing it out.
“What are you doing?”
“You never know.”
“I know that Cassidy made her feelings about her grandmother very clear.”
“Cassidy’s a child. Children’s feelings change every hour.”
“Wow,” Robin said. “I thought we were on the same page.”
“Look. I’m no fan of Holly’s, but she is Cassidy’s grandmother. And decisions eventually have to be made about who’s going to look after her long-term. Because it sure as hell ain’t gonna be me. Not when she has a father and a grandmother both eager to take her.”
“You know as well as I do that they’re only interested in her inheritance,” Robin argued.
“Which isn’t my problem. Cassidy’s not my problem. And if you’re smart you won’t let guilt and a misguided sense of loyalty make her yours either.”
“So what are you suggesting? That we just abandon her?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m coming right out and saying that I have no intention of being a mother to that child. I’ve done my time as far as motherhood is concerned. Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. So it looks like (a) she goes to live with either her father or her grandmother, (b) she becomes a ward of the court, or (c) you take her back with you to L.A. Those are the options.” Melanie looked to Blake, her eyes challenging his. “What say you, Blake? Are you ready to be a father to a teenage girl you barely know?”
“It’s a lot to think about,” he admitted after a silence of several seconds.
“Yes, and unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time. Even if our father survives the weekend, the odds are he’ll be a vegetable for whatever time he has left, and much as I’ve enjoyed our time together, I can’t play hostess forever. I have to get back to work. Tillie’s won’t hold my job forever. And nothing is going to be accomplished by your hanging around indefinitely.”
“Our brother…”
“…is in jail. There’s nothing you can do about that, except maybe visit him for half an hour twice a week until he goes to trial, which might not be for another six months. And that’s assuming he’ll agree to see you. Are you really going to put your life on hold that long? I don’t think so. No. The party’s over. Your fiancé is heading back to L.A. on Sunday, and I strongly suggest you go with him. What you do with Cassidy is up to you. But face it, Robin. You really don’t want her any more than I do.”
Robin lowered her head, the weight of her sister’s words falling squarely on her shoulders. As much as she hated hearing them, she couldn’t dismiss them out of hand. Did she really want the responsibility of taking Cassidy back to L.A. to live with her and Blake? Was she ready to be the mother of a teenage girl, to raise Tara’s child as her own?
“We’ll figure things out,” Blake said, putting his arm around her and turning her toward the living room.
Which was when they saw her.
Cassidy was standing at the foot of the stairs, her mouth open, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Cassidy…,” Robin said, reaching for her. How long had she been standing there? How much had she overheard?
In response, Cassidy turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs. Seconds later, the door to her room slammed shut.
“I honestly didn’t know she was there,” Melanie said.
“I’ll talk to her,” Robin said.
“And say what?”
Robin shook her head. “I have no idea.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“So what are we going to do?” Robin asked, lying beside Blake in bed, flutters of anxiety weaving between her heartbeats.
“What do you want to do? Ultimately it’s your decision.”
“No. It affects you as much as it affects me. It has to be something we decide together.”
“And if I say I’m not ready?”
“Is that what you’re saying?”
“I don’t know.”
It was almost midnight. They’d been going back and forth like this ever since dinner, reviewing their options, listing the pros and cons. Nobody except Melanie had been hungry, so most of the extra-large pizza they’d ordered had remained in the box. Landon had come downstairs eventually and helped himself to a couple of slices, but Cassidy had remained locked in her room, despite repeated attempts by both Robin and Blake to get her to talk.
“Okay,” Blake said. “What if we suggest a compromise? Offer to have Cassidy with us for part of the time.”
Robin sat up beside him, considering his suggestion. “It wouldn’t work, even if Melanie agreed to it, which she won’t. Cassidy needs stability. She needs love.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “She needs us.”
There was a long pause. “Then I guess that settles that,” Blake said. “Decision made.”
“Is it the right one?”
“Time will tell.”
“What about us?” she asked.
“What about us?”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Another long pause. “You won’t lose me,” Blake said. “Don’t you know that by now?”
Robin swiveled around to face him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
They fell back against the pillows, wrapped in each other’s arms.
<
br /> “Should I go wake up Cassidy and tell her?” she asked.
