“Jesus!” Ann cried. “He was certainly methodical! How did you find all of this out?”
“Shelley called me last week and told me the whole story after she’d seen Stanley’s photo in the paper. She feels horrible about it because she realizes now what she had done. But there’s no way that she, or any of us, could have even guessed that Jerry Rankin was in fact actually Stanley Jenkins. In fact, Roger and everybody else involved in this case have all but agreed that Stanley might never have been caught if it hadn’t been for that Polaroid Amy sent me. As a matter of fact, we can thank our daughter for solving this case!”
“Our daughter and her father,” Ann corrected.
“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that,” Sam said humbly.
A short pause, then Ann said, “Sam?”
“Yeah, babe.”
“Do you really think it’s over between you and Shelley Hatcher? I mean, totally over?”
“Definitely,” Sam replied flatly.
“You sure?”
“Sure I’m sure. Beyond a shadow of doubt,” Sam emphasized, wondering what this line of questioning was leading up to.
“Are your parents still flying up for Thanksgiving?”
“Yup. They’ll be here on the 22nd. Why?”
“I was just thinking, why don’t we all have Thanksgiving together-like a family. Just like we did last year.”
“Are you serious?” Sam asked, not believing his ears.
“Yes, I’m serious. I don’t want to be alone anymore, Sam. I miss you and I miss the three of us being a family. Amy does, too. And the mere thought of going through the Holidays without you is unbearable. In fact, I don’t think I could do it.”
“Does this mean…?’
“Yes, Sam. I’m ready to come home. God, am I ready!”
Sam nearly leaped out of his chair, “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that, honey! It’s been a living hell not having you and Amy around. I miss you two so much, I-”
“Let me say it first,” Ann interjected. “I love you, Sam Middleton. Always have, always will. For better, or for worse, I love you!”
“I love you too, honey!” Sam said, as a thought suddenly came to mind. “But what about Amy and school?”
“I’ve already spoken to Amy and the school’s principal about it. She’ll have to finish this semester and then she can transfer her credits to Smithtown High. Amy’s all for it and can’t wait to see her old friends again.”
“That’s great! When does the semester end?”
Christmas break, December 20, I believe.”
“Think we can wait until then?”
“We’ll have to, unfortunately, but we’ve always got the weekends in the meantime.”
“I guess that will have to do.”
“Do you have a stove in that bungalow of yours, Sam? For a turkey?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s not too big but it should be able to accommodate a fair sized bird.”
“That’s good,” Ann said, a trace of disappointment in her voice.
Sam knew what was eating her: the reality of the three of them living in this tiny house in the boondocks. He already had an answer for that.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you,” he said. “I was at the bank a few days ago and ran into Paul Malone. It seems that he’s getting transferred to Columbus at the beginning of the year.”
“You’re kidding!” Ann cried. “So he’s moving his family up here?”
“Yup.”
“And the house?”
“Putting it up for sale next week.”
“Oh God, Sam. I don’t believe it! Is there any way-”
“That we could get our old house back?” Sam finished the sentence for her. “That shouldn’t be a problem, if that’s what you want to do.”
“Oh Sam, yes! Let’s do it!”
“Consider it done.”
“Wait until Amy hears this! She’s almost missed that house as much as I have. She bitches about this place all the time. God Sam, you’re wonderful! I love you so much!”
“That goes for me, too. And tell that kid of mine the same, okay?”
“I will. I’d better go now. I think I’ll take a walk and try to come back down to earth, I’m so excited now, I’m almost sick!”
“I know what you mean. I’ll call you tomorrow, honey. We’ve got a lot of planning to do.”
“Okay. Love you, dear!”
“Love you, too.”
Sam was grinning ear to ear as he hung up the phone. He breathed a deep sigh, slid a fresh sheet of paper into the carrier and hit the keys with a flourish: