“Are you really sure you want to confront your Mom tonight?” Katie was really glad that she'd fastened her seat belt as Addison's truck bounced across a set of old railroad tracks, catching a little bit of air before it landed hard on the front end.
“You want to wait until tomorrow so we can find out first hand what horrible tricks she has in store for Gracie's actual wedding?” Addy's square jaw was set in a hard line as he stared straight ahead at the dark, pot hole covered road. He was bobbing and weaving across the battered pavement. If he hadn't been a cop, Katie would have been worried that they were about to get pulled over.
“No, I guess not.” Katie had known she was in for the ride from hell when Addison's county truck had come came blasting through the only red light for two miles and screeched to a stop just a few inches from her back bumper while she was filling up the S-10 at the gas station.
She'd been completely stunned when he'd told her about recognizing the dress that had been switched out with Gracie's wedding dress. Try as she might, Katie was having a hard time picturing icy cold, always aloof Jane May Malone filling the swimming pool at the country club with gar and sneaking into Cal's parent's house through one of the always open windows to steal the dresses. Then again, Jane May had given birth to two of the least sane, most unpredictable people Katie knew. The crazy had to be at least partially genetic.
Against her better judgment, Katie had parked the S-10 on the far side of the gas station's parking lot and gotten in the truck with Addison. Now they were flying towards Canterville at roughly 90 miles per hour.
It was a couple minutes shy of two o'clock in the morning when Addy pulled his truck into the driveway of a small, homely wooden house.
“At least we know we're in the right place,” Katie said as she took in the sight of Jane May's familiar minivan. It was parked next to an older model green SUV. All the lights in the house were dark. “They're probably asleep.”
“I'd like to be asleep,” Addison said as he shut off the engine. His turquoise eyes had gone dark with stress and anger. There was something intimidating about the way he got out of the truck and then stood, glaring at the house.
Addison was so easy going that Katie sometimes forgot exactly how physically imposing he could be. At six foot two and two hundred and twenty pounds, Addy was almost all muscle and big enough that most of the drunks in the county wouldn't swing on him, even in the midst of a bar fight.
“Hey, are you okay?” Katie walked around the front of the truck and put her hand on his arm.
“Am I okay?” Addison choked on the words. “Fuck no. I'm not okay.”
“Maybe you should call Frank,” Katie said.
“I did call Frank. He didn't answer his phone. Waiting until morning isn't an option because the wedding is tomorrow and I can't risk letting her ruin anything else for Gracie and Cal. I've got to do this. No one else will.” He glared at the little, well-worn house in front of them. One of the neighbor's dogs had started to bark. “You don't have to be here. I probably shouldn't have asked you to come. I just didn't want to-.”
“Addy, it's fine. I don't mind coming with you,” Katie squeezed his arm under her palm, hoping to steady him. “I was going home to go to bed when you came up on me at the store.”
“Right, you could be home with Ian and Hannah Mae instead of standing in some stranger's yard in the middle of the night with me.” He sounded bitter.
“Hannah Mae is staying with my mom and Kristy for the weekend so that I can focus on helping Gracie with the wedding,” Katie said. “My baby girl's not home.”
“So I'm ruining your romantic night alone with Ian?” Addy chewed his lower lip as he adjusted the badge he'd clipped to his belt. He was out of uniform, choosing to wear a black t-shirt and blue jeans with his badge clearly visible on his belt. He was wearing his handgun in the holster on his hip.
“Ha ha ha. You're funny, Malone.” Katie didn't even bother trying to hide her own irritation. “Ian's not home. I don't have the slightest clue where he is. My guess would be at a pool hall somewhere here in Canterville. He texted me earlier that he was going out with his buds, Lowery and Joe. He said I shouldn't wait up for him.”
Addison scowled. “Ian doesn't need to be hanging around with those losers.”
“I agree completely,” Katie said. “If you can convince him to stop socializing with them, be my guest. I don't care anymore.”
“You don't care anymore?” Addison had a look in his eyes that Katie couldn't quite read because the night was so dark.
“I'm sorry,” she said immediately. “I shouldn't be dumping this on you. Not with everything else that's been going on.”
“Katie, you can always talk to me.” He took her hand in hers.
“I know, but we're standing in your Mom's boyfriend's driveway in the middle of the night. I can't think of a worse time to have a heart-to-heart, Malone.” Katie forced herself to smile at him. “We need to deal with our problems one at a time. Right now, your Mom is a bigger problem than my failing marriage.”
