As I finally neared the counter, something pink caught my eye and I smiled. I reached out to grab a couple of the packages and added them to my pile. I’d just handed my cash over to the clerk when I chanced another look at the television. The sound was turned off, but it didn’t matter. I recognized the face of the man staring back at me.
Caleb’s father.
“Can you turn that up?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could. The clerk looked over his shoulder, then reached for the volume.
“…it does lead many to wonder if Mr. Cortano isn’t being railroaded by these kids,” a commentator said off-screen. My eyes fell to the tagline beneath Jack’s picture.
Son Sends Letter of Apology to Father Accused of Abuse.
“Your change.”
It took me a moment to realize the clerk was talking to me, because I was focused on what the news anchor was saying.
“The Seattle District Attorney is refusing to comment on this latest bombshell. Again, for those of you just joining us, there’s been a new development in the case of Jack Cortano, a former Department of Defense employee, who is charged with multiple counts of felony sexual assault against his youngest son. Several news agencies received a copy of a letter Mr. Cortano’s son allegedly wrote him in prison in which he apologizes to his father for lying to authorities. This comes on the heels of Mr. Cortano being acquitted of similar charges against his stepson, Eli Galvez, earlier this month. The defense is claiming the letter is proof that Mr. Galvez convinced Mr. Cortano’s son to lie about being assaulted by his father. Possible motives include a personal vendetta on the part of Mr. Galvez or an attempt to bring a civil suit against Mr. Cortano in the hopes of reaching a financial settlement—”
My phone rang at that moment and I ignored the money the man was holding out to me. I grabbed my bags and snatched up my phone.
“I just saw,” I said bitterly before Dalton could even say anything. I hurried from the store.
“I’m sorry, Jace. I’m not sure what time the reports started… I had a bad night…”
I knew what that meant and I quickly softened my voice. “It’s okay, Dalton. Thanks for letting me know.”
I barely listened as Dalton said his goodbyes and hung up.
Jesus, how the hell was I going to tell Caleb about this? Thank fuck he’d gone back to sleep after I’d woken him up to tell him I was taking the boat to shore to get gas and supplies. After his admission the night before, I wanted him to get as much rest as he could. Not to mention that I was still trying to figure out what to say to him this morning. I hadn’t meant to push him into telling me about Richard Jennings, but when he’d asked me about my uncle, I’d selfishly seen an opportunity to get the information I’d needed so badly in exchange for sharing something I never talked about… to anyone.
I returned to the boat as fast as I could without attracting attention to myself. All was quiet, so I quickly got the boat started and headed back to the inlet where we’d spent the night. It would hopefully be quiet enough that Caleb could sleep a little longer and I could get my shit together and figure out what to do next.
I dropped the anchor and then grabbed the groceries and went below deck. I’d just reached the last step when I saw one of the drawers from the kitchen lying on the floor, the contents inside of it strewn all over the place. My heart leapt into my throat as I dropped the bags.
“Caleb!” I shouted and then I was running to the bedroom. It took just seconds to reach the room and rip open the narrow door.
What I saw chilled my blood.
Caleb was standing by the bed, right arm extended next to his body. There was a large knife in his left hand – it was the single butcher knife that Dalton kept on board.
The television was blaring in the background. It was turned to the same news program I’d just been watching. The anchors and commentators were still discussing Caleb’s case.
“Caleb,” I said softly as I put my hands out. Despite not seeing any blood on Caleb’s arm or on the blade of the knife, I was more scared than I’d ever been.
Tears streamed down Caleb’s face. “I didn’t lie!” he shouted. “I didn’t, Jace!”
“I know you didn’t, Caleb. Please put the knife down.”
He looked at the blade as if just then realizing he had it. “It hurts too much,” he whispered. “It’s too much.”
“Baby, look at me,” I urged, even as I took another step toward him. Caleb raised his eyes.
“I promised you I wouldn’t do it again,” Caleb said softly. “I… I lied about that, but I… I don’t want to let you down.”