Jamie speared the charred ribs off the grill, set them on a metal cooking sheet on the table, and scraped the grates with a wire brush. “Did Aunt Faith really steal money from the market?”
Sam inhaled a deep breath. “I don’t consider it stealing when you take something that already belongs to you. I do wish she’d talked to me first, though.”
Using his teeth, Jamie tore open the tenderloin package and laid the meat out on the grill. “How’d you find out about it?”
“I found some past due notices.”
His head shot up. “Was it a lot of money?”
“By itself, no. The money she borrowed was not enough to hurt us. But considering how business has been off lately, I’m not sure we can absorb the loss.”
Jamie closed the grill lid and joined her at the table. “I guess I’ve been too wrapped up in my own problems to ask about Sweeney’s. I didn’t realize business has been so bad. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Market business was once a nightly topic of discussion for them, especially during the summers when they worked together six days a week. She had never encouraged Jamie when he spoke of one day taking over the business. She wanted him to seek a career of his own first, then if things didn’t work out, she would invite him to join her at Sweeney’s. Assuming Sweeney’s was still in business.
“You can start by praying for some positive publicity.” She winked at him. “Seriously, though, Jamie. Faith asked me to talk to you. She is concerned for our safety. She has it in her mind to move to a shelter, but if she goes anywhere, it’ll be to Jackie’s.”
“No, Mom, you can’t let them leave. Bitsy is already terrified. Making her move would only scare her more.”
“You were brave to go after Curtis tonight, but as strong as you are, you are still in a wheelchair. I’m not willing to put your life in danger.”
“That coward hasn’t got anything on me, in or out of a wheelchair.”
To see her son’s cocky attitude return lifted Sam’s spirits, but it was that same cocky attitude she worried about. “Don’t be flippant, son. We are talking about a potentially dangerous situation. Curtis had a gun on him tonight. If we hadn’t called the police when we did, he might’ve used it.”
He picked the grill fork up and waved it at her. “I promise I’ll never attack Curtis with a grill fork again.” He grinned his bad boy grin, the one that made her hair turn gray. “Next time I’ll use my pistol.”
Complaining of a headache, Faith went to bed right after dinner. Sam took her glass of wine out to the front porch to watch the pink sky fade away. She was settling in on the swing when a silver pickup truck pulled up to the curb. She almost didn’t recognize Eli, dressed in street clothes—a pair of khaki pants and a black polo shirt that showed off his tan and made his gray eyes look smoky.
He approached the house. “Nice night for porch sitting.”
“It is, as long as Curtis stays locked up in a cell.”
“He’s eating gruel and stale bread as we speak.” He motioned at the empty seat next to her. “May I join you?”
“Of course.” She slid over to make more room. “Can I offer you some wine?”
“No, thanks. I’m driving.”
“Of course you are. How about some iced tea, then?”
Eli waved her off. “I’m fine, really.”
Jamie appeared on the porch. “Is anything wrong? I heard your truck pull up and thought maybe …”
“Relax, Jamie. Everything is fine. Curtis is locked up, safely behind bars.”
“Then why are you here?” Jamie asked.
“Actually, I was on my way home and it occurred to me that you might like to go fishing with me in the morning.”
“Who, me?” Jamie asked.
“Yes, you. I’m going with my friend Robert. He’s a nice guy. You’d like him. We are leaving around ten, but we won’t be gone long because Robert has to be at work at three.”
Jamie’s face darkened. “Thanks for the offer, but my chair would only get in the way on a boat.”
“Who said we’re taking the chair with us?”
Jamie scrunched his face in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Listen.” Eli leaned forward, eye level with Jamie. “Robert has an old forty-five-foot sportfish. We can leave the wheelchair on the dock, and plant you in the fighting chair in the cockpit. If you need to go inside the cabin for anything, I can help you get around. We aren’t going out far, maybe three miles, to see if anything is biting. If you are uncomfortable, we’ll bring you right back in.”
“And you’re sure your friend is okay with having a cripple on board?” Jamie asked.
A smile tugged at Eli’s lips. “He said he’s fine with it as long as you have the upper body strength to reel in the fish.”
A beam of hope crossed Jamie’s face. He turned to Sam. “What do you think, Mom? Should I go?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Then I better go get my stuff together. You don’t mind if I take my own rod, do you?”
Eli gave him a thumbs-up. “You can take anything you want, buddy. I’ll swing by to pick you up about quarter ’til ten.”
Jamie spun his chair around and headed for the door.
“Wow,” Sam said once Jamie disappeared inside. “I haven’t seen him that happy since his grandfather gave him his good luck rod. Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I’m a sucker for a good kid with a damaged soul.”
Sam sipped her wine, thinking about the boy she loved so much who was currently lost to her. “He really is a good kid.”
“He’ll come back to you, Sam. Just wait and see.”
“I just hope I recognize him when he does. I’m afraid his innocence perished in the accident and that this bitterness is here to stay.”
“Fear is your worst enemy. Jamie is counting on you to have faith in him, in his full recovery. If you’re afraid, he will sense your fear and react to it.”
