The Hardest Part (Brookside #2)

Chapter Twenty

J anuary is fucking cold in Wyoming.

Grateful the power got connected, and they had heat, Billy and his brother nailed down hardwood flooring in their living room over the creek. Everything was coming together just as he had envisioned it. After this, they had the cabinetry, counters, and fixtures to install, but that was easy enough. Then, come spring, once all the snow had melted, they only needed to do the exterior grading and some landscaping.

Between Emily, school, the horses, and the John Jacoby situation, what little time Billy had to spare was spent here. Now, seeing how far he and Jake had come, with the help of family and friends, he was certain the house would be finished in time for the wedding.

At least, after tomorrow, no one would have to think about John Jacoby anymore.

Crazy shit .

He always thought the old man was a little off, but Billy never figured the guy was capable of murder, and his own daughter at that, until they went to his house and confronted him with the proof his father had found.

They stared evil in the face that day.

Billy was still trying to make sense of it all. Tanner’s mother, the elder sister, offs Kellan’s mother, injecting her with a fatal dose of insulin because she was jealous, then tells her father what she did, so he offs her—why? How could a father do that? The man was twisted. His daughter, too. John Jacoby’s hatred for Matthew Brooks drove him to do the same to Jennifer. Benjamin would have been next.

So, yeah, it was good that no one had to worry about him anymore.

He was going in front of the town council in the morning.

And Billy was going to be there.

The day dawned just as cold as the day before, but the sun shone. Not a cloud to be had in the bright winter sky. He buttoned up his shirt, tucking it into his best blue jeans, and pulled his hair back in a queue. It was likely the whole town would be there, except for Emily, that is. She was taking Arien and Benjie to Jackson for the day. Pregnant with twins, Kellan and Tanner didn’t want her witnessing any of this shit.

Jake tapped on his doorframe. “Ready, bro?”

Billy put on his hat. “Yup.”

Victor and Justin waited in the kitchen. Impeccably dressed, as they always were, they sipped on coffee, scrolling through their phones. He went to pour himself a cup. “Where’s Ma?”

“She woke up with a headache this morning.” Glancing over at him, his father put the phone down. “Gave her some Tylenol so she can sleep it off.”

“It’s time,” Justin said, tapping on the face of his Movado.

Billy gulped down his coffee in one swallow. “Yeah, okay.”

The short walk to the town hall was a silent one, but then what was there to say? A man’s fate would be determined today. And it had been a long time coming.

Like sardines in a tin, folks packed themselves into the hall. Billy stood off to the side with Griffin, Tyler, Deke, and the others who lined the wall, waiting to fulfill their duty. The proceeding itself was brief. Two men brought Jacoby to stand before the members of the council, his brother among them. He’d never been so proud to see Jake up on that raised dais.

The Lewis attorneys presented the evidence. The syringes, empty insulin vials, photos of footprints, and the recording of a figure in Benjamin’s room. His father testified to what he’d found, and to Jacoby’s eventual confession.

When asked if he had anything to say, Jacoby only said this, “It isn’t me you should fear.” Then he half-turned, and pointing a gnarled finger at Matthew Brooks, he cackled like a madman. “This is the end of my story.”

And the hall fell silent.

After a moment, the chairman stood, and looking at the men on the wall, he nodded. “Take him.”

Surrounded by the older women, Maizie quietly wept as they led Jacoby away. Billy and the others followed, the townsfolk filing out right behind them.

There’d be no hanging. No lethal injection, firing squad, or electric chair. Brookside has its own way of doing things.

With no food, no water, and wearing only the clothes on his back, they brought Jacoby far beyond the treeline, to the top of the snow-covered, craggy peak. And there, whether from starvation, the elements, or a wild animal, the mountain would decide how and when he’d meet his fate.

Matthew Brooks, his sons, and the townsfolk watched their trek from the lake far below.

Jacoby stood there, a maniacal grin on his face, and waved.

Then he did the craziest thing. He turned around, and spreading his arms wide, fell back off the icy ledge.

