Lacy's End (37 page)

“No!” Lacy cried, as she raised the pistol again—and fired.

Lacy stepped onto the stage, nearly tripping over her gown. The audience giggled and for once she could laugh with them. She turned to seek her mother, her eyes roaming until she finally found her. Her new stepfather sat next to her, his hand resting lovingly on the belly that protected his son. He stroked it, which apparently encouraged a response of some sort from the inhabitant inside because both Allen and her mother jumped and laughed.

Brenda and Allen had completely renovated the empty room at their house, turning it into a grand nursery. They had offered it to her, but as she soon would be going off to college, she was happy to let the new baby have it. Besides, somehow she felt comforted in the room that had once belonged to Allen’s grandmother, almost as if she had a kinship with her. Allen said it was because they both were brave, free-spirited women. She had blushed at the compliment, but she was learning to accept the fact that she had many good things to offer the world.

On the other side of her mother sat Angela, Chase, Pammy, Ethan, Charles, Bradley, Alice and, finally, Brett. They still hadn’t met Christopher, although he had promised to be home for Christmas. They all would turn around next week and do this for Chase’s graduation. Then she and Chase would be spending the summer at the ranch. At least until the new baby arrived sometime in late August—just in time to say goodbye to his new big sister as she headed off to college.

She would study sociology at San Francisco State University while Chase stdied animal science at The University of California, Davis. At least they’d be in the same area.

Chase stood, started clapping and wolf-whistling, and then everyone was making whooping noises and clapping. Someone nudged her from behind. She turned to look at Millie. “It’s your turn,” she was saying. “Go on.” She stepped up to the podium and accepted her diploma as a roar of applause thundered through the stadium.

That’s another thing that had changed. Suddenly, Lacy had more friends than she could count. It seemed ever since she shot her father she was a hero. Funny—she didn’t feel like a hero.

Whether or not she purposely missed her father’s heart—nobody knew—not even Lacy. It had been dark out, and he had been moving at the time. However, she had missed, the bullet going in a mere two inches above the heart. Fortunately for him, Allen had been there to save his life. If anyone had asked him if he wished he would have let him die, Allen would have had to lie. Thankfully, for Allen, nobody asked.

She did not regret pulling the trigger, since her father hadn’t given her a choice. She certainly wasn’t going to let him shoot her mother.

He had pleaded guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter, saving his daughter the ordeal of a jury trial—a moment of compassion for his own flesh and blood? Who really knew? More likely his lawyer convinced him he didn’t have a chance against a jury.

Lacy hadn’t been to see him and had no plans to do so. Brenda had gone, though—a cleansing act she had said. She said he had grown first angry and then sad when he had seen her rounded belly, which, she had to admit, she had proudly displayed. When Brenda had first discovered her pregnancy, she'd momentarily feared it might be Peter’s baby. But when the doctors confirmed her November conception date, she heaved a huge sigh, knowing it could only be Allen’s.

The principal was holding out her diploma to her and congratulating her. Lacy took the diploma, turned and waved at her family. She looked at Allen, who waved enthusiastically at her. She smiled at his childlike exuberance. She had a real father now. Then she moved across the stage, as they called the name of the next graduate. 

She stepped down on the other side of the stage and smiled. “You came.”

Jake smiled back at her, cocked his head sideways. “You doubted me.”

“I doubted myself.”

“So…all graduated and grown up now?”

She laughed and twirled, her gown billowing out. “Next step—college.”

“I guess you did it.”

She grinned “Yeah, I suppose I did. I owe a lot to you, though.”

“You owe it to yourself.”

Her smile faded. “My therapist says I have to let you go now.”

He nodded. “It’s time. I’ve completed my mission. It’s time to move on.”

“What if I need you in college?”

He shook his head, looked past her to Chase, who was craning his neck trying to figure out what had happened to her. “You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Let’s just say I know you better than you know yourself.”

She laughed. “Always such a mystery.”

Chase had made his way down the stairs now and was headed their way. Jake bent over and kissed her on the cheek. “Take care, my love.”

He looked at Chase, who was now only a few yards away. She turned back to say goodbye, but he was gone.

She smiled, touched her cheek. “Goodbye,” she whispered.

***

About the Author

Victoria resides in Northern California with her husband, children, and grandchildren.  She loves reading, writing, sewing, live theater, and camping. Lacy’s End is her ninth novel.

Connect with her at
www.victoriaschwimley.com

Other Books by Victoria Schwimley

In The Victim’s Shadow

Faith Series

Capturing Faith

Twisted Faith

Crime Solver’s Series

Crime Solver’s Detective Agency book one

Grand Theft book two

Jessica Crawford Series

Coveting Love

Confronting Truths

Author’s note
:
Domestic abuse comes in many forms. I’ve chosen to use physical abuse to demonstrate the extreme to which a person might go to control someone they’ve promised to love or protect. I’ve also chosen a figure of authority to be the abuser to show that a violent offender might often hide in the face of the public, or use a position of authority to control his or her victim(s).

Below I’ve listed just a few facts about domestic abuse and a short list of symptoms listed on the website of the National Domestic Abuse Hotline. More facts and resources are available by directly contacting them. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, there is help available. Please seek help or tell someone you trust.

The national domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/

Telling you that you can never do anything right

Keeping you or discouraging you from seeing friends or family members

Embarrassing or shaming you with put-downs

Controlling every penny spent in the household

Looking at you or acting in ways that scare you

Controlling who you see, where you go, or what you do

1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States has been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.[iv]:
National Domestic Abuse Hotline

More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.[vi]: National Domestic Abuse Hotline

Below are just a few sites where you or someone you know can go to get help with domestic abuse.

www.ncadv.org
is a national domestic website that offers information, statistics and resources.

www.domesticshelters.org
is a website that helps find domestic shelters in a person's area by simply entering their address or zip code.

www.cpedv.org
is a website specifically for California. It talks about laws that CA has passed to end domestic violence as well as resources to help find safe havens all across CA.