“Sure. Why not?”
Robin got out of bed, threw a housecoat over her nightgown, and left the room. She tiptoed across the hall, listening at Cassidy’s door, about to knock.
She heard the sound of a door opening and turned around, expecting to see Blake. Instead she saw Landon, wearing pajama bottoms and naked from the waist up. He was even more massive than she’d imagined, his neck thick, his chest chiseled and muscular.
“Landon,” she acknowledged. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Leave Cassidy alone.”
“I was just—”
“Leave her alone.” His hands formed fists at his sides.
“It’s good news, Landon. I think she’d want to hear—”
“Leave her alone.” Even though his voice was barely above a whisper, it had the intensity of a shout.
Blake appeared in the doorway of their bedroom, looking from Robin to Landon and back again. “Is there a problem?”
“Landon doesn’t think I should wake Cassidy up.”
Landon took a menacing step forward.
“Okay,” Blake said. “Maybe Landon’s right. It’s late. Cassidy needs her rest. We can talk to her in the morning.”
“Why don’t we all try to get some sleep?” Robin agreed, crossing back to her room. “You, too, Landon,” she said when he didn’t move. “I promise I won’t try to talk to Cassidy again tonight.”
Landon hesitated, but then returned to his room and closed the door.
“That was creepy,” Robin said, climbing back into her bed.
Blake crawled in beside her. “Your sister’s right,” he said, folding her in his arms. “It’s time we got out of here.”
* * *
—
“You’re out of your minds,” Melanie pronounced at breakfast when Robin informed her of their decision.
“I would have thought you’d be ecstatic.” Robin finished the last of her coffee and smiled across the table at Blake. “Assuming Dad’s condition remains unchanged and Cassidy agrees, we’ll all be out of your hair first thing Sunday morning.”
“What’ll you tell the sheriff?”
“The truth. That we’re taking Cassidy back to L.A. and that if he needs to talk to her, he knows where to find us.”
“And Alec?”
“I’ll come back as often as possible, do whatever I can to help him.”
“Like what?”
I wish I knew, Robin thought. “It’s kind of late,” she said, checking her watch. “Do you think Cassidy’s all right?”
“The kid survived a bullet,” Melanie said. “A few harsh words won’t kill her.”
Robin pushed herself away from the table. “I should check.”
“Suit yourself.”
Robin headed up the stairs, stopping at the top of the landing to listen for the sound of Landon rocking. But there was nothing. Which meant he was probably standing at the window, she decided, tiptoeing toward Cassidy’s room. She didn’t want a repeat of last night’s confrontation.
“Cassidy,” she said, knocking gently on the door. “Cassidy, it’s Robin. I have some news. Cassidy?” She knocked louder. “Wake up, honey. I have something to tell you.”
She twisted the handle. The door opened.
Even before Robin stepped into the room, she knew it was empty. She crossed to the window and pulled open the drapes, flooding the room with sunshine. The sun shone a spotlight on Cassidy’s empty, unmade bed. “Oh, God. Where are you?”
Robin hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. “She’s gone.”
“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Melanie asked.
“I mean, she’s gone.”
“So she went out. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Cassidy was very upset last night. She thinks that nobody wants her.”
“Maybe Landon knows where she is,” Melanie suggested.
Robin turned and ran back up the steps, Blake right behind her. “Landon!” She banged loudly on his door. “Landon, I need to speak to you.” She pushed his door open.
He wasn’t there.
“Shit.”
“Take it easy,” Melanie said when they returned to the kitchen. “They’re obviously together, and if Landon’s with her, she’ll be fine.”
Robin thought of last night’s confrontation. “Maybe we should call the sheriff.”
“A little early to be calling in the troops, don’t you think?”
The doorbell rang, followed by loud knocking.
“There. See,” Melanie said. “The prodigal daughter returns.”
Robin marched to the front door and opened it.
The sheriff was standing on the other side.
“Oh, God. Cassidy…”
Sheriff Prescott looked confused, his eyebrows knitting together above the bridge of his nose. “Is there a problem?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Is your sister home?”
