Ryan's Return, page 13
"You looked for her, didn't you?" Andrew asked again, his voice gruff as if he didn't really care about the answer.
Ryan took in a deep breath, not sure he could talk to Andrew about his mother. They had never agreed on why Isabelle had left. Andrew had blamed his mother for walking out. Ryan had blamed his father for forcing her to choose between Serenity Springs and her dreams.
They had both been too stubborn to ever see the other side.
"I never found her," Ryan said. "I hired a private detective a few years back. He couldn't pick up a trail. Said it was too cold. It had been almost twenty years by then."
"I guess she didn't want to be found."
"It's strange, though. The detective said he never saw anyone disappear quite so thoroughly before. No trace of her anywhere. No bank stubs, no phone bills, no credit cards, nothing."
"She always was pretty good at playing hide-and-seek," Andrew said, a genius at understatement.
Ryan grinned. "Remember that time she hid in the old oak chest at the foot of her bed? We couldn't find her for the longest time. We looked everywhere. And then we heard Dad go into the kitchen -- "
"And he said he was going to start dinner," Andrew continued.
"Which meant he was turning on the stove, and we suddenly -- "
"Thought Mom was hiding in the oven and -- "
"You went screaming into the kitchen that Dad was going to turn Mom into the Gingerbread Girl."
Andrew bit back a smile. "He got mad."
"At Mom," Ryan said, his grin fading. "Yelled at her for playing stupid games with us. Remember?"
Andrew's smile faded, too. He didn't say anything for a long moment. "I forgot about that part. But he was right. I mean ..." Andrew stopped himself. "Actually he wasn't right. He was wrong."
"Well, that's a first for you, big brother, admitting that Jonas actually made a mistake."
"I know he made mistakes, but he didn't leave us, and she did. I can't forgive her for that."
Ryan wondered if it was time to tell Andrew the truth. But was he ready to hear it?
"Andrew? There's something -- "
"Shut up, Ryan. Just shut the hell up. You always did talk too much."
"And you never did want to listen." Ryan lay back on the cot and closed his eyes. Only his mother had listened to him. Never Jonas. Never Andrew. Not even Becky Lee had really listened to him. A wave of loneliness swept through him as he and Andrew sat silently, ten feet away from each other physically but miles away emotionally.
Why the hell had he come back?
* * *
"Why are we coming back here?" Melissa demanded as Angel led them down the riverbank.
"Because this is where I saw the ghost last night," Angel replied as Billy and Melissa kept up with her. "The lady was in the trees over there." She pointed to a large oak tree with branches that swept along the surface of the rising river.
"I don't believe you saw a ghost. You're making it up," Melissa said.
Angel shook her head. "I'm not. She was sitting on the lowest branch, and she was wearing a bright yellow and red scarf with big flowers all over it. I almost thought she was part of the sun for a minute. But then she turned her head and told me to come closer."
"Did you?" Billy asked.
Angel sat down on a log. "Yes. She had the prettiest voice. It sounded like a song you would hear in church."
"What did she say?" Melissa asked.
"She said she was looking for a friend, that she was lonely. I told her that sometimes I get lonely, too, because I miss my friends back home and my dad. She told me I could come and talk to her any time."
"How come you're the only one who sees her?" Melissa asked skeptically, planting her hands on her hips.
"Maybe because I'm the only one who believes in her. Maybe if you tried believing, you would see her, too."
Melissa rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry. Let's go to my house and get some lunch."
"I thought we were going to Tucker's Bridge," Billy said. "I want to see how high the water is."
"I'm tired of looking at this stupid river," Melissa said. "I'm going home. Are you coming, Angel?"
Angel shook her head. "I'll go with Billy. But I'll see you at dinner tonight. Okay?"
"Okay," Melissa grumbled as she ran up the bank and disappeared from sight.
"Oh, shoot," Billy said suddenly. "Melissa borrowed my watch and didn't give it back."
"You can probably catch her. I'll wait here."
