The Last Time She Saw Him (28 page)

Inside the house are the signs of everyday life, the framed picture of David and the boys at the lake, a stack of dirty dishes left in the sink, and Logan’s baseball glove and sneakers lying in a heap by the door. All things so simple and mundane, but right now, they are absolutely wonderful.

Will’s eyes begin to flutter, and I sit with him in the white rocking chair in his room. I am unable to let him go, even when his breathing becomes heavy and I know he is asleep.

There’s a tiny tap on the door, and Logan peeks his head inside. I place Will in his crib and cover him with a plush white blanket.

I stand at Will’s doorway for a moment, and then turn my attention to Logan. I grab his hand, and we retreat into his room, where he has spread all the contents from his treasure box across his bed.

“Taking stock of your loot there, kid?” I ask.

Logan gives me a crooked grin.

“Are you all right, Mom? You’re looking at me kind of funny.”

“You just reminded me of my brother Ben for a minute.”

Logan picks up his magnifying glass and begins to study one of his prized rocks from the lake. I sit down on the bed next to him, amazed at how a child can experience a horror so unimaginable but still be able to retain his wonder and imagination, believing the world is still good despite the evil he now knows really exists.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

Logan grunts in response, still examining his rock.

“This is important. Look at me,” I say.

Logan drops the rock and magnifying glass and meets my gaze.

“What happened last night was horrible. It was worse than horrible. You saw and had to endure a situation no child should ever have to experience. I need to know if you’re all right. It’s okay if you’re not. Just tell me. There are people you can talk to, and sometimes that’s a really good thing.”

“I’m fine. Really,” Logan says.

I exhale deeply and run my fingers through his shiny dark hair.

“You’re incredibly brave. I’m proud of you. But don’t ever risk your life for me again. Got it?”

Logan shakes his head.

“I love you. I promised I would protect you and Will.”

Logan walks over to his dresser and begins to load up his new backpack with pencils and a notebook. And then I remember. Tomorrow is the first day of school. With all that happened, I forgot. But somehow Logan didn’t.

“Don’t worry about starting school tomorrow. It’s too soon. You should take some time. I’ll call the principal and let him know. He’ll understand.”

“I want to go to school tomorrow.”

“Okay. But if you change your mind, that’s all right.”

“Is it okay if I go outside to play for a while? I want to hang out in my tree house by myself.”

“Of course,” I answer and give Logan one last mighty hug.

Logan dashes outside to play, and I look for David. I find him standing guard by the window, keeping careful watch as Logan runs across the yard to his tree house.

“It’s hard to keep the kids out of sight for a second now. You too,” David says.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Jesus Christ, Julia. You scared the hell out of me,” David says. He grabs my face with both his hands and kisses me like it’s the last chance he’ll ever get.

“I’m fine,” I answer, feeling startled by David’s unexpected embrace.

The buzz of the house phone interrupts our reunion as the whine of my city editor’s voice starts to drone on in the background. I lean over to the answering machine and turn the volume down to zero.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to answer that. Primo has been calling all day. He wants you to call him back as soon as possible. He said something about an exclusive on your story. He promised it will go on the front page.”

“I’m sure he did. I’ve been thinking hard about this, and I decided I’m not going back to the paper.”

“You shouldn’t make any kind of decisions yet. But if you don’t want to go back to work right away, we’d be fine on my salary. Maybe it’s time for a career change for you. You’d be so good in public relations. I could make some calls.”

“Let me rephrase that. I’m not going to work for Primo. I’m going to ask Bill for my old job back. Granted, it’s a smaller daily and I may wind up with a pay cut.”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’d support it. We don’t have to talk about everything right now, but with all that’s happened, I want you and the kids back in Rochester Hills. I want you to come home. I want us all to be together.”

“I know Logan wants that more than anything.”

“What about you?”

Two days earlier, my response would have been crystal clear. Now it’s not so certain.

“I just need some time to think.”

“I understand. I’m not trying to push you,” David answers and loops a stray strand of my hair around my ear. “I’ve got news. I was offered partner.”

“Wow. That’s great, and well deserved. I know how hard you worked to get that promotion.”

“I’ll be at the office more, but we can hire a housekeeper. We’ll make it work. I just want our old life back. I love you, Julia.”

I watch David as he walks to the kitchen, feeling uncertain of my future and wishing somehow the right answer would always be easy to see. David waves his finger at me to follow. I head in his direction and watch as he leans down and rummages through his briefcase. He stands back up with a baseball in his hands and tosses it in the air.

“I thought you’d be interested in this,” he says. “I found it while I was downstairs in the utility room looking for an old stack of case files. The ball was right in the middle of the room. I can’t believe we never saw it before.”

“The utility room is the land of unwanted toys. I’m sure we have all kinds of balls and other kid’s stuff strewn all around down there.”

“Maybe so. But this isn’t a regular baseball. It has a signature on it,” David says and cups the ball in the palm of his hand for my inspection.

I take a closer look and then stare in disbelief at the signature.

“I did some research on the computer right before you got home. This looks like an official Reggie Jackson autographed ball from the 1977 World Series.”

“Game six?” I ask as a chill runs down my spine.

“You got it, the game when Jackson nailed three consecutive home runs on the first pitch to seal the Series for the Yankees. Mr. October. Truth be told, it got me spooked for a minute. It’s quite a coincidence. But then I remembered. When we first bought the house, the previous owners were from New York. They had a huge New York Yankees poster hung up in the garage when we first looked at the place. Remember? It was a framed picture of Reggie Jackson nailing a home run. You thought it was a good sign. The ball must belong to them and they accidentally left it behind when they moved. The ball has to be worth something. I bet our old Realtor could track them down.”

I stare out the window and see Logan playing outside. The sun beams down on him as the Indian summer breeze gently sways the leaves back and forth. I think of the fierce love I have for my children and the enduring love I will always have for my brother.

“No. Don’t call,” I finally answer. “I’d rather not know for sure.”

“Really?” David asks.

“I think, for once, I’d like to believe just maybe there really is some magic in the world.”

I leave David and make my way outside into the warm September morning. I find Logan running back and forth across the yard with his arms open wide like a plane expertly navigating through the clouds. I look up into the blue, endless sky, where time is meaningless, and throw the baseball into the air as high as I can.

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2016 by Jane Haseldine

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2016933891

 

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-1-4967-0405-4

ISBN-10: 1-4967-0405-3

First Kensington Hardcover Edition: July 2016

 

eISBN-13: 978-1-4967-0406-1
eISBN-10: 1-4967-0406-1
First Kensington Electronic Edition: July 2016