Reflection Point: An Eternity Springs Novel (34 page)

He walked back up the driveway half a dozen steps, then stopped and snapped his fingers. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m afraid I have something to tell you that goes against your narrative. But as the head law enforcement officer in this town, I’d be remiss if I failed to tell you that your nephew is not a suspect in the theft of the stop sign or vulnerable to a homicide charge. The other bit of news I have isn’t actually duty, but something I was doing in my spare time, so I think I can keep the details to myself. I don’t think it’s necessary to tell you about the progress I’ve made toward proving Kyle Vaughn and his mother ran those drugs, not you. So long, Savannah. Have a nice victimhood.”

If she said anything in response, he didn’t hear it over the hard crunch of his boots against her gravel drive or the screech of his tires as he pulled away from Heavenscents.

TWENTY-THREE
 

Have a nice victimhood
.

After Zach sped off in a spray of gravel and tailpipe exhaust, Savannah sank down on her back stoop and tried to process the words he’d fired at her like bullets. Twice she glanced down at her chest to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. It felt like she’d taken a direct hit to her heart.

She didn’t know how long she’d sat out there alone when the back door opened and TJ came outside. “Aunt Savannah? Uh … do you want me to put Inny’s bed in the car?”

Long seconds ticked by before she said, “I think … I think we can wait until the morning to leave, don’t you? I’m tired. So, so tired.”

“I think that’s a good idea. I have to admit, the idea of driving over Sinner’s Prayer Pass in the dark didn’t make me happy.” He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Are you okay, Aunt Savannah?”

“I’m fine.”

“I heard what Sheriff Turner said. Want to talk about … things? He was right about some of it, but some of what he said was just damned wrong.”

“Don’t curse,” she said by rote. “I appreciate the offer,
but I’m not in the mood to talk about Zach. Go on to bed, Teej. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay. G’night, Aunt Savannah. Thanks for standing up for me tonight.”

“I love you, TJ.”

He spoke so softly, she almost didn’t hear him. “I love you, too.”

Have a nice victimhood
.

Dammit, she’d already been having second thoughts about going. Even as she’d carried the suitcase out to her car, she’d been thinking about how foolish she was being. How emotional.

She’d been thinking about trusting Zach.

Have a nice victimhood
.

Abruptly she shoved to her feet. She went inside and quickly changed into running clothes and sneakers, knowing that numbness was her only hope of banishing his accusation from her mind. She ignored Inny’s excitement at seeing her don her shoes and left the dog shut inside as she took off. She ran west to Spruce Street, then north to Eighth and east over to Cottonwood, where she turned south. She ran hard, trying not to think, vaguely aware that tears flowed down her cheeks.

At the footbridge over the creek to Angel’s Rest, she heard herself sob. She stopped to catch her breath and marshal her defenses. Drawn by the soothing sound of rushing water, she moved to the center of the bridge, sank down, and with her legs folded crosswise, buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

And sobbed.

And sobbed.

Just when the arms came around to hold her, when the gentle hand pressed her head against the soft bosom, when the musical voice began to murmur, “Hush, child. There, there. It’s okay. Everything will be okay. Hush, child,” Savannah couldn’t say.

It was as if Grams had come down from heaven to offer her comfort when she needed it the most. “Oh, Grams. He is so angry at me. I hurt him.”

“Yes, you did,” Celeste Blessing said.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was scared. I
am
scared. Why am I so scared? He told me to have a nice victimhood.”

“Ouch.”

“Is he right? Is that how I act? Who I am?”

“Do you honestly wish to know the answer?”

“Yes!”

“It will require some honest self-evaluation. Are you ready to look deep inside yourself, Savannah?”

“No,” she responded glumly. Honestly.

“You must open your heart and your mind to heal, my dear.”

“I’m scared.”

“Actually, you are strong, very strong, and you have come a long way. But you must open yourself to the truth if you are to heal that broken heart of yours.”

“The truth hurts,” Savannah replied, recalling her reaction to Zach’s accusations.

“Yes, but the pain from lies scars a soul, especially those lies told to oneself.” A hand softly stroked her head. “Why are you afraid, Savannah?”

“It’s easier than being courageous.”

“Now
there
is a truth. And yet you have shown much courage in your actions, have you not? You took control of your life. Now your challenge is to take responsibility for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Being convicted of a crime you did not commit is a terrible injustice and one not to be minimized. That said, blaming others for the bad things that happen to you empowers the victim mentality, which damages
vital parts of your life—ambitions, achievements, and the big one, relationships. From this day forward, you must seize control of that energy. Resolve to stop the blame game and take responsibility for your life. Try it for just one day to begin with. The difference, you’ll discover, is really remarkable. You will feel so much better about yourself.”

“I don’t feel bad about myself. Not anymore, anyway.”

When she’d first been released from jail, it had been a different story. She’d been a self-pity queen. She’d thought the whole world was against her, and she’d spent hours and hours thinking about how wrong things had gone and how people who professed to love her had let her down.
You still spend hours thinking about how you can get revenge
.

“Well, maybe I still have some work to do in that regard.”

“Recognizing that fact is an excellent step. Because the sooner you take responsibility for your life, the sooner you’ll feel gratitude for all the joys that fill it, and thus the sooner you’ll feel fortified for the most difficult task that awaits you.”

Love
, Savannah thought.

“Forgiveness.”

“What?” Savannah pulled away. She twisted around to look incredulously at her companion—not Grams, as she’d pretended, but rather Celeste.

“Forgiveness. In order for your poor, wounded heart to heal, you must find forgiveness within it.”

“You want me to forgive who, the Vaughns?”

