by Carolina Mac
The woman stepped out onto the deck and she was taller than Rob thought at first. He had to look up to talk to her. Giant witch-woman. “Oh, that’s your motorcycle? Grace said a young man might come for it in a few years, and I wondered why it would take him so long to come and get it.”
“I’m slow,” said Rob. “Is it all right if I take it?”
“Of course, if it belongs to you.”
“Thanks.” He took a step back, then asked. “Do you know where in Texas, Grace moved to?”
“She did mention it when we talked last, but I forget. My memory is getting foggy, you know.”
“Do you send rent checks to an address?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Deposit them in the bank for her and she gets the money at her end. Easy for me. Easy for her.”
“Right,” said Rob. “Thanks a lot. I’ll get my bike.”
DUSK HAD SETTLED over Paradise Park by the time Rob got the bike running. It had sat in Grace’s shed for so long it was a wonder it started at all. He considered himself lucky it hadn’t been ripped off. His Harley Sportster was the only thing he cared about, aside from Grace and the baby he’d never laid eyes on.
Once he’d cared about his brother, and that had been a mistake. One that cost him years of his life. He hardly ever thought about Gary anymore. Just a bad memory mixed in with a lot of other bad ones. The only good memories he had starred Grace—his wife, Grace Eastman.
His bike roared as he took off down the highway, heading south, squeezing the gas and feeling the wind in his face and wondering if he would ever see Grace again. How in hell would he find her in Texas? He’d never been across the border. Would they let him cross if he had a sheet? A whole new set of problems had cropped up in the last two hours.
He pulled into the first motel he came to and rented a room for the night. It wasn’t much in the way of accommodation, but he had a room all to himself and that was a step up. The shower worked, and the towels were clean—another two pluses. He sat on the bed with pillows propped up behind him and flicked through the channels.
First night on his own in years. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, and all he wanted to do was sleep.
CHAPTER TWO
May 6th.
SUN STREAMED through the motel window and Rob woke with a start. What time was it? He hadn’t slept soundly like that for what? Years? Yep—years since he slept through the night. No fuckin wonder he was tired. He was still half-sitting up and the remote had fallen out of his hand and landed on the carpet.
After a quick shower, he put on the same clothes he’d taken off the night before and made a mental note to stop somewhere and expand his wardrobe. Grace would freak if she found out he wore the same underwear two days in a row. He smiled thinking about the hot sex they’d had in the laundry room at the trailer. And in most of the other rooms as well. Kitchen? Yeah, one of his favorites.
Back on his bike after he checked out, he headed south again and stopped at Tim’s. Inside he lined up and ordered coffee and a multi-grain bagel. He wasn’t hungry. His gut was in such a knot over his state of unrest, he might never be hungry again. Not until he found Grace.
His best bet was Grace’s brother, Jerry. If anybody would know where Grace lived in Texas, it would be her brother. They’d always been close.
Jerry lived in a duplex in the north end of Oshawa. Rob had been there a couple times with Grace and he tried to remember the street name as he zoomed along on his bike. Nope. Couldn’t think of it.
It was noon by the time he hit Oshawa. He slowed down and cruised the streets in the area where he thought Jerry lived. Up and down. Around the block and back again. The sun beat down mercilessly, but didn’t provide much help.
There—that could be it. Duplex with black trim. He parked on the drive and tried the unit on the right. An older woman with a cigarette in her mouth answered the door, looking none too happy at being disturbed.
“I’m looking for Jerry Whitmarsh.”
She stabbed a finger in the opposite direction. “Next door.”
“Thanks.” He walked across the small patch of grass that fronted both units and tried the other door.
A very pregnant Kate answered his knock. Her face broke into a wide smile when she recognized him. “Robbie.” She opened the door wider and stepped back. “Come in. Come on in.”
Kate hadn’t changed much. Not her face, anyway. Still a pretty girl with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She had expanded in some areas, but the rest of her was still tall and slim.
