She’d spent four of the past ten years getting a PhD in history, and for most of the past six years she’d been teaching online classes for the University of West Virginia. Her life wasn’t perfect, but she had taken it for granted until last Christmas, when she’d found the lump in her breast.
A double mastectomy and a round of chemo treatments later, she was now minus boobs but cancer-free and getting ready to begin breast reconstruction. Her once-thick red hair was growing back, and she was alive, and for that she was grateful.
She had just finished her last class of the day and was getting ready to answer some student email when her cell phone began to vibrate. She had forgotten to turn the ringer back on, and when it began to rattle across the counter, she grabbed it before it fell off.
“Hello?”
“Lainey, this is Dallas Phillips.”
Lainey froze. She and Dallas had once been close friends because they were dating the Jakes brothers, but that had all gone by the wayside with her dreams. The urge to hang up was strong, but curiosity won out.
“Well, it’s been a while,” Lainey said.
Dallas heard the chill in Lainey’s voice but didn’t take it personally. She knew Sam had left her high and dry, which was why she was calling.
“I know, and the reason I’m calling isn’t pretty, but I wanted you to know. From one woman to another, you need to be forewarned that Sam is coming home.”
Pain shot through Lainey so fast she could barely focus.
“Well, hell must have finally frozen over,” she snapped.
Dallas winced. Lainey was still angry, and she couldn’t really blame her. Sam had abandoned all of them.
“No, it’s worse. Betsy and Trina were shot on their way home from Paul Jackson’s memorial service. Betsy is dead, and Trina’s condition is critical.”
Lainey gasped. “Dear Lord! What happened? Why?”
Dallas frowned. “Surely you know about the recent murders of my father and Paul Jackson?”
Lainey was shocked. “No! I had no idea, and I’m so sorry. I rarely go to Mystic. I do most of my business in Summerton. What happened?”
“My dad was the first. The killer tried to make it look like a suicide, but they figured out pretty quickly it was a homicide. Then Mack Jackson’s dad, Paul, was killed. Same thing. The killer tried to make it look like an accident, but it was determined to be a homicide.”
Lainey couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t know. I just didn’t know, but...why Betsy?”
Dallas quickly explained about the connection to the night of their graduation.
“Now all of them are dead,” she added. “Trey has been working day and night trying to run down leads, but to no avail, and now this. That’s why Sam is coming home. No one’s seen him in ages. I don’t know what to expect, but I thought it was only fair that you should know.”
Lainey’s voice was shaking. “I am so sorry for...for all of you. And, Dallas, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Dallas said, then hesitated. “Uh...when I asked Trey if I should call you, he said yes. He’s sorry about how Sam treated you...how he treated all his friends and family. The war did something to him. He’s not the same Sam anymore.”
Lainey’s eyes welled, but the tone of her voice was angry.
“Yes, life does that. None of us are the same as we once were. Thank you for calling.”
She hung up the phone and burst into tears.
Sam drove I-75 northbound for almost two hours without remembering a single mile of the trip. It wasn’t until his gas gauge began to signal a need to refuel that he finally had to stop. His head was throbbing and his belly was growling as he went inside the station. He knew he should eat but wasn’t sure if anything would stay down.
The woman behind the register was reading something on her cell phone and didn’t bother to look up as he walked in.
“How’s it goin’?” she mumbled.
Since he guessed that was her standard greeting, he didn’t bother answering.
One quick scan of the fried food inside the deli case was all it took to send him on the hunt for something with a longer shelf life, which turned into sweets. He chose a box of doughnuts and a honey bun, and then got a large coffee to go before going to the register to pay.
“Will that be all?” the clerk asked, still focused on her phone.
Sam reached across the register and laid his hand over the phone.
“Ring me up, please,” he said softly.
There was a frown on her face as she looked up. The look in his eyes startled her, and she quickly totaled his purchases.
He paid her with cash, waited for his change and then walked out, drinking the coffee as he went. It was too strong and bitter as hell, but it served the purpose, and slowly his belly began to settle.
He put the food in the SUV and began to refuel. As he did, he glanced at his watch. Almost 5:00 p.m. Even though it would be dark soon he was driving straight through. On a good day, the trip was at least an eight-hour drive, but driving in the mountains in the dark was going to slow him down. Still, it didn’t matter. No matter where he was, he wouldn’t be sleeping.
Once the gas tank was full, he got back inside and called Trey to check in.
His brother answered on the second ring. “Hey, Sam, where are you?”
“About two hours closer to you than I was when I started. Is there any word on Trina?”
“No. She’s been in surgery a little over an hour and a half. I’ll call when I know something, I promise.”
“Would you do me a favor?” Sam asked.
“Sure,” Trey said. “What do you need?”
“Get me a room at Grant’s Motel.”
“It burned down six years ago,” Trey said.
“Well, hell. Is there another one?”
“Yes, but you could stay at the farm.”
Sam’s voice had a don’t-argue tone.
“No, I can’t stay at the farm. I wouldn’t go home when Mom was still alive, and I’m not going back there now. I’ll take the motel, please.”
Trey took the cue not to argue.
“I’ll give them a call. It’s at the north end of Main.”
“Thanks. I’ll drop off my stuff as soon as I get in, and then see you at the hospital.”
“Okay,” Trey said, and then added, “Hey, brother.”
“Yeah?”
“It will be good to see you again.”
Sam sighed. He felt like crying.
“It will be good to see you, too,” he said.
He disconnected, opened the box of doughnuts and then started the car. He took a bite out of the first doughnut as he was driving away. It was the first of three he would eat before he ran out of coffee to wash them down.
*