“Holy fuckin’ shit.” Griffin scrambled toward the edge, and lying on his stomach, looked down into the rocky gorge below. “I don’t see him.”

“C’mon.” Jake gave him a hand up. “Ain’t nothin’ to see here.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Deke said, hooking his arm around Griffin’s neck. “He’ll turn up downstream somewhere.”

But he never did.

Weeks later, Billy saw him in a dream. A goddamn nightmare . Battered and bloody, his broken limbs disfigured, Jacoby hobbled up to him and laughed in his face. “You should fear me, boy. It’s not my story that’s over, it’s yours .”

It was so vivid and real that he woke up breathing all heavy and clutching his chest.

Some dreams have meaning, so he went to Justin about it. “Jacoby’s end was a hard thing to witness, I imagine. It’s bound to mess with your head a bit.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Billy shrugged, stabbing a fork into his steak and eggs. “They never found his body, you know.”

“That’s what’s really fuckin’ with you, ain’t it?” He sat back with a sigh. “I’m not surprised it wasn’t found.”

“Where’d it go, then?”

“It’s amusing how y’all think two hundred pounds of flesh and bone can tumble ten thousand feet down a mountain and land at the bottom all in one piece. I doubt he even made it that far.”

He swallowed. “Gee, Daddy J, thanks for the visual.”

“That dream of yours has no meaning, son. It’s your mind playin’ tricks on you, that’s all.” Justin’s hand came down on top of his and he squeezed. “The man took the easy way out, which is a helluva lot more than he deserved.”

Yeah, maybe .

The dream still gnawed at him, though. Maybe he should feel sorry for the old loon, but he didn’t.

It was that time of year again. The heifers would start dropping calves any day now. After he and Jake spent the entire day working on the house while they still could, Billy was looking forward to having dinner, and afterward, game night with the family. The five of them being home together on a Saturday evening was a rare occurrence these days, and with their schedules, who knew when they’d have the chance again.

As much as he couldn’t wait to share a life with Emily and his brother, and start a family of their own, Billy was going to miss everything he’d had here. Justin waking him up for school, his dad helping him with homework, and his mother’s constant, loving presence. Movie nights. Birthday parties. Hanging ornaments on the tree. His childhood flashed by in front of him and he smiled.

He’d never get to be that kid again.

Life changes, but isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?

Soon, he’d pass down the love and all they’d taught him to children of his own.

But for tonight, he just wanted to hang out and share a laugh or two with his brother and their parents like they used to. Listen to them chatter about nothing over supper. Watch his father gloat after winning another round of Trivial Pursuit. Don’t he always? Billy was going to soak up every last fucking moment of it.

“Somethin’ sure smells good in here, Daddy J,” he said as he walked past the stove and took the seat next to Jake at the island. “What’s for dinner?”

“Beef Burgundy. Mushrooms, carrots, pearl onions. I used the entire bottle of Pinot Noir for the sauce.” He turned around and grinned. “Delicious. Oh, and my creamy mashed potatoes you love so much, too.”

Jake chuckled. “Not gonna ask about dessert.”

“Tiramisu dip with ladyfingers.” Justin bopped him on the head with a dish towel. “So we can satisfy our sweet tooth while we play Yahtzee.”

“You mean Trivial Pursuit, don’t you, baby?” Squeezing his ass, Victor laid a smooch on Justin’s cheek.

“I do not.” He rolled his eyes, laughing at the same time. “It’s no fun for the rest of us when you always win.”

“He’s right.” Carrie playfully swatted Victor’s behind and pulled silverware out of a drawer. “Parcheesi gets my vote.”

“You can only have up to four players,” Jake reminded her. “What about Monopoly?”

Hell to the no. I fuckin’ hate Monopoly .

“Aggravation! It’s just like Parcheesi, ‘cept you can have up to six.”

His brother threw him a look, wrinkling up his nose at the suggestion.

“It’s what Mama wants, ain’t it?”

“That’s right, honey.” She kissed the top of his head and ruffled his hair. “Table’s all set. Let’s eat before your daddy’s phone goes off and he gets called away again.”