“Thanks, Kate. Is Jerry here?”
“He will be. He had an errand to run. He’s taking a couple days off in case I go to the hospital. It’s almost time.” She led the way into the kitchen and pointed to the table. “I told him, I’d call him at work and there would be lots of time for him to come home, but you know Jerry. Such a worrier and he likes to do things his way.”
The kitchen was clean and tidy and smelled of hamburger mixed with another familiar odor—what was it? Fresh paint? Rob sat down at the table and let out a breath. He had so many questions he needed answers to, he could barely sit still.
“What do you want in your coffee?” Kate stood as close to the counter as she could get with a big baby bump in front of her. It reminded him of Grace the last time he had seen his wife, and he fought back the burning behind his eyes.
“Regular is good. Grace always said I used too much sugar.”
Kate set the mug on a placemat in front of him and eased down onto a chair. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Jerry can’t find Grace,” she whispered. “He’s going insane.”
Rob felt like the wind had been kicked out of him. It took a few seconds before he could speak. When he did, his question came out in a whisper, “What do you mean, Jerry can’t find Grace?”
“He’s lost contact with her and her cell isn’t working.” Kate began to cry, and Rob could see he was upsetting her.
If Jerry can’t find her, something bad must have happened. He’s so close to his sister.
While they waited for Jerry to return from his errand, Rob’s heart hammered in his chest as he prodded Kate with questions. “Why did Grace move to Texas?”
“Lon was offered a great job hauling for a big company down there, and they were willing to pay for the move. He’d been thinking about it for a while and decided it would be the best thing for them.” Kate’s lower lip quivered, and she shed a couple more tears.
“I can tell something terrible happened,” said Rob. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Kate stood with some difficulty, shuffled across the kitchen to the counter and grabbed a tissue. She dabbed at her eyes as she talked in a whisper. “Lon was headed home one night late after he delivered a load. He fell asleep and…”
“And had an accident?” asked Rob.
Kate nodded. “He drove into a freight train.”
“Oh, fuck.” Rob was on his feet pacing between the table and the door.
Kate lapsed into a full-blown sobbing session, and was wailing when Jerry stomped through the front door. Hearing his wife crying, he was ready to take on all-comers. Red in the face and glassy-eyed, Jerry blasted into the kitchen hollering, “What the hell is going on?”
Other than looking like a man on the edge about to lose his shit, Jerry looked the same as Rob remembered. Tall, dark-haired, dark razor stubble on his face. Maybe a little thinner. Nope, a lot thinner.
Jerry zeroed in on Rob, crossed the kitchen in three strides and gripped Rob in a bear hug. Jerry lost it and blurted out in a sob, “You’ve gotta find her, man. You gotta go down there and find my sister.”
“Exactly what I’m gonna do.”
JERRY SENT KATE upstairs for a nap after she calmed down. He sat with Rob at the kitchen table and filled him in on everything he knew. “When Lon was killed six months ago, I wanted to go down to San Antonio to be with Grace and help her through the funeral and all the rest of it, but Kate had just found out she was pregnant, a
nd she was sick.” Jerry made a face. “And I’m talking sick. Morning, noon and night, she was puking. She couldn’t ride in the truck, couldn’t travel, and I couldn’t leave her.”
Rob nodded.
“After Grace buried Lon, I begged her to come home and live here with us until she got over Lon’s death and decided what to do.” Jerry pushed his chair back, got to his feet and went to the fridge. “I’m having a beer. Want one?”
“No thanks,” said Rob with a grin. “Never pictured myself turning down a brew, but I need to drive and find a motel room.”
“No, no, no.” Jerry shook his head. “Stay here tonight, we’ll work out what you’re going to do, and you can start
tomorrow.” He put a cold Coors in front of Rob.
“Don’t want to bother you and Kate.”