Addison seemed like he was going to say something else, but the porch light of the house suddenly clicked on and a stocky figure stepped out onto the porch. The man was holding a shotgun in his hands.
“Hey! Get out of my yard!”
Addison immediately pushed Katie behind him. “Callahan County Sheriff's Department,” Addison called out. “I strongly suggest you put that gun away.”
The man on the porch was holding the gun awkwardly, as if he weren't completely comfortable with the weapon. “Callahan County?” He asked. “You're not in Callahan County.”
“We're aware of that.” Addison began walking up the driveway towards the man.
“Don't come any closer!” The man raised the gun up so that it was pointing at Addison's face. “You're trespassing. I'll have you arrested.”
Addison reacted faster than Katie would have thought possible. He closed the distance between himself and the man in a matter of seconds, grabbed the shotgun by the barrel and jammed it backwards rather than trying to yank it out of the man's hands. The butt of the gun rammed hard into the man's face and he let out a startled scream. He released his hold on the shotgun as blood began gushing down his face.
“Addy!” Katie jogged up the driveway, coming around the front of the minivan just in time to see Addison kick the man's feet out from underneath him. The man let out a startled yelp as his face hit the front of Jane May's minivan.
Addison grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the hood three times in quick succession. “Don't you know not to pull a gun on a cop?” He snarled as he slammed the man's face into the thin metal a fourth time.
“Addison, stop!” Katie grabbed him by the arm and yanked him backwards as hard as she could. He only staggered back a couple of feet. He still had his mother's boyfriend by the hair. The man's face was covered in blood and he was whimpering.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” The man was on his knees next to Addison's boots. He was using his arms to shield his face. In the dim light from the porch, Katie could see he was roughly the same age as they were and wearing a pair of adult sized Sponge Bob pajamas. “Let me go. Please. Let me go. The gun wasn't even loaded. I swear. It's not loaded. I don't even have any ammo. I just bought it to scare the neighborhood kids off. Please.”
“It's not loaded?” Addison thrust the gun into Katie's hands. “Check it for me,” he told her.
Katie took the shotgun, which turned out to be a small single-shot four ten, and popped it open. “Unloaded,” she confirmed.
Some of the tension eased in Addison's shoulders. He let go of the man's hair. The man stayed on the ground. He blinked up at Addison through his skinned and bleeding arms. He must have hit the gravel hard when Addison had knocked him to the ground. He was eye level with the badge and gun that were on Addison's belt.
“You really are a cop,” he whimpered.
“Didn't I already say that?” Addison asked. He glared down at the quivering form next to his boots. “I would have thought the big ass truck with the antlers on the roof would have been a hint.”
“You said Callahan County. We're not in Callahan County,” the man said.
“Do I look like I give two shits what county we're in?” Addison snarled.
The man quivered down against the ground, clearly terrified.
“Addison, enough.” Katie stepped in between Addison and the man on the ground, purposely pushing Addy backwards. She knelt down in front of the man. “Hi, I'm Katie and, as long as you don't do anything else stupid, I can promise he won't hurt you again.”
“He's trespassing. I was just protecting myself,” the man said weakly.
“You should have dropped the gun when he identified himself as a cop, sweetie.” Katie did her best to look small and harmless, which was easy because she was small and mostly harmless.
“What do you want?” The man asked. “Do you have a warrant?”
“We can get one,” Addison said quickly. “I have a judge over here who owes me some favors. You want me to get a warrant?”
“I don't know-.”
“No, you don't,” Katie said quickly. “Trust me. You don't want him to get a warrant. You probably don't want all of this on the front page of the newspaper anymore than we want it there.”
“The newspaper?” The man lowered his arms. He used his pajama shirt to sop up some of the blood from his oozing nose. “What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering him, Addison pulled out his key ring and stuck one of the keys into the door of the van. A moment later the vehicle unlocked.
“Hey, that's my girlfriend's car. Why do you have a key?” The man was clearly confused as he watched Addison yank open the sliding side door and begin digging through the contents of the cargo area.
Addison pulled out a long white dress. It had been slashed to ribbons by what had to have been a very sharp knife. He held it up for Katie. “Look familiar?”
Katie sucked in her breath through her teeth. “Gracie's dress,” she said.
“Thought so.”
“Is that a wedding dress?” The man on the ground looked from Addison to the dress and then back to Addison with an expression of total and complete bafflement.
“It was.” Addison tossed the wedding dress onto the hood of the van and then went back to digging through it. A couple minutes later he pulled out three scraps of tulle and silk fabric that had once been a bridesmaid's dress. “Yours or Trish's?” He asked Katie.
“Who knows?” Katie shrugged. “It's ruined now.”
She looked at Jane May's boyfriend. “What's your name?”
“Tommy. Tommy Whiteheart. Who are you?” He seemed to be getting his wits about him.
“I'm Katie McIntyre.”
“Who is he?” Tommy pointed at Addison.
Katie opened her mouth to respond but Addison beat her to it. “I'm your...girlfriend's... son.”
Tommy's mouth fell open in shock. “What?”
“My name is Addison Malone,” Addy said as he tossed another ruined bridesmaid's dress out of the van. “And Jane May is my mother.”
“That's impossible,” said Tommy. “Jane May's not. No. Just no. You can't be her son. You're lying.”
“He's not lying,” Katie said softly. “Please don't make him any madder. He's already in a horrible mood.”
“You don't understand,” Tommy protested. “Jane May isn't old enough to be his mother. I mean, how old is he?”
“Twenty eight,” Addison said. He'd pulled a fat notebook out of the back of the car and was examining its contents under the dome light in the van. “I'm twenty eight. Mom is forty six. She had me at eighteen.”
“Jane May is thirty five,” Tommy said.
“No, she's not.”
“She can't be-.”
“Shut up for a minute, will you?” Addison was still holding the thick notebook in his hand as he walked over to Katie. He pressed it into her palm and then knelt down in front of Tommy. “Can you see me?”
“It's dark and you're kind of blurry,” Tommy said reluctantly. “My glasses are inside.”
Addison sighed. He grabbed Tommy by the sleeve and hoisted the other man up to his feet as he stood. He pushed him back up the porch steps until they were both standing under the light. “See me now?”
Tommy wiped his hand across his face and then stared, open-mouthed, at Addison.
Katie didn't have to wonder what Tommy was seeing. She'd long ago memorized those wide-set eyes that were the color of pure turquoise, beautiful sensuous lips, high cheekbones and the square jaw that was strictly a characteristic from Jane May's side of the family. Addison and Gracie were both the spitting images of their mother.
“Jesus,” Tommy whispered. “She said she had a brother.”
“Mom's brother is Frank Chasson,” Addison said. “He's the sheriff of Callahan County. You can google him, if you're feeling nosy. The family resemblance is undeniable.”
“You can't be Jane May's son,” Tommy said. “You just can't. She's thirty five. If you're twenty eight then she would have had to have you when she was seven. That's impossible.”
“I already told you, Mom's forty six. She lied to you about her age.”
“She can't be forty six,” Tommy said. “She's pregnant. We're having a little girl. I didn't think women could still get pregnant in their forties.”
“It's rare but it can happen.” Katie almost felt sorry for Tommy. His nose was already swelling and he had two black eyes from where Addison had smacked him the face with his own gun.
“I just don't understand...” Tommy whispered.
“Let me spell it out for you,” Addison's tone was cold, but he also sounded tired. “I am exactly who the fuck I say I am. My name is Addison Malone. I'm the Game Warden for Callahan County and I do double duty as an officer of the sheriff's department. My uncle, your girlfriend's brother, is the sheriff. I have keys to Mom's van because it's my mom's fucking van and she's had it since I was in high school. I'm here tonight because-,” Addison paused and looked over at Katie. “Help me. I can't figure out how to explain this without sounding like a lunatic.”
Katie forced herself to smile gently at Tommy. “Addy and I are here tonight because we're looking for Jane May. She hasn't been home in a couple of days.”
“Home?” Tommy shook his head at them. “Jane May lives here. With me.”
Katie and Addison exchanged a look. “How long did your Dad say it had been since she'd been home?” Katie asked him.
“He said it was a couple of days, but it's Dad. He could easily be lying to save face.” Addison didn't look particularly surprised.
“Wait, when you say your Dad, are you saying Jane May is married?” Tommy's hands were shaking and he had to lean on the porch railing for support.
“Tommy honey, come back to bed. It's just those darn teenagers again-.” Jane May suddenly appeared in the front doorway of the house. She was wearing a simple silk spaghetti strap maternity nightgown. Her eyes went wide as she took in the blood on Tommy's face and shirt. She immediately turned on her son. “Oh God, Addison. What did you do?”
