Letting herself glide free of the past, she thought only of the future…and more specifically, the next few moments. And those moments turned into minutes…and minutes.
An hour later they both stood, showered and dressed, in the kitchen, staring at a slow-gurgling coffeepot. Cain answered texts on his phone, while Betsy made a couple of phone calls. Cups full, texts momentarily answered and calls finally finished, they leaned back against the counter and stared out at the snow in the backyard.
“What are your plans for today?” he asked.
“I just made an appointment to meet Crestfall’s Insurance at the dealership. We figure it will be just as easy for him to see the damage as we fill out the report.” Betsy sipped in the strong warmth of dark roast coffee. “He’ll get the police reports as he needs them. How about you?”
“First, I need to meet with JB at the police station soon. But I don’t want you to be out and about by yourself today.” Cain quickly sent a text message. “What time is your appointment?”
“Mr. Crestfall said he’d be there about one. I plan to stop by the hospital and check on Papa Carrington this morning.” She finished her coffee and rinsed the cup. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Cain’s phone binged. “That was JB. He’s sending Officer Hastings to keep a distant surveillance on you. And yes, I know you’re not happy, but just give me this over-protectiveness for a couple more days. Okay?”
She’d learned a long time ago to be careful picking her battles, because sometimes it was just her trying to be in control. In this case, surveillance might be a wise decision. “Okay. Just this one time.”
Smiling, he pushed her hair back behind her ear. “I know that was hard for you.”
More than he would ever know. She valued her independence. Her mother had instilled that in all three of her daughters as they grew up. And with every decision they’d had to face…and make…along the way, her mother had always stood behind their choices and fought for their right to be who they were. Of course, a few times, once they got home Sadie had explained a better way of achieving the same wanted outcome in a more tactful manner. Marcy had learned that well. Herself, not so much. And Summer made her own way, somewhere between hardheaded perseverance, polite tact, obvious in-your-face sass, and an unnerving eye for reading people and clues.
“Hey, can you drop me by Peyton’s this morning?” Betsy asked. “I need to pick up one of the SUV loaners we use at the dealership since my car got trashed at my house yesterday.”
“Sure thing. You ready to go?”
She nodded, then brushed his cheek with a passing kiss. “By the way, on the way over, I’ll give you some of the details about the day of the wreck that killed Phillip. Since you’re involved in this case which somehow links to him and me, something tells me you need to know all of this.”
“That would help. In fact, take all the time you want. I’ll swing by the donut shop and pick up a couple of coffees and donuts for us at the drive-through.”
Twenty minutes later, Cain dropped her at Peyton’s “Thanks for sharing the specifics on that day, Betsy,” he said, grasping her hand as she squeezed tighter.
She swallowed the emotions fighting to overwhelm her. “Yes. In fact, I feel like some of the weight lifted a little more. Felt good to take about it.”
“Just so you know, I’m gonna check on a couple of things you mentioned.”
“May not be possible. Since the crash investigation was done through the local police department where the wreck happened, my uncle wasn’t involved, even though he was the sheriff here. He said that without proof he had nothing to go on to call for further investigation. The case closed as an accident. Me, I still think of it as a cold case.”
“What do you mean, a cold case?” Cain’s tone deepened. His brow furrowed as his expression hardened with a penetrating stare of his suddenly very, very steel-grey eyes.
She loosened her hand from his and pulled on her gloves. “No one believed me about the gunshot sounds. Not even when they agreed the freak event of two tires blowing out on the same side at almost the same time was hard to believe. Papa C wouldn’t even corroborate my account of him and Phillip arguing. Not even when I told them what Phillip had said.”
She clenched her teeth in disgust. “Papa C said I must have been dreaming. Suggested I’d had too much to drink.” Jerking her head in Cain’s direction. “I’d had one beer the entire day. I know what I saw. I know what Phillip said. I know what I heard.” She sighed as she slid out of the truck. “And no one believed me. No one.”
Walking to Cain’s side of the truck, she took time to slow her heartbeat and release her anger. He was out of the truck and standing by the bed as if he’d always been there for her. Leaning into his open arms brought her some peace.
“I’m sorry you had to relive that,” Cain whispered against the top of her head. “I won’t forget what you described. And thank you for trusting me, Betsy. Thank you.”
They pulled apart and she searched in the side pocket of her purse for the loaner key she always carried. The SUV beeped as the doors unlocked, and she got inside and rolled the window down.
He kissed her lips then stepped back. “I’ll do my best to be at the dealership when Crestfall’s Insurance arrives for their walk-through. Will you two go to your house to file that report afterward?”
“No. For my personal insurance, I use the agent my mother always used. Crestfall’s is the insurance agency Papa Carrington had always used for the dealership, so it’s always been easier to keep that one in place. There’s never been a major claim that I know of, so the rates are good. Or were good, anyway. I’m sure they’ll increase after this type of major claim.” She waved as she raised her window and drove away.
Forty minutes later she arrived at the hospital in Jefferson City and walked straight to Papa Carrington’s room. Through the years, she’d spent too many hours in this hospital. Sometimes visiting patients, but after the car wreck that killed Phillip, she’d been a patient here herself, first in ICU for a couple days before transferring to a room and then home. Longest days of her life…but she’d at least survived the rollover.
Yesterday, talking with Cain and Kennett had somehow seemed to make things clearer about the day of the wreck. Papa Carrington, Phillip and she had spent the day at one of the dealership’s big customer appreciation picnics. By the time everyone had left and the vendors had closed, it was dark and close to ten o’clock. Papa Carrington had insisted on driving that day, so she and Phillip had had to wait on him to drive them home. Tired, she’d curled up in the back seat and snapped on her seatbelt, leaving Phillip to ride shotgun in the front. Dog-tired hadn’t come close to how she’d felt after the day of festivities, and she’d rapidly dozed off, only to be woken up by her husband and Papa C arguing.
The last thing she remembered before the crash was hearing Phillip shout that he’d be damned if he let them drag her into the middle of everything. Said he’d bring the whole group down before she became a pawn in their plans. Papa C had reached across and backhanded Phillip, who had shoved him in return. A second later a loud gunshot had reverberated from outside the driver’s side of the car. The car had jerked. Swerved. Papa C had yelled as he lost control of the car.
She’d fought to right herself in the back seat. Watched Phillip release his own seatbelt and move across the front seat’s middle console, reaching to regain control of the steering wheel for his dad. Another shot had jerked the car again. The passenger side veered off the road, sideswiped a tree and tilted into a double roll. Phillip had slammed against the windshield as it crumpled inward. Screaming, she’d tried to reach for him.
