“I know this didn’t end the way you were hoping. All I can say is, I saw his body. There were no signs of distress or pain.”
“Yes, I was there earlier when the Stanton police called me, and I thought the same thing. He looked as if he’d just slipped away. Still, I wish I’d been with him. The police think he probably came down here to the river from the nursing home, so I figured I’d come here, too. I figured maybe his spirit would be hanging around for a while. I suppose that sounds foolish.”
“No. It doesn’t.”
Lucas smiled at me. I thought the same thing I’d thought last night. He had a nice smile that went from his mouth all the way up into his blue eyes. His long blond hair was messy across his shoulders.
“I came back to Stanton because Grampa Paul needed help. I was hoping to take care of him myself, but by the time I moved here, it was obvious he needed more care than I could give. That’s why I moved him to the facility. It’s not a bad place, even though it can be awfully depressing.”
“We got the reports over in Everywhere every time Mr. Nadler wandered away. It seemed like they couldn’t keep track of him.”
Lucas laughed sadly. “Well, don’t blame them too much. Grampa Paul was like Houdini. An escape artist. We tried GPS trackers; he found a way to take them off. The elevators were locked out, but somehow he always managed to slip away from the dining room. The police would call when they found him, and I’d go talk to him wherever he was and take him back there. He hated it. He’d cry when I left. It broke my heart.”
It broke my heart, too.
“If you don’t mind a personal question, did he know who you were?”
Lucas’s face got a faraway look. “Occasionally. Just for a moment or two. Most of the time, no. I was in there somewhere, though. He’d talk about things we did together when I was a kid, but he didn’t realize that it was me sitting there with him. Still, I liked hearing the old stories. It was a comfort knowing there were bits and pieces of him that the disease hadn’t taken, even if he couldn’t connect them to reality anymore. He’d talk about this resort we used to visit during the summers, and for him it was like we’d just been there the previous weekend. Or he’d laugh about the ant farm he built for me and how all the ants got loose and sent my grandmother screaming out of the house. I remember when that happened. I was probably seven at the time. But he thought the two of them still lived in the old house. He’d ask me over and over where my grandmother was. To him, she was still alive. Still the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.”
“That’s sad, but it’s sweet, too.”
“Well, as I say, it was nice knowing the disease hadn’t wiped out everything.”
The two of us were quiet for a while. I was comfortable sitting with him. It occurred to me that he was one of the few people I’d met who had been through what was ahead for me. I didn’t like talking about it, but Lucas made me feel safe.
“My father,” I murmured.
He looked at me. “What about him?”
“It’s starting.”
Lucas understood immediately. “I’m so sorry, Shelby.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“How old is he?”
“Only fifty-five. It’s early onset. His parents went the same way.”
“There are things that can be done now to slow it down.”
“I know. We’ll explore everything.”
“Well, if I can help at all—”
“I appreciate it.” I checked my watch and saw that a lot of time had passed while I was sitting there. “I really need to go.”
“Of course.”
I pushed myself to my feet and brushed dirt off the slacks of my uniform. “What’s next for you? You came home because of your grandfather. Will you leave now that he’s gone?”
“No, I don’t think so. I like it here. I always have.”
“Well, good. And thank you again for taking care of the owl last night.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“Goodbye, Dr. Lucas.”
“Please, let’s drop the ‘doctor,’ okay?”
I smiled. “Okay. Lucas.”
“I really am sorry to hear about your father, Shelby. Believe me, I understand what you’re going through. If you’d like to talk more, I’m always happy to do that. Maybe we could meet for dinner sometime.”
It was a kind, generous offer that also sounded suspiciously like a date.
“Maybe we could,” I replied. “I’d like that.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Agent Reed and I had an hour alone as we drove back to Everywhere from Stanton, and I used the time to try to save Adam’s job. Yes, I knew he wouldn’t lift a finger to help me if the tables were turned, but I didn’t want to see him get fired for one stupid mistake. So I talked up Adam as much as I could, and Reed heard me out. Then, without a word, he took his phone from his pocket and played me the voicemail message. It was even worse than Adam had described it. He was obviously so drunk he could hardly talk, and I could hear the beat of the rain and rock music in the background as he tried to form his words. Most of what came out were four-letter obscenities. At some point, the reality of what he was doing must have dawned on him because he cut it off in midsentence. But the damage was already done.
“Well, that was bad,” I admitted, because there wasn’t anything else I could say.
Agent Reed didn’t react, other than a grim little smile. He simply put his phone back in his pocket. I was silent for the rest of the drive.
When we reached Everywhere, we went directly to the Sloan house. There was still a crowd of neighbors inside, helping the family. Trina was back, and she answered the door. She led us into the living room where Ellen and Dennis were waiting. Reed wanted to give them an update about the F-150 before news broke in the media. I knew the discovery didn’t bode well for finding Jeremiah, so when Reed asked to be alone with the Sloans, I was happy to bow out of the conversation. The three of them went downstairs. Trina and I left the other neighbors in the living room and went upstairs to see Anna, who was hanging out in Jeremiah’s bedroom.
The door to the boy’s room was at the end of the hallway. I headed that way, but Trina stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. We hadn’t turned on the light, so her face was in shadow. I didn’t see any emotion there, which wasn’t unusual. Even so, I knew she had something to say to me.
“Shelby, we haven’t told Anna about the cancer. Not yet.”
“I understand.”
“I just didn’t want you to say anything to her.”
“Of course. I won’t say a word. But she’s a smart kid, Trina. She already knows something’s wrong.”
“I know. I’d planned to tell her this weekend, but then, with Jeremiah—”
“Yeah. There’s never a good time.”
“No, there’s not.” Trina took both of my hands. “Listen, I have to ask you something. A favor.”
“Anything.”
“Hear me out before you say that. Look, I’m going to do whatever I need to do to beat this again. You know me, I’ll fight with every breath I have. But I’m a practical woman. I’m a coach, and being a coach means being prepared for every eventuality, including losing the game.”
“Trina—”
“No, wait. Listen to me. You know I don’t get sad about things. Life is what it is. I had to deal with all of this the last time it happened. I’m not afraid for myself, but I am afraid for Anna. You know how hard it is not having a mom. I worry about her going down the wrong path because I’m not there. So if the worst does happen, I’d like you to be there for her. I need to know she has someone. Not just her father; she needs another woman in her life.”