“Carrie…”

Billy shifted in his seat to see his mother in his father’s arms as he gazed into her eyes, tenderly stroking her hair.

“…you know that isn’t fair.”

“Yes, it is. I can’t remember the last time we got through dinner without an interruption.” She patted his chest. “It is what it is. I’m not complaining.”

“And this is why I didn’t go to med school,” Jake said, leaning into his ear. “Emily deserves to have us both present, ya know?”

He knew.

“And I don’t wanna miss a thing.”

As luck would have it, his father’s phone didn’t go off once.

Billy piled a second helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. Justin wasn’t lying. Creamy and buttery, he did love them. Without even having to ask, his mother passed him the burgundy sauce. “How’s the house coming along, honey?”

“Great.” He smiled at her. “We put the kitchen counters in today. Ain’t that right, Jake?”

“We’ll get the bathrooms done tomorrow.”

“I’m gonna have to come see it.” And her blue eyes seemed to glaze over. “We…ha…go…shop…ture.”

The fuck?

“Ma?” Billy shook her shoulder. “Dad, something’s wrong.”

“What is it?” He rushed across the table to her side. “Carrie?”

“She was talkin’ just fine and then all of a sudden one side of her face froze up.”

“Get the car.” Victor held his wife against his chest. “Now.”

The closest hospital was in Jackson, fifty miles away. On snowy mountain roads, the trip usually took an hour, but Jake got them there in thirty minutes, their dad holding their mom in the back seat, while he and Justin followed in his Porsche.

By the time he parked, and they dashed inside, Jake stood alone in the waiting room.

Hours that took forever ticked by, and still, they waited.

They drank shitty coffee in paper cups from a vending machine.

They scrolled aimlessly through their phones.

They paced, then sat, only to get up and pace again.

“I can’t take this fuckin’ waiting no more.” Billy yanked at his hair, turning away from looking out the window. “When’s Dad gonna come out and tell us somethin’?”

“When there’s something to tell us, son.” Justin patted his back to calm him. “You know what they say, no news is good news. Your mama’s gonna be just fine.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t, but I can choose to believe it.”

With a nod, Jake pocketed his phone. “Emily wants to come up, but I told her to sit tight until we know what’s goin’ on.”

“There’d just be four of us wearing out the floors, then, right?” he bit out.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, bro.”

Billy wanted to believe them. Truly, he did. But with every minute that went by, he could only imagine the worst.

Then, the double doors opened, and his father finally came out. He looked so tired, as if he’d aged ten years since supper, but Billy couldn’t tell by the look on his face if he was coming to give them good news or not.

“She’s had a stroke.”

Billy glanced at Justin and his brother. It felt like his heart stopped beating in his chest.

His dad got on his haunches in front of him. “Her speech is impaired, and she’s weak on her non-dominant side, but the good news is we got her here in time. They were able to start her on tPA.”

“What’s that?”

“It stands for tissue plasminogen activator, a powerful clot-busting medication. If we can restore normal blood flow to her brain, we can stop the damage, maybe even reverse it.” Victor took his hand in both of his. “Your mama’s going to be all right.”

“You sure?”

“They’re getting ready to take her upstairs.” His lip ticked up, and he nodded. “She wants to see you.”

They followed him through the double doors into a world of pungent smells, beeping monitors, and green cotton scrubs. She was in the back, behind curtain-covered glass. IVs in her arms. Wires taped to her head and her chest.

“Hey, Mama.” She looked so tiny, and so fragile, lying there. Gingerly, Billy wrapped his arms around her. “I love you.”

“Ungh.” Her left arm remained still, but her right hand patted his back.

“You scared the shit outta me.”

She smacked him for swearing, and pulling away, he laughed.

Yeah, she’s all right .

Jake and her brother each took a turn to lean in and kiss her. Justin sat by her side, combing his fingers through her hair, and she motioned to their father. He handed her a pad of paper and a pen.

I’m going to learn to talk again.

By the time you get married.

I promise.