“My sister?” Robin looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “Melanie,” she called. “Sheriff Prescott’s here.” She turned back to the sheriff, noticing for the first time that he hadn’t come alone, that there were two other patrol cars parked behind his in the driveway.
“Has something happened?” Blake asked, joining her at the door.
“I have a search warrant,” the sheriff said, holding it in his right hand.
“A search warrant?” Robin repeated. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a warrant giving us permission to search the house.” He signaled to the waiting deputies.
“Can I see that?” Blake extended his open palm.
Melanie approached, hands on her hips, a frown on her face. “What’s going on?”
“They have a warrant to search the house,” Robin said.
“Let me see that.” Melanie grabbed the warrant from Blake’s hands.
“It looks to be in order,” Blake said.
“I don’t care what kind of order it’s in,” Melanie said. “You’re not setting foot inside this house.”
“Come on, Melanie,” Prescott said. “Let’s not make this any more unpleasant than it has to be. I don’t want to have to arrest you.”
“I don’t understand,” Robin said. “Why do you want to search the house? What are you looking for?”
“They’re looking for evidence, obviously,” Melanie said. “They think Landon was Alec’s accomplice.”
“But Alec didn’t do anything.”
“And neither did Landon.”
“Is Landon home?” Prescott asked.
“No,” Robin said.
“And Cassidy?”
“Not here,” Robin said, deciding this probably wasn’t the best time to elaborate.
“Good. Then let us inside to do our job,” Prescott said. “Hopefully we’ll be out of here before they get back. We’ll try not to make too much of a mess.” He waved the deputies inside the house.
“You piece of shit,” Melanie muttered as they entered the hallway. “You won’t find anything.”
“We’ll start with the upstairs,” the sheriff said, stopping at the foot of the steps. “If you’d be kind enough to direct me to Landon’s room.”
“You’re the one with the search warrant,” Melanie told him. “Find it yourself.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
One deputy remained downstairs while the sheriff and the other three officers headed for the upstairs bedrooms. Prescott directed one deputy to Melanie’s room, another to the room Robin and Blake were sharing, and the third to Cassidy’s room, leaving Landon’s bedroom for himself. “We’ll be as quick and as careful as we can,” Prescott told Robin and Blake as he donned a pair of latex gloves to pull back the curtains in Landon’s room and flip on the overhead light.
“You break anything, you pay for it,” Melanie warned.
“I’m going to need you to stand back,” Prescott said. “You can w
atch if you want, but you’re not to interfere in any way.”
“You are one miserable son of a bitch,” Melanie told him.
“Melanie…,” Robin cautioned.
“What? Are you going to tell me he’s just doing his job? That this isn’t personal?”
“Why would it be personal?” Robin’s eyes shot between her sister and the sheriff, the reason for their enmity suddenly clear. “Whoa,” she gasped. “Seriously? You and the sheriff?”
“Guess I forgot to mention it,” Melanie acknowledged. “Guess he wasn’t all that memorable.”
“Can we not do this now?” the sheriff said.
“Yeah, I think that’s what you said when you told me you’d decided to patch things up with your wife.”
“And I’m deeply sorry that I hurt you. It was never my—”
“You didn’t hurt me,” Melanie interrupted. “Shit. Don’t flatter yourself. Just don’t try to tell me this isn’t personal.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized again, looking sheepishly at Robin. “But none of this has anything to do with my investigation or why I’m here. Believe me, I’d rather be anywhere else.”
I believe you, thought Robin.
“Now, we’ve wasted enough time.”
“You can say that again,” Melanie said.
The sheriff sighed in defeat and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser, sweeping his gloved hand through Landon’s underwear, then moving on to the drawer below, which contained his T-shirts and socks.
The third drawer was filled to overflowing with sweatpants and sweatshirts, all of which Prescott shook out before tossing them across the bed.
“So much for not making a mess,” Melanie said.
“Come on, Melanie,” Robin said, still reeling from the realization of her sister’s affair with Prescott. “You’re only making things worse.”
The bottom drawer contained sweaters and a crumpled black rain jacket. The sheriff checked the jacket’s pockets, then returned it to the drawer before getting down on his hands and knees in front of the bed.
“Careful, Sheriff,” Melanie warned. “If I remember correctly, you don’t have a lot of stamina.”