CHAPTER TWENTY
"When I have kids, I am going to let them do anything they want to do," Lucas says.
Lindy nods. "Me too. I will even let them eat candy for dinner."
"I’ll let them play their video games as late as they want," he adds.
She nods again. "Anything!"
LUCAS
I have just finished putting in the last screw on the crib, when Lindy walks in the room. She walks over to it and runs her hand down the railing. "It’s so pretty."
I nod. "Yeah, it looks good, but are you sure you want it in here. I could move it to our room."
She shakes her head. "No, I want her crib in the nursery. She will sleep in the basinet at first. We will put that in our room."
I narrow my eyes at her. "I haven’t seen a basinet."
"That’s because you haven’t put it together yet," she says.
"I will have to do it later. The Tide will be playing the Bulldogs in just a few minutes." She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a bitchy smile. "Your baby will be here in a few days. What’s more important?"
I shrug my shoulders. "Ma says that you will probably go past your due date. Most first time moms do."
Her eyes instantly fill with tears. "What?"
Oh fuck! I messed up. "I didn’t say a damn thing. Where is the bassinet? I’ll put it together right now."
She completely ignores my words and starts pacing around the nursery. "I don’t want to be pregnant any longer. The doctor said I would have this baby on February 18th, and that is what I am going to do. I am fat, and I am uncomfortable. I have heart burn all the time, and I even pee on myself. I refuse to do this even one day longer than I have too, and you can tell your mother I said so."
"I know, baby," I say, because I am too fucking ignorant to keep my mouth shut.
She turns around and looks me in the eye. "You do not know shit! You eat anything you want, and you do not have to carry a bottle of Tums around with you. You sleep through the night. You don’t have anyone kicking your insides until you wake up. I haven’t noticed you having to go to the bathroom twenty times in one hour."
I just shake my head, because I am not about to open my mouth again.
She starts to tap her foot and yells, "Don’t you have anything to say?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I don’t know what to say."
As soon as the words leave my mouth, she starts to sob. I go to her and pull her into my arms. "It will be okay, Lindy Lou. The baby will be here soon."
"That’s not why I am crying." She’s mumbling through the sniffles.
"Then, why are you crying," I ask.
She sniffles some more then looks up at me. "I just told you that I pee on myself."
I look at her and smile. Then we both burst out laughing.
LINDY
I look over to Lucas and roll my eyes. He is sleeping like a baby, but I haven’t been able to sleep all night. My back is killing me, and no matter what I do, I just can’t get comfortable. I twist and turn for a few more minutes, then finally crawl out of bed. I make my way to the living room, grab my purse and take out my phone. I hit my mom’s name and place it to my ear.
It rings a few times, before she answers. "Hello."
"I’m sorry. I know it’s late, but my back is killing me.
Can I borrow your heating pad?"
"You are nearly a week past your due date, you’re back is hurting, and you want to borrow my heating pad."
I blow out a frustrated breath. "Yes, Mom. That is what I said. It’s hurting bad. I haven’t been able to sleep all night."
"Sweetheart, how long has your back been hurting?"
"Since before dinner. It stops for a little while, but then it starts again. I swear it is getting worse as the night goes on."
"I’ll be over there in just a minute," she says, then hangs up.
I walk over to the front door and unlock it and then I sit down on the couch. A few minutes later, Mom and Wanda walk through the front door. "Mom, you didn’t have to wake Wanda up."
Wanda shakes her head. "I am not missing my first grandchild being born."
"I’m not having the baby. My back just hurts." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize just how stupid I am. "Oh my God, I have been in labor all night."
"What?" Lucas asks, as he walks into the living room.
I push myself off the couch and walk to him. I look up to him and scream. "I just thought I needed a heating pad."
Lucas wraps his arms around me and looks at Mom and Wanda. "What in the hell is going on?"
Paul sticks his head in the door and yells. "She’s having a baby, dumb ass. Come on, let’s get her to the hospital."
LUCAS
"You are doing great, baby." Holding her hand, I console her as best I can.
She cuts her eyes to me and grunts, "I don’t think I can do this."
I hear the doctor chuckle and look toward him. "What’s so funny?"
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard a mom say that, I would be a rich man," he says, with a smile.
I look back at Lindy and kiss her forehead. "You can do it, Lindy Lou."
"Okay, Melinda. I can see the head. Just a little longer. I want you to push as hard as you can when the next contraction hits." The words barely leave his mouth, before he is yelling. "Push, now!"
