Oblivion (7 page)

“Jack, he needs you now more than ever. Don’t give up on him. Jace never did.”

Jack chuckled and nodded. “I know. The first time I met Jace; I couldn’t help but notice that he acted more like a Father than a brother. I have some big shoes to fill. Dougie worshiped him, Lindsay. I don’t think his brother could do any wrong in his eyes.”

“Jace was one of a kind, Jack. Both the kids are going to be alright. I really believe that.”

“What about you, Lindsay?” Jack asked quietly, his kindly face concerned. “How are you holding up?”

“About as good as anybody who just lost the love of their life,” she whispered with a sad smile. Tears brightened her gaze and her lips trembled. “Some days I don’t get out of bed, others I keep thinking this isn’t happening. I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”

Jack looked at her with understanding in his gaze. “I could say what everybody else does when you lose someone. The truth is you always miss them. When you get as old as me you might even still get misty-eyed. This hurt is the worst it will ever get right now. It gets better in time. I know I sound like everybody else.”

“No, that’s the first time anybody said that. I feel an ache right now. It feels like my heart’s breaking more every day, Jack. I can’t breathe sometimes. I feel like I lost something so rare and good; I’ll never have it again.”

Jack nodded in understanding. “I lost my wife Linda to cancer ten years ago. We never had kids. We wanted to wait until we could afford it. Then she got sick. I held her until she died and a part of me went with her. After that, I couldn’t even stand to think about all the good times. I started to wish I hadn’t loved her so much because of how bad it hurt to lose her.”

Understanding gleamed in Lindsay’s eyes. “I took all his pictures down in my room. I couldn’t stand to look at them anymore.”

Jack nodded. “I did that too. It was probably five years before I went through our old albums. Losing someone you love is the hardest when you love them the best.”

“Do you date?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Here and there, but nothing serious. I had a few relationships. I’d like to say women like my Linda are on every street corner. They’re not.”

“If you never feel that way again; can you live without it?” Lindsay asked softly, eyes wide. “I think that’s what I want to know.”

Jack looked away and didn’t answer right away. “That’s when you put their pictures back up.”

Lindsay thought about what he said. Before she could answer, Sara and Dougie came back to the table. The jukebox played quietly in the background. They both looked exhausted. This was their last night together. Tomorrow Sara would go to live with the Alton’s and Jack would take Dougie.

Her Mom came back with a ridiculous amount of food. The introductions between her mother and Jack were priceless. Their mutual interest was obvious. She took the boxes and watched as Deborah Morgan sat down, a light in her eyes Lindsay never saw before.  

 Lindsay hid a smile as she ushered the kids out of Reddy’s. It was obvious her Mom and Jack hit it off instantly. Always a good sign when her divorce was final soon. She felt a measure of relief to know her mom would bounce back. Knowing Deborah had a few male admirers was a comfort.

Chapter Five

Gary eyed Dan with a raised eyebrow as they sat across from one another in his office.

“Dan, I’m not tellin’ ya how to do your job. You’re acting Sheriff today, of all days. Do yourself a favor and don’t take a blind eye to the Chase kid any more. He’s guilty as sin.”

Dan shrugged. “I’m satisfied Cam’s telling the truth, Gary. Why are you so insistent the kid had something to do with the murder?”

“Just a gut feeling I have, and years of listening to them.”

“Ever been wrong?” Dan asked and shook his head.

“No not once. Call it a gift. I smell guilt all over that kid, Dan. Jace Turner deserves his justice,” Gary reminded him sourly. He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up in Dooley’s new office. “Do yourself a favor and get that search warrant. Call it an early retirement present for me if I’m right.”

Dan sat back and considered his words, trying to appear like he had thought of it himself.

“You think he has that ring stashed away somewhere, don’t you?”

Gary rocked back on his heels and shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to have his room searched and even better while he’s in school.”

Dooley wanted to solve this case. He was all over it. He knew the citizens of Little Bend could vote him out the next election if they didn’t like Gary’s choice of predecessor. Solving the Turner murder could do much for his career. Many said he was too inexperienced to take over. Gary agreed but there was no one else to take the job.

“What about the attorney? This could look like harassment.”

“You find that ring; you got Cameron Chase charged with murder one and everybody in this town can sleep at night. The news will be all over the country.”