“Precisely. You are bound to them by your resentment. Isn’t it true that your thoughts return to them and the harm they did you over and over again? That activity inflicts enormous suffering on your psyche, Savannah.
Forgiveness is the only way to sever that bond and free yourself.”

“You must have opened another bottle or twelve of champagne after I left, Celeste. You’re obviously not thinking clearly.”

“Look past your defenses, dear, and you will see that I am right. Think about how wonderful being free can be. Think about what a gift a whole heart would be to those who love you. TJ needs that gift from you. So does Zach.”

Savannah rubbed her eyes, now filled with new tears. “I blew it with Zach. He’s done with me.”

Celeste’s laughter bubbled like the creek beneath them. “Oh, honey. You’re smarter than that. Zach’s heart is wounded, true, but you know what it needs to heal.”

The familiar fear fluttered inside Savannah, and for the first time she gave it voice. “I’m afraid to love him, Celeste.”

“All right, then. You’re afraid. That’s perfectly understandable, considering. But let me ask you this. If you let yourself love him, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Savannah opened her mouth … and couldn’t think of what to say. It wasn’t about letting herself do anything. She did love him!

When a full minute had passed, Celeste patted her knee. “You think about that, sunshine. You think about that long and hard, then either throw yourself off this bridge or take your life by the horns and live it.”

Throw myself off the bridge?
“Celeste, the water is maybe two feet deep.”

“And it’s cold. Cold enough to shock some sense into you if you’re still thinking silly. Good night, Savannah. Sweet dreams, and God bless.” She gave Savannah’s knee one last pat, then rose gracefully to her feet and left the bridge.

“Good night, Celeste.” Savannah leaned back on her elbows and lifted her face toward the sky. Against the inky blackness of the moonless night, a million stars shone. One in particular twinkled.

“Good night to you, too, Grams.”

Following a restless, mostly sleepless night, Zach left Reflection Point that morning with one task on his docket—to solve the mystery of the stop-sign-behind-the-fridge before the hotheads of Eternity Springs did something stupid. He didn’t know how the news had gotten out, but the fact that it had was small-town ordinary. He’d already fielded three calls, and he wanted to put this whole disaster behind him.

He needed to quit thinking about Savannah Moore before he blew out an artery. He was still incredibly pissed, which was why he opened the door of the Mocha Moose, where he knew Linda Treemont worked the morning shift, with a little more force than was necessary.

At least his timing was good. The coffee shop appeared to be empty. “Good morning, Sheriff. Do you want your regular?”

“No. I’m here on official business. Where is Christina?”

Linda set down the paper cup she’d picked up to fill for him with the house bold brew. “She has a doctor’s appointment this morning.”

“Oh? Is she pregnant, too?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock, and while he had her off balance, he asked, “Is TJ Moore really the father? You know, false paternity claims can get you in a lot of trouble. So can being eighteen and having sex with a fourteen-year-old boy.”

She blinked rapidly. Once. Twice. “I don’t … I never … oh, damn. I’m not pregnant.”

“Why did you tell TJ otherwise?”

She picked up a dishrag and began nervously wiping the counter. Judging that she was casting about for an excuse, he pressed, “Was it Aiden’s idea or yours? You’re still going out with Aiden, right? Aiden is pissed because you and TJ hooked up, so he told you to lie to the Moore kid.”

Linda’s shoulders slumped. “He said I had to prove myself.”

That little ass
. He folded his arms and studied her. “What else did he ask you to do, Linda? Steal a stop sign? Or did he steal it and ask you to ditch it inside of Heavenscents?”

“What?” Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t know … whoa. Did you find the missing stop sign? At Heavenscents?”

“You need to answer my questions before asking ones of your own, Linda.”

“I don’t know anything about the stop sign. Honestly, Sheriff Turner. I’m telling the truth about that. Aiden didn’t say a word about it before he left. I don’t think he had anything to do with that, either.”

Damn
, he thought. He believed her. Zach swallowed a sigh and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “Go ahead and get me my usual, Linda.”

The relief on her face was clear, but Zach wasn’t ready to let her off the hook completely. He inhaled the rich aroma of his coffee, took a sip of the flavorful brew, then said, “What you did to TJ was cruel, Linda. You should be ashamed. You also should give some thought to what kind of guy would ask you to do such a thing. Character is important. You should look for it in those you surround yourself with, and work on improving your own.”

He exited the coffee shop and waved absently to Gabe
Callahan, who was walking his dog on the opposite side of the street. His mind chewed on the stop sign problem as he began the walk to his office. He’d honestly thought he’d had it figured out, that Aiden had stolen it and Linda had stashed it.

“Back to square one,” he muttered.

Stop sign stealing happened everywhere, and most people considered it a relatively harmless prank. Nine times out of ten, kids were the culprits and the most serious consequence was that taxpayers had to foot the bill for a replacement. This time was different. This time the consequences involved the loss of a life.

Zach knew his town, knew the kids in his town. He’d learn the identity of the thief—or, more likely, thieves—sooner or later.

He also knew he needed to talk to TJ again ASAP and let him know he was off the pregnancy hook. Another time he would have walked straight to Heavenscents and taken care of it. Today, though, he didn’t want to go near Savannah’s house.
If she’s even still there
. For all he knew, she’d finished packing up her car and run last night anyway. After all, she didn’t trust him, did she? She probably thought he’d lied to her.

In order to avoid her place, he turned down Fifth Street. Halfway down the block, his gaze skimmed over a house, then his steps slowed. He knew his town. He knew the kids in his town.

His gaze jerked back and fastened on the house.
Hmm …

It shared a back fence with Savannah’s place. Wouldn’t be hard at all to sneak the sign into the back door. Part of the problem that had niggled his brain was how did whoever sneak the sign down the streets.
Hmm …