Chapter 5 Claire
Claire
Nine Years Ago
“Congratulations, pumpkin!” Dad pulled Claire close to kiss her on the cheek, bumping her graduation cap off onto the grass.
Mom picked it up and beamed at it, then at Claire. “Oh, sweetheart, we’re so proud of you! Not only are you the first person in any part of our family to go to college, let alone graduate, but you’re also off to law school!” She re-pinned the cap onto Claire’s head and adjusted the tassel so it was on the left side now that she’d officially been through the graduation ceremony.
Claire wrapped her arms around both her mom and dad and brought them into a group hug. It had always been just the three of them. Jim and Sarah hadn’t been able to have kids of their own, so they’d taken Claire in as a foster child when she was two—her biological parents had died of drug overdoses—and as soon as it was possible, Jim and Sarah made it official and adopted Claire. They were all the family she’d ever remembered, and all the family she’d ever needed.
“I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad,” Claire said.
“Not as much as we love you,” Dad said, which was the same retort he gave every time she said that. And it made her smile every time.
“So,” Mom said, “how about a celebration dinner at Applebee’s?”
“That sounds perfect,” Claire said. Most of the kids in her class would be out at fancy steakhouses or upscale Italian restaurants tonight. But Applebee’s felt like home to Claire, who’d grown up in a house full of love but not much money. Applebee’s with her parents was exactly where she wanted to be.
Over boneless wings and pub pretzels with cheese dip, Mom talked about the rest of the RV trip they’d planned. They’d driven up from the little town in Florida where Claire had grown up to New York to be at her graduation, but then they were veering west to go see the Grand Canyon and a few other notable stops—like Carhenge, a “Stonehenge” made of cars—along the way.
“Wish you could come with us, sweetheart,” Dad said.
Mom swatted him affectionately. “Oh, stop it, Jim. Don’t guilt the girl. She’s got dreams bigger than Carhenge. Claire’s going to be a Big Apple lawyer someday, aren’t you, honey? Just like those shows on TV.”
Claire grinned from behind fingers covered in honey-garlic sauce from the wings. “Yep, just like TV, except maybe with less romantic drama.”
Mom laughed. “I hope so. Those TV lawyers are always sleeping with each other and all their clients. Pretty sure that’s a conflict of interest.”
Dad winced. “Sorry. Can’t think about my sweet little girl grown up and, uh, having relations with anyone.”
Claire leaned across the table and gave him a sticky, sauce-covered kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Daddy. No matter what, I’ll always be your little girl.”
—
Two hours later, Claire’s phone rang. Her parents had wanted to take her to a movie after dinner, but she’d planned to go to a graduation party with her friends, so her mom and dad had decided to hit the road to get some mileage in before the sun set.
She stepped out of the party, onto the lawn. “Hello?” She noticed that she’d missed four previous calls from the same unknown number.
“Claire Walker?”
“Yes?”
“This is Officer Grether from the Maryland State Police. I’m afraid I have bad news…There was a crash on I-95 involving an eighteen-wheeler and your parents’ RV.”
“What?” Claire bolted into the middle of the street, as if somehow she’d be able to see all the way down to the highway in Maryland from there and prove him wrong. “A-are they all right? I can drive down right away. No, shit, I’ve had a few drinks…Are Mom and Dad okay?”
“The big rig jackknifed on the highway and your parents’ RV was crushed. I’m very sorry, Claire…Jim and Sarah Walker are dead.”