Bloody Point (15 page)

Far too quickly, he pushed back from the table. Time to talk.
Now. She took a deep breath. “Jake,” she began, “I’d like to help you.”

“How?”

“I made some phone calls while you were asleep. I’ve got an
aunt …”

“No,” he said, abruptly rising.

She followed him into the living room. “She helped raise me.
You met her, when Mike died. Her name is Trudy. She is a terrific person, and
Jake, listen to this.” Cassie boldly put her hand on his arm and turned him
around. “Her husband had a brain injury, an aneurysm. She took care of him for
twenty years. Twenty years, Jake. She understands what you’re going through and
she can handle it. The blackouts, the depression …”

Jake jerked away from her.

“Come on. My aunt is by herself now, in a house on the
Eastern shore, and she said you could come there and stay with her. She’ll help
you, Jake. She’ll cook for you, and take you to physical therapy, if that’s
what you need. She knows the best neurologist in the country. He’s in
Baltimore. She’s terrific, Jake, honest. You’ll like her. And she wants to
help.”

Jake was standing over the coffee table staring down at the
gun, and Cassie wondered if she’d made a mistake by leaving it there. If he
found it was empty, what would he do? Fly into a rage?

“Who did this to me?” he asked abruptly.

Cassie was taken aback. “We … the Bureau doesn’t know yet,
Jake. They’re making progress, but they don’t know.”

He turned away.

“Jake, my aunt … it would be good for her, too, to have
company. She’s been alone since my uncle died. No kids. And I’m too busy to
visit very often.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to.”

Indignation rose in Cassie. “Why are you being so selfish?”

“What?” he said sharply.

“Why won’t you accept some help?”

“Been there, done that. Didn’t like it.”

“Well, you haven’t tried my aunt. You haven’t exhausted all
the possibilities.”

Jake waved her off, dismissing her logic.

But she wouldn’t let him go. She moved close to him, trying
to capture his dark eyes with hers. He kept glancing down, sideways, any way
but straight at her. Not one to be dismissed, she finally grabbed both his
arms. “Jake, your kids need you. Please don’t do this to them.”

For a moment, she thought he was going to explode. His face
was red, his eyes narrow, and his shoulders were hunched up.

“They need you, Jake,” she whispered. “I need you. Please,
please, let me help you.”

He sat down on the couch and dropped his head in his hands.
The room was quiet for what seemed to Cassie like a long, long time. Finally,
he sat back. He looked weary, and worn out, a dark shadow of the strong man she
had known. “Two weeks,” he said. “I’ll try it for two weeks.”

†

Bloody Point

Chapter 15

C
ASSIE spent the night
on the couch, unwilling to leave Jake alone for a moment. She slept in her
clothes and was thankful she’d worn something comfortable.

They would leave at 6:00 p.m. the next day. Rummaging through
a closet she found some of Jeff’s clean clothes for Jake, and she promised
herself she’d remember to return them.

They got in the Cabrio and Jake leaned his head back and
closed his eyes, which was good. “We need to make one stop,” she told him, and
he didn’t object. Nor did he notice when she pulled up to a park and stopped
the car. “Just wait here,” she said, patting his leg.

“What?”

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Jake sat in the car, his eyes closed. The bright sunlight
bothered him. He had a nearly perpetual headache that ranged in intensity from
painful to excruciating. As it progressed in the spectrum he would gradually
pull inside himself, avoiding light and sound and fighting the nausea by
detaching himself from the world. As long as he didn’t sense the Pit right
behind him, it was bearable.

But while sitting in the Cabrio, waiting for Cassie,
something made him open his eyes. He saw her striding across the park in her
khakis and black shirt. She walked past the swing set, past the slide, and on
toward a row of cars parked on an adjoining street.

And then he focused more carefully and he saw a familiar van,
a dark green minivan, and then he saw a woman step out of it. And Jake sat up
straight when he realized it was Tam.

By the time the sliding door of the van opened, Jake had
begun to get out of the Cabrio. And when two little towheaded kids spilled out,
Jake’s heart leaped and adrenaline flashed through him like lightning.

He began to run, clumsily at first, but then more
confidently. His heart pounded and his breath came hard. Halfway across the
park, he fell to his knees, and swept Caitlin and Justin into his arms.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Their two little voices formed a childish
chorus and he thought his heart would burst as he held them close to his chest
and felt their little bodies squirming against him. Tears spilled from his eyes
and streamed down his cheeks and he looked past his kids to Cassie, who was
smiling broadly. And he thanked her with his look.

“Daddy, you have a beard!” said Justin.

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Why are you crying, Daddy?”

