It was all good news, and she was crying from relief, but she still had to talk to her principal. She was still choking back sobs as she made the call. It was the middle of the night, but this couldn’t be put off. He would have to locate a substitute who could work for an indeterminate length of time. She felt like a failure in so many ways that she couldn’t count them. The year had started off so great. Why was this happening? What had she done to draw the attention of someone so deranged?
The phone was ringing and ringing, and just as it was about to go to voice mail, her principal picked up.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Wilson, it’s Melissa Sherman. I am so sorry to call you at this time of night, but something has been happening to me that seriously escalated tonight, and it has become imperative that you are informed.”
And with that lead-in she began to explain everything, from the first phone calls to what had happened tonight. When she told him what the police chief had recommended, Wilson was understandably shocked.
“He actually believes this stalker could try to get to you at school?”
“Well, the truth is, Chief Jakes said there’s no guarantee that he won’t, and he advised me it would be putting children’s lives at risk to ignore the possibility.”
“Oh, dear Lord! Well, I’m so sorry to hear this, and of course we can work with you and the police to everyone’s benefit. I assume you have some sick leave?”
She thought of the sick leave she’d given up to come back home to teach and sighed.
“Only what I’ve accumulated since August,” she said.
“Then, you can use that first and if you need longer, we can figure something out. In the meantime, do you have a place to stay?”
She sighed. “Not at the moment, but I’ll figure something out. Right now I’m at the hospital. They just brought Mack out of surgery. I’ll be here with him until I know he’s going to be okay. You have my phone number, and I’ll be in touch.” Then she hesitated before adding, “I hope you know how upset I am about this, and how bad I feel for putting you in this position. Please don’t hold it against me. I love my job and—”
“Miss Sherman...Melissa...your job is safe. Just make sure you stay the same way.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wilson, and again, I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. Take care, and hopefully we’ll see you soon. Meanwhile, send our best to Mr. Jackson. That was a brave thing for him to do.”
“Yes, it was,” Lissa said. She added a quick goodbye and hung up the phone.
The sudden silence was overwhelming as she leaned back and closed her eyes.
What in the world was she going to do?
She kept thinking back to what her parents had done. She and Mack should have been able to grieve the loss of their baby together. Instead, her parents had fostered a misunderstanding that tore them apart.
The more she thought about it, the more she understood Mack’s shock and his reaction to what he’d overheard. Yes, he should have given her the benefit of the doubt, but she should have called him the moment she came home. They’d both made mistakes. It was time to put the past behind them. Whether or not that led to renewing their relationship, they needed closure on their past.
She was still lost in thought when a nurse came into the waiting room.
“Are you Melissa?” she asked.
“Yes.”
The nurse smiled. “I have a patient in room two-twelve who doesn’t seem willing to settle down until he finds out if you’re okay.”
And just like that, Lissa’s panic stilled.
“Mack,” she said, as emotion welled. “So I can see him now?”
“Yes. Follow me. He’s drifting in and out of consciousness, so don’t expect much.”
Lissa had to run to keep up with the nurse’s long strides, and when they reached the room she was taken aback by all the machines around him. Some were beeping, others just registered fluctuating information on his vital signs, but he was alive, and that was enough.
While the nurse was checking the readings, Lissa moved to the side of his bed, which gave her a few moments to look at his near-naked body unobserved.
He’d always been tall, but his body dwarfed the narrow bed. His hair was still thick and dark, his eyebrows and lashes black as coal. He was no longer the boy she remembered. She realized she knew nothing about his personal life and could be completely out of line in even thinking about renewing a relationship with him.
Then he moaned, and when he did, she put a hand on his arm. Almost immediately his eyelids began to flutter.
“Lissa?”
“I’m here, Mack. Just rest.”
He exhaled slowly. “Knife... Watch out,” he mumbled.
“I know, Mack. I know.”
“Tried...to stop.”
