“I. Don’t. Care.” Clint glances toward his phone and then at me. He’s ready to leave.
I lean back in the booth and find Clint’s hand with mine.
“Two more minutes, and then I’ll answer anything. First, you saw the article in theWindham Eagle?” Candace asks.
“Erika found it,” I say.
Candace winces.
“I never lied to you, Meredith. The story I told at dinner was the truth. But the other story is that my brothers came to visit when I got back, and I ended up defending those drunk imbeciles. A couple of civilians got hurt, and there was damage to a local bar. The investigation dragged on, and I went home. Kimmie wrote that article before I was cleared. Clint was right, blowing up her lunch box was a boneheaded thing to do, and she’s never forgotten it.
“The Air Force taught me a lot of things. Most good. I learned the importance of truth. I learned chain of command. And I thought I learned discernment in the lending of my power.”
In barely a whisper, I repeat her last words:“Discernment in the lending of my power.”
“Yeah, I learned we all have a currency. What motivates us and how we want to be paid. People say it’s money, but it rarely is. It’s often what money can procure—power, safety, appearance, fame... My commanding officer worked with me to harness my ability to lead and set me free from my more caustic traits that you remember, Clint.”
“Then tell me this.” Clint lets go of my hand and leans both his arms on the table. “Why’d you get involved in all of this? If you learned all these amazing things and turned your life around, why did you do it? To my wife.”
“I... I thought I could reinvent myself. Lucas recommended me for the head of security job at Garman Straub.” She looks over at me with such sadness. “I—we—didn’t initially know you worked there. When I met you, I was stunned. At first, I thought maybe this would be our way back into Clint’s life. Lucas was excited when he reached out to you.” She smiles tightly at me.
“How’s that for fast? These plates are hot.” Our waitress slides our breakfasts in front of us. “Syrups, ketchup, and hot sauce are in the wire holder at the window. Anything else I can get you?”
We all glance around and then murmur our thanks.
I breathe in the smell. I would have sworn I wasn’t hungry, but my stomach growls for the thick slices of sweet cinnamon French toast and crispy slabs of bacon.
In between delicious bites, I flip over the phone and check for any word from Rob. He came out to the cabin, armed with both a gun and donuts, at six this morning. We woke the kids briefly to tell them goodbye, but I asked Rob to let us know when they got out of bed. It’s 8:15, and Rob has once again confirmed that they’re still sleeping. He’s been nothing but patient with my frequent check-ins.
Lucas scrapes his fork across his plate. “I changed my name to Anderson a couple decades ago. The creditors had gotten bad, and I just needed a fresh start.”
I don’t look over at Clint, but in my periphery I can see he’s stopped eating.
“Candace had reinvented herself as well when we met up again. We’ve been married for five years. And it has been over a decade since she left the Air Force.” Lucas is trying, but Clint won’t be willing to hear it until he knows his family is safe.
As if she senses the same, Candace uses her fork to cut off the end of her breakfast sausage but doesn’t eat it. “I was protecting you.”
“Me,” I say. This is when we will find out if the four of us have a way back from this, becausemealso meansus.
Candace moves her napkin from her lap onto her plate. “I’d never do anything to harm or—”
“What about our daughter? What did you do to her?” The anger in Clint’s questions has not dissipated.
“Nothing.” She glances at Clint and then back to me. “I had nothing to do with—”
“With what? What do you know?” Clint asks.
Lucas almost imperceptibly moves closer to his wife. “We know something happened at school. We know Erika was harassed online. And we know about your car and garage.”
“And how do you know these things?” Clint almost spits the question.
Candace glances at me. “I meant to watch over you. Make sure you were safe. Betsey had lost it. She was stalking you and...” She speaks steadily. “I’d never do anything to harm any of you.”
“You keep saying that.” Clint leans back hard in the booth, and it creaks. “Means nothing.”
“Are you thinking about reporting this to the police?” Lucas asks me.
“For certain,” I say. “They’re waiting to hear from us this morning.”