Jake swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. “I’m just
really happy to see you. I’ve missed you so much!”

For the next hour, they played.

Jake drank in the kids’ giggles, and fed on their laughter.
For sixty minutes, he was transported beyond a fractured skull, beyond memory
loss, beyond blackouts, and into a place powered by love and infused with
childish innocence and hope.

When the van pulled up again across the park and Cassie saw
it and said it was time for them to go, Jake’s pumped-up heart ached. He kissed
the kids good-bye, and promised them he’d call them. And then he watched
through teary eyes as they walked slowly back to their van.

• • •

 “Thank you,” he said to Cassie as they drove away from the
park.

“You’re welcome. It was worth it to see you guys together.”

“I have missed them so much.”

She glanced toward him. His eyes were full of tears. “In the
glove box,” she said.

He opened it and retrieved a napkin and blew his nose. “I’m
sorry.”

“That’s okay.”

“You know what?” he said. “Sometimes … sometimes you just
don’t know how dead you’ve been until you come back to life.”

Cassie stayed quiet, unsure how to respond.

“What … what did it take to get Tam to agree?” he asked.

She laughed. “A whole lot of talking.”

Night was beginning to fall. The sky had darkened to a deep
blue and a star was visible in the west. Cassie sped down Route 2, thoughts
ebbing and flowing as she weaved in and out of traffic. Jake rested his head
back.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Headache?”

“Hurts like crazy. But I don’t care.”

They rode in silence for a while, the car skimming through
the “magic hour,” that time around twilight when the world turns a soft blue.
Lights twinkled on in the communities they passed while stars pricked holes in
the blackness of the night sky. Cassie looked over at Jake. He was resting but
awake. “What are you thinking about?”

“How big they’ve gotten. In just two months. And how sorry I
am … that … that Tam and I couldn’t make it work.”

Cassie glanced in her rear view mirror. She’d been tracking
the traffic behind her carefully, looking for a blue headlight or any sign they
were being followed. It was tough at night. “It’s hard, Jake. Life is just very
hard.”

At 8:15 p.m. they pulled into the driveway of a small,
two-story farmhouse set back off the road in Talbot County, Maryland. As Cassie
stepped out of the car, the familiar smell of boxwoods filled her nose, and her
soul clicked on something called “home.” They walked up to the front porch,
past planters full of petunias and impatiens and a garden edged in hostas. A
metal milk can sat next to the front door. Then a black and white Springer
spaniel appeared inside the screen door, barking excitedly.

“Jazz!” Cassie called out, and the dog, recognizing her
voice, dissolved into wiggles of joy.

A woman in her sixties dressed in slacks and a white
sleeveless shirt appeared. She opened the door, the dog leaped out, and the
woman said, “Welcome!”

Cassie bent down to pet the dog, who responded with all the
exuberance of a pup while turning occasionally to bark at Jake. Then Cassie
walked up the steps. “Aunt Truly!” she said, embracing the older woman. “Aunt
Truly, this is Jake. Jake, my Aunt Truly. Well, it’s Trudy, actually.”

Jake stood by awkwardly, the Springer bouncing all around
him. “Hello.”

“Welcome, Jake. I am so glad to meet you. I remember you from
Mike’s funeral, and I’ve heard about you for years.”

Jake glanced at Cassie, who was busy petting the dog.

“You can just call me Trudy, if you like, Jake. Cassie just
couldn’t quite get that out when she was three, but you might feel a bit silly
calling me Truly. And this is Jasmine,” she said, pointing to the dog. “We call
her Jazz. Come in, now, come on in.”

Jake stepped up on the front porch. There were two wooden
rockers there, and an old dresser with pulled-out drawers holding pots of red
geraniums. A calico cat walked stiffly away.

Jake followed the women into the house. Just inside the front
door was a small table holding a brass lamp. Next to the lamp, sitting on a
piece of lace, was a small framed quote: “In all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans
8:28.” He frowned.

A stairway with a dark wooden banister leading upstairs was
in front of him. To the left was a small sitting room. A narrow hallway led to
the rear of the house.

And that was the way Trudy and Cassie were walking, so Jake
followed them. On the way, he passed two more framed verses: “I can do
everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:10.” and “Faith is the being
sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1.” He was
beginning to wonder what he’d gotten himself into.

But something smelled really good and so he kept on walking.
The hallway opened into a large country kitchen with a big farm table right in
the middle of it. In the center of the table was a wooden bowl holding a
boxwood wreath surrounding a short, ivory-colored candle.

“Sit, sit!” Trudy said, and so Jake pulled out one of the
Windsor chairs surrounding the table and sat down.

