cherish this last bit of my Rob growing inside me. Damn it, why did he have to leave me? Maybe one day the pain will ease, but probably not. Could I possibly die from the heartache? If it wasn’t for this little one, I would.
I need to call Cali and tell her how sorry I am. I truly am sorry, broken, and empty. I loved him so much, I couldn’t believe it when he told me how much I meant to him. God. I love you, Rob. My heart will belong to you for the rest of my life. Please give me the strength to carry on.
Cali collapsed after reading Lydia’s heartache. That was why Rob couldn’t wait for Cali’s birthday. He was going to announce to everyone that he and Lydia were getting married. Fuck. This was worse than I thought.
“Poor Lydia. My heart breaks for her even more than I thought.” She tucked her into her hands, crying. Getting herself composed after a few minutes she asked, “Can we? Do you think…we could?”
“Could what, Cali?” I asked.
“Can we place her with my brother?”
“It’s up to you. We can have it done. I’m certain the dirt hasn’t settled.”
“Just so you know, she had her diamond ring around her neck on a long chain hidden under her blouse,” Clayton informed us.
“Good, she should be wearing it when she joins my brother,” Cali said with tears in her eyes.
~~~~~
For the next two hours we organized a simple but secured service to have it done today. There was still no sign of Reddick, so we hoped to have it done as fast as possible and give them both what they had planned. My parents showed up for the service as well. They felt for the young girl, too. Under a tent, they laid Lydia and their unborn baby with Rob. Cali broke down looking at her brother’s dead body, but she needed it. The casket was closed for the final time after Cali whispered, “I love you both. Now you two are together for eternity.”
Our security team rushed us back to the car so that Reddick didn’t have us in the open. I took Cali into my arms, held her as she wept, wiping my own tears in the process. Finding Reddick had become a bigger priority than before. Seeing Rob and Lydia’s love affair cut short brought to reality how lucky Cali and I were to still be alive.
Chapter 12
A week after the funeral Reddick had been apprehended. He had been hiding out in the woods in the middle of Arkansas. A hunter, out on early start, spotted him under some brush. Having seen the reports, he stealthily approached Reddick and raised his rifle at his head. Unable to reach his weapon, he had no choice but to surrender. The hunter held him until the police came. Using some of his rope he’d brought with him to hunt, he tied Reddick to a small tree. According to the police, Reddick was ready to be caught and all the fight had been out of him. He was looking ragged and had lost so much weight. They search his belongings and mixed in with some stolen IDs was a photo of Cali. It had the eyes poked out and “whore” written across it.
When they told me about the picture, I asked to speak with him. They refused to even agree to that after seeing the unbridled rage in my eyes. I watched the interview through the one-way mirror.
“Mark, you do know why we arrested you, right?” the detective asked. I wondered if Reddick would play the crazy card. I hoped no one bought that shit.
“Yeah, I killed my little whore’s family and my sister. I know what I did, but it’s all that bitch’s fault.” I wanted to jump through the glass and choke the fucker to death, but I felt the hand of an officer on my shoulder.
“If you can’t handle this, you’ll have to leave, Mr. Richmond.”
I hated that I couldn’t get my revenge on that little bastard, but I wanted to know what possessed him to kill his sister.
“Mark, why did you kill your sister?”
“Because she introduced me to Cali. She started all this pain. Can I have my lawyer now?”
“Okay. We’ll get you one.” That ended the interrogation.
I
I need to call Cali and tell her how sorry I am. I truly am sorry, broken, and empty. I loved him so much, I couldn’t believe it when he told me how much I meant to him. God. I love you, Rob. My heart will belong to you for the rest of my life. Please give me the strength to carry on.
Cali collapsed after reading Lydia’s heartache. That was why Rob couldn’t wait for Cali’s birthday. He was going to announce to everyone that he and Lydia were getting married. Fuck. This was worse than I thought.
“Poor Lydia. My heart breaks for her even more than I thought.” She tucked her into her hands, crying. Getting herself composed after a few minutes she asked, “Can we? Do you think…we could?”
“Could what, Cali?” I asked.
“Can we place her with my brother?”
“It’s up to you. We can have it done. I’m certain the dirt hasn’t settled.”
“Just so you know, she had her diamond ring around her neck on a long chain hidden under her blouse,” Clayton informed us.
“Good, she should be wearing it when she joins my brother,” Cali said with tears in her eyes.
~~~~~
For the next two hours we organized a simple but secured service to have it done today. There was still no sign of Reddick, so we hoped to have it done as fast as possible and give them both what they had planned. My parents showed up for the service as well. They felt for the young girl, too. Under a tent, they laid Lydia and their unborn baby with Rob. Cali broke down looking at her brother’s dead body, but she needed it. The casket was closed for the final time after Cali whispered, “I love you both. Now you two are together for eternity.”
Our security team rushed us back to the car so that Reddick didn’t have us in the open. I took Cali into my arms, held her as she wept, wiping my own tears in the process. Finding Reddick had become a bigger priority than before. Seeing Rob and Lydia’s love affair cut short brought to reality how lucky Cali and I were to still be alive.
Chapter 12
A week after the funeral Reddick had been apprehended. He had been hiding out in the woods in the middle of Arkansas. A hunter, out on early start, spotted him under some brush. Having seen the reports, he stealthily approached Reddick and raised his rifle at his head. Unable to reach his weapon, he had no choice but to surrender. The hunter held him until the police came. Using some of his rope he’d brought with him to hunt, he tied Reddick to a small tree. According to the police, Reddick was ready to be caught and all the fight had been out of him. He was looking ragged and had lost so much weight. They search his belongings and mixed in with some stolen IDs was a photo of Cali. It had the eyes poked out and “whore” written across it.
When they told me about the picture, I asked to speak with him. They refused to even agree to that after seeing the unbridled rage in my eyes. I watched the interview through the one-way mirror.
“Mark, you do know why we arrested you, right?” the detective asked. I wondered if Reddick would play the crazy card. I hoped no one bought that shit.
“Yeah, I killed my little whore’s family and my sister. I know what I did, but it’s all that bitch’s fault.” I wanted to jump through the glass and choke the fucker to death, but I felt the hand of an officer on my shoulder.
“If you can’t handle this, you’ll have to leave, Mr. Richmond.”
I hated that I couldn’t get my revenge on that little bastard, but I wanted to know what possessed him to kill his sister.
“Mark, why did you kill your sister?”
“Because she introduced me to Cali. She started all this pain. Can I have my lawyer now?”
“Okay. We’ll get you one.” That ended the interrogation.
I
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