Dan tapped his fingers on the desk and whistled. “What gave you the idea the kid did it?”

“Marnie Slade knows something she’s not telling. She gave it away by admitting she didn’t know Cam was coming over that day. The kid acted on impulse or he had another motive. I think he lured Jace Turner out there and killed him. He had over three hours to get cleaned up and be on that porch. Problem is getting him to admit it. We need a confession.”

“What was the motive, do you think?”

Gary raised an eyebrow. “I got the gut. The rest is for you to figure out.”

“You realize we got nothing on Cam at all right now? No murder weapon, no witness and his prints should be there. I’d like to know how we look at charging him.”

“Isn’t police work fun? Get the warrant and hope those DNA samples come back before you see the judge. I’ll bet we can link Cameron there. You don’t stab someone sixty-seven times without leaving something behind.”

“If you are wrong about this I’m going to look like a jackass.”

“If I’m right, you’re gonna look like a sheriff.”

~ ~ ~

Lindsay watched as Jack loaded Dougie’s stuff in the trunk of his car. She smiled at the little boy bravely. Inside she wept for how unfair this all was to him and his sister. Sara was at the Alton’s two days when her dad showed up drunk raising a ruckus. Dan Dooley escorted him from the residence but the couple rethought their intentions to keep Sara. The girl arrived back at their apartment in tears. Her mom took Sara in.

The girl couldn’t be placed with Jack Miller. Her mom was starting to cave when it came to keeping Sara. Hopefully Deborah would decide before the state worker arrived the following day to take the girl. It helped that she and Jack were inseparable since the wake at Reddy’s.

Her mom would end up keeping the teenage girl, she knew. Amelia Warren owned the antique shop next to her jewelry store and her son was bringing over another twin bed to go in her room. Lindsay was confused about Amelia’s words earlier about some gift Jace bought for her. She received no gift and wondered if the old lady was getting senile.

Cam pulled into the lot. She smiled and walked down the stairs to meet him. He was a regular visitor since the funeral and the greatest source of comfort to her. Just being with him, made her feel a little closer to Jace. He grinned as he drew up in his dad’s new black Mustang, music blaring. He turned down the radio and grinned at her.

“School skipper! Hey, when you coming back to school? Everybody is all over me.”

Lindsay’s smile faded. She couldn’t do that now. “I got all my work turned in and made arrangements to take my finals. I’m not going back, Cam. I can’t do it.”

“Lindsay, he’s gone. I miss him too. He would be ticked to know you gave up the last weeks of school to cry over him.”

She stiffened, angry now. Jace had been gone a week and Cam acted like it was no big deal.

“I can’t take those looks everybody is giving me now. Feeling sorry for me. Mrs. Abbott said all my teachers agree I’m ok to take finals early. You’re just jealous you have to go another month.”

Cam laughed and his fingers tapped on the door. “It won’t matter for me. The grades won’t change.”

Lindsay knew Cam would graduate by the skin of his teeth. His best hope was to get picked up by a headhunter from a college for football. Cam had always joked about being Coach Dawes second choice. She knew now that Jace was gone Cam was a shoo-in for the scholarship.

“You see Evie around town?”

“Nah, we were in Hooligan’s last night and he wasn’t there. Why?”

“I ordered a headstone for Jace. They need a family member to sign off for approval before they can put the order through.”

“Good luck with that. I heard Evie is takin’ it pretty bad.”

Lindsay made a disgusted sound. “Considering he didn’t show at his own son’s funeral, I’m not surprised.”

“They condemned the farm today.”

Lindsay stiffened, knowing that was inevitable. “I already took Dougie and Sara out there to get all their stuff and whatever they wanted to save. I’m not surprised.”

“Lindsay, are you still going to Georgia in the fall?”

“My plans haven’t changed. I need to get out of here.”

“Maybe we will be seeing each other down there. Coach Dawes said the scholarship is open now. He offered it to me.”

Lindsay felt tears in her eyes. Why would she be surprised? Life went on, even if Jace was gone. Still, it had been only a week. Now Cam was being offered everything Jace lost.

“Are you going to take it?”

Cam frowned and avoided her gaze. “I got all kind of offers now. Georgia Tech is a good school. My dad said we should look at all the offers.”

