Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I don’t think I would’ve gotten through it if it hadn’t been for Ford.
He gave me the strength to keep going, but I was never the same.
“That was a hard time for us all,” Mom replied, pulling me from my thoughts. “You were so far away, and I so wanted you to come home.”
“And I wanted to come home, more than you can imagine.”
“I know, dear, but think of all the opportunities you would’ve missed out on.”
“I don’t want to get into this tonight.” I sighed. “I don’t have the strength.”
“I understand.” She reached over and patted me on the knee. “We both could use a good night’s rest.”
“Definitely.”
“I know the detective wants to talk to Ford, but I was thinking that we could ask Glenda to keep an eye on him for a couple of hours. I just hate for him to be exposed to any more of this investigation mess. It could be traumatic for him. We could ask the detective if he really needs to speak to him, and if he does, we can take him back later. What do you think?”
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
“Great. I’ll give her a call.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I reached over and gave her another hug. “I’ll be just down the hall. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, sweetheart.”
I waited until she disappeared into her room, then I went back to check in on Ford. As I’d hoped, he was still fast asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I went across the hall and slept in Rooks’ room. I’d finally gotten settled when I heard Mom crying across the hall. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go to her and give her comfort, but something told me she needed the time alone.
So, I gave it some time, and eventually, the crying stopped. She went to sleep and I did the same. The next morning, we slept in and took our time getting ready to go back to the police station. While we wanted to help in any way we could, it was hard to relive everything.
We both just wanted a moment to collect ourselves and prepare for Dad’s funeral, but that wasn’t going to be possible until this investigation was behind us. That thought weighed on my mind as I helped Ford gather his things and walked him over to the neighbor’s house. Once I was sure he had everything he needed, I went and joined Mom in the car.
“You ready?”
“No, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be.”
“It won’t be that bad. You’ll see.”
I wished so much that I could take this all away and make things better for her, but we were stuck. We had to see this thing through, so I started the car and pulled out of the drive. We hadn’t been driving long when I noticed the same black Mercedes trailing behind us. My chest tightened as I glanced over my shoulder for a better look. There was no doubt that it was the same car, so I pressed the gas, quickly picking up speed. I thought I might lose them, but the car stayed with us, shadowing every turn.
“Mom,” I said, my voice sharp with panic, “The Mercedes is back.”
“What?” She turned to look but stayed quiet, her expression tense. “Are you sure it’s the same car?”
“I’m pretty sure. It looks just like it.”
“What do you think they want?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out.”
Just as the police station was coming into view, the Mercedes suddenly veered off down a side street, and in a blink, it had disappeared from view. I didn’t slow down until we were in the parking lot, but even then, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. “I think they’re gone.”
“Should we mention something to the detective?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was nothing.”
“You’re probably right. Let’s just see how today goes, and if we see it again...”
“We’ll tell him.”
I nodded, and once we were parked, Mom and I went into the station. I let the girl at the front desk know we were there, and then we went to have a seat in the waiting area. I couldn’t imagine being more uncomfortable. We were surrounded by strangers, and the plastic chair beneath me creaked every time I shifted.
My mother sat next to me. Her back was stiff, and she was clutching her designer purse like she was afraid someone would snatch it. She hadn’t said much since we got here, just an occasional, clipped comment about how long this was taking or how "inappropriate" it was to keep us waiting.
I wasn’t really listening, though.
I was too busy wishing I was anywhere but there. Every time the door opened, my breath would catch, and I would wait for someone to call out my name or deliver the news I wasn’t ready to hear. I glanced at my mother again. She looked composed as ever, but the way her jaw clenched told me she wasn’t as calm as she wanted me to believe.