“You know him?” Tommy demanded, his eyes fixed on Jane May. “He says he's-.”
“My son,” Jane May said without enthusiasm. “That's Addison Mitchell. The girl by his side is-,” she squinted through the darkness, “Gracie? No. Too short. Too plain. Katherine Cluster. They all call her Katie. Don't listen to anything she says. She's in love with Addison and will do anything he asks her to.”
“Gee, thanks.” Katie felt a furious blush start on her cheeks. Addison shot Katie a quick, curious look.
“He's your son?” Tommy had completely ignored what Jane May had said about Katie.
“He is,” Jane May looked fairly calm, all things considered. She wasn't even frowning.
“He's older than I am,” Tommy spluttered.
“Yes. He is. Only by two years, but still, I'm sorry about that. I'm afraid I might be a hair older than I originally told you I was.”
“Uh huh.” Addison had crossed his arms over his chest. He had blood on his knuckles. “I told you so,” he said to Tommy.
“Jesus H. Christ,” Tommy cursed. “He says you're married.”
Jane May took a deep breath and then sighed. “I've asked Dale for a divorce. He won't cooperate, but we're not involved in any kind of physical relationship and we haven't been in years.” She stalked across the porch so that she was nearly nose-to-nose with Addy. She poked one finger into his chest. “You can go. You've clearly done what you came here to do.”
“I haven't even gotten started with what I came here to do.” Addison let her keep poking at him. It probably didn't hurt, Katie mused.
“You haven't?” Jane May glared at him. “You drove to my new home, beat my boyfriend up and told him I was married. I think you've done as much damage as you can do.”
“I'm not here to beat your boyfriend up, even though I admit it was kind of satisfying. I'm here because you're trying to ruin Gracie's wedding and I've had enough of it.”
Jane May pursed her lips at her son with disgust. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Try a different lie. I already found the dresses you stole all cut up in your van.”
“You went through my van?” Jane May reared back and slapped Addison across the face. He didn't flinch.
“You stole Gracie's wedding dress out of Cal's parent's house. They're willing to press charges. You want to go to jail?”
“Wait. I'm lost. Who is Gracie?” Tommy looked shaken.
Neither Jane May or Addison paid him any mind.
“Gracie is my best friend,” Katie explained quietly as she watched Addison and his mother stare one another down. “She's also Addy's kid sister, which makes her-.”
“Jane May has a daughter, too?” Tommy bit his lip. He looked as if he were ready to cry.
“You got it,” Katie patted him gently on the shoulder. He looked over at her and grimaced.
“How old is her daughter?”
“Nineteen,” Katie said.
“This may be the worst night of my life,” Tommy groaned.
“It's probably on my top ten list of lousy,” Katie agreed.
“You wouldn't arrest your own mother,” Jane May didn't sound completely sure of herself.
“Try me. I love Gracie more than I love you.” Addison's expression was cold and impassive. It was a look he'd learned from the woman who was standing in front of him.
Jane May paled but she didn't back down. “You can't prove I took the dresses.”
“I'm pretty sure I can,” Addison disagreed.
“It'll be a huge scandal,” Jane May said. “You don't want to cause Gracie that kind of embarrassment, do you?”
“I don't want to, no. I don't want any of this. When were you going to tell us that you were having another kid?” Addison pointed down at her bulging belly. She was definitely in her third trimester of pregnancy.
“When were you going to notice?” Jane May rubbed her huge tummy.
“Katie noticed,” Addison said unexpectedly. “She asked me if you were pregnant after she saw you at the hospital. I was the one who didn't believe her. I guess I was in denial.”
“You thought I was too old?” Jane May smirked at him. “Guess what? So did I.”
“Well, seeing how little interest you had in raising your last set of kids, I just have a hard time picturing you starting over with a fresh family. You don't like kids.”
“No, I really don't.” Jane May surprised them all by agreeing with him.
Tommy choked on his own spittle. “You don't want our baby?”
Jane May turned to Tommy and sighed. Her beautiful turquoise eyes were tired. “I'm sorry, Thomas. Really, I am. I never dreamed that I could still get pregnant. I just thought we were having a little fun. I was stunned when I realized that the nausea and weight gain that I was experiencing weren't because of menopause.” She turned back to Addison. “By then it was too late to get a legal abortion, or believe me when I say I would have.”
