October Snow (44 page)

“She’s been at this rodeo way too many times. She doesn’t miss a trick when the issue is a psycho-bastard like Car-boy.” He finished his drink, then refilled his glass and Will’s. “What now?”

“We wait for them to make the first move. In the meantime, take care of Sammy, discuss it with no one else, and under
no circumstances
do you go near Jack.” He leaned closer, waiting for Dave to look at him. “I mean it. You listening?”

“Yeah.”

“Dave…”

“It’s not easy, man.”

“I know. Stuff the Irish temper someplace, and do what’s best for your family.”

He thought of Jo. “I’ve already gotten that lecture.”

“Well, whoever gave it to you was right.” He grinned, but the concern was still there. “Tell you what–after everything’s resolved, we’ll jump him.”

Dave rolled his glass between his hands. “It won’t be resolved well, though.” He looked pointedly at Will.

“You never know. You have unlimited legal resources, and he doesn’t. Demares has got to go at a minimum of four hundred an hour. That alone gives you an edge–except, again, with the wrong judge.”

“Which we have a better chance of appearing in front of than not.”

“Have a little faith, Dave. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can.”

Dave got into his car and pulled out his phone, opening and closing it a few times before he pulled up her number. He didn’t expect Jo to answer–she usually didn’t, because she would leave her phone someplace and forget it–but he was hoping to reach her anyway.

He sighed as her voicemail message concluded. “Jo, it’s me. Call me as soon as you get this.”

Jo hit the button to ignore Dave’s call. Sam was sitting on the deck with them, and she didn’t know if he wanted to talk privately.

Sam was wiping her eyes. “When did it happen?”

“Saturday morning,” Max said, handing her a tissue.

Jo turned her phone off, sitting across from Sam. “She went quickly, hon. In her sleep.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. It’s been hard, but at least she didn’t suffer.”

We are just all the
way
into the platitudes now
, Max thought.

“Where is she?” Sam asked.

Jo thought about her dream, about Daisy running free. “We laid her over there, around the side of the house. Near the walkway.”

Max caught on that Jo didn’t want to mention Lady. “Want to go see her, Sammy?”

She nodded. “Please.” She reached for Jo’s hand. “I’m just going to spend a few minutes with her.”

“I’ll start dinner. We can talk then.”

Sam stopped and picked a few daisies from the cluster at the side of the house, then they disappeared around the corner. Jo quickly stepped inside the kitchen and dialed Dave. He answered on the second ring.

“Jo…”

“Hey. What’s up?”

“How’s Sammy?”

“She’s fine.” She relayed to him then the story of Daisy’s death. “She’s paying her respects right now.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’m so sorry, Jo.”

“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “But we probably have only a few minutes here, Dave.”

“Yeah. I just…You’re right. Okay here it is: you did a lot of actual in-court advocacy for the center, right?”

“I did. Why?”

“Are you familiar with an attorney named ‘Demares’?”

She felt the blood rush painfully to her head as her stomach cramped with adrenaline.

“Jo? You there?”

“Mickey Demares?” She wanted to wash her mouth out with something after saying the name out loud. “Yeah. I know him.”

“He’s Jack’s lawyer.”

“Is he now?”

“Will told me he’s a real son of a bitch. What do you know about him?”

That he needs to die
.

“He is. He’s also the reason I had to take Keith back, after I tried to divorce him the first time.”

“What happened there?”

“Keith retained him, and they blackmailed me. I’ll tell you about it sometime. Just remember this: if Will described Demares as anything less than absolutely evil, then he understated him. Badly.” She tried to take a deep breath, but her chest was tight. “He believes that all women are gold-digging Jezebels, who use men just to steal their sperm and then soak them for child support.”