Angel sat down on a fallen log. She put her hands over her eyes as the sun broke through a cloud, suddenly blinding her. It disappeared almost as fast. Angel blinked at the changing light, suddenly seeing a shadow by the very tree she had used in her story.
A shadow made up of yellow and red colors. The form slowly took shape, the shape of a woman.
Angel blinked her eyes again.
"Hello, Angel."
She turned her head, but there was no one behind her, only this very odd shadow in front of her.
"You're right. I am lonely," the lady said.
Angel's mouth dropped open. "What? Who are you?"
"The lady you spoke about."
"But I -- I was just making that up."
"I am sad," the lady continued. "I miss my family."
"You do?"
"Just like you miss your father and your friends. It's difficult to say good-bye to those we love, isn't it?"
Angel suddenly felt like crying. The lady's voice was so soothing. "I didn't want to say good-bye to my dad, but I had to, because my parents got a divorce. They don't love each other anymore. I -- I don't think my dad loves me anymore either."
"How could he not love you?" the lady asked. "You're such a beautiful girl, so full of spirit and imagination."
"I caused trouble, you know, with him and my mom. It's my fault they split up."
"That's not possible. If they loved each other enough, there is nothing you could have done to break them up."
"Really?" Angel asked hopefully. She wanted to believe that was true.
"I need your help, Angel," the lady continued.
"You do?" Angel asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes. I lost my locket somewhere along the bank. It's gold, and it has pictures of my children inside it. Will you help me find it?"
"Uh, sure. I guess."
"It's very important," the lady said urgently, sounding desperate. "I can't leave here until I find it."
"Why not?"
"Because I can't leave them. This might be my last chance, Angel. When the river rises, everything comes up with it, everything that's been buried...." Her voice faded away, and the colors of her scarf turned pale, then white, then gray, until there didn't appear to be anything left.
"Who are you talking to?" Billy asked, coming up behind Angel.
She started with surprise. "Why -- I was talking to the ghost."
Billy grinned. "Right."
"No, I mean it."
"Come on, Angel. I want to take a look at the bridge."
"But she was right there, Billy. Just like I said." Angel pointed to the tree. But no one was there. Had she imagined it? Had she fallen asleep for a minute? There were a lot of shadows, and she didn't really believe in ghosts.
"Are you coming or not?"
"Coming."
But Angel couldn't help taking one last look as she followed Billy down the riverbank. The lady's voice still rang through her head. She had said something about a locket. Instinctively Angel looked down at the ground then felt foolish. The river went on for miles, finally dumping into the ocean.
If anyone had lost a locket along this river, it was long gone by now.
* * *
"How long are you planning to keep them locked up?" Kara asked Dirk when she arrived at the jail.
He smiled at her. "What's your pleasure?"
"How about forever? I cannot believe this. I am putting on the biggest dinner this town has seen in a hundred years, and not only is the guest of honor in jail but so is the town's only reporter."
"Damned inconsiderate of them, I'd say," Dirk agreed. "Sit down, Kara."
"I'm too angry to sit down." But she did anyway because Dirk had a way of getting people to do what he wanted without raising his voice. He was the perfect sheriff -- smart, calm, and patient.
In some ways he reminded her of her father. Dirk had the same broad girth as Harry Cox, the same twinkling blue eyes. But Dirk had stood by his wife and his children for a lifetime. Harry had left a long time ago.
More water under the bridge, she thought with a sigh, wondering if it was the centennial that was bringing all the old stuff back to the surface, when it would probably be better off staying buried.
"I'm worried about the dinner tonight," Dirk said.
"So am I."
"Maybe Ryan shouldn't go."
"Oh, Dirk, it's too late to change things now."
"I could make it easy for you. I could say you couldn't find his wallet, couldn't bail him out."
"There are so many people coming to see him."
"Then maybe we should keep Andrew locked up."
"Maybe you should put me in there so Mrs. Appleborne and her cronies can't tar and feather me and send me out of town."
