The Girl Most Likely To... (35 page)

Where are they, Kat? Cliff asked in a calm voice.

On the attic stairs. But you're not answering me! Tears began to well in her eyes. Why aren't you answering me? What's going on?

Cliff looked pained. What did you find in the boxes you did open?

Kat had a feeling her hard-won peace was about to be blown to hell.

Books, an old coat, a charm bracelet, art projects.

Cliff frowned. But there was a box you never opened at all?

Kat swallowed hard, nodding.

Cliff said to Aidan, Do you think you could go find that one and bring it on down here?

Aidan's mouth was pulled tight and he flashed his eyes at Kat in disappointment. I thought you said there weren't any more secrets, Mom.

There aren't! she yelled.

Well, that's not entirely true, Cliff said. How about you go get that box, son?

Aidan left the table. Nola stared at Kat with giant eyes. Matt buttered a roll. Rachel sat straight and stayed quiet. Barbara looked sad. Jeff and Richard were huddled together, whispering. The kids looked bored.

Riley put his hand on Kat's shoulder in a protective gesture. I think you better explain what this is all about, Cliff, he said.

Cliff nodded, the seriousness etched in his kind face. Everything she needs to know is inside that box.

Virgil staggered around the kitchen, the lack of sleep and the physical demands of the last few weeks finally catching up with him. He found a box of saltines in the cabinet and ate a few. There was a vanilla pudding cup on the shelf, so he ate that, too, but had to use a dirty spoon because Rita hadn't been over to clean in ages. Then he poured himself a jigger of vodka and slugged it.

He knew where he was headed next, and it pained him. It really did. He'd hoped that that working on the sculpture would soothe the urge. It hadn't. His body was dying, but the urge was alive, and it swirled through him, driving him on, making him suffer. He remembered how it would go, back in the day, how, when he'd feel this unholy desire for Katharine, he'd just take it out on BettyAnn. It was always pure relief, damn near rapture, and when he was done, the world was back in balance and the fire would mellow to a glow.

But Kat had come back to rub his face in it. She knew what she was doing. She knew how parading in front of him had always tortured him.

The time had come. He had no choice but to extinguish the source of his misery, once and for all.

He walked out to the studio, noticing with a kind of removed curiosity that his feet were scraping the ground, that he couldn't lift them up and place them down the normal way. Just another sign that the end was near, he supposed.

He put his hand in the bottom drawer of the worktable, reached beneath a stack of worthless sketches, and got the handgun. Sad to say, but the day he'd bought this gun over at the pawnshop in Bowden, he'd been a vital man, still handsome, still able to get the ladies when the need arose. Now, he was just an old man, sick, and so very tired of all of it.

Virgil stuck the gun in his pants pocket and set out for Laurel Lane. At this pace, it was going to take a while.

By the time Aidan made it downstairs with the box, everyone except Matt had relocated to the living room. Matt was still eating.

Aidan put the carton in the middle of the floor and Kat moved closer. It was then that she noticed something for the first timethere was writing on the side of this box, in blue ink that had faded almost to he point of it being unreadable. She leaned in closely. /Open this box first/ was what it said.

Great. Kat crumpled to the rug. She was afraid. When she looked up, she saw everyone staring down at her with a combination of curiosity and pity.

Put down your fork and get out here, Matt! Nola called. This is a family thing we've got going here!

Still chewing, Matt sauntered up to the crowd.

You might want to make sure it's not ticking, he advised.

Give me your pocketknife, Riley said, not amused in the slightest with his brother. Riley then bent down and sliced the box open. We're all here, Kat. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. He kissed the top of her head.

Thank you. Kat's eyes darted to Cliff.

It's all going to be fine. You'll see, he said.

Madeline had denied Carrie's request to take a quick trip through the buffet. Of all the nerve! Cherry Hill was the only restaurant serving food today, and Madeline knew ityet she'd kicked Carrie out! That meant a stop at the McDonald's in Elkins on the way out of town, and she hated to throw up in public restrooms unless she absolutely had no choice.

