That night, Kit turned out the bathroom light and kicked off her slippers beside the bed. So many questions remained about Jeff’s suicide and his presence at the station. Was it possible he never pulled the trigger on Amanda and her coworkers? She gazed at his empty side of the bed then crawled across and hugged his pillow. The laundered linens no longer held his scent, but she’d never be able to wash away the memories that pelted her. His wounded look during their last argument. The defeat in his eyes. The harsh words she’d hurled at him. If she’d only known they’d be some of the last words she ever spoke to him.
So much she could have done differently, would have done differently if only she’d known. She’d be less demanding now that she’d lost her job and understood how a person’s identity is tied to their work. She’d be more forgiving, having been caught in her own deception. More importantly, would she trust his character against evidence to the contrary?
An image sprang to mind of Vic Dallas quoting the verse where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”
A murderer. That’s who people say Jeff is. A murderer who didn’t want to pay the penalty for his sins.
Suddenly, the image was no longer Vic Dallas but Jeff pointing his finger at her and asking, “Who do you say I am?”
She buried her face in his pillow, but the image remained in her mind. Murderer? No, not Jeff. But why couldn’t she believe in him? Why couldn’t she have Bryce’s confidence in his innocence?
“I’m so sorry, Jeff. I want to believe in you,” she whispered. It was too late for apologies. Too late to beg forgiveness.
But not too late for the truth. Whether or not Jeff pulled the trigger that day, someone was out there now threatening Amanda. She had to find out who. Then maybe she’d be convinced of Jeff’s innocence.
* * *
The lights were still on at Eric’s house when Bryce got off work Friday night. Bryce hurdled the three steps and pushed the doorbell. Moments later, Eric peered at Bryce from the doorway of his house.
“What are you doing here?” Wearing only a pair of well-worn athletic shorts, Eric’s chest and feet were bare despite the cold air. His bulging pecs and biceps made Bryce question the necessity of this mission. He looked down and kicked a pebble off the step.
“I worked late,” he said. “Didn’t have your number, but since you haven’t gotten your lights and cameras installed yet, I figured I’d stay on your couch or something. If the guy tries it again, we’ll make it two against one, y’know?”
“Seriously? How come you’re not out with a girl or something?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Bryce said.
“I didn’t want to leave my mom alone.”
“That’s why I’m here, too.” When Eric made no response, Bryce shrugged and shuffled his feet. “Look, if you don’t want me to stay, I’ll go home. I just thought—”
“How’d you get here?” Eric looked past him into the darkness. Bryce jerked a thumb toward the street.
“My mom. I told her not to call first. Figured you’d say no. But she’s waiting down the street there.” He glanced behind him. “I didn’t mean to bust in on you. If you don’t want my help—”
Eric looked him up and down. “The guy was big as me and heavier.”
Bryce met his gaze and held it. “He killed my dad.”
Eric’s face scrunched up in disbelief. “Man, how do you know that?”
“Same way I knew Dad didn’t shoot your mom.”
Eric stared into Bryce’s eyes for several seconds then motioned him inside. Bryce gave his mom a thumbs up and stepped into the house. He set his backpack beside the living room sofa and looked around. The room held a coffee table, entertainment center, a sofa and a couple of other chairs.
Eric scratched his chest and yawned. “Mom is in my room tonight, just past the bathroom on the right.” He pointed down the hall. “I’ll be in her room on the left. Anybody comes after her, they’ll find me in her bed.” He thumbed his chest.
Bryce nodded and rummaged through his backpack. “Good idea. I’ll just camp out on the couch here if that’s okay.”
“You want a blanket or a pillow?”
“I’m not planning on sleeping.” Bryce held up an energy drink. “I’m on guard tonight. Go get some sleep. If I hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”
A slow smile spread across Eric’s face. He held his palm up and Bryce met it in a tight clasp.
“’Preciate it, man. You get hungry, help yourself,” he said, nodding toward the kitchen.
“Thanks, but I came prepared.” Bryce pulled out a bag of chips and some trail mix from his backpack.
“TV?”
Bryce waved away the remote.
Eric put his hands on his hips and said, “What are you going to do all night?”
“Same thing I do in a deer blind. Watch and listen.”
* * *
At Bryce’s thumbs-up signal, Kit and Maddie started for home.
“What if something happens?” Maddie asked. “What if the guy does come back and hurts Bryce?”
“I think whoever it is would be stupid to try again.” Kit only half-believed her own words. “I hope they have a quiet night with no interruptions.”
“Bryce said Eric told him the police would drive by every hour during the night. He thought that left too much time in between for someone to attack Ms. James again.” Maddie was quiet for a moment then asked, “Did Bryce take a gun with him?”
Kit jerked her gaze toward Maddie. “I don’t think so.” Or did he? “Did he say anything about taking a gun?”
“Not to me.”
“No, he would’ve had to get it out of the gun safe in my room. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have one.”
“Does Eric or Ms. James have a gun?”
“I don’t know. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Back at the house, Kit gave in to Maddie’s pleas and agreed to let her sleep with her. Most nights, Maddie had been sleeping in her own room, but Kit sensed some anxiety with Bryce gone. While Maddie changed into night clothes, Kit checked the gun safe and let go a breath of relief.
All guns present and accounted for.
Soon, a pajama-clad Maddie climbed into bed on Jeff’s side. She lay back against the pillows and twirled a lock of her hair. She was quiet for a few minutes then said, “Mom?”
“Yes?” Kit dabbed moisturizer on her face.
“Remember how whenever there was a meteor shower Dad used to wake us up and drag us outside to look for falling stars?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I always hated waking up like that. But after I got outside and saw all those stars and the Milky Way, it was so cool.”
“What made you think of that?” Kit rubbed the last of the moisturizer into her hands. She sat on the edge of the bed and removed her slippers then slipped into bed. Maddie snuggled further under the covers, pulling them up around her neck.
“I’m just missing Daddy, thinking of all the stuff we did with him. It’s sad to think he’ll never wake me up again to see the falling stars. He’ll never take me out for an ice cream date again. We’ll never go hunting again.”
Kit arched her eyebrows. “I thought you didn’t like hunting.”
“Not the gross killing part. But I liked being out there with Dad, just the two of us.” She turned on her side. Her eyes grew misty, and she blinked then pressed her fingers to her eyes. Kit scooted over and wrapped her arms around Maddie’s shoulders. A stray hair tickled Kit’s cheek.
“Hang on to those memories, honey. Be thankful for them. Some kids, like Eric, don’t even get that. I bet one day when you have kids, you’ll wake them up and drag them outside to see the meteor showers. And if your dad can see you from heaven, I know it’ll make him laugh.”
A smile spread across Maddie’s face, and she wiped a tear away with the bedsheet. “I think I’ll get a notebook and write down all the things I miss about Dad. That way, I won’t forget.”
Kit kissed her forehead and released her. “That’s a great idea. Now, get some sleep.” She switched off the bedside lamp and nestled her head into the pillow. Memories of Jeff and the kids filled her mind. Hot afternoon soccer games and baseball tournaments. The county fair when he let them eat hot dogs and cotton candy before a ride on the Tilt-a-whirl. Daddy/daughter dances and teaching Bryce to drive.
Kit’s mind wandered back to driving lessons from her dad and that time he had to remind her which side of the road to drive on. Conferences where he was the featured speaker, and she worked the book table for him. Playing checkers with him and the occasional dessert-first dinners when Mom was traveling. They were good memories that she’d ignored in her refusal to forgive him. Even if he betrayed his wedding vows, he’d been a good father to her and Jill.
Hang on to those memories. Be thankful for them.
“Mom?” Maddie spoke into the darkness. “I had another weird dream last night.”
“What was it?”
“We were all working on a puzzle. Even Dad was there. But we couldn’t find the box cover to know what the finished puzzle should look like. Bryce kept saying we were doing it wrong, but he needed to go to work and didn’t have time to waste on a silly puzzle. You told him to wait, we only had a few more pieces to fit together and we’d be done. But then we found out the last couple of pieces were missing. And we still couldn’t tell what the picture was until we found those pieces.”
“It sounds like your dreams are still trying to sort out everything that’s happened.”
“You don’t think it’s like one of those dreams that somehow tells you what’s going to happen before it happens?”
Kit laughed. “No, you are not a prophet or a fortuneteller.”
“Good, because just before I woke up, Dad said his friend is the missing piece.”
“You mean has the missing piece?”
“No. Is the missing piece.”