“No, I’m not hungry.I want to see the death certificate, Sam.”
Sam opened her mouth, then closed it.She nodded.“I’ve got it in my car.”She pushed away from the table.“I’ll go get it.”
Her exit left the room in utter silence.A year ago, Landon would have let that stretch out.But tonight, Cal looking all haunted and hunted again, Landon couldn’t let it go.
“What’s wrong, Cal?”Landon asked.
He was still getting used to asking that kind of thing of his brother.Still getting used to knowing he had to deal with whatever it was.
“I don’t know,” Cal muttered.“I just know somethingis.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Harrington Cabin
Aly walked alongthe creek in the direction of the Harrington cabin.She’d texted Jill to meet her a ways away from the cabin so they could have some privacy.
Of course, it wasn’t just Aly here to break the news.Sam and Cal were along for this particular errand.
Aly hadn’t slept at all thinking about having to tell Jill this news.Even Landon had been up late, pacing and wondering what was wrong with Cal, considering this shouldn’t involve him at all.
But Cal had involved himself.
Aly looked over at him now as they reached the spot they’d agreed to meet Jill at.He had his hands in his pockets, that blank expression on his face.No, not blank.Lost.
She wanted to say something, tofixsomething, but she didn’t have the words.She didn’t understand why this should affect him as clearly as it did—and she didn’t thinkheknew.
Which worried her down to her bones.
Jill appeared, a dot of bright yellow against the last dregs of winter brown around them.It was cold again, but no new snow had fallen lately so everything was kind of a frozen muddy.
“Well, this can only be bad news, huh?”Jill smiled ruefully as she approached.
Aly crossed the distance between them and reached out for Jill’s hand.
“I got the death certificate,” Sam told her, not wasting any time or drawing out any dramatic pauses.
No, that wasn’t Sam, and Aly was grateful for it in this moment.
“The cause of death was clearly listed as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Jill’s grip on Aly’s hand tightened.“He… he killed himself?”
“That’s what the death certificate says,” Sam replied with a nod.
Jill glanced back up toward the cabin.“Oh, Grandma.”With her free hand, she rubbed her chest above her heart.“Oh… God.My dad.He can’t possibly know.”Jill shook her head.
Her eyes were shiny with tears, but she didn’t let them fall.She took a deep breath, let it slowly out.
Her gaze moved from the cabin to Sam, but she gripped Aly’s hand hard.“That has to be it, don’t you think?”
“It seems likely.I haven’t been able to find anything else about the incident, but I can keep poking.Keep trying.If that’s what you want.”
Jill studied Sam.“You don’t think I should,” she said quietly after a few moments.
Sam let out a long breath.“I don’t know what to think, Jill.I’m a big proponent of the truth, but this?Some traumas don’t have answers.They just are.Maybe, in this case, some things are better left alone.”
Jill nodded and didn’t say anything, so Aly wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze.