"You sure did open up a can of worms."
"I sure did. But it's done now."
"I suppose you're right." Dirk stood up and jangled the keys. "Guess we better let 'em out, then."
Kara followed him down the hallway. "You didn't put them together, did you?" she asked in amazement.
"I sure did. Figured they'd either start talking or kill each other. Either way works for me."
He opened the door. "The cavalry has arrived, boys."
Kara looked first at Andrew. He gave her a pleading, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Kara."
She turned to Ryan. He simply shrugged and put a hand to his blackened eye. For a moment she felt sorry for him, then her pity turned to annoyance. Ryan was in jail. He had a black eye. That was going to look great on the front page of tomorrow's paper.
"You hit him?" she asked Andrew, still not sure how it could have happened. Andrew was the least violent man she knew. When he got angry he got silent, not physical.
"He did," Ryan declared.
Andrew shot him an angry look. "You deserved it."
"I didn't do anything."
"You two sound like a pair of five-year-olds," Kara declared.
"Sometimes families bring out the worst in one another," Dirk said. "Don't know why that is, but it is."
"It should be just the opposite," Kara said.
Ryan simply smiled. It was the last straw.
"You think this is funny?" she demanded.
"You have to admit -- "
"You think I don't have better things to do than come running down here to bail you out of jail? Stop laughing," she said in complete frustration as Ryan's grin grew.
He pointed to her shoe. There was a red streamer stuck to the heel. Good Lord, she had walked down Main Street and driven across town trailing a stupid piece of red crepe paper.
In anger and embarrassment, Kara threw Ryan's wallet at his face. He tried to grab it but missed. A pile of credit cards flew onto the floor. Ryan knelt down, but instead of picking up the cards, he reached for Kara's foot. "Here, let me help you."
"I'll help her," Andrew said immediately.
Andrew tried to push Ryan away, but in his haste he missed Ryan and knocked Kara in the face with his elbow. The force sent her backward, and she landed hard on her buttocks.
The three men turned to stone.
Kara grabbed her stinging right eye and bit back a cry of pain. Her bottom hurt. Her eye hurt. And her pride hurt most of all.
Dirk held out a hand, and with as much dignity as she could muster, she got to her feet.
"I'm sorry," Andrew said, looking suitably horrified
"Me, too," Ryan added. "How can I make this up to you?"
"You can both go to hell. That's what you can do."
Ryan looked at Andrew as Kara stormed out of the jail. "I think we're already there," he muttered, and for once Andrew appeared to agree with him.
Chapter Ten
"Lighten up, this is a party," Loretta said to Andrew as they stood against one wall of the recreation center, watching Kara greet the arriving guests.
Andrew stared down at his beer. "More like a wake," he replied gloomily.
"Who died?"
"Me."
Loretta punched him in the arm. "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad. At least you don't have to pee every thirty seconds like I do."
"Loretta!"
She smiled unrepentantly. "Well, it's true. Things could be worse, you know."
"I don't think so. I spent most of the day in jail."
"I heard. And now you're in the doghouse, huh?"
"Kara has a right to be angry. I let her down. Not only that, I gave her a black eye."
"You hit her?"
"Accidentally. I was aiming for Ryan."
Loretta tried not to laugh, but she couldn't hold back a big grin.
"It's not funny. Why do I act like a fool every time I see Ryan? In one second I go from being a responsible adult to a stupid kid."
Her smile turned to one of understanding. "He just gets to you, that's all."
Andrew took a sip of his beer. "It was like I'd seen him yesterday, instead of twelve years ago. Like we were still fighting over comic books, still swiping each other's clothes."
"He's your brother, Andrew. Disliking him doesn't make all that go away. You shared a lot of years together. You have a past, a history."
"But that's the point. It is the past. And I don't want him in my present or my future."
"Why? What are you so scared of?"
"I'm scared of being found out," Andrew said. He bit down on his lip, holding back any further confession. Why did the words flow so easily with Loretta?