She began to walk toward her car. The afternoon was bright and cheery.

She smelled food coming from /everywhere/ and her thoughts turned to that creamy, thick key lime pie filling, just the right combination of tart and sweet. She hated Madeline, but the woman sure could cook.

Out of nowhere, a blast of cold collided with Carrie's body, and she was chilled to the bone. /Probably from starvation/, she told herself. She pulled her coat tight. Then ever so slowly, her skin began to crawl, and something told her to be on alert.

I knew you'd come back to me.

The voice came from her right. She whipped her head around and froze.

The ghost of Virgil Cavanaugh lay in a pile of brown leaves in someone's yard. It glared at her through sickly pink-rimmed eyes, and an otherworldly smile was pasted on its face. Then it coughed. But ghosts didn't cough, did they?

Carrie's pulse tripped. This was exactly why she'd opted for a job in health-care policy instead of clinical work. Clinical work required her to touch everyone who came to her for help, no matter how frightening or dirty or wretched they were. Her mind spasmedshe'd taken the Hippocratic oath as a physician and this was a human being who needed her help, but, honestly, she wanted to bolt.

For a long moment, she stared at him.

Did you come to sit for me, darling? he asked.

I am going to call an ambulance, she said, getting out her cell phone.

Wait! Virgil tried to push himself up to a stand. Carrie waited to make sure he didn't fall, and was grateful that he'd managed on his own. I was just catching my breath. I'm going in right there. Virgil pointed a shaky finger toward the house behind him, a beautiful two-story bungalow that Carrie had often admired in her visits to Persuasion.

I've been invited to dinner in there. Would you mind helping me up the sidewalk?

A white envelope sat on top of what looked like a stack of photo albums. /For My Darling Daughter/ was written in shaky handwriting in the same blue ink. Kat picked it up, a million questions fighting to get attention in her head, the first one being, This is for me? She'd said it out loud.

It is, Cliff said.

How do you know my mother? Kat asked, and somewhere in the bottom of her gut, she knew the answer.

Look through everything. All your questions will be answered.

Kat picked up the first photo album and cracked open the plastic cover.

This couldn't be. The first page was filled with photos of Aidan as a baby. In fact, she recognized many of them. Either she or Phyllis had taken them. Kat was shocked and looked up to Aidan with a sense of helplessness.

What in the hell is going on? Aidan asked. He dropped to his knees next to Kat and she grabbed his leg.

Look through this one. She handed it to Aidan and picked up the nextAidan's kindergarten graduation, Kat in a sun hat in the backyard helping Phyllis with the roses, several Ocean City vacations…

She knew about me, Aidan said, whipping through the album in his hand.

Phyllis must have sent these to her.

Kat thought she would faint. She picked up the last album and started with the final page, crammed with photos of Aidan's lacrosse matches.

Kat began to sob. I don't understand, she wailed, looking up to Cliff.

What is all this shit? I don't get it! Phyllis knew my mom?

Cliff nodded gently. She sent pictures to Rita through the years, so Virgil would never know. You'll have all the time in the world to go through the albums, but you should probably read the letter. He caressed Kat's shoulder.

Kat tried to tear open the flap but ripped the entire envelope in her anxiety.

I'll do that for you, hon, Nola said.

Kat gladly handed it over, then accepted the three-page handwritten letter Nola handed back. Kat stared at it, her eyes swimming and her whole body shaking. Read it for me, please. She handed it back to Nola.

Aidan's arm went around Kat. He pulled her to her feet and took her to the sofa. He sat on one side of her and Riley sat on the other. She clutched at both of them as everyone found a place to sit. Jeff and Richard brought dining chairs into the living room for Cliff and Barbara. Nola propped herself on the arm of the love seat, directly in front of Kat.

Wait. I need a beer, Matt said. He was back in seconds, but Nola greeted him with a glare when he returned. She cleared her throat. ?My Dear Daughter,' Nola read aloud. You do want me to read aloud, right?