“No bother. I want you here. I can’t leave and you’re my best chance to find my sister. Honestly, man, I’m so fuckin happy to see you. I didn’t know you were getting out or I would have driven down to that hell-hole and picked you up myself.”
“They moved up my release date—model prisoner and all that.” Rob didn’t smile.
Jerry took on a serious tone. “I know you didn’t kill your brother, Rob. Grace filled me in on all the details.”
“It looked like I did, and the cops needed somebody to pin it on. They like to close cases. I never denied beating the crap out of Gary for what he did to Grace. Gary was… doesn’t matter what he was—not anymore. But I showed him no mercy and I did beat the living shit out of him, best I could. Why he crawled into the back of his truck and decided to sleep there in below zero weather we’ll never find out. The law said I caused his death, and that’s all they needed. He was alive when I left him, hollering at me, and cursing me up down and sideways. That’s what I know.”
Jerry nodded.
“My own actions caused me to lose Grace, and that’s my biggest regret. Now that I find out all the hell she went through after they arrested me—it’s putting me close to the edge.”
“You defended Grace,” said Jerry. “I would have done exactly what you did. No different. Circumstances got you.” Jerry chugged half his beer standing up, then sagged into his chair, “Where was I?”
“Grace wouldn’t come home,” said Rob. “Why wouldn’t she, after something terrible like that?”
“She got a book deal with a new publisher. Something about a series and they were giving her a big advance. They have an office in San Antonio, and she wanted to stay close to her editor or some damn thing.” Jerry shook his head. “I told her she could get an editor up here just as well.”
Rob picked at the label on his bottle. “When was the first time you couldn’t contact her? Was it this week, or longer than that?”
“It was the first week of April. Her lease on the house she and Lon rented, was going to expire on the fifteenth of the month. The owner was an older guy who needed the money, so he decided to sell the property and Grace had to look for a new place.” Filled with emotion, Jerry turned his head and attempted to pull himself together.
Rob waited, then asked, “Did she find another place?”
Jerry shrugged, and his eyes welled up. “She’d been looking for a while when I last talked to her—outside the city was where she wanted to be with Joey—but I never heard any more. I just don’t know.”
Rob felt his heart skip a beat. “Joey, is that his name?”
Jerry grinned. “I’ve got pictures on my phone.” He pulled them up and let Rob scroll through them.
I can’t believe I’m looking at my son.
Rob finished looking at the pictures and sat with his head down. “I’ve missed so much already.”
Jerry hopped up and got him another beer.
“Kate said Grace’s cell isn’t working.”
Jerry shook his head. “The number seems to be out of service. I’ve tried it a million times and called the provider.”
Rob felt the breath leave his body. “Call the cops?”
He nodded. “San Antonio PD. I can give you the name of the guy I talked to in Missing Persons. They filled out a report over the phone and said they’d let me know. So far nothing.”
Rob tried to sort it out in his head. “That’s a month,”
“Jesus, man. I know how fuckin long it is. Everyday she’s gone, I think of all these terrible things that could have happened to her. I’m ready for the fuckin loony-bin.”
“Sorry,” said Rob, “just thinking out loud.”
Why wouldn’t Grace be in touch with Jerry? Why wasn’t her phone working?
Rob’s heart had never had such a workout. He had to find her and soon… before he lost it completely. He chugged half his beer and tried to concentrate on what Jerry was saying.
“Grace left an envelope for you. Stuff from your trailer after she sold it.” Jerry hopped up. “I’ll get it for you.”
“I didn’t know she decided to sell it. The tenants were moving out after Gary got out of jail, so he could move back to his own place, but that was the last I heard.” Rob bowed his head and stared at the yellow tablecloth. “Everything came down on her after … I messed up our life together.”
“Stop blaming yourself. It’s done.”
“Yeah, done.” Rob tipped up his beer and finished it.
It’s done, all right. And it’s all my fault.
