Brian walked back to Aunt Haddie, his small smile now tighter and smaller. “You’ll talk to his parents?” he said.
Aunt Haddie’s chin rose. “I will. Will he be charged?”
“No, ma’am.”
Aunt Haddie let out her breath. “Thank you.”
Brian turned toward where Jack was waiting. The sergeant, at least, knew that Jack had been listening to the entire exchange. He motioned for Jack to get up and come over.
Jack walked over hesitantly. He expected Aunt Haddie to be furious with him, but the look on her face was the opposite. She had the same warm expression that she’d had when he first met her.
I guess that’s what unconditional love looks like.
“Oh, Jackie.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Haddie,” Jack said. “And I’m sorry you had to come down here.”
“Don’t you be sorry about that. What else was I going to do after Michelle told me what happened? Let’s just get you home. We’ll work things out.” They headed for the exit.
“Do my parents know yet?”
Aunt Haddie shook her head. “But Detective Clark said he left messages on both their phones.”
Jack groaned as he held the front door of the police station open. “I’m dead.”
“No you’re not. I’ll speak to both of them.”
“I’m still dead.”
“Let’s get you home and we can discuss your demise calmly.”
They climbed into Aunt Haddie’s station wagon and headed home. Sitting in the front seat beside Haddie as she drove brought the heaviness back to Jack’s chest. Eleven years later, and here he was, in the same car, pulling out of the same police parking lot.
Jack stared out the window. He fought to push the memories of his past into the shadows where he liked them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape who he was. All his studying, all his training—it was all in vain.
“Vargas was right. I am nothing.”
Aunt Haddie patted his shoulder. “Don’t you ever say such a thing, Jackie. We’ll get this mess untangled. I’ll explain everything to your parents.”
“There’s no explaining. My father’s going to… Can we just forget it happened?”
“You did nothing wrong. Well, you should have called the police first, but”—she pressed her lips together as if she was about to give him foul-tasting medicine—“I do know something that could help soften the news of your being brought down to the police station.”
“Name it.”
“You know what tomorrow is?”
“Garbage Day.”
“Stop calling it that. It’s your birthday.”
“Same thing. She threw me away. Like garbage. I really don’t understand why everyone wants to celebrate that.”
“It’s a day that I thank the Lord for. It’s your birthday.”
Jack chuckled bitterly. “Just because the social worker wrote that date on the form doesn’t make it my birthday. I don’t know when my real birthday is.”
Aunt Haddie shook her head. “Then let every day be your birthday. Today’s a new day. Besides, the day doesn’t belong to you or anyone else. It’s the Lord’s. He’s just letting you enjoy it.”
“I’m sure having a blast with this one,” Jack muttered.
She whacked his shoulder playfully.
“Ouch! Is that where Chandler gets it from?” Jack rubbed his arm.
Aunt Haddie laughed. She took a right and pulled onto her street. “Your mom would really like to make you a cake, you know.”
Jack groaned. “Please tell her not to. Is Chandler around?”
“He’s helping Mr. Emerson. I suggest you go over there and give them a hand.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to go explain to your father that I just picked you up at the police station. Jackie, I know you were just trying to help that woman. I know, too, that your taking me and Mrs. Martin to the prison to see Jay made you look bad to that Detective Vargas. You’ve done all you can. You need to leave it to the police. I’ll explain all that. But that explanation will go over a lot better if I can add that you’re currently helping a widower.”
“Right now, every time I help someone, I get jacked up.”
“Don’t be silly. Jewels in your crown in Heaven.”
Jack grumbled, “With the way everything’s going, the angels are going to accuse me of stealing those jewels.”
Jack spent the rest of the day helping Mr. Emerson and Chandler install a washer and dryer for Mrs. McDermott. First they had to take the old units down three flights of stairs. Then they discovered that part of the floor was rotted, so they had to rip it up and patch it. Finally they were able to install the appliances that Mr. Emerson had rebuilt.