Tommy made a gurgling noise from somewhere deep in his throat. Addison pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, filling the small porch with smoke. “Let me see if I can finish this little story for you. You didn't want Dad to find out because he would have told absolutely everyone that you were knocked up by a guy who is younger than one of your kids. You couldn't just leave him either. You've been going back and forth between both houses, haven't you?”
“That's not important.”
“You're right, it's not.” Addy looked quite pleased with himself.
“How can you say that?” Tommy demanded. “My whole life is falling apart.”
“Shush,” Addison told him. “I know you don't believe me right now, but I'm doing you a huge fucking favor.”
“You aren't taking me to jail,” Jane May said to Addison.
“Actually, that's going to depend on you. Your boss thinks you're experiencing some kind of psychotic break,” Addison said. “I want you to come with me and voluntarily allow me to check you into Baker County Memorial Hospital for a seventy two hour mental evaluation.”
“You think I'm losing my mind?” Jane May moved to slap Addison again, but he caught her wrist.
“You put alligator gar in the swimming pool at the Callahan County Country Club. You hacked Gracie's email and invited dozens of people she doesn't like to her wedding. You changed her catering order. You changed her flowers. You stole her wedding dress. In short, you've caused thousands of dollars in damage and traumatized your daughter in the process of doing it. If that's not insane, then what is?”
“I didn't put the gar in the pool,” Jane May said. “I don't touch fish. You know that.”
“Fine. Even if I give you the pass on the gar, what about the rest of it?”
“I don't approve of your sister's wedding.”
“Not approving of your kid's wedding and ruining it are two different things.”
Jane May's shoulders slumped slightly. She suddenly leaned back against the wall of the house as if life had just become too much for her. “Maybe Brianna is right,” she said softly. “I don't remember stealing Gracie's dress. Are you sure I took it?”
“I found her wedding dress and her bridesmaids dresses in your van cut to ribbons. Do you have another explanation for how they got there?”
Jane May's hands were shaking as she used the wall to steady herself. She closed her eyes. “I've been having blackouts. Sometimes I come around and find myself right in the middle of the day with no idea how I got to where I'm at or what I've been doing. I don't remember breaking into Loretta and Jerry's house, but I do have a vague memory of taking a pair of gardening shears to a wedding dress.”
“Your daughter's wedding dress,” Addison clarified. “Do you have any idea how upset she is?”
“Will someone please tell me I'm having a nightmare?” Tommy had buried his face in his hands.
Jane May was quiet for a long moment and then she looked back up at Addy. “I don't remember doing half the things you're claiming I've done, but I don't suppose you would be here in the middle of the night if you weren't certain. God knows you don't speak to me unless you absolutely have to.”
Addison shrugged but he didn't deny the truth in her words.
“My affair with a man younger than you are isn't going help me prove my sanity is intact either.”
“Nope. He's not helping your case at all.” Addison looked at Tommy with obvious disgust.
“The blackouts scare me. I'll let you take me in for a three day evaluation,” she said.
“Thank you,” Addison said.
“I'm not done.” Jane May ran her hands through her slept-on blonde hair. “I'll let you take me in for a three day mental evaluation if you take me to Silver City. I don't want to be in Baker County Memorial. I know too many of the nurses on staff and I won't have my reputation ruined.”
“Silver City is two and a half hours away,” Addison said. “It'll be eight o'clock in the morning before we get back to Possum Creek. Gracie's getting married at three.”
Jane May pursed her lips at him. “Do you want me to go or not?”
“Addy, we'll make it. We can take turns driving,” Katie said.
He looked over at her gratefully. “Thank you,” he said.
“Don't thank her. Thank me.” Jane May looked at Katie. “I don't feel well. Do you think you could pack my bag for me?”
“Of course.” Katie was amazed that Jane May was cooperating at all.
“Tommy, I'm sorry I haven't been more honest with you,” Jane May started towards her boyfriend, but he held up his arm so that she couldn't hug him.
“I'm coming with y'all,” he said.
“That won't be necessary,” Addison said.
“You just ruined my life,” Tommy told him. “You don't get a choice about this. She may be your...God so help me... she may be your mother but she's carrying my child. I'm going with you.”
“Addison, let him ride with you. It won't hurt you.”
“Fine.” Addison glared at Tommy. “Go change clothes. That's a brand new truck and I don't want you bleeding all over it.”