A few minutes later, I hear my daughter’s cry for the first time.
It takes a few minutes for the nurse to get her cleaned up. As soon as she is done, she places our daughter in Lindy’s arms.
"Isn’t she beautiful?" Lindy whispers, as she places her lips on the top of Samantha’s head.
I look at Lindy holding my daughter and smile. "The most beautiful sight in the world."
*****
Dad and I are in the cafeteria getting a cup of coffee when Kelsey walks up to us. "Did she have it?"
I don’t even answer her. I just look to Dad and shake my head. "Can you take care of her? I am going back to my wife and daughter."
Dad nods and pulls out his phone. I hear him talking as I walk away. The entire way back to Lindy’s room, I wonder just how concerned I need to be about Kelsey. As soon as I get near the room, Chris steps out of the door. He motions his head for me to walk with him, and we head down the hall.
A few feet from Lindy’s room, Chris turns to me. "Kelsey was just up here."
"What did she do?" I ask, as my anger builds.
He shakes his head. "Not a damn thing. Daniel saw her coming down the hall and stopped her, but I don’t know where she went."
"She was just in the cafeteria."
He lets out a frustrated breath. "You need to watch that girl. I have a feeling that she is just as fucked up as her dad."
I nod. "I know."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"I don’t like it when you’re gone," Lucas says.
Lindy smiles. "I am only going to Granny’s for three days."
"But, I want you here."
LINDY
"She has diapers and diaper rash cream in her bag. You have to use the cream every time you change her, because her little butt is red," I explain.
Mom just smiles and nods her head.
"Don’t forget that she needs to be burped after every ounce or she spits up." I’m telling Mom what she already knows … for the third time.
"Lindy, sweetie. I know how to take care of a baby. I raised you, didn’t I? I promise that Sammy is going to be fine."
I nod my head. "I know she will. It’s just hard to leave her."
She takes Sammy from my arms and smiles down at her. "I know how hard it is, but she is nearly three months old now. It’s time that you share her with her granny."
"You see her all the time."
Mom looks at me and points towards the door. "If you want to go to back to work next year, you have to go to this meeting."
"Okay! I’m going." I bend down and place a kiss on Sammy’s cheek. "Mommy loves you."
By the time I get out the door, I am ready to turn around; but I know that I have to leave Sammy sometime. I walk to the car and pull onto the road. Fifteen minutes later, my car starts to stutter. I look down at the dashboard and see that the gas light is on. I blow out a frustrated breath and pull to the side of the road. I grab my phone and click Lucas’ name.
"Hey, baby."
I don’t even take time to say hello. "I thought you told me that you put gas in the car yesterday?"
"I did."
"Then why am I sitting on the side of Highway 202, with no gas?"
I hear him take a deep breath. "Baby, I filled the damn thing up. If you’re on empty, you must have a hole in the tank."
"Can you come pick me up? I need to be at the Board of Education in twenty minutes. If I am not there, I may not have a job next year."
"Where are you at?"
I look out the window and see a road sign up ahead. "I am near the turn off to Highway 76."
"Okay, I’ll be there in just a few minutes. I love you, Lindy Lou." He hangs up the phone, without giving me time to say it back.
I lay my phone down on the seat and lean my head back on the headrest. I look at the clock and shake my head. I am never going to make the meeting on time. I am just about to pick the phone up to call the school, when my door is jerked open. A second later, something hits me in the head and everything goes black.
LUCAS
As I drive towards Highway 202, I am run off the road by a black sedan. I don’t get a clear look at the driver, but I think it was a woman. I know shit happens, but the bitch didn’t even have the courtesy to stop and check and see if I was okay.
I dust myself off, and check my bike. Everything looks good, so I get back on and drive towards Lindy. I pull up behind her car. I know instantly that something is wrong. The driver’s side door is open, but I don’t see her anywhere. I walk over to the car, and my stomach starts to roll. There is blood near the headrest, and one of her shoes is lying on the floor board.
I push my hand into my pocket and pull out my phone. I click my dad’s name and bring it to my ear. "Hello."
"She’s gone," I whisper. "Lindy’s gone."
*****
"Where in the hell is Kelsey?" I shout at Chris.
He shakes his head. "We don’t know. We’ve been to her house, to her parents’ house, and checked with the few friends she has. No one has seen her in weeks."
"Bullshit! Someone knows something," Dad says, as he walks into the room. "They’re just not telling us. I’d bet my ass that her mother could point us in the right direction."
