He took her words for the cue they were, only this time he moved much more slowly, drawing it out. “So what do you say? Wanna make a baby with me?”
It was probably the most reckless thing she’d ever done. They lived across the country from each other, and she had no idea how they’d work out the logistics. Would he move to California? Would she move to Tennessee? How would her family react? Was this something he’d said in the heat of the moment? Would he want to marry her ten minutes from now?
She didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. But she knew she wanted Cain’s baby. He was the only man she’d ever loved. And, after twelve years, she’d only fallen harder.
“Yes,” she said and then he finished so tenderly she knew he wasn’t going to change his mind.
John wasn’t sure exactly what hit him. All he knew was that Karen had been there one moment and was gone the next. “Where’d she go?” he muttered and realized from the frustration on Robert’s face that it wasn’t the first time he’d asked.
“You must have a freakin’ concussion,” he said. “I told you! Owen took her somewhere.”
They were standing in Robert’s trailer, but John couldn’t remember walking there, and he couldn’t clear his head enough to think straight. Pain radiated from behind his eyes; he had to squint just to see the screen Robert was trying to show him.
“He’s right there.” Robert pointed to a grainy figure crossing the front lawn. “That’s Owen.”
“I see him. But where’s his truck?”
“It’s not in the picture. I’m guessing he parked it across the street.”
“You weren’t there?”
“I was watching for Karen to come through the house, like you told me to.”
“So…” John struggled to recall if he’d asked this before. “Did you see her hit me?”
“No! When I came out, you were lying on the ground and there was no one else here.”
He gingerly touched the swollen lump on the side of his head. “What’d she hit me with?”
“A shovel, I think.” He touched one finger to the screen. “Owen picked up something right here.” He froze the playback. “That looks like a shovel to me.”
John couldn’t argue with that. It looked like a shovel to him, too. But why would Karen be carrying a shovel? “Where are they now?”
Robert’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t know. Owen’s not picking up his cell phone. He’s not at home. And he’s not at the office.”
Robert was getting at something. That much was becoming clear. “So?”
“I’m worried.”
“Why?”
“That mask we found in her purse?”
John finally conjured up the knitted ski mask in his mind. “Yeah?”
“It had blood on it.”
“She wouldn’t hurt anybody.” He remembered the news she’d imparted last night. “Not physically, anyway.”
“I’m not sure the mask belonged to her, Dad.”
“It probably didn’t. She’s covering for Cain.” Cain was the bad guy here—had been since he was a kid. But he wouldn’t get away with the things he’d done. John was determined to attain justice. He’d sit in the crawlspace beneath Sheridan’s house all summer if he had to, but he’d eventually see or hear something that would put Cain away.
“What if it wasn’t Cain, Dad? What if…what if it was Owen?”
John gaped at his son. “What reason would Owen have for shooting Jason, for God’s sake?”
Robert stared at his feet for several seconds, then raised his head. “If you want a reason, go take a look at the piano.”
“The piano? What are you talking about?”
“You worshipped Jason. Owen could never compete, Dad. Not at anything. Neither could I.”
Owen’s cell phone rang. He didn’t want to answer it. He had too much to do, needed to stay focused. But he was almost out of range, and he knew it would be smarter not to go missing for that long. “Hello?”
“Owen?”
It was his father. “Hi, Dad.”
“Where are you?”
“Driving around, looking for Karen.”
There was a slight pause. “Why are you looking for her?”
“It was the craziest thing,” he said. “I was walking up to the house to visit you, and she came running out of the backyard, screaming. She had a big bruise on her face and she was obviously hysterical, so I had her get in my truck.”
“You didn’t see me there? Lying on the ground?” he cut in.
“I saw you, but I knew she couldn’t have hurt you too badly and that Robert would take care of you. I knew you wouldn’t want the neighbors to hear what she was yelling. I planned to take her to the office and give her a sedative, calm her down and see if anything was really wrong with her, but when we were driving to town, she jumped out of my truck. By the time I got turned around, she’d disappeared into the trees, and I’ve been looking for her ever since. I’m wondering if she was attacked by the same man who beat Sheridan.”
There was a long silence. Then John said, “Have you called Ned?”
“No. To be honest, I’d rather find her first.”
“Why?” His father pounced on the statement, but Owen wasn’t worried. When he was finished, there’d be no evidence linking him to this crime, either.
“Because she was claiming you hit her, Dad. I didn’t want her telling that to Ned.”
“Owen, quit looking for her and come home. Do you hear me? Come back right now.”
Owen frowned and glanced at the clock. He needed more time. “What did you say?”
“I said come home!”
“My phone’s cut…out…. I’ll…later.” Owen punched the End button. Then he smiled at the bloody mess that was Karen. “He’ll buy it,” he told her. “He hates Cain so much he’s blind to everyone else. I can get away with this, no problem. I walked right into the hospital where Sheridan was—and walked out again while everyone was searching for the man with the wig. I swear I’m invisible sometimes. I’m whatever I have to be. I’ll fix this.” He winked even though she was no longer alive to see it. “You just watch me.”
30
Cain lifted his head from the futon where he was lying naked with Sheridan, and kissed her forehead. After making love in the cellar, they’d gone upstairs, where they could be more comfortable, and fallen asleep. The sun was going down, so it had to be at least eight-thirty. “Hey, we gonna sleep here for the rest of the day?”