Lindsay felt a bitter surge of anger, even if she was happy for Cam. Jace dying opened the door for him. She tried to calm down, knowing it was unreasonable for her to feel this way.

Jace and Cam were best friends since the fifth grade. He would have wanted Cam to have everything he was willing to give up. She suddenly thought of the argument he had with Marnie the day of the funeral.

“What’s up with you and Marnie?” she asked and saw him stiffen slightly.

“We broke up and she doesn’t get it,” Cam said and shrugged. “She was runnin’ around with Dooley and I caught her. It’s for the best. She isn’t ever getting out of Little Bend.”

“I’m sorry, Cam.”

“Don’t be. I’m not. I can’t wait to get out of here.”

Lindsay could see Cam meant what he said. He couldn’t wait to leave. “I thought I’d feel that way. Now I’m kind of sad.”

“What are you doing tonight, Lindsay?” Cam asked casually as he adjusted the mirrors on the car. “Some of us are going up to The Point. You wanna go?”

“No, I’m hanging with Sara tonight. We’re getting some movies. My mom and Jack are going to dinner in Helena and I’m keeping Dougie too.”

“Sounds like fun,” Cam said with a frown. “You know they aren’t your problem now, Lindsay?”

“It’s not a problem for me, Cam,” she said with an angry look, wondering why Cam was being such a jerk over her hanging with Jace’s siblings. “What’s your problem? They just lost their brother. They need all the friends they can get.”

“I was thinking about you, Lindsay. You need a break.”

She calmed down immediately, seeing he meant nothing by it. “I like being with them. It helps.”

“Jace was my best friend, Lindsay. Don’t you think I don’t miss him too?” Cam asked and his blue eyes met hers with a sad look in them. “But I knew my buddy and he wouldn’t expect me to fall apart over this. You know it too. He wouldn’t mind you getting out once and a while.”

“Not tonight, but I’ll keep that in mind,” Lindsay said and felt a bit of relief when Cam drove away. His pressuring her to go to a party aside, she found his bouncing back so quickly disturbing. Cam wasn’t acting like he just lost his best friend. Who was she to question how someone grieved? Maybe partying eased his guilt over making Jace run him out to Marnie’s that morning.

“Lindsay! You got a phone call,” her mother called from upstairs at the door.

She went up to the apartment and took the call. It was Gary Wilson, the sheriff.

“What’s up, Sheriff Wilson?”

“Lindsay, we need you to come down to the station. We just have a few more questions. Do you feel up to it?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few,” she promised. “Any leads yet?”

She heard a pause on the other end of the phone.

“We can talk about it when you get here.”

Deborah looked concerned as her daughter hung up the phone, looking past her in the kitchen to see Sara watching MTV on the couch.

“What’s going on?”

“That was the sheriff. He wants to talk to me.”

Deborah looked worried. “I hope they catch whoever did this, honey. I get the creeps every time you walk out of here.”

Lindsay did too. “I don’t care what anybody says. Jace wouldn’t pick up any hitchhiker on the highway. I don’t buy that at all.”

Deborah nodded and smiled. “Hurry back. Jack is picking me up at six.”

“You and Mr. Miller are quite the item.”

Her Mom’s look was slightly dreamy. “Jack’s a nice guy, Lindsay. He’s fun too. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

She was happy for her Mom. Meeting Jack might elbow Mr. Merriman out of the way but it was the best thing for Deborah right now.

“I don’t want Sara to know where I’m going, Mom. She’s bummed out the Alton’s bailed on her and doesn’t need this.”

Deborah nodded sadly. “I’ll tell her you went out for more munchies. Hurry back.”

Lindsay grabbed the keys and her purse. “Be right back.”

~ ~ ~

Gary watched Lindsay enter his office and smiled. She was probably the cutest girl in Little Bend. A good girl too; not like some of the ones he saw hanging out in town. She was going somewhere in life. The sadness in her eyes reminded him of why he called her here tonight. Those anguished blue eyes brought him to the questions. She sat in the chair opposite him, looking tense.

“I wanted to ask you some questions off the record, Lindsay.”

“I thought Dan was handling the case now.”

Gary smiled and sat back in his chair. “This is off the radar, Lindsay. I think we both know Dan isn’t looking in the right direction for who killed Jace.”