Kat nodded, so stunned she wasn't sure she'd hear a word of it. ?This letter is an apology and an explanation. I hope you read it in good health. ?I did some very stupid things in my life. First off, I did not tell you the truth when you were a child, and I suppose you've lived all this time knowing something was wrong, but you couldn't put your finger on it. Forgive me, Katharine. I was ignorant and so afraid, and now I'm going to be facing my maker soon and I don't have the strength to come see you in person. That's why I'm writing this down. I will give it to your aunt Rita to give you, once I'm gone.'

Nola looked up. You OK, hon?

Kat blinked. She turned to Riley, hoping he'd have the answer to that question.

Do you want to go on, Kat? he asked her.

She nodded.

Nola continued.?Your real father was a very nice young man from Cumberland, Maryland'

Wowholy shit! Nola shouted. Sorry, that part was mine.

Kat's eyes flew to Cliff. He smiled at her. Kat felt the strangest combination of rage and relief begin to churn inside her. ?I met him at the Randolph County Fair when I was a junior in high school. He was there with a group of students, and he came back often to see me. By my senior year I was pregnant with his child. Virgil Cavanaugh was older and smarter than me, a visiting lecturer at the college, and he married me even though I was pregnant with another man's baby. But I paid a high price. He never let me forget that he took me in when no one else would have me. He used it against me all of our marriage. For whatever reason, I was never able to give him his own child, and it enraged him. When you were four years old, Virgil caught me answering a phone call from your real father. That's when the hitting started. What was I supposed to do? Your real father was married with a family of his own and it wasn't true love between us, anyway. I had nowhere to go. No job. No place to live. I decided to stay and take whatever Virgil dished out so that you'd have a home.'

Kat squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Aidan and Riley tight against her sides, which was a good thing, because she really thought she might shatter into a million pieces if they weren't there.

Nola stopped reading. Maybe I should end it here. Her question was directed to Riley, but Kat raised her head.

Let's hear it all, she said.

Nola cleared her throat and continued. ?I know I made the wrong choice. I should have grabbed you and taken my chances in the world. My dear daughter, forgive me. I was a scared woman when Virgil married me, and I stayed scared all my life. ?You may have already figured this out, but it's no accident that Cliff Turner picked you up on Route Three. Cliff is your real daddy, Kat. Rita called him the instant I sent you away and told him to get here as fast as he could and find you and get you out of town. Cliff's wife didn't know about you until recently. She was very understanding. And, as you can imagine, I feel indebted to Phyllis. I know she was a better mother to you than I could ever be.'

Those are nice things for her to say, Barbara whispered.

Does this go on much longer? Erin asked.

Where's the bathroom? asked Stephanie. Rachel got her started down the hallway. ?I bet you've always been amazed at how lucky you were that Cliff picked you up that night. You /were/ lucky, but not for the reasons you thought. You were real lucky that nobody picked you up before Cliff got there and that your real daddy cared enough to make sure you were safe.

You were always loved, Katharine. You were always wanted. My beautiful grandson was always wanted, too.'

My God, Aidan said with a sigh.

Rachel went over to him and sat at his feet. ?If you're reading this, it means I'm dead and you somehow got my things without Virgil standing in the way. If it was Rita who managed this, then God bless her. She's really not so bad, Kat. She was scared of Virgil, same as me. ?Now let me tell you about Rileyhe's turned out to be a fine man and a wonderful doctor. He's taken real good care of me. Now, I've wanted to tell him for years about you and your boy, but I never did because I knew if Riley brought you back to Persuasion, Virgil would try to get his hands on Aidan. I probably made a mistake with that, too, and I hope someday you'll find a place in your heart to forgive me and all my weaknesses. I know I was real weak. ?Love, Mother.'

The silence was shattered by Loretta's howl.

Somebody put her outside, please, Riley said, his eyes on Kat. Matt excused himself and came back promptly, a fresh beer in hand.

Cliff began to speak, but Kat's hand flew up to stop him. Nobody say a word. I need to sort this out. The first person she turned to was Aidan, still right next to her. He looked surprisingly cool. Are you all right? she asked him.

He nodded. Are you?