"Then let’s go talk to her," I say, as I start towards door.
Dad grabs my arm. "You can’t son. She is not a suspect. Even if she was, we couldn’t make her talk. If you go over to her house raising hell, she could have your ass put in jail. Right now, Lindy needs you to keep your head together."
I jerk away from dad. "What in the hell am I supposed to do? Wait around for that sick bitch to bring my wife back?"
"We are not even sure that it was Kelsey who took Melinda," Chris says.
I look towards him. "You know as well as I do, that cunt has her. I told you about me being run off the road. I would bet my ass that it was her, and she was driving her dad’s car."
Dad looks towards me. "I’ve been thinking about that. You said it was a black sedan. There was a black sedan spotted near one of the crime scenes."
I nod my head. "Like I said, she was driving her dad’s car."
"What if George Reynolds wasn’t the only one involved with the Mirror Man crimes?" Dad asks.
Chris walks closer. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Dad shrugs his shoulder. "I could be wrong, but I keep thinking a woman had to be involved. Think about it. All those mirrors broken. What man would do that? Plus, Deidra Williams said that she saw two people in her house."
"You didn’t tell me Deidra said that," I say to Dad.
"I am not supposed to tell you shit, and you know it. The only reason I told you anything was to protect Lindy. When Deidra said that she saw two people, we all thought that she was confused. Hell, the girl could barely talk let alone know what she was saying."
I run my hands through my hair and start to pace. "How in the hell am I going to find Lindy?"
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear Chris’s phone ring. I look over, just as he places it to his ear. "Whatcha got?"
He nods his head and says ‘yeah’ a few times, then puts the phone back in his pocket. He looks towards Dad. "Let’s go."
I rush to them. "Hell, no. You ain’t going nowhere without me."
He places a hand on my shoulder. "No, Luke. You need to stay here."
I start to argue but I’m cut off by Dad. "What if it was Abbie or Tara? Would you stay at the station twiddling your fucking thumbs?"
Chris looks to me. "You can go, but you stay in the damn car until you hear the all clear."
As soon as we get outside, Chris starts to talk. "The officers doing the search of Kelsey’s house found hundreds of pictures. They were all of Old Coy Pond."
I think back to the dream I had. "Where it all began."
LINDY
I wake up with a pounding head. It hurts so bad that I can barely think. I roll to my side and feel the ground underneath me. I slowly open my eyes and see Kelsey standing a few feet from me, holding a pistol. "Welcome back, Piglet."
As soon as I hear her voice, I remember what happened. I never saw who hit me, but I know that it was her. "What do you want, Kelsey."
"I want to win!" she shouts.
I close my eyes, trying to make the pain go away. "Win what?"
"Everything! I want Luke and his baby."
I open my eyes and she is closer than she was before. "Why?"
She looks at me like I am the crazy one. "He is the star quarterback, and I am head cheerleader. We belong together. My father told me so."
"Kelsey, your father hated Lucas." I whisper that, the pain making it hard to talk.
She shakes her head. "No, he didn’t. Luke is the golden boy. He is the pride of Warrington High School. My father says that he will make it to the NFL someday, and I will be by his side."
"Lucas doesn’t play football anymore. He got hurt. Remember?" I’m trying to reason with her.
"No, no, no, no." She’s chanting while rocking her upper body back and forth. "He is mine!"
Kelsey walks toward me and waves the gun in my face. "Why couldn’t you back off? All the other women did! They were so easy to scare away. Who would have thought a few broken mirrors would make them give him up so easy?"
Oh, my God! Kelsey is the Mirror Man, not her dad. I look up into her face and see that her eyes are clouded with tears, but she is smiling. It is not a normal smile. She reminds me of one of those scary clowns. "I wish my father could see you now. He wouldn’t think you were so perfect."
I shake my head and whisper, "I am not perfect."
"I know that!" She screams and paces while mumbling and shaking her head maniacally. "Melinda would not try to steal finger nail polish. Melinda would not get a B in Algebra. Melinda will have kids. Melinda, Melinda, Melinda."
I start to scoot away from her as she talks to herself, but I stop moving when I hear a car pull up and turn my head. Chris steps out of the driver’s side and walks towards us, but he stops and looks back. "I told you to stay in the fucking car."
Lucas is running past him before he even finishes his sentence. He comes straight to me and picks me up. He turns around and starts running back to the car. Just as we reach it, I hear a loud bang.