Chapter Three

As soon as she’d seen Kathy’s face, Eliza knew something was drastically wrong. She hesitated on the driveway, looking after her daughter, then faced the man getting out of the low-slung, expensive car. As much as she wanted to check on Kathy, she needed answers first.

“Charles. What in the world is going on?”

“Mrs. Browning.” Charles’s face was somber. “I ran into Kathy at the beach, and… she’s upset. She’s tremendously upset. I think you need to keep a close eye on her. I think she’s all right for now as she’s pretty mad at me, and that’s replaced… but for later, I’m not so sure.” He looked at her intently, as though trying to convey a message he didn’t want to speak aloud.

Eliza very much feared she understood, but perversely, she needed to hear the words. “What was she doing at the beach?”

He looked away briefly, toward the street. “I can only guess based on what I saw.”

“Then make a guess. This is my daughter’s life we’re talking about, isn’t it?” She clenched her purse tightly to her chest, bracing for the blow.

“Yes. She might never speak to me again, but I don’t care. You need to know. I realize she’s been through a hard time over the last few years, but surely… well. Surely there’s another way. She just needs to find it.”

There was something in his eyes, his voice, Eliza thought as her heart sank. “Unless I miss my guess, this is not your first encounter with someone who carries a load that’s too heavy. Is it?”

He shook his head. “My father, unfortunately.”

Eliza closed her eyes briefly. “I’m so sorry. Just how certain are you that she… that Kathy was trying to kill herself?” she asked softly. “I have to be sure.”

“I’m one hundred percent certain. She was working up the courage to walk into the waves. I watched her for a while before I stopped her. I needed to be sure myself.”

She could tell it pained him to say the words. What surprised her, however, was her own reaction. Hearing the truth was almost a relief. She knew the pain would come later, when she was alone and able to grieve. For now…

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you happened along. Charles, I’ll be in your debt forever. I’ll see that she gets the help she needs. This has been coming for a long while now. In the back of my mind, I suspected what she was thinking of doing. I should have done something sooner, but I didn’t want to believe what was in front of me.”

“Don’t blame yourself.” His voice was low, full of emotion. “That’s a road you can’t let yourself go down. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through the last eleven years, it’s that the what-ifs will destroy you if you let them. If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. I think a lot of Roy, you know. I’d like to help if I can.”

Eliza reached out to him. “I appreciate that. Like I said, I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve already done. I’d best go in and check on her.”

“Of course. Good luck.”

She hurried inside, her head reeling. Kathy’s door was closed, and after a brief hesitation to gird herself, Eliza opened it without knocking. Her breath escaped in a rush when she saw Kathy curled up on the bed, sound asleep. Moira’s old doll was held tightly in her arms. Even if she’d not seen how upset Kathy was or talked to Charles, Eliza would have known something was drastically wrong just from seeing the doll. It was usually kept in a box in the back of Kathy’s closet.

“Oh, my baby, what in the world are we going to do?” She approached the bed quietly, almost timidly, and brushed a dark curl off Kathy’s tearstained cheek. Traces of sand lingered on her arm, her knee, her dirty feet.

For a moment, Eliza wondered if Kathy had taken something, but her breathing was soft and regular. Eliza saw no evidence of pills or a bottle or a glass nearby, and she was fairly confident there were no medications in the house her daughter could have used.

After they’d first come to Georgia three years earlier, Kathy had turned to sleep to help get her through those days. Eliza imagined that was what she was doing now, shutting out the world in an effort not to face the hellish demons that haunted her.

Moving carefully, Eliza covered Kathy and left the bedroom, pulling the door around but not closed. She wasn’t sure how much time she had before Kathy woke up, but she’d use what she had to the best of her ability.

“I’m not letting go of you without a fight,” she said as she stood in the kitchen, staring out the window over the sink. “I’m not letting that bastard, Randall Begley, steal you from me too. He’s taken enough already. He’s not taking anyone else.” And if she had to go to Hell and fight him for Kathy’s soul, she would.