Chapter 30 #2
This is it. I admitted to being the unlicensed driver behind the wheel. He was after Maddy because the car is registered in her name. Shall I just hold out my wrists and ask him to cuff me?
“Is your aunt home?” he asks in a soothing tone.
Okay, why isn’t he laying down the law? What is this?
“Umm. What do you need to see her about?”
Sheriff Lennon looks behind me and there’s a nervousness to his response. “Do you mind if I step inside?”
“Umm, no,” I say in a shaky tone, stepping out of the doorway on trembling legs. “Come on in.”
Sheriff Lennon steps inside and nods at Milo. “Good morning, son. Can I ask why you kids aren’t in school?”
My stomach spasms and I eye Milo with a wash of guilt. “Umm.”
“Jamie’s not feeling well,” Milo blurts. “I came over to check on her. I was going back to school, I swear.”
“It’s okay, kids,” Sheriff Lennon says, gesturing to the sofa. “I’m not here about that. Is your aunt at work?”
“She’s in Hawaii,” I reply. “Why do you need to see her? Is it about her car?”
“No.” Sheriff Lennon’s eyes narrow. “Why? Did something happen to it?”
I edge toward Milo and link hands with him. “No. Just wondering?”
“Look, Miss West.” He sighs. “Jamie. Can I call you Jamie?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I came here because I have news for you and your aunt.” He motions to the sofa. “Jamie, can I have a word with you in private?”
As if he’s a life raft, I cling to Milo. “Can Milo please stay?”
Sheriff Lennon holds a poker face. “I’ve brought some heavy news with me. It’s up to you if you want to share it.”
I squeeze Milo’s hand tight. “Milo’s my boyfriend. I want him with me.”
Sheriff Lennon nods. “That’s fine. Take a seat, kids.”
We do as instructed, and Sheriff Lennon takes a chair from the dining table. He places it in front of the sofa and sits. His posture is friendly and welcoming. With Milo’s arm around me, I ease into the tense situation.
“Sheriff,” I stammer. “What’s this about?”
“There’s no easy way to say this,” he admits. “A prisoner in custody started feeling remorse and has admitted to further crimes.” He pauses before revealing more. “Jamie, this man is in prison for violence against women. His worst offense was manslaughter.”
I clutch the space over my heart and gasp. I shiver by Milo and instinctively he briskly rubs my arm.
“With the information this man detailed, we’ve found the unmarked graves of three missing women.” Sheriff Lennon’s face drops, unable to hold his steady expression. “Jamie, I’m so deeply sorry to tell you this. One of the women has been identified as your mother.”
I gasp harder, shooting my hands over my face. I breathe in, sucking my fingers over my nostrils. My heart sledgehammers against my ribs, and my head is ready to cave in.
Milo’s arms wrap around me, and he rests my head under his chin. “Oh, Jamie,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears form in my eyes. Part of me was prepared for this. We’ve said for years that Mom passed away. But this clear, concise ending still riddles me with despair.
Sheriff Lennon leans forward, touching my knee.
“My deepest condolences. I’m sure this isn’t the news you were hoping for.
I hope, in some way, it gives you closure.
” He slips a card out of his pocket. “This is the number of a crisis care hotline. You can call anytime and have a confidential conversation with a trained counselor.”
Milo takes the card for me, thanking Sheriff Lennon.
My mouth hangs ajar as I struggle to process everything I’ve heard. “She was buried?”
“We don’t need to get into specifics,” Sheriff Lennon says gently.
I fling my head back against the sofa. “How do I tell Aunt Maddy about this?”
“How long has your aunt been in Hawaii?” Sheriff Lennon asks. “Are you staying here alone?”
Milo cups my shoulder, keeping me close to him. “She’s staying at my house. She only came here today.”
“Do you want me to drive you over there?” Sheriff Lennon asked. “Do you have any parents at home?”
“My mom and my grandparents will be there.”
“No,” I cry out, covering my face with a hovering hand. “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here.”
I collapse my head against Milo’s chest, closing my eyes. Finding out this news in this house makes me feel closer to Mom. Her presence lingers, helping me process the devastating information.
“You need someone here,” Milo says softly. “I can call Mom to come here.”
I nod against him, hesitant to move a muscle.
“That’s a good idea,” Sheriff Lennon says. “I don’t like the idea of you kids being alone. Not after hearing about this.”
“Sheriff.” I gulp before asking. “Was this man in prison named Trigger?”
The sheriff gives a knowing look. “No. I remember that name from your mother’s missing person file. We investigated that individual at the time. He had nothing to do with your mother’s disappearance. Plus, he’s been living across the country for the past eight years.”
It’s a small win to know the person who took Mom away wasn’t known to us.
Sheriff Lennon excuses himself to take a call, and I agree Milo should call his mom. Mrs. Nelson is organized and practical, and I need her presence around.
Milo kisses the top of my head, and I peel myself off him. He pushes off the couch and pulls his phone from his pocket. I notice the tremor in his hand as he lifts the phone to his ear.
I hug my knees and fight to keep the contents of my stomach down.
“Mom, don’t get mad,” Milo says warily. “I’m at Jamie’s house. Just hear me out. Sheriff Lennon’s here… It’s Jamie’s mom… They found her.”
I shudder as Milo courageously relays everything to his mother.
After a weighted pause, Milo says, “Yeah. She’s gone.”
“Milo,” I whisper weakly.
He looks at me with heightened concern.
“Can you ask her to call my aunt?”
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “Mom?” He rubs a hand behind his neck. “Can you call Maddy and let her know? Jamie can’t.” Milo nods along, finally saying, “Okay, thank you. See you soon.”
He turns back to me with an exhausted sigh. “Mom’s calling Maddy now.”
I drop my face into my hands. “Oh my gosh. She’s going to hate not being here. This will send her into a meltdown.”
Sheriff Lennon lowers his phone, becoming alarmed. “She’s unstable?”
I lift a hand to slow his reaction. “No, she was just already feeling guilty for leaving me. She’ll hate the idea of me hearing this news without her.”
He nods. “I don’t like it either. I had to notify next of kin. It’s a bad situation, however it needs to be handled.”
Sheriff Lennon’s phone call was about an urgent situation downtown. With knowledge of Mrs. Nelson on her way, and Milo and I insisting we were fine waiting alone, Sheriff Lennon left. Not before ensuring I remembered about the crisis care hotline he mentioned earlier.
“Oh my gosh,” I mumble, pressing my hands over my face.
Milo sits back down, sweeping his arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Jamie.”
I lower my hands as tears pool in my eyes. “I never did anything.”
Milo tilts his head, getting a better view of my face. “What was that?”
“I didn’t do anything to find her,” I whimper, tears rolling down my face.
“She’s been gone all this time, and I never looked.
” I swipe my hands over my cheeks, smearing the tears dry before new ones appear.
“What if we could’ve done something? Milo, I crawled under a house for a cat, but I never did anything to find my own mother. ”
“Jamie, you were a kid,” Milo says rationally. “No one expected you to do anything.”
“I grew up. I could’ve gotten off my butt and done something.”
He cups my face, staring into my eyes until my breathing decelerates.
“Jamie,” he says in a low, calm voice. “The sheriff said this guy hid several bodies. If the police couldn’t find them, a sixteen-year-old high schooler wasn’t going to.”
I collapse against him, hugging him with all my might. “Oh, Milo. I’m so glad you were here. How could I have heard this news without you?”
“You’d be okay. But I’m always here to stop you from spiraling.”
I giggle against his shoulder. “I’m never letting you go.”
I lift my head and smile at his beautiful face.
“About that.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “When the sheriff arrived, you called me your boyfriend.”
I look into his eyes, forming a small smile. “Is that okay?”
He grins, a nervous laugh breezing out of him. “Yeah.”
I touch the sides of his face and sigh. “No one makes me feel the way you do. My body’s never erupted in so many tingles, my hearts never fluttered, I’ve never been more calm, or felt so protected. Milo, I love you with all my heart. I want to be your girlfriend.”
Milo can’t contain his contagious smile. “As in, official? Like, no more secrets?”
I nod. “No more secrets. I don’t want to hide my feelings for you.”
We stay wrapped in each other’s arms until Mrs. Nelson bustles into the house. I get off the couch, and she embraces me with a bear hug.
“Oh, Jamie,” she whimpers. “You poor thing. I’m so sorry about this horrible news.”
“Thank you. I’m okay, though.”
“Grandma and Grandpa want to know if they can get you anything?” Mrs. Nelson says, rubbing a circle on my back.
I give her a grateful smile. “No, I’m fine. I just want to stay here. I wish Aunt Maddy was home.”
“She’s on her way, sweetheart,” she says, nuzzling her head against mine. “She’s arranging a flight back ASAP.”
I sigh in relief. “Thank goodness.”
“She’ll call as soon as she has a flight plan. She wanted to call you first, but I told her I was on my way. It’s better she has a way to get home first.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Milo fidgets beside us. “Does Kai know?”
His mother releases me and turns to him. “No. I didn’t want to call him while he’s in class.”
“Should you call the administration to pull him out of class?” Milo asks. He gestures at me. “He’d want to be here for her.”
Mrs. Nelson nods. “He definitely would.” She turns to me. “Do you want me to call him?”
I swallow roughly, feeling every piece of my wounded heart. “Yes, please.”