“You get out of here and leave my husband alone,” she screamed. “Get out of my house!”
River got to her feet and hurried over to Rose. “Mom,” she said, trying to calm her down. “It’s me, Mom.”
Rose raised her hand and slapped River across the face. “You can’t have my husband. I need him. We need him. He has children, but you don’t care, do you? You’re selfish and evil. Get out of my house or you’ll be sorry.” Rose walked up to Tony, who was now sitting up on the bed looking confused. “You promised to be faithful. You’re supposed to love me . . .” Rose collapsed to the floor, crying hysterically. Mrs. Weyland came running down the hall, her flannel nightgown flying behind her like a cape. She looked like a chubby gray-haired superhero. Which in River’s mind, she was. She got down on the floor next to Rose and put her arms around her.
“Rose, it’s okay. She’s gone. She left. It’s just us. River, me, and Tony. CeCe is gone and she’s not coming back, I promise, honey.”
“She tried to steal my family,” Rose said, putting her head on the caregiver’s shoulder. “I can’t lose them. They’re everything to me. You . . . you understand, don’t you, Aggie? I know you understand.”
“Yes, Rose, sweetie. I understand. Let’s get you back to bed, okay?”
Mrs. Weyland grabbed the edge of the couch in an attempt to get up. River took her arm and pulled her to her feet. Then she put her arms around her mother and helped her up too.
“It’s okay, Mom. It’s River. I’m here. You’re not going to lose me.”
Her cheek stung from her mother’s slap, but her heart hurt more. She saw her mother’s pain and realized how hard it must have been for her to keep her true feelings from her children after their father left. She may have seemed distant, but it was because she was in pain, struggling to keep herself from falling apart. The hurtful things she’d said came from the pain she carried inside. What was it that River had heard somewhere? That hurting people hurt people?
Once she was standing, Rose looked around the room, blinking. Then she gazed at River, looking confused. “What am I doing still in my nightgown?” she asked, sounding bewildered. “Are you and Dan ready for school? I don’t want you missing the bus again. I have to get to work.”
River looked at Mrs. Weyland and nodded. She knew what to do. “Hey, it’s okay, Mom,” she said. “We’re off today. It’s a holiday, remember? And you don’t have to go to work today. Why don’t you lie down and rest for a while. We’re fine.”
Rose hesitated for a moment, but she let River take her arm and lead her down the hallway to her room. Mrs. Weyland followed behind them but stayed out of sight. Rose got back into bed and River covered her with the bedspread.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I take a nap?” Rose asked. “Can you kids take care of yourselves for a little while? I really am a little tired.”
“We’ll be fine, Mom. You rest.” River struggled to keep the emotion out of her voice. She didn’t want to worry her mother.
“Okay, honey,” Rose said. “I’ll be up in a little bit.”
“Okay, Mom.” River walked over to the door and slowly closed it. Mrs. Weyland waited in the hallway.
“You were wonderful with her, honey,” she said to River. “Perfect.”
“It was hard. So hard.” River took a deep breath. “What if she acts that way tomorrow night when my dad is here? I’m really starting to wonder if we’re doing the right thing.”
“River, I don’t think we can worry about that. But even if that happened, would it really be that bad for your father to see the fallout his actions caused?” She shook her head. “Look, no one believes more in forgiveness and a new life in Christ than I do, but I’m thinkin’ that you, your mom, and your brother have been carryin’ the pain of your daddy’s decisions for too many years. If he was forced to see the consequences, I don’t think that’s the worst thing in the world.”
“I understand, and I’ve thought the same thing. But I don’t want my mother to . . . to embarrass herself in front of my father. She would be mortified if that happened.”
“I understand, I really do,” the elderly woman said. “I can’t promise what will happen. I wish I could guarantee you that everything will be okay. But like we both agreed, this might be her best and last chance to face your daddy. Find some healing. You can see from what just happened that she needs it.”
River folded her arms and leaned against the wall. What should she do? Finally, she said, “Look, let’s do this. We’ll let my dad and Dan come for dinner. But if Mom starts acting up, we’ll get her out of the room as quickly as possible. Will you help me?”
“Of course I will. Whatever you need.” Mrs. Weyland opened her arms and River fell into them. Thinking that she could have lost Tony tonight and then watching her mother fall apart had overwhelmed her. Mrs. Weyland’s hug was exactly what she needed. When she was ready, she gently disengaged herself from the elderly caregiver’s embrace.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice quivering.