Jerry finished the trailer story and Rob tried to listen, even though his mind was going in six different directions. “She wasn’t sure about selling your trailer—well…yours and Gary’s, but it was a good offer and she wanted you to have money for a fresh start when you got out.”
“Good thing she had power of attorney,” said Rob. “She’s the smart one. It sure as hell ain’t me.”
She had to have it because of my little problem.
Jerry returned a few minutes later and put a sealed Manilla envelope in front of Rob.
He stared at it. Wonder if Grace wrote me a note?
“You won’t know what’s in it until you open it.” Jerry headed for the fridge and took out two more beers.
Rob’s heart hammered in his chest as he opened the
envelope and spread out the contents on the table. Details of the sale attached to a lawyer’s letter and statement—after the
mortgage was paid, Rob was left with fifteen thousand
dollars. At least that’s what he thought it meant. The money was in the bank and all the banking details were there—bank card with a pin number on a sticky note—he could go to any branch of TD.
“Didn’t expect to have money.” he glanced at Jerry.
“Grace loves you, Robbie. She never would have given you up if things had been different.”
“That’s just it, ain’t it? The thing that’s sending me around the fuckin bend. It was all me, Jerry. I made her tell Lon. I insisted she needed Lon to man-up while I was gone. If I had let things play out, my wife would have been waiting for me in Paradise Park when I got there yesterday.”
Jerry nodded. “I know man. I’ve thought about this from every angle. Your intentions were the best, but fate got in the way and screwed you over… royally.”
Rob couldn’t speak as his eyes focused on the last item in the envelope. A hand-written note.
“Read it to me, Jerry.”
“You read it. It’s private.”
Rob stared at the words and tried to figure it out, but he couldn’t. He was better with numbers than he was with letters. His heart ached to know what Grace had written.
My darling, Robbie, you will be out of prison when you get this note. I love you greatly, sweetheart, with all my heart and we will be together again someday. Don’t lose faith. Grace.
ROB SPENT TIME outside the duplex after trying to read the note. Thoughts tumbling around in his head like popcorn popping at the movies. He lit up a smoke thinking it might keep him from puking.
Jerry wanted to make a solid plan, have Rob sleep over and leave for Texas in the morning, but Rob was los
ing his mind and couldn’t wait another day to get started. He had to take action. His heart raced in his chest and he could barely draw a breath that didn’t cut him in half. He leaned on his bike and sorted out a few thoughts in his head.
When Rob went back inside, his brother-in-law had started a pot of coffee and gone upstairs to check on Kate. Jerry returned to the kitchen carrying all the information he’d gathered together—addresses, police contacts, Lon’s employer, and notes he’d scribbled to himself that made no sense to Rob.
A lot of paperwork won’t do me much good. I’ll have to try to remember.
While they drank two cups of coffee, Jerry went over every scrap of information with Rob. When he was finished, Rob said, “Read it all to me, again.”
A-1 WELDING hadn’t moved from the concrete block
building they occupied on Bloor Street, near Park, when Rob worked there, way back when. Surprising they hadn’t gone broke while he was away. At the rate small businesses went under, Rob thought they might have closed their doors by now. The year he had worked there, some days they had very little to do and the boss sent them home early.
He sat outside the shop on his bike, smoking and staring at Grace’s note trying to figure out the words she had written to him, and repeating the one’s he knew in his head. He had stared at her handwriting so many times since Jerry read the note to him, he imagined he could read it.
‘I love you greatly.’
At five o’clock, the emergency exit at the side of the welding shop burst open and the boys spilled out. Farley spotted him right away, and strolled over wearing a big grin. “Hey Rob, my man. They let you out?”
“Did so,” said Rob. “Miss me?”
“Sure, as hell did. Let’s get a brew.”
Rob followed Farley three blocks to Flanagan’s, a rundown Irish pub the boys frequented after work most days. He parked his ride in the lot and chained it—just in case. Better safe than sorry—words to live by in this part of town.