She glanced out to the deck, checking for Max and Sam. She put her hand to her forehead, her throat closing as a lifetime of smug, sneering faces passed before her: the endless succession of posturing, oversexed males. The lecherous, leering creep at the bar. The customers at the restaurant. Fast-food daddy, breaking his daughter’s nose. The angry, abusive males who would picket the crisis center, who would scream their threats and throw things at the advocates. Barb. Amy. Tony Toddson. Keith. His IT friend, Ken. Shelly. Judge Schultz. “Doctor Death” Walker. Mickey Demares.

Jack.

Matthew and Johnny.

It’s time
.

“Dave, where are you?”

“Almost home.”

“Tell Tyler that I’ll have his mom there tonight.”

“What? She wanted to…”

“Know what? I don’t give a rat’s ass
what
she wants. And in this case, neither should
you
. She’s not staying here when she needs you and Ty, and when you guys need
her
.” She heard them coming up the steps to the deck. “I’ll have her there in a few hours.”

She snapped her phone shut, muted it, and went out to the kitchen to meet them.

They looked older than their years, Jo thought. It had been too much for too long. She remembered the discussion she’d had with Max, about earthquakes.

Sam gave her a weak smile. “It’s a nice spot for her.”

“Let’s have dinner, guys. Then you’re going home, Sammy.”

“What?” She looked confused. “Come again?”

“We’ll grab some dinner, then I’m taking you back to Boston.”

“Jo, I need some time. I need to decide what I’m doing.”

“Then go decide it with your husband.”

Max nodded her agreement.

Sam looked back and forth between them. “You’re kicking me out?”

“I am.”

“You know what I want to do.”

“
No
,” Jo snapped. “We know what you think you
have
to do. It’s not what you want.”

“If I don’t, then it’s over. He
wins
. I’m not going to let him ruin
Tyler!
” she shouted. She grabbed her backpack from the counter. “I’ll get a hotel.” She was digging frantically through it. “Where the hell is my
phone
?”

“Sit down, Sammy,” Max said, her voice steady.

Sam ignored her, still trying to find her phone.

Max gently took the bag away from her. “Sit down, Sammy. Please.”

Jo was standing at the counter with her head down, her palms flat against it, her shoulders hunched. She looked up at them as they sat at the table, loving them both. Sorry for all three of them. But more than anything, she hated Jack. And Mickey Demares, and all that he stood for. And all of the people like him, the people who had so smugly cost her her life.

Sam was crying softly; Max rubbed her back, looking at Jo.

“Hey!
Sammy
!” Jo slapped the countertop. “Look at me!”

Sam faced her instantly, startled.

“Straight up–do you want an abortion or not?”

She shook her head, the tears running in a torrent down her face–her eyes filled with the despair that Jo knew too well. “There’s no other way.”

“You think you’ll ever be able to get past it?” Max asked.

“If there was any other way, I’d
take
it.” Sam was becoming defensive, and it stemmed her tears.

“How much do you trust me?” Jo asked.

Max felt her scalp prickle. “Jo…”

She gave her a calm, cautionary look, and Max decided not to push. For now.

Sam was wary of the question, but she said, “You know I trust you. Both of you.”

“Then go home. Be with them. They need you tonight.”

The truth of it hit her hard, and she slumped, giving in. “Then what?”

“It will be okay. I promise you. Everything will be okay.”

They crossed the border into Massachusetts just before eight o’clock. Max had been quiet for most of the trip, wondering why on earth Sam hadn’t asked more about that promise–why Jo would even make such a promise to begin with. She wasn’t given to empty bravado, and she didn’t bluff. There was some idea, a plan. Something had hatched.

She looked at the back seat, where Sam had fallen asleep just a few minutes after they left the lake. Max didn’t like even the mild degree of animosity she felt toward her at the moment; yet, it seemed like so many of the issues that were now, apparently, about to send Jo on a hero bent again stemmed from Sam’s bad choices.

In her rational mind, she knew that she was being unfair. She knew that the stress she felt was clouding her judgment.

“She’s still asleep?” Jo asked.

“Yeah.”

Jo glanced at her. “You’re quiet.”

“Not much to say.”

