Page 92 of A River of Crows

Jay woke up next. He came up behind Caroline and wrapped his arms around her. “Good morning, sunshine. How does a big breakfast sound?”

Sunshine. Caroline remembered their first date. He’d called her sunshine, pure sunshine. The memory brought unexpected tears to her eyes. She blinked them back. Think about Anna. What pet name does he have for her?

At the breakfast table, Ridge was quiet, Jay read his paper, and Sloan did what Sloan did best nowadays, bitched about everything. Bitched that she couldn’t go, that she’d miss watching TV with her dad. This would be the hardest for Sloan. But it would be better in the long run. She’d discover her mother was strong, and she’d learn not to make the same mistakes Caroline had. Sloan Hadfield would never give up so much for any man.

Jay told Caroline to sit. Told her she should order a pizza tonight. Like he was some malevolent lord, allowing her to order out. She would order pizza. And from now on, she would order one anytime she damn well wanted to.

While Sloan and Jay carried out the ice chest, Caroline pulled Ridge aside and went over the plan one last time before wrapping her arms around him. “It’s going to be okay,” she promised. “See you soon.”

Caroline let go as Sloan pushed past them, slamming the door of her room.

“Goodbye, Sloan.” Ridge looked down the hall.

“Don’t worry about her,” Jay said, pulling his Texas Rangers’ cap down on his head. “You ready to go, big man?”

“I’m ready,” Ridge said. He turned back to Caroline and repeated the words in too strong of a voice for her sweet ten-year-old. “I’m ready.”

Caroline distracted herself most of the day by building a fire in the living room and feeding it thirteen years of cards, love letters, and gifts from Jay.

Sloan stayed in her room, only coming out for meals. At dinnertime, they sat watching TV, the pizza getting cold. Each stroke of the clock darkened them both. Sloan growing angrier, Caroline growing more nervous. Jay still hadn’t returned. Caroline was sure he’d be awake by now. She wanted to call Libby, but that wasn’t part of the plan. Too many phone calls might look suspicious.

Caroline tapped her foot to the bouncy rhythm of the 21 Jump Street theme song. She grabbed a piece of pizza but couldn’t take more than a bite. Had Jay gone straight to the police? She decided to give him until the end of the show. If he wasn’t back, she’d go looking.

Caroline didn’t have to wait that long. She heard a truck door slam outside as the first commercial break began. She sat up straighter and held her breath. Seconds later, Jay burst through the front door. He looked terrible. Sweat was dripping from his face, and his eyes were glassy and unfocused.

“Jay?” Caroline jumped up, letting her uneaten pizza fall to the floor.

He ran past her looking down the hallway. “Is Ridge here?”

It had worked. It had all worked. “What do you mean is Ridge here?”

“Oh, God,” Jay cried. “Call the police, Caroline.”

Scream at him, make a scene. Make it real. “Where’s Ridge, Jay?” she yelled. “Where is he?”

Jay fell to his knees, grabbing at his greasy hair. “I don’t know,” he sobbed. “He disappeared.”

Caroline had thought this part would be hard. Seeing Jay in so much pain, so worried about their boy. But it made her happy to watch him come undone. Happy she’d brought him to his knees just like he had brought her to her own outside Anna Hadfield’s home. Karma. Karma. Karma. Things always come full circle. You get what you deserve. And this is what he deserved. He’d begun their relationship with a lie, and she was ending it with one.

Chapter 27

Baton Rouge, LA, 1989

Libby Turner smiled as she finished grading Ridge’s math test. “One hundred percent!” she said.

“Yes!” Ridge held both hands in the air. “Ice cream tonight!”

“That’s right,” Libby said. “I knew you could do it.”

“Do you think we can go to Baskin-Robbins? Instead of Vince bringing home ice cream?”

Libby sighed. She couldn’t blame him for wanting out of here. What eleven-year-old child wanted to stay home all day? Ridge should be at the ice cream shop or the arcade with friends.

“Soon, sweetie. It’s not safe for you to be seen right now.”

“When will I go back with Mom?”

“Not till your dad’s trial is over.” Libby knew this was a lot for a child to take in, but she would not lie to him. He had already been through enough lies. “Would you like to call your mother tonight? Tell her about this A+?”