course he does,
so do the boys. I just threaten that I'll make them cook dinner
and then they always stop complaining." Connie laughed but
it wasn't wholeheartedly.
"What's wrong?"
"You've always known
me too well. I swear you can read my every thoughts."
"Yeah well you're
like a sister to me. I mean, until you met Rick we were
inseparable. Debbie was so jealous like little sisters always
are. How is she doing?" Lindsey thanked the cook as she set
down plates of spaghetti before them and two glasses of ice-cold
water.
"Not so good. Her
marriage is in pieces. But that's not why I'm here." Connie
sighed. "I wanted to talk to you because I'm concerned about
Marcus."
Lindsey dropped her fork
to her plate and started to stand up before Connie caught her
arm.
"Lindsey wait.
Please. This is important." Connie didn't release her arm
until she returned to her seat.
"I really don't want
to talk about Marcus right now, okay?" She toyed with her
food for a bit but couldn't bring herself to take a bite.
"I know this isn't
what you want to hear right now, but its something you need to
know." Connie took Lindsey's free hand in hers and gave it a
squeeze. "After you left there was an incident. Marcus drove
Mercury into town in the middle of the day and unloaded him near
the police station. He shot him in the middle of the street."
"Why are you telling
me this? Don't you think I've had enough torment in my life?
What, do you think you can just bring this all back up and I'll
be fine and dandy? That I don't still cry myself to sleep at
night thinking about what happened?" Lindsey could feel the
tears welling in her eyes as her anger grew and she tried as hard
as she could to contain both.
"I swear to you that
if you didn't need to know this I wouldn't be talking to you
right now." Connie squeezed her hand tightly. "I know
how much she meant to him…" Connie paused as Lindsey
wiped at her eyes.
"After he shot
Mercury he turned the gun on himself. All the people in town who
saw what happened that day were positive he had one more round in
the barrel of that shotgun. When he pulled the trigger it was
empty."
Lindsey drew in a shaky
breath and let it out as slowly as she possibly could. She could
hear each beat of her heart inside her chest as it maintained its
slow rhythmic thumping. Her throat seemed to close up, and her
tongue stuck to her mouth. She couldn't bring herself to respond,
only stare blankly at Connie's worried face.
"Brenda was new in
town. She runs a family-counseling clinic just down the street
from the police office. She saw everything. Tim Gentner and the
boys at the station arrested him. From what Brenda's told me, Tim
asked her to come talk to him later that same evening. Marcus
showed up at her clinic the next morning, and every morning after
that for nearly a year. They started seeing each after she
stopped counseling him." Connie dropped hold of Lindsey's
hand and reached for her coat.
"Oh god Connie. I didn't know. I never would have left if
I'd have known." Tears were pouring freely down her face
now.
"I know you wouldn't
have. Everyone in town who knew you well knows you wouldn't have
either. Only now you're back and you brought his son with you.
I'm afraid for him Lindsey. I'm afraid of what will happen if you
decide to leave again. I'm afraid that now he won't propose to
Brenda like he's been meaning to. And I'm afraid that I don't
know what's going to come out of this, but you had to know."
She pulled her coat on, paid the woman at the counter with a nod
of thanks and left Lindsey to their cooling plates of food
without another word.
Marcus swung off of Rusty, let his reins drop to the ground, and
raced for the phone in the barn.
"Hello?"
There was no answer.
Marcus swore and hung up
the phone with a huff. He needed to finally give into temptation
and buy a cell phone. Rusty was pulling at the grass when he
turned back to collect the gelding's reins. The huge gelding gave
Marcus an annoyed huff as
so do the boys. I just threaten that I'll make them cook dinner
and then they always stop complaining." Connie laughed but
it wasn't wholeheartedly.
"What's wrong?"
"You've always known
me too well. I swear you can read my every thoughts."
"Yeah well you're
like a sister to me. I mean, until you met Rick we were
inseparable. Debbie was so jealous like little sisters always
are. How is she doing?" Lindsey thanked the cook as she set
down plates of spaghetti before them and two glasses of ice-cold
water.
"Not so good. Her
marriage is in pieces. But that's not why I'm here." Connie
sighed. "I wanted to talk to you because I'm concerned about
Marcus."
Lindsey dropped her fork
to her plate and started to stand up before Connie caught her
arm.
"Lindsey wait.
Please. This is important." Connie didn't release her arm
until she returned to her seat.
"I really don't want
to talk about Marcus right now, okay?" She toyed with her
food for a bit but couldn't bring herself to take a bite.
"I know this isn't
what you want to hear right now, but its something you need to
know." Connie took Lindsey's free hand in hers and gave it a
squeeze. "After you left there was an incident. Marcus drove
Mercury into town in the middle of the day and unloaded him near
the police station. He shot him in the middle of the street."
"Why are you telling
me this? Don't you think I've had enough torment in my life?
What, do you think you can just bring this all back up and I'll
be fine and dandy? That I don't still cry myself to sleep at
night thinking about what happened?" Lindsey could feel the
tears welling in her eyes as her anger grew and she tried as hard
as she could to contain both.
"I swear to you that
if you didn't need to know this I wouldn't be talking to you
right now." Connie squeezed her hand tightly. "I know
how much she meant to him…" Connie paused as Lindsey
wiped at her eyes.
"After he shot
Mercury he turned the gun on himself. All the people in town who
saw what happened that day were positive he had one more round in
the barrel of that shotgun. When he pulled the trigger it was
empty."
Lindsey drew in a shaky
breath and let it out as slowly as she possibly could. She could
hear each beat of her heart inside her chest as it maintained its
slow rhythmic thumping. Her throat seemed to close up, and her
tongue stuck to her mouth. She couldn't bring herself to respond,
only stare blankly at Connie's worried face.
"Brenda was new in
town. She runs a family-counseling clinic just down the street
from the police office. She saw everything. Tim Gentner and the
boys at the station arrested him. From what Brenda's told me, Tim
asked her to come talk to him later that same evening. Marcus
showed up at her clinic the next morning, and every morning after
that for nearly a year. They started seeing each after she
stopped counseling him." Connie dropped hold of Lindsey's
hand and reached for her coat.
"Oh god Connie. I didn't know. I never would have left if
I'd have known." Tears were pouring freely down her face
now.
"I know you wouldn't
have. Everyone in town who knew you well knows you wouldn't have
either. Only now you're back and you brought his son with you.
I'm afraid for him Lindsey. I'm afraid of what will happen if you
decide to leave again. I'm afraid that now he won't propose to
Brenda like he's been meaning to. And I'm afraid that I don't
know what's going to come out of this, but you had to know."
She pulled her coat on, paid the woman at the counter with a nod
of thanks and left Lindsey to their cooling plates of food
without another word.
Marcus swung off of Rusty, let his reins drop to the ground, and
raced for the phone in the barn.
"Hello?"
There was no answer.
Marcus swore and hung up
the phone with a huff. He needed to finally give into temptