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Before I left the hospital, I asked Agent Driscoll if news of Jim's death had been released. I needed to talk to Tom and Laurie, but I wasn't sure if they knew about Jim or not.
On the drive home, I realized that although the news of Jim's death had been released, that didn't mean that Tom or Laurie knew about it. They weren't related, and I suspected the details of the operation that led to his death would have been classified. It was possible that no one in Wilkins Gap knew what happened.
When I got home, I made myself a mug of Earl Grey tea and carried it upstairs with me. I sent Chance a text message while I soaked in the tub and sipped my tea. Now that the chaos was over, the pain of losing Jim was starting to sink in. I barely had the energy to make it from the tub to the bed. I pulled on Chance's sweats and wooly socks—my comfort clothes and collapsed into bed.
XXX
When I woke up, what sky I could see through the skylight over the bed was dark and grey. That seemed appropriate. The clock said it was almost noon. I checked messages and email, then headed downstairs for a mug of tea. Showered and dressed, I drove to Hairy's.
"Hi, Everly. How are you?" Rita asked.
"I'm OK. Just a little tired."
"Seems like your plans have changed a lot over the past couple of weeks. We're glad you're home. Are you going to be around for a bit this time?"
"I'm not really sure," I said. I ordered breakfast and accepted the large cup of tea she pushed across the counter to me. "I'll be in the office for a while."
I talked with Rick about how things were going at the cafe. We recently added pizza to the menu, and it has been hugely popular. I ate breakfast at my desk rather than in the cafe. I wasn't sure I was ready to make small talk with the public.
I walked upstairs to check on the apartment. I still needed to figure out what to do with it. Should I keep, rent it as it, fix it up and then rent it. I just couldn't make up my mind. I made a pass through the Quonset and Harry's lab, but I couldn't seem to dredge up enough interest to work on anything.
I drove back to the A-frame and decided I had put it off as long as I could. I needed to call Laurie. I picked up my phone but dialed Tom instead.
"Hi, Everly. How are you?"
"I'm OK, Tom. How have things been in Wilkins' Gap?"
"Pretty quiet. Any news on the BFFam?"
"Some. How's Laurie doing?" I realized I should have thought this through before making the call.
"She's doing OK as far as I know. You sound like you have something to say but can't get it out. What's going on?"
This was the downside of having friends who knew you so well. "You're right. Any chance you can come over to Chance's?"
"Sure. Want me to bring lunch?"
"That would be great. See you in a bit."
I made myself a mug of tea and went upstairs to the office. I turned on my laptop but sat down on the sofa and tucked my feet under me. I wrote Chance on the top of one page, Driscoll on another, Tom on another. Then I made pages for Hairy's, the museum, and the guide business. I started with Tom's page first. I needed to tell him what happened. I wasn't really sure where to start. The key point I needed to convey was Jim's death. I made some notes that I hoped would help me get through it when Tom showed up. I added some things to Chance's list. I needed to tell him everything in detail but that would have to wait until we were face-to-face. Was there anything I needed to tell him when we could talk but before he got home. I decided it would be best to let most of it wait. He'd know something was wrong, but he'd wait for my explanation. The Hairy's list was getting shorter. The only major plan I had left for the cafe was adding the Cryptid Coffee Corner. I needed to make a detailed plan for that, but it was low down my priority list.
I heard a car in the driveway. It was Tom. I let him in, and he set the take-out containers on the counter before pulling me in for a hug. That was a mistake. I burst into tears.
"Everly, what's wrong? Did something happen to Chance? He kept holding me as he queried me about why I was so upset. Finally, he gave up and just held me while I sobbed.
When the sobs subsided, I pulled back. "I'm sorry, Tom. I should have figured out how to tell you before I called you. I thought maybe you already knew."
"Everly, you're not making a lot of sense. Sit down. I'll make you a cup of tea, and you can tell me what's going on."
I carried a box of tissues to the sofa with me and wiped my face. Tom came in a few minutes later with a cup of coffee for himself and a mug of tea for me. "Thanks, Tom. I'm sorry about falling apart on you. I thought I had things under control."
"What things?"
"Jim's dead."
"Jim Stafford?"
"Yes. I wasn't sure if it had been reported in the news here or not."
"Oh God. We have to tell Laurie."
"I know. I wanted to talk to you first so we could decide how best to do that."
"It's gonna suck no matter how you tell her. I saw him in town just a couple of days ago. Do you know what happened?"
"Unfortunately, yes. He was shot in the line of duty."
"You didn't shoot him, did you?"
"For God's sake, why does everyone keep asking me things like that. Of course I didn't shoot Jim, but I am the reason he's dead."
"I'm going to need some context here," he said, taking another drink of his coffee.
I tried to give him a brief version of the story without sharing anything DHS might consider classified information.
"So, you were there when he was shot?"
"Standing right behind him. He saved my life."
"Oh Everly. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how hard this is for you. Are you OK?"
"No. I still can't quite believe it. DHS said they released the news of his death, but I guess no one locally knows about it yet."
"Was Laurie in love with him?" Tom asked.
"I'm not sure. I know she cared about him, but I'm not sure if she was in love with him. It's going to hit her hard either way."
"Do you know what the arrangements are for his funeral?"
I didn't, but I emailed Driscoll to see what I could find out. Tom and I decided that regardless of the funeral arrangements Jim's family might make, we should hold a memorial service in Wilkins' Gap. Everyone in town knew Jim. We made a plan, and I called Laurie to come over as soon as she closed the shop for the day.