“I’ve made us a Big Apple Pizza,” said Trudy.

“No, you didn’t!” Cassie exclaimed.

“Yes, I did.” Trudy opened the oven and pulled out a pizza
pan. Apple slices were arranged in a pinwheel design on a piecrust, and were
topped with a crumb topping loaded with cinnamon and sugar. “This was always
Cassie’s favorite dessert,” she explained to Jake, putting the pan on a hot pad
on the table. “Now, would you all like coffee? Or milk?”

While Trudy cut the dessert, Cassie filled three glasses with
milk and Jake had time to look around the kitchen. One whole wall was a
collection of photos, and Jake realized there were many of Cassie at all stages
of her life and of her brother, her father, and a woman he presumed to be her
mother. There were several pictures of natural scenes on the Bay: a great blue
heron stalking fish in a small cove, a sunrise over the water, two crabbers
pulling in their traps, and a spectacular shot of lightning striking just
behind a man fishing off a pier.

In between the photos were more verses. And on an adjoining
wall was a hanging on which was embroidered the names of Jesus: Wonderful
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Balm of Gilead, Bright Morning Star, Lion of Judah,
and many more.
So, Aunt Trudy has her quirks
, Jake thought and he began
to brace himself.

But then Trudy put the Big Apple Pizza on the table and the
smell distracted him. How long had it been since he’d felt hunger? After the
first bite, Jake was hooked. The tart apples combined with cinnamon, sugar, and
butter were irresistible. “This,” he announced, “is really good.”

Cassie laughed. “Men are really very simple creatures.”

Jake consumed his first piece, then a second, while the two
women talked. From listening to their conversation, he could tell one thing:
Trudy was down to earth. Sensible. That was good. He’d been afraid he was
getting hooked up with some eccentric old lady. Except for all the religious
stuff, she seemed okay.

The two women obviously had a lot to catch up on and Jake was
only too happy to let them. Then Trudy asked him a couple of questions, and he
responded with short answers. Fatigue was beginning to catch up with him. She
must have noticed, because she looked at him with kind eyes and said, “Would
you like to see your room?”

“Sure.”

Trudy led them upstairs to the first room on the left. “This
was where Cassie always slept when she came to visit,” she said. It was bright
and airy, with many windows, including a triple bay window on one side. The
walls were covered with flowered paper and the hardwood floors, partially
covered by a large green and beige braided rug, gleamed in the soft light.
Against the north wall was a dresser of dark walnut with brass drawer pulls. A
double bed covered with a quilt was in the middle of the room. Off to one side
was a chair and to the other was a night table. “I hope this will be okay,”
Trudy said.

“This is fine, wonderful,” replied Jake. He looked around.
There was only one verse. He could put up with that.

Next to the bed on the floor was a large cardboard box. “I
had my dad bring over a bunch of Mike’s clothes for you,” Cassie said, lifting
a stack of khakis and shirts from the box. “Is that okay? Do you mind wearing
them?”

“No, no. Thanks.”

“I thought they’d fit. The pants might be a bit loose. You’ve
lost some weight.” Cassie began putting the clothes in the drawers.

“The bathroom in the hallway is all yours,” said Trudy. “I
sleep downstairs. So you just make yourself at home.”

“Okay, thank you.” He rubbed his hand through his hair. “I
really appreciate you letting me come here. I’ll only be here for a couple of
weeks, just until I figure out what I need to do.” He glanced at Cassie to make
sure she was listening.

“You are welcome to stay as long as you like.” Trudy smiled
at him. She had a pleasant face, with lots of laugh lines. Her hair was gray
and captured in a bun at the nape of her neck. She was suntanned, but it was
the gardening-and-yard-work kind of tan, not the I’ve-been-on-a-cruise tan. Her
eyes were gray and wise and a pair of reading glasses hung from a chain around
her neck.

“Cassie, why don’t we let Jake have some peace and quiet. Are
you tired, Jake?”

“Actually, yes, I am.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Cassie, did you, uh, tell your aunt … ”

“About the blackouts?” Trudy said. “She told me. Don’t worry
about it. Just sit down if you have to. It’s no big deal, Jake. I’ve seen a lot
worse.”

He nodded.

Cassie gave him a hug and handed him a slip of paper.
“Goodnight, partner. Here’s my cell phone number. My aunt will take good care of
you, but if you need me, just call.”

“You make yourself at home, now, Jake. If you need something,
let me know. Anytime, day or night, you just yell and I’ll come, okay?” Trudy
said.

“Yes, fine, thanks. Goodnight. And Cassie … thanks for
everything.”