“What would you like to drink?”
“Just water,” Tom said.
“For you, Jill?”
“Water’s fine.”
A boy entered through the open archway. He had short hair with gelled spikes, a silver cross earring in his right ear, and wore faded jeans that were frayed at the bottom. The tight-fitting blue shirt he wore underneath his light jacket revealed a wiry but muscular frame. Tom had once advised Mitchell about colleges and had talked to him about Stephen after his brother’s death. Other than that, the two didn’t have much interaction around school.
“Mom, I’m going out,” said the boy.
“Mitchell, please. Come here. Mr. Hawkins has come over to see Dad. And I asked you to stay and keep Jill company until they go.”
“It’s okay,” Jill said with a shrug. “I can just wait.”
“Nonsense,” Adriana said. “Mitchell is a wonderful host, and I’m sure he’ll be delighted to delay his plans to be a supportive friend.”
“Come on, Mom. She said she’s fine,” Mitchell said. “I’ll be back later.”
“Tanner can wait. The Hawkins are going through a difficult period, and they need our support.”
Mitchell’s protest receded like the tide, and his demeanor shifted from emboldened to sheepish. “Sure thing,” he said.
“That’s better. Why don’t you give her a tour of the house? I don’t believe Jill’s ever been over here before.”
“Come on,” Mitchell said to Jill. “I’ll show you around. Then we can chill out in the basement if you want. You play air hockey?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at it,” Jill said.
“That’s more like it,” Adriana said.
Mitchell nodded with his head for Jill to follow. Tom watched them leave through the same archway where Mitchell earlier had appeared. He noticed Mitchell had a tattoo on the back of his neck—a yin and yang symbol in the shape of a skull.
Adriana went over to the cart with drinks on it. She squeezed Tom’s arm as she passed.
“It’s four o’clock, and I’m going to have a glass of wine. Sure you won’t join me?” she said, pouring herself a near full glass of white wine from a bottle on ice.
“Thanks for the offer, but no. Water’s fine.”
Adriana sat down on the couch and sighed. “Sorry you had to witness that unpleasant exchange. Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems,” she said before taking a healthy sip of her wine.
“He seems like a good kid,” Tom said.
“Trust me, he’s a handful. How are things with Jill?”
“Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems,” Tom repeated.
Adriana nodded knowingly. “It must be hard on you both,” she said. “Any break in the case? I’ve heard that the police think it was a robbery.”
Tom took a seat on the couch beside her, following Adriana’s prompt.
“There were some items missing from the house,” Tom confirmed. “And signs of a struggle. But so far, no suspects. No arrests.”
“I heard about what happened in the woods,” Adriana said, touching the spot on his head where he’d been hit. Tom flinched. Adriana seemed oblivious to his reaction. “Do the police think it’s connected with what happened to Kelly?”
“If they do, they’re not saying.”
Adriana flashed Tom a frown, and though she didn’t say it, Tom could tell there had been some talk about him within her circle of friends.
“I play bridge with Cathleen Wells, and she told me that you’re moving back to Shilo. Is that true?”
Tom nodded. “I need to do it for Jill. She doesn’t want to leave town to come live with me, and I don’t blame her. All her friends are here. Her life is here, and she won’t be able to go to Shilo High School unless she’s living in Shilo. We’re going to try and make it work, but I’m not going to kid myself into thinking it’s going to be easy. We’ve had a pretty tough go of it, even before her mother’s death.”
Adriana gave Tom a knowing glance. “I used to see Kelly occasionally after you two divorced,” she said, “but we did talk from time to time. She took every opportunity to put you down, I’m sorry to say. I’m sure that’s had an effect on Jill.”
“It’s made for an extra big challenge,” said Tom.
A glaze of tears filled Adriana’s eyes, and she dabbed them away with her fingers. She excused herself and returned with a box of Kleenex. She laughed, but in a slightly embarrassed way.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “When I think about children not getting along with their parents, it just breaks my heart. They don’t understand how precious life is, how fragile.”
Tom swallowed hard. He understood Adriana’s pain. “I can’t imagine how hard it is for you, still. I’m sure this is bringing up painful memories.”
Adriana bit her lower lip and nodded. “When your child dies, it leaves a hole that can never be filled,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ve never forgiven myself for what happened to Stephen.”
Tom’s chest felt heavy with sorrow. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You did everything you could to get Stephen the help that he needed. I remember.”
“I could have done more.”
Tom didn’t know what to say. Stephen Boyd had been a troubled kid early on. He never went to Shilo High School, because either he was in rehab or he was being schooled at home. Even more tragic, Adriana had been the one to find Stephen’s body. He was locked inside her car. He still had a needle sticking out of his arm. Tourniquet tied tight. He’d been dead for more than six hours.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him,” Adriana said. “I can’t help wondering what Stevie would look like today. What would he be doing?”
Tom’s throat went dry just thinking about Adriana’s loss, and he needed a sip of water before he could again speak.
“I’m so very sorry for your loss. Anytime I try to get philosophical with Jill, she just gives me a blank stare,” Tom said. “We haven’t had any real bonding opportunities, so I’m just not sure how I’m going to reach her.”
“You just have to be patient with her,” Adriana said. “And stay persistent, too.”
Tom smiled.
“What?” she asked, her voice rising with a squeak of interest.
“Nothing,” Tom said, with a slight laugh. “It’s just that my personal mantra is ‘Persistence and patience.’ The two Ps.”
“Well, I think you’ve got a fabulous mantra. Don’t let her go, Tom.”
“I won’t,” Tom said. “I’ll never give up on Jill.”
Adriana surprised Tom by giving him a hug. She put her warm lips close to his ear and whispered, “I know.”
Roland cleared his throat. “
Adriana quickly pulled away. She stood and smoothed out the fabric of her pantsuit. Tom stood as well.
“Darling, you surprised me,” Adriana said.
“And by the looks of it, just in the nick of time,” Roland said.
Chapter 11
