Page 7 of Reckoning

Roger was on the phone, but when Delores walked in, he ended his call and went to greet her. “Delores, it’s good to see you. If you’re looking for Mariah, she’s at the park.”

Delores shook her head. “Not anymore. She was just arrested for assaulting Lilith Bandy.”

Roger stared. “What do you mean, assaulted?”

“Jeanette and I witnessed it. She was hateful to Lilith, and when Lilith spoke up to defend herself, Mariah hit her so hard she knocked Lilith backward. Her head hit concrete as she fell, and she was knocked out. She was bleeding profusely from the back of the head by the time the ambulance arrived, and the police were right behind. Abel Bandy is furious and scared to death that his wife might not wake up. He’s filing assault charges against her, and when Mariah tried to deny she’d done it, your daughter, who witnessed it all from the top of the slide, spoke up and told the truth. At that point, Mariah gave Briar a go-to-hell look and took off running. The cops ran her down and took her away in handcuffs. I was going to take Briar home for you, but she refused. She was obviously upset that Mariah had run off and left her, and she took herself home. It’s not my place to interfere, but I’m telling you now, Briar is never going to forget that her mother ran off and left her behind.”

Roger’s face was ghost-white. “I…uh… Oh my God…this is a nightmare.”

“No, Roger. You just have a problem. Abel Bandy and his son are living the nightmare. And all because of the stupid gossip your wife continues to feed, by calling Lilith every kind of evil. I’m just sorry I’ve stayed silent all this time. If this goes to court, I’ll likely have to testify, but once this is over, I’m moving to St. Louis. Every night when I go to bed, I remember Tate Bandy saved my life and the lives of every person who was at school that day, and for that, Mariah has led this town in the persecution of his mother. You need to rein her in before you all wind up being sued for abetting hate and libel. Your wife isn’t going anywhere. You go see to your child.”

She walked out, leaving Roger to absorb the reality of his situation. His secretary, Rita, was at the post office, but he couldn’t leave the office open. He grabbed his keys, locked up the office, and headed home.

He walked into the house calling Briar’s name, but she didn’t answer. Panicked, he ran up the stairs to her bedroom and found her curled up in a ball, with her unicorn blanket pulled over her head. He sat down on the side of her bed and scooped her up in his arms, blanket and all.

“I’m sorry, Briar. I’m so sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong, and Daddy loves you,” he said, and began rocking her in his arms where they sat. “Talk to me, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

“Is Tate’s mommy dead?” she whispered.

Roger groaned. “Lord, I hope not.”

“Mama hates me.”

“No, no, she doesn’t. She’s just mad at herself,” Roger said.

“She does hate me. I heard her talking on the phone last week. She told someone God cheated her when he gave her a girl.”

Roger gasped. “Surely you misunderstood!”

Briar wiped her eyes with her blanket, then slid out of his lap. “No. I heard her words. We have to go see about Tate’s mama. We have to know she’s going to be okay.”

Roger thought about his wife, and then Abel’s wife, and knew his daughter was right. Lilith was the one in need of help and prayers. He wasn’t sure how they would be received at the hospital, but like Delores said, Mariah wasn’t going anywhere.

And then his phone rang. It was Mariah.

“Roger! Call our lawyer! I’ve been arrested and it’s all a terrible mistake!” she cried.

“Oh, I’ve already heard all about it. You actually assaulted an innocent woman, lied about it, then ran away, leaving Briar on her own. I’ll call a lawyer in a bit. Right now, Briar and I are going to the hospital to check on Lilith. You had better pray she’s going to be okay. Manslaughter will not become you.”

He hung up in her ear, then helped Briar put her shoes back on, wash her face, and brush her hair.

“There now. You were a brave girl for telling the truth, and the truth is always the right thing to say.” Then he held out his hand. “Let’s go see about Tate’s mother.”

* * *

Abel was pale and shaking when they arrived at the local hospital. Just before they got out, Tate patted his daddy’s arm.

“Don’t worry, Daddy. Mama’s awake, and she’s gonna be okay.”

Abel pulled Tate into his lap and hugged him. “Thank you for telling me. Now let’s go see about Mama.”

As Tate predicted, Lilith was awake and answering Doctor Joe’s questions when they entered her room, but she was clearly in pain and shock. Even though they had piled warm blankets on her, she was still shaking. When she looked up and saw her husband and son walking in, she burst into tears.

Abel ran to her, clasping her hand as Doctor Joe and his nurse continued to clean the cut on her head to prepare it for stitches. Tate stood beside the bed, eyeing the blood all over his mama’s hair and clothes. He had never seen her like this, and it was scary. His eyes welled as he felt her pain and sadness, but he said nothing. Daddy would take care of Mama, and Doctor Joe would fix her head.

“I’m sorry, Abel. I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut like always and this wouldn’t have happened,” Lilith said.

Abel frowned. “What do you mean, like always? Has she been ugly to you before?”