Page 94 of Midnight

The sheets were soft and warm, and smelled faintly of lilac from the scented dryer sheet she’d used. She remade the bed, carefully plumping the pillow shams before giving the room a last look, then turned out the light.

As she was walking up the hall, the grandfather clock was striking the hour.

Nine a.m.

She would not hear that in this place again.

Her coat was on a chair by the door, as were her purse and keys. She’d planned to stop at the Rose and say goodbye to Pearl, but she didn’t want to cry again, so she sent her a text, instead.

Thank you for everything. For your help and your love, and for being a friend when I needed one most. I’m going home today. See you next time around.

Nora

She slipped into her coat, grabbed her purse and keys, and walked out, locking the door behind her.

After stopping at the gas station to fill up, she drove out of the lot, past the flapping crime scene tape on the front of the Tumbleweed Bar, and didn’t look back.

* * *

Dylan had just finished shaving when Asher walked in. He started to say something, then saw the look on his face and went for aftershave, instead.

“If you’ll give me a couple of minutes to notify the Feds that we caught our guys, I’ll be ready to go.”

“If you want to shave, we can…”

“I don’t,” Asher said.

“Let me guess. Nora is gone,” Gunner said.

Asher frowned. “Not forever, and setting our personal issues aside, we still need to organize a home health aide for Dad until he gets some strength. We can’t stay forever. We need to get back to our own lives. So back me if he gives me hell when I suggest it.”

They nodded in agreement and had the good sense to leave Asher alone to make the call. The phone rang three times before he got an answer.

“Special Agent Worth speaking.”

“Agent Worth, this is Asher Kingston. We caught our perps last night. You are now free to release the recovery of the missing money. The fact that it was found on our property is going to stir up a lot of shit for our dad, and he’s yet to be released from the hospital. Don’t forget what I said. You give Jacob’s sons the credit for solving the cold case and finding the money during their investigation into the attempted murder. I better hear a good spin on all that, or we’ll hold our own press conference. Dad is the one we intend to protect.”

“No worry. We will certainly give all three of you the credit. We were just the recovery team. The announcement has already been written. We were just waiting for the okay. You can expect it to hit local and national news by tonight. Our best wishes for your father.”

“Thank you,” Asher said, and disconnected.

Chapter 16

The Kingstons left town in the SUV with Gunner driving, Dylan in the seat beside him, and Asher in back nursing a cup of coffee. The ride was mostly quiet, which suited Asher.

Saying goodbye to Nora this morning felt like the first time, all over again—when they were so young and so in love—full of excitement for what was to come. They’d never planned to ghost each other. They just drifted apart.

Then the reunion happened, and as a grown-ass man, he fell even harder for the woman she’d become. Despite the turmoil they’d both been in, their reasons for coming back to Crossroads had also been their blessing. Knowing she wouldn’t be there when they came back today was hard. Waiting again was harder. Getting her moved was going to be his quest. He was not going to be satisfied until she was sleeping under his roof, in his arms, with a ring on her finger.

And they still had to unload this nightmare onto Jacob’s shoulders. The media would do what they do, stirring enough lies into a truth to create a headline. They didn’t care what damage the lies left behind. But Asher did, for him. When they arrived at the hospital, they parked and went inside, then went up to Jacob’s room.

* * *

Jacob was sitting up in his bed watching the morning news when his sons walked into the room.

“Wow! All of you together! This is wonderful. Come sit. Talk to me. Tell me, what’s been happening?”

They were all smiles and careful hugs and then they settled around him like they’d always done when looking to him for advice.