Page 44

Tate shrugged. “Truth is, we don’t know where the bastard is. We took her to the Red Cross shelter and look what happened. At least we’ll be more isolated in the trailer park and can see who’s coming and going. It’s the best we can do under the circumstances. Good work.”
The bathroom door opened, and Nola came out carrying her bloody shirt.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” she asked.
“We were just telling Tate we found a new place to stay out at the trailer park,” Wade said.
“I thought they were all full.”
“A trailer house just came up empty. Jonesy offered to rent it to us,” he said.
Nola’s eyes widened. “Jonesy offered us a place to stay?”
“Yes, why?”
“It’s not the deluxe model he rents out is it?”
Cameron groaned. “What don’t we know?”
“It’s supposed to be haunted,” she said.
Wade frowned. “Well, shit.”
“As long as our killer isn’t in residence, I’m good with it,” Tate said. “It’s after 2:00 a.m. and you, young lady, need to lie back down.”
“Can I take another pain pill?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll follow you anywhere.”
A few minutes later she was back on the cot in her jail cell, tucked safely inside the sleeping bag and waiting for the pain pill to kick in. Tate positioned himself between her and the door, and Wade and Cameron were settling down in the other cells.
She finally fell asleep, and so did the others.
Except for Tate. He wasn’t sleeping. He wasn’t even lying down. He was sitting up with his back to the cot, his pistol in his lap, watching the door.
Every so often he heard Nola mumbling in her sleep and guessed she was dreaming again. Those pain pills were kicking her butt.
Just before dawn his cell phone vibrated, signaling a call. He saw the number, jumped to his feet and ran out into the hall to answer.
“Hello. This is Tate Benton.”
“Mr. Benton, this is Doctor Andreas. I’m sorry to tell you that your mother passed away about an hour ago. She did not suffer. She took a deep breath, exhaled and never took another.”
Tate had been expecting this, and yet he felt the bottom falling out of his world. In every way that mattered, she was all the family he had left, and even though she hadn’t recognized him for years, he was surprised by the depth of his grief. His voice was shaky.
“Did you call her husband?”
“Yes. He’s on record as one of two notifications that were to be made. You are the other one.”
Tate was grateful. That meant he didn’t have to talk to his father again.
“Thank you for taking care of her all these years.”
“Of course. I’m sorry this was how it ended…with her breaking her hip, I mean.”
“So am I,” Tate said. “I assume you know the situation I’m in.”