Tyler was at the window as they pulled up to the townhouse. From the truck, they could see him calling for his dad, and then he disappeared from view. Dave emerged a minute later, coming to the driver’s side of the truck as Jo got out.

“She slept all the way down,” she said.

He kissed her cheek, then looked through the window at Max. “Hi, sweetheart. Thanks for this.”

Max nodded, saying nothing.

“She’s pissed at me,” Jo said.

“Why?”

Max scowled. “Hey Dave, maybe you can find out why she promised Sammy that everything’s going to be just fine.”

Sam was stirring, and Dave opened the door, sliding in beside her. “Hey,” he said, gathering her into his arms.

It took her a moment to get her bearings, then she threw her arms around his neck.

“Mom!” Tyler called from the window. “
Mom!
” He was waving, holding his Red Sox bear.

“Go on in, babe. I’ll get your things.” He helped her out of the truck, then turned to Jo. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute, if you have it.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll go in with Sammy,” Max said listlessly, taking one of the bags.

“Jo, come say ‘bye before you leave?”

“Yeah.” She leaned against her truck, looking at Dave. “So…?”

“I want to know what you’re doing.”

She lit a cigarette. “Abating a nicotine fit. Two hours with your wife in the car, so I couldn’t smoke.”

“Come on, Jo. What are you up to?”

“Why do I have to be up to anything?”

“You told them everything will be fine.”

She moved to the side so the smoke wouldn’t reach him. “Keep her here with you. Give me a couple of days to work something out.”

“What are you talking about?” Alarms were going off in his head. She was completely flat. “Jo, you can’t go and hurt the guy.”

Her expression was unreadable. “I won’t touch him.”

“Nothing illegal?”

She laughed, but it was brittle. “First, would I tell
you
? You’d have a choice between turning me in or losing your law license. And second, no. I won’t do anything illegal. Trust me. I know how to flush these guys out.”

He wasn’t reassured by her answer, not at all, but he saw Max coming down the steps of the townhouse. “Take care of yourself, Jo. You and Max are co-godmothers.” He thought he saw something flicker in her eyes, the briefest reflection of the Jo he knew, but she closed over quickly.

“Thanks for that.” She crushed her cigarette on the street. “You guys are sweet. Don’t worry about me, Dave, just take care of Sammy.”

“Let’s get going.” Max came around to hug him. “Talk to you soon.”

Dave had a sudden impulse to snatch Jo’s keys, to keep her there. To keep her safe, especially from herself.

“Yeah,” Jo whispered. “It’s getting late.” She looked toward the house–so welcoming, with the lights shining through the windows, and his family safely tucked inside.

A flood of regret washed over her. Maybe, she thought, some things really are never meant to be. Maybe the comforting mirage in front of her was never her destiny at all, and the years of longing, and hoping–and hurting–had been for nothing. “Tell them I said goodbye.”

He pulled her into his arms, his hand on the back of her head, knowing there was nothing more he could say. There was no way to protect her. Whatever the outcome would be, it was already in motion.

.

chapter 20

J
O MERGED ONTO
the highway heading back to Manchester as Max chattered beside her.

“If it has nothing to do with offing the guy, than what is it?”

“‘Offing’? We going gangsta now, Maxine?”

“Don’t deflect.”

Jo hated having to lie to her friend. She also hated that she was so good at it. “To tell you the truth, Bim, it’s kind of complicated. I haven’t figured it out for myself yet, not completely.”

Max wasn’t satisfied, but she warmed slightly at the sound of their usual nickname. “But you do have some kind of a plan.”

“Yeah. And I will, absolutely, fill you in on it in a day or so.” She could see that Max was relaxing some. “I just have to make a call or two,” she added. That much was true.

“And you’ll do nothing that’s gonna put you in jail.”

“No. Nothing.” She looked at her with a hopeful smile. “Just give me a couple of days, and then you’ll know everything. And as long as we’re staying in Manchester tonight, let’s go see Bobby. He probably wonders what happened to us.”