Cold Hearts(41)
“Well, come on over if you want,” she said. “I won’t hurt you.”
Bobo flopped down on his belly and watched her.
She shrugged and then turned her attention back to the TV. The next time she sensed movement he was belly crawling toward her with his head down and his ears flat. She pretended not to see him as he crawled all the way to her leg and then stopped.
Pinky sighed. “Oh, what the hell. At least I won’t be talking to myself anymore,” she said, and she reached down and gently stroked the top of his head.
Within minutes he was in her lap, licking her fingers, and she was sobbing. Reece had left her more than money, as it turned out.
And in the past hour she’d come to another decision. She was leaving town. The fewer people who knew her connection to a madman, the better off she would be.
She would get the will to the lawyer, but since it would probably take ages for it to go through probate, she would send him her new contact information once she relocated, and they could go from there. She could leave orders for Reece’s body to be sent to the local funeral home for cremation. Thanks to him, she had the money to pay for that before she left, but what she wasn’t going to tell them was what she’d decided to do with the ashes, which was nothing. They could sit on a shelf at the funeral home for eternity and it would be all right with her because she didn’t ever want to be close to that much evil again.
She looked down at the dog in her lap and patted his head. “You and me, Bobo. What do you say? Think we can get along?”
Bobo whined and laid his head against her breasts. It was ironic that the only living thing left on this planet that was going to mourn Reece Parsons’ death was a dog.
* * *
It had taken a bit of doing and a couple of phone calls to the two men who used to work for his dad, but Mack finally got his SUV moved from the parking lot of the supermarket to the hospital. He thanked them profusely and took the opportunity to offer both of them jobs at his lumberyard if they were interested. To his surprise, Everett, the older employee, told Mack he was interested in buying the station if the price was right. The thought of someone local carrying on at the place his dad built made him happy, and he assured Everett that he would make sure the price was right.
He walked back into the hospital with a lighter heart. Lots of details still had to be worked out and the place had to be appraised, but it felt right.
He hurried down the hall to the elevator, ready to be free of this place, and walked up on a woman already waiting for it to arrive. When she turned and saw him, she broke into a wide smile.
“Mack Jackson! It’s been ages.” Then the smile shifted to an expression of sympathy. “I’m so sorry about your father’s passing. He was a good man.”
“Thanks,” Mack said, trying not to stare.
She smiled again. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“No, I’m sorry but—”
“Jessica York...used to be Jessica Shayne. We were in the same graduating class, remember?”
His eyes narrowed and then he looked away. “Yes, I remember.”
“I’ll bet you’re on the way to visit the same person I’m going to see. Melissa Sherman?”
“No, you aren’t going to visit her. She isn’t going to want to see you,” he snapped.
Jessica gasped at the insult. “I know you two were a thing years ago, but I’m certain you don’t speak for her.”
“We’re still a thing, and the reason I know she isn’t going to want to see you is because she told me only a few days ago that it was you who started the rumor about her having an abortion back in high school, when you knew all along it was a miscarriage. It hurt her in more ways than you will ever imagine.”
An angry red flush swept up Jessica’s throat and face. “Why, I never—”
Mack poked a finger in her face, stopping only inches away from her nose.
“Yes, you did, and if you ever start another ugly lie about her, I will make you sorry. Do we understand each other?”
Her face went from red to a pale, pasty white as she turned on one heel and started walking toward the exit. Her stride was hurried. And she kept looking over her shoulder every few seconds, as if fearing he was on the attack.
The elevator doors opened.
Mack walked in, punched the number to the floor and watched Jessica York until the doors completely closed. The last glimpse he had of the woman, she was running.
* * *
It was midafternoon by the time Lissa was released from the hospital, and now she was waiting for Mack to come get her. He’d gone down to the parking lot a short while ago to meet some men who were bringing his car. She couldn’t wait to get home. It felt like she’d been gone for days instead of twenty-four hours.
They’d cut off her clothes in the ER, so they’d found a pair of hospital scrubs for her to wear home. She was stiff and sore in almost every muscle and still battling a horrible headache, but she was no longer seeing double and had lost the need to fall asleep every ten minutes. The restrictions on what she could and could not do were enough for her to know she still couldn’t go back to the classroom, but as Mack kept telling her, they would figure all that out later.
When she heard footsteps coming down the hall, she rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. She would know that stride anywhere. Mack was back.
“Hey, baby! Did you miss me?” he asked, and then gave her a quick kiss. “Nice duds,” he added.
“I just want to go home,” she said.
“Me, too. The nurse is coming with the wheelchair. I have all your paperwork, so we’re good to go.”
They both turned as the sound of footsteps neared the open doorway, and were surprised when it was Chief Jakes who walked in and not the nurse.
“Hey, Melissa. It’s good to see you up and smiling,” Trey said, and then he gave her the sack he was holding. “It’s your purse. It was still in your cart at the supermarket. One of the shoppers turned it in to the manager, and he brought it to the police department this morning.”
Lissa sighed. “I hadn’t even thought of it, which tells you how rattled my head has been. Thank you so much.”
Trey smiled. “Happy to help.”
“Hey, Trey, I don’t suppose you have anything new on Dad’s death?” Mack asked.
The smile disappeared. “I’m sorry to say I don’t. I sent that tassel to the state crime lab with a rush request, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“I had to ask,” Mack said.
“So where are you headed from here?” Trey asked.
“Back to Dad’s house,” Mack said. “There’s still the memorial service to get through.”
“If either of you needs anything, all you have to do is ask,” Trey said. He left just as a nurse pushed a wheelchair into the room.
“There’s your ride,” Mack said as he helped Lissa down from the bed.
“You go bring the car up to the door while I wheel her down,” the nurse said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mack said, and headed for the elevator as the nurse settled Lissa into the wheelchair.
His shoulder was aching and the staples in his arm were beginning to pull, but he felt like he was walking on water.
The danger to Lissa was over, and their life together was about to begin.
The drive home was anticlimactic. Knowing Mack was beside her and her life was no longer in jeopardy was a gift. The simple pleasure of sunlight coming in through the windshield and someone waving at them as they passed put a smile on Lissa’s face.
Mack went by the drive-through pharmacy and picked up a prescription that had been called in for her. The lady at the window had to take the time to tell Lissa that she’d heard all about her ordeal and wished her well before they could leave.
Lissa was smiling as they drove away, but it did occur to her that she was once again without a car.
“I hate to bring this up, but I need to make a decision about my car,” Lissa said.
“I don’t know when Trey is going to release it,” Mack said.
“Whenever he does, I’m going to trade it in and get a new one.”
“Are you sure you—”
Lissa held up a finger to make her point, just as she would have had done in the classroom. “I’m positive. I do not ever want to sit in that car again.”
He nodded. “I totally understand. Look, if it’s okay with you, you can drive this SUV and I’ll drive Dad’s truck until we can arrange something else. That way we won’t be under any pressure to hurry.”
“That sounds like a good idea, thank you,” she said.
There was a lump in Lissa’s throat the size of her fist. She blew him a kiss and quickly looked away.
Mack saw the tears in her eyes and knew what she was thinking. They would never get back the years that they’d lost, and they’d almost died before getting their second chance. It was enough to make anyone cry.
He took the next left and fixed his eyes on the third house on the right.
“And we’re here,” he said, as he pulled up into the driveway and parked beneath the carport.
Lissa got out without saying much, but she clasped his hand tightly as he walked her up the steps and then to the door.
The click of a turning lock had never sounded so good.
Mack felt blessed. The familiarity of comfortable surroundings and the woman at his side gave him a sense of peace. He hadn’t felt this at ease since he’d gotten the call about his father’s death.