His words sounded reassuring, but she didn’t like spooky. Especially the kind that lurked, waiting in the dark.
For what seemed like eternity but was more like ten minutes, the kids alternated between jumping and laughing, while Corra practically sat in Chris’s lap. She was petrified every time something popped out. Chris wrapped an arm around her and laughed every time she screamed. The minute their cart broke through the black doors into sunlight again Corra let out a deep breath. Her body was still pressed against Chris’s and now she knew why this was his favorite ride.
The minute they walked away from the ride Jamie grabbed Chris by the arm. “Can we go again?”
Before Corra could protest Katie grabbed her hand. “Mom, I need to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll tell you what. While the ladies go to the restroom, how would you like to try the Kentucky Rumbler?” Chris asked Jamie, but immediately looked at Corra for approval.
She tilted her head. Jamie had ridden the roller coaster before with Rollin, whom she trusted her kids’ safety to. And it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Chris with her son, it was more like she was afraid to have him out of her sight.
Jamie recognized the apprehension on her face, and started pleading. “Can I, Mom? Please, please, please.”
“Why don’t you wait until we come back?”
“Corra, I’ll guard the little man with my life. I promise you we’ll be okay. By the time you guys leave the restroom we’ll probably still be standing in line. Go ahead, we’ll be okay.” Chris leaned over and kissed Corra on the cheek, then whispered in her ear, “Trust me. I won’t let any harm come to him.”
So she did. While they ran off to get in line for the roller coaster, she escorted Katie to the restroom. Like herself, Katie wasn’t very fond of roller coasters.
After the Kentucky Rumbler the four of them sat down to eat lunch, and then rode a few more family-friendly rides before calling it a day. Corra hadn’t seen her kids this happily exhausted in a long time. Katie was so tired Chris carried her back to the car. They slept all the way home.
“Did you have a good time today?” Chris asked, as he drove down the highway.
Corra stretched as best she could from the passenger seat. “Yes. I haven’t had this much fun in quite a while. Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I think I needed today just as much as they did. I haven’t rode that many rides, or ate that much junk, in years. It was fun.”
“Yeah, I could tell you were enjoying yourself. And I think my kids are in love with you.”
Chris laughed. “The feeling is mutual. They’re great kids. I just hope their mother is in love with me as well.” He reached out for Corra’s hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
“Oh, she is. Even more so.”
Chapter 21
Tuesday morning on Chris’s drive into work his father called and informed him he needed to get out to his house. Something had gone wrong with the renovations.
Chris turned his car around and gunned it out to the house. He came to a grinding stop just behind the police cruiser that sat parked right in front of the property. His father’s car was in front of the police vehicle.
From the outside everything looked fine. But the minute he opened the front door his jaw set. At first glance, he could tell someone had taken a hammer to the banister because of the way it practically lay on its side. He closed the door behind him and followed the voices coming from inside the kitchen. He jumped when he stepped on what sounded like broken glass. He looked down and the floor was covered with small shards of glass. The original Schonbek chandelier was hanging in pieces. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. The rest of the damage couldn’t be worse than that.
Inside the kitchen, his father, Brian the contractor, and local officer Greg Mason stood discussing the atrocities surrounding them. Greg, an old classmate, turned around and shook his head as Chris walked in.
“Chris, your father was filling me in on what happened out here.” Greg offered his hand.
They shook hands as Chris noticed the broken kitchen window. “Great, maybe somebody can tell me what happened.”
Brian walked them through the house explaining that everything was intact when he left last night, and he hadn’t seen anybody suspicious this morning. Vandals had punched holes in the walls, spilled paint onto his hardwood floors and destroyed just about anything else they could get their hands on inside the house.
Nathaniel stood at the foot of the living room steps looking from the broken banister to the trashed chandelier. “Kids and those damned drugs. Don’t they have anything better to do than to destroy other people’s property? Just look at that banister! It’s an original work of art. Destroyed. And the Schonbek, it’s irreplaceable.”