Sam wondered what had happened to Eli in the past to make him speak with such strong conviction. She knew little, next to nothing really, about the handsome officer with the mysterious gray eyes.
“Do you often make after-hours house calls, Officer?”
“Only when I’m worried about one of my victims.”
“So I’m a victim now?”
“Bad choice of words. You don’t exactly fit the victim mold.” He shifted in his seat to face her, placing his arm across the back of the swing. “You seemed shaken earlier. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Tears sprung to her eyes as the events of the evening came crashing down on her. “The whole thing was surreal. If you hadn’t arrived when you did …” Sam’s voice caught in her throat and she couldn’t continue.
Eli rubbed her shoulders until she’d composed herself.
“Tell me something, Eli. How do I protect my family from a lunatic with a loaded handgun?”
“You stay as far away from him as possible. You see him coming, you run.”
“Which would be great advice, except my son can’t run.”
“No one’s forgotten that, Sam. Least of all me. Maybe I’m oversimplifying the situation, but you know what I mean.” Ticking off points finger by finger, he said, “Keep your doors and windows locked at all times. Be aware of your surroundings when you are out in public. Keep a charged cell phone with you at all times. And, by all means, call 911 at the first sign of trouble.”
Their eyes met, and Sam experienced a strange sensation in her gut, simultaneously tingly and jittery, nervous and exciting. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt butterflies in her belly.
As if sparked by the emotions crackling inside of her, fireworks appeared in the sky above the trees in the direction of the water, a sign that the Fourth of July holiday was approaching.
When the fireworks display subsided, Eli said, “You have a lot on your shoulders, Sam. Who do you lean on for supp
ort?”
Sam shrugged. “Nobody.”
“What about Jamie’s father?”
“He’s never been a part of Jamie’s life.”
Eli looked surprised. “By choice?”
“His choice, not mine.” Sam looked away and stared across the porch into the night. “We’d been dating for two years when I got pregnant. Naturally, I …” Her voice trailed off.
“Naturally, you assumed the two of you would marry and live happily ever after.”
“He left town after I told him I was pregnant. He never even said goodbye.”
“Have you heard from him since?”
“Nope. Not a word.”
“That’s unfortunate. What about his family, Jamie’s paternal grandparents? Do they live nearby?” Eli added, “If I’m prying …”
Allen’s betrayal had caused her so much pain that she had closed the door long ago on that part of her life.
“You’re fine. It happened so long ago. Allen never talked much about his family. He’s a boat captain, a vagrant who’d lived in a dozen different places before he came here. Jamie has all the family he needs, right here in Prospect. My father loved him like a son and my mother worships the ground he walks on.”
“You mentioned your father in the past tense.”
“My dad passed away several years ago. He was a great big man, large in size and spirit.” Sam held her arms out in front of her to illustrate her father’s girth. “If Dad were alive today, he would know just what to say and do to help Jamie and Faith.”
“I doubt he could do any better than you’re doing,” Eli said in a soft voice, almost a whisper.
“What exactly am I doing, Eli, other than making a bigger mess of things?”
“You’re doing the best you can. No one can ask for anything more than that.”
“The problem is, my best is not working. My son is grieving the loss of his best friend, and I can’t reach him no matter how hard I try. I don’t want to give up, but he’s making it hard.”
“Never ever give up, Sam. As long as you don’t give up on Jamie, he won’t give up on himself.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the fireworks off in the distance. When Eli got up to leave, Sam walked with him to his truck.
He leaned back against the truck’s hood. “I hate to bring up a sore subject. But have you warned your mother to be on the lookout for Curtis? You mentioned that she lives here in town.”
“Born and raised. In fact she started Captain Sweeney’s Seafood in the parking lot of the Inlet View Marina more than fifty years ago.”
Eli’s gray eyes widened. “That’s an interesting bit of local history I didn’t know.”
“My mom’s been having health issues lately. Faith and I agreed not to add to her stress by worrying her about Curtis.”
“I understand your concerns, but you need to consider her safety.”
Sam understood the stakes had changed tonight. “I guess you’re right. We should probably tell my sister Jackie as well.”
“I don’t remember you mentioning another sister.”
“I’m not as close to Jackie as I am to Faith. But she also lives in Prospect, at Moss Creek Farm, a big property on the water just outside of town.” When his face registered recognition, she asked, “You know the place?”
“I’ve never been there, but I’ve driven by it many times on patrol. Has Faith considered staying with her? I’m sure a home that size has plenty of security.”
“Jackie is dealing with her own set of problems. But you’re right, we need to at least make her aware of the situation with Curtis.”
With the boys off at camp, alone in her big house, Jackie was an unsuspecting target for the likes of a deranged brother-in-law. One of her heirloom sterling candlesticks would support his boozing habit for a month.
Twenty-Six
Jacqueline
An invitation for dinner with her family came as a surprise to Jackie. Other than major holidays, their Sunday dinners had become a thing of the past after their father died and their mother moved from her creekside cottage next door to a townhouse. Jackie suspected her sister of having a hidden agenda. She assumed Sam had heard the rumors circulating around town and wanted confirmation that Bill had in fact left her for another woman.