“You’re welcome, honey. This has been a tough night. Tony was in danger, and you saw your mama at her worst.” She sighed deeply. “You know, I believe you’re beginning to understand your mama, and now that you do, you’re grieving for the mother you think you’re losing.”
“You’re right,” River said slowly. “I accepted that Rose Ryland has Alzheimer’s, but now, I’m realizing that my mother is ill. My mother. I hate seeing what this disease is doing to her. And . . . and I don’t want her to be humiliated in front of my father. She deserves better. I want him to . . .” She gulped. “I want him to look at her . . . and at me . . . and realize what he threw away. Does that make any sense?”
Mrs. Weyland smiled. “Yeah, it does. Now that you’re bein’ completely honest with yourself, I think you’re really ready to face your daddy.”
River returned the smile. “Maybe you’re right.”
Mrs. Weyland headed to her room while River went back into the living room. Tony was out and snoring softly, Watson snuggled up next to him. She really wanted to talk to him about Arnie’s call. Was this real? Was April really alive? If she was, she was in trouble, and they needed to find her fast.
After checking on Tony one more time, she went back to her room, where she spent some time in prayer. She prayed for April and for Tony. Then she prayed that tomorrow would go well for everyone. But most of all, she thanked God for taking care of Tony and Watson. What if Tony had died tonight? What would she have done? How could she go on without him? She knew that sometime soon she’d have to talk to him. Tell him how she felt. She could only pray that he felt the same. She really couldn’t imagine her life without Tony St. Clair.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
River woke up early and walked quietly into the living room to check on Tony. He was sound asleep. She went into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker then went back to bed. Today her father and brother would be here. She lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, worrying. She finally reminded herself that worrying wasn’t going to help anything, so she closed her eyes and asked God to take over. To let His will be done. When she opened her eyes, she felt better.
Her mind went back to the note from the motel room. Could they be certain it really was April? Could someone be playing an awful joke? With all of April’s followers, it was possible. How devastating would that be for Nathan and April’s father to be given false hope?
Although she tried to go back to sleep, her mind was unquiet and so was she. Finally, she sat up and grabbed her phone. Besides discovering a possible serial killer, she was thinking about a couple of the other cases that bothered her. The body found near the railroad tracks so many years ago—and the woman who was hitchhiking. At least she’d been identified so her family could grieve. But the dead man never had been, and it looked as if he never would be. He had to be someone’s son, grandson, or brother. Surely, he’d had friends. Someone out there had to be missing him. It made her sad to think of him buried without anyone to mourn him. In all these years had anyone ever visited his grave?
She began to search for online articles about Cheryl Armitage’s death. There were photos and an article from the local newspaper about the case. Cheryl Armitage looked like a nice woman, but there was sadness in her eyes. Some people didn’t believe eyes showed emotion, but she knew they most certainly did. River had seen it many times. This woman had been hurt. That was probably why she was in the bar that night. Many people with pain in their lives use alcohol to self-medicate, but it only brings more sorrow. Poor Cheryl had paid the ultimate price for her choice.
After looking through the photos, she noticed another link under Cheryl’s name and clicked on it. It pulled up an interview with a local news channel. The reporter shared the story of the hit-and-run, and then she went to an interview with Detective Porter. She thought he was a little brusque with the reporter, who was a rather young woman. Maybe he was just busy, but River felt as if he should have been more gracious. He assured her that the police were doing an extensive search for someone in the area who could have killed Cheryl. River wondered if the hit-and-run driver was from out of town. It might explain why the police were never able to close the case.
River glanced over at the clock. Should she let Tony sleep or wake him up? She’d promised him breakfast, and she was certain her mother would be up soon. After arguing with herself for a few minutes, she finally decided to head to the kitchen and get breakfast started. She hoped Mrs. Weyland would allow her to make a meal for her. She’d been cooking for River and her mother for months now. She got up and dressed quickly. Then walked quietly into the living room. Her concerns about disturbing Tony turned out to be useless. He was already awake and sitting on the edge of his bed.
“Boy, when someone promises you pancakes, you take that seriously, don’t you?”
Tony laughed. “You know pancakes are one of my weaknesses.”
