Chapter 31 So Close
SO CLOSE
“Don’t get yourself killed, Rory. I don’t need Mom on my case.”
“It’s not all about you, you know,” he told his sister. How the hell did she know what happened to him?
Stupid question when she seemed to know everything else.
Or, as the rational part of his brain always thought, this was nothing more than him talking to himself, and rather than think he was any crazier than he was, Rene’s face was there doing the talking.
“You’re making it about me,” Rene said. “You’ve got a woman there on your team trying to help. She’s giving you hints and clues and you didn’t even answer her. Even at fifteen I could have figured out she wanted you to give her something more than you did.”
“Mind your own business,” he said.
“Sorry, can’t do it. It’s not like I’ve got anything else pressing on my hands while I sit here and wait.”
“Are you stuck here?” he asked. “Trapped between, I don’t know, worlds?”
It was something he’d told himself never to ask. That he didn’t want to think she had no peace even in death.
“I’m not trapped,” Rene said. “Not like you think. But I can’t leave. You and Mom aren’t ready for it yet.”
“So if I find out who did this, you’ll be gone?” he asked.
He didn’t want that either.
To never see her again.
To never hear her voice.
Even if it wasn’t real, would he lose these pieces of his sister? It might feel like a second death to him.
“I’ll always be here and watching out for you,” Rene said. “Answer the door.”
“What?”
“Get off your lazy butt and answer the door,” Rene said, laughing, then disappeared when he heard a bang.
He sat up and looked around the small cabin on Ridgeway Orchards. He was in the living room on the couch where he must have dozed off.
The TV was still on but a different show than he’d been watching.
“Coming,” he said, and stood up.
He looked out the window and didn’t see any vehicles, but it seemed everyone just walked on the property.
“It’s Clay.”
He opened the door to Gale’s brother.
“Sorry. I guess I dozed off.”
“Didn’t mean to bother you,” Clay said. “Just checking in. Gale asked me to. She said you seemed groggy this morning and I was down this way.”
“Your sister kept waking me up to see how I felt last night.”
“She was worried. She gets that way.”
“I appreciate it. What you are all doing.”
“Blaze said it’s important for you to rest. Just wanted to make sure you were good and I’ll leave you alone,” Clay said.
“I can only sleep so much.” Especially if his sister was going to be bugging him. Blaze said it was barely a mild concussion. He’d take that as their erring on the side of caution.
“I know that feeling,” Clay said. “Not to put pressure on you or anything, but if you’re up to it later, Ford was going to come out and we’d like to talk and go over a few things.”
“Yeah. I’ll be up to it. Gale might be pissed, but she’ll have to get over it.”
Clay snorted. “That’s for you to deal with. Just don’t mess her up too much. And if she knew I said that, she’d be in my face.”
“Your sister has said a few times that she’s tough. I know it. I just need to decide my next step. I can’t leave here now. Not when it feels I’m so close.”
“Stay as long as you want,” Clay said. “It’s only sitting empty. You’re safer here than anywhere else and maybe it will give you more peace to work.”
“I can’t get much work done while I’m focused on this, though I’ll have to work on my book soon.”
Something he’d try to think of next week. Even if it was a rough draft or an outline. He knew where he was going with it now.
That his hero was actually going to be the leading lady.
A sexy, cocky, tough attorney who didn’t back down from anything.
Gale would appreciate that.
Maybe he could bounce some ideas off of her while he was at it.
Lake George was a small town. It’d be nice to use this setting and it could be a form of healing for him.
“You have to figure that out, but Ford and me, we need to find out who is doing this in our town. Not just for you but for everyone else.”
“I know,” he said. He wouldn’t take offense to those words. He wasn’t much to them prior to the past few weeks.
“It’s not an insult to you,” Clay said. “I can almost read your expression.”
Guess in his current condition he wasn’t able to conceal much.
“I get it. My life will go on when I’m gone. So will yours.”
“Don’t think that way,” Clay said. “What you do with your life is your decision. Everyone’s goes on, but you have the right to make the decision on how you want it. If it were me and someone were coming after me, I’d be strapping on all the arsenal I had.”
“I’m limited to your gun,” he said.
Clay’s eyes shifted. “I’ve got what you need. Just come over to the ranch later, but we’ll keep it between us.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Gale is going to want to be here tonight if we are meeting. I can’t keep it from her.”
“She’d make my life hell if we tried to,” Clay said. “You can let her know. If you need to leave or want to, just text me. You can take my truck or my mother’s SUV until you get everything set there.”
“That gives me something to do.” He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it. “I’ve got to call my insurance company.”
“Better you than me.”
Clay left at that and Rory texted Ford to see if he could get a contact at the State Police for a copy of his accident for his insurance.
An hour later, that headache was started at least and the one that was physically in his skull was lessening.
He pulled his phone out and spoke notes into it for his new series. Easier than looking at the screen and typing right now.
When it rang in his hand, he turned to look at the screen and saw his mother calling.
His nose wrinkled some while he debated answering it. He didn’t always answer her calls when they came through, but he’d feel guilty if he let this one go.
“Hi, Mom,” he said.
“Are you okay, Rory?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Rene came to me in a dream last night and hinted at checking in on you. I didn’t want to call too early in case you were sleeping. I know how you get sucked into late nights.”
His sister was going to get an earful the next time she made an appearance.
“I’m good,” he said. “I talked to the original detective on the case yesterday. It was more frustrating than informative.”
“I never liked Detective Denning. He always came across as a bumbling fool to me.”
“Maybe it was his personality. Don’t know. He said a lot of things that made little sense or wouldn’t hold up as any evidence. Nothing more than rambling from someone losing their memory.”
“Tell me what was said regardless. Maybe it will trigger something.”
“Or annoy you because it did me.”
“I still want to hear it,” his mother said firmly.
“I figured.” He leaned back on the couch and put his feet up, shut his eyes and told her what he could remember. “That’s the gist of it. I gave a copy to Ford and Clay to listen to. We are meeting tonight to go over some things.”
“It burns my ass that he did that. All this time wasted looking for the real killer. Unless he knows and is covering for that person.”
“I don’t know what is true coming out of his mouth. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you everything.”
“I need to know it all.”
He couldn’t tell his mother everything. She didn’t need to go through it like he was.
“There isn’t much more to say. We’ve got some leads and are looking into it.”
“Like what?”
“Like there is no reason to go get your hopes up when mine aren’t,” he said. “I’m letting Ford do his job as you told me to.”
“Maybe you should come home. You sound tired. Are you not sleeping well?”
There was the guilt again, building on his shoulders with the weight he was struggling to balance. It was best if she didn’t know what had happened yesterday.
Best for everyone.
Because if he knew his mother, she’d be here by tonight and he wasn’t putting her at risk.
Or she’d be lecturing him to get home.
He wasn’t ready, and no amount of pressure was going to get him to leave.
“Just a lot of things on my mind.”
“How are things with Gale? Do I get to meet her or talk to her?”
He should have figured that was where this call would go.
“Things are good.”
“What does it look like a week from now when you’re supposed to come home?”
“I’m not ready to come home if that is what you’re asking. I can’t leave until I have more answers.”
“And if you get answers, whether or not you like them, are you still staying longer?”
“Would you be upset if I did?”
There was a pause on the other end. “I want you happy, Rory. If it’s there and you can handle it after everything that’s happened, then maybe it’s meant. Doing what works for you and your happiness is all I care about.”
“Thanks, Mom. I haven’t felt happy in longer than I can remember. Gale makes me feel that.”
Most times. When she wasn’t twisting him up inside.
But that was his cross to bear, not hers.
Something told him he was doing the same thing to her.
“Good. I’d like to talk to her at some point, if you’re willing.”
“I think I am. I’m sure she will be. I’ll let you know.”
“I can’t wait,” his mother said. “Rene made it sound like you were conflicted. I figured it had to do with Gale. I said it before and I’ll say it again. This is about you now, not Rene. She won’t be upset about that either. You and I have to move on.”
“Dad sure the hell did.”
“You’re only going to cause a fight bringing him up. He wiped our child from his life and then did the same with us. His way of moving on isn’t ours.”
“Nope. Neither one of us is a coward.”
“That’s right. Do what you need for you, Rory. No one else, but you. Even Gale. I don’t know her. I know and love you, and your corner is the one I’m in and always will be.”
“Thanks, Mom. The same.”
He hung up after that and put the phone down, then kept his eyes shut hoping his sister came back to him so he could give her hell for throwing him under the bus.
Though he supposed it could have been worse.