She considered declining the invitation, but she couldn’t put off the dreaded discussion forever. Sooner or later she would have to tell her family about her impending divorce.
“What time?” Jackie asked.
“Around six thirty. Can you pick up Mom on your way?”
“Is that really necessary?” Jackie snapped. “Mom has her own car, you know.”
“That’s hypocritical coming from you. Aren’t you the one who insisted Faith drive Mom to your party the night of your birthday?”
“That’s different.”
“Why, because you’re the one who’s being inconvenienced this time?”
“No. Because Mom is doing better now. Isn’t she?”
“I’ll leave that for you to decide when you pick her up,” Sam said, and hung up the phone.
“Bitch,” Jackie said to her phone. “I’m a woman in crisis. Don’t I deserve a little compassion?”
Jackie knew Sam was upset with her for not helping out with their mother. Never mind that she’d secured a place for Lovie on the waiting list at the Hermitage. And never mind that she would be the one to cover the costs of the expensive retirement facility when the time came. So what if she’d stood her mother up the previous Sunday. After her disastrous performance at the heart benefit, she’d been too embarrassed to leave her house to go anywhere, let alone cell phone shopping. Admittedly, she’d promised her mother she’d stop by over the weekend, and here it was already four o’clock on Sunday afternoon and she’d yet to call her. Picking her up for dinner would count for something, wouldn’t it?
But when Jackie called her mother to say she was on the way, Lovie insisted she drive herself. She sounded so chipper and lucid, Jackie didn’t put up an argument.
When she arrived at her sister’s house fifteen minutes late, at six forty-five, Sam was waiting for her at the front door.
“You could’ve warned me Curtis was coming,” Jackie said, aiming her thumb over her shoulder at their brother-in-law’s Harley that was still parked on the curb.
“I’ll explain all that later.” Sam brushed past Jackie, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked out into the yard. “Where’s Mom?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t she here yet?”
“You were supposed to pick her up. I asked you to do this one thing, Jackie …”
“You hung up on me before I agreed to be Mom’s chauffeur.” Preparing for a drawn-out battle with her sister, Jackie backed down when she saw Sam’s worried face, her lips pinched and brow puckered. “Okay, Sam. Relax. I did call Mom, just like you asked me to. She sounded fine on the phone. She and I laughed about how silly it was for us to be driving her around. She drives herself to work every day, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, Jackie, ‘day’ being the operative word. Mom doesn’t see well at night anymore.”
Jackie couldn’t argue with that logic. She’d noticed her own night vision had grown blurry in recent years.
“Maybe you’re right.” Jackie backpedaled down the sidewalk on her high-heeled sandals. “I’ll drive over to her house and see what’s keeping her.”
“By the way, nice pimp wagon,” Sam called after her. “I don’t even want to think about how much a brand-new Cadillac set you back.”
“Then don’t. Just be happy for me,” she yelled to her sister before climbing into her new Escalade. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her extravagance. She’d earned a new car, and she was damn well enjoying it.
Jackie’s panic heightened with each passing mile. If anything happened to Lovie, the blame would fall on her this time. And rightly so. She’d been too self-absorbed to consider the risks of her mother driving alone at night.
Lovie rolled down the window. “I didn’t realize you were planning to stop by. I’m just on my way out.” Her face clouded in confusion. “Funny though. I can’t remember where I’m supposed to be going.”
Jackie opened the car door. “We’re going to Sam’s house for dinner, remember?”
Lovie’s face brightened. “That’s right. No wonder I got confused. You are late picking me up.”
Jackie saw no point in arguing. “We need to hurry. Sam and the others are waiting for us.” She helped her mother out of the sedan and into the Escalade.
“Just you wait,” Lovie said on the way back to Sam’s. “It’ll happen to you one day. First, it’s the little things, like staring into the refrigerator and not remembering what you’re looking for. Before you know it, you can’t remember your best friend’s name.”
“If that’s supposed to make me feel better about turning fifty …” She noticed her mother twiddling with her rusty key, which was now hanging from a thin silver chain around her neck. “Did you ever figure out what your key belongs to?”
Lovie shook her head. “I just know it fits something at your house.”
Jackie jerked her head toward her mother. “My house? Why do you think your key fits something at my house?”
“I … um … I don’t know how I know. I just do.”
“You can’t even remember where the key came from, Mom. For all you know, you found it in the sand at the beach one day. Maybe the key fits a pirate’s buried treasure.”
Finally back at the house, they found Sam, Faith, and the kids all crowded in the kitchen. Jamie sautéed scallops and browned crab cakes at the stove while Sam, Faith, and Bitsy worked together at the island, chopping herbs and tossing salad and buttering cornbread.
The family that cooks together stays together.
“What’s all this?” Jackie said. “Tryouts for the next MasterChef?
Sam and Faith set down their utensils and came around the island to greet them.
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