“I believe the right woman is out there,” Mom said. “Like Dom was. After I finally got the courage to leave your dad and take my life back, he appeared. She’ll just appear one day and you’ll know.”
“It would take a miracle.”
“I pray every night that God will send you your soul mate. You’ve been such a good son, honey. Even to your father, who didn’t deserve it. She has to be special. Someone worthy of you.”
“Keep praying, Mom.” I said this simply to appease her and change the subject. My marriage and subsequent divorce taught me that it’s best to have low expectations. Especially here. This was a small community. Most people who lived in Logan Bend were already married. How many women would be interested in a forty-six-year-old divorced guy whose best friends were an unstable cat and an overly sleepy dog? Logan Bend only had a population of twenty-seven hundred people. The odds were not in my favor.
“Maybe try one of those apps on the phone,” Mom said. “Tons of people meet that way these days.”
“I’ve been too busy with the garden and chores to worry about dating. I finally finished the barn—painted it red like a classic Corvette. You and Dom should come visit.”
“We will. Maybe this year.” This was Mom’s typical response. I didn’t hold out much hope. She had bitter feelings toward Logan Bend. Considering the way they’d treated us after Beth’s murder, who could blame her?
“No pressure,” I said.
“All I can recall of our time there was all the snow. Driving in it. Walking through ice or sludge to get to my car, which would then take five minutes to defrost.”
“Not this time of year.” My land was green and lush because of my access to river water. I settled my gaze on the fenced vegetable garden. I’d built planters and filled them with the finest dirt. “The first of my tomatoes are ripe.”
“Goodness, I hated gardening. Constant watering. And the weeds. They grew better than anything else. Your father never lifted a finger to help me. You boys were like garbage disposals, always hungry. Between trying to keep you all fed and my job, I was dead on my feet.”
“I don’t know how you did it, Mom.”
She made a shushing sound. “Why am I going on about all that? I’m glad you’re happy there, but I miss you.”
“I’ll come out in the fall. After the garden’s done for the season.”
“Have you ever run into the Websters? I’ve wondered how little Carlie made out.”
Hearing her name made my chest ache. “No, but someone in town told me Mr. Webster died about five years ago.”
“Around the same time your father died,” Mom said. “That’s a shame. They went through so much.”
“They did.” I closed my eyes, seeing that night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. The sight of Carlie’s parents wasn’t something I would ever forget.
“Well, if you ever do see Mrs. Webster, you should ask about Carlie,” Mom said. “She was such a sweet little thing. It was too cruel, losing her sister that way. And then to lose you too. Only a strong woman could get through all that intact.”
“She had grit. I’m sure she’s all right.” Wherever she was. We’d just gotten started that night. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder what might have been had I been able to stay. Over the years I’d looked for her name in bookstores, wondering if she’d fulfilled her dream of writing a novel. All of that was just fantasy. I’d bet she barely remembered me. If she did, I was attached to the worst night of her life. Even if I’d been able to stay in Logan Bend, she would have ended things. My brothers and I had nothing to do with Beth’s death, but we were tainted just the same simply by being there.
“Do you ever think about trying to find Carlie?” Mom asked. “You could ask Loretta where she is.”
“Carlie Webster wouldn’t want to see me. Reaching out would probably cause her pain. I’d bet she wants to forget about anything to do with those days.”
As if she didn’t hear me, Mom continued. “I never thought Luke and Beth were right for each other but you two—that was a match.”
“Luke and Beth were crazy about each other,” I said.
“He cared for her much more than she cared for him. They’d never have lasted past high school. A mother knows these things.”
“I still think about Carlie,” I said. “As embarrassing as that is.”
“She might be married. You should prepare yourself for that. Carlie was such a sweet girl. It would be unlikely she’s single.”
“Well, I’m single.”
“That’s different.”
“How, exactly?” I asked, laughing.
“Never mind.” She paused for a moment. “Were you ever resentful of Luke? If not for his involvement with Beth, we might’ve stayed.”
“Resentful of Luke? No way. None of it was his fault. That article in the paper sealed our fate.” The rumors and whispers, the certainty that Luke had had something to do with Beth’s death, had started to circulate after an article in the Logan Bend Tribune had mentioned him as the prime suspect. All of which was a lie. The authorities ruled him out almost immediately. He had a solid alibi, supported by Mrs. Pierson at the store and many others who had seen us all at the fair that evening. Given the time frame, there was no way Luke could have murdered Beth. Yet the paper had irresponsibly and without facts accused an innocent seventeen-year-old of murder. People were only too happy to believe the boyfriend did it. The good people of Logan Bend didn’t care about the truth. They wanted a suspect so they could sleep at night, convinced their daughters were safe. It was the first time I understood the power of the press and the written word.
When someone had tossed a flaming Molotov cocktail into