Lissa put a finger across his lips. “Shh, don’t talk. I’m here. I’m safe. I won’t leave you.”
A tear rolled out from under one closed eyelid and down the side of his face, but he stilled. She knew when he slipped back into unconsciousness, but it didn’t change her plans. She’d meant what she’d told him. She wouldn’t leave him alone.
* * *
Louis woke up just as the alarm began its incessant beeping. He turned it off as he rolled out of bed, then burped and farted as he started toward the bathroom, scratching at his two-day growth of whiskers.
Once there, he glanced at himself in the mirror and frowned. Maybe he should shave. Whiskers made his face look fat. He already had a bit of a belly on him, although he thought Reece’s gut was bigger. Still, he didn’t want to turn himself into some kind of Santa wannabe. He grabbed the electric razor and shaved his face clean. As he worked, he thought about what it would be like to share a house with his mother again. Some things just couldn’t be improved on, and facial hair or no facial hair, he was always going to be “the slow one” in her eyes.
He heard Bobo’s toenails clicking on the hardwood floor as the dog trotted into view, his head up and tail wagging, certain of his place in this house. Louis headed for the kitchen and opened the door just enough to let the dog out, then quickly shut it. Last night’s rain was over, but the chill was still in the air.
He started a pot of coffee and then went to shower. By the time he got dressed and went back to the kitchen, Bobo was scratching at the back door. Louis grabbed a handful of paper towels before he opened the door and caught the little furball before he could get away.
“You’re a mess, boy. Mud all over your feet, and your fur is wet. You can’t make messes anymore. Mama is coming for a visit, and while she’s here you have to be on your best behavior.”
Bobo didn’t seem concerned about Mama. He was more interested in the food and water Louis was putting in his bowls.
Louis finished feeding the dog, then washed up and poured a bowl of cereal to go with his coffee, eating it standing up. He winced as he chewed. That jaw tooth without a filling was acting up. He should have had it repaired months ago, but he hated dentists and kept putting off the visit.
When he went to get his phone off the charger, he noticed he had a text. It was from his mother, telling him the bus was due to arrive in Mystic around 5:00 p.m. today, which would be just in time for him to pick her up at the station on his way home. He sighed. This probably meant the end of his evening naps. He wondered how Reece and his weird nocturnal lifestyle were going to play into the visit. Reece was always awake when everyone else was asleep. She wouldn’t be happy about that because he was her favorite, but that wasn’t Louis’s problem.
He was getting ready to leave when he heard Reece’s voice.
“Louis! Wait! I need to talk to you,” Reece said.
Louis stopped, his shoulders slumping as he turned around and looked down. It was easier listening to his brother than looking at him.
“About what?” Louis asked.
“I, uh...I might have gotten into a little trouble last night and I wanted to prepare you in case—”
That made Louis look up. “What kind of trouble, and what the hell happened to you?”
“I might have killed a man. I know I stabbed him twice.”
Louis let out a whimper and then a high keening moan that turned into a shriek. He started turning in circles and hitting the walls with his fists.
“What the fuck is the matter with you? Did anyone see you? Can you be identified? You know we have the same face! You know they’ll think it was me!”
Reece was sincerely regretful. Louis was slow, but he was a good guy.
“It was dark. No one saw me,” Reece said. “You’re safe, Louie... It’s okay.”
Louis was shaking. “Are you sure? You better be sure or I’ll tell Mama. Every time you do this, I have to worry you’re going to get caught. We left Florida because too many girls were going missing in our neighborhood because of you, and you know it. I’m not gonna lie for you again.”
Reece sighed. “You won’t have to, but I have to stay out of sight for a while, so you’ll have to do the shopping and take Mama around. I can’t show my face because if the guy is still alive he’ll tell them we fought, and then the cops will be looking for someone with a bruised-up face.”
Louis began pacing the room, trying to find a solution to the mess his brother had dumped in his lap. When he finally stopped, he looked up and saw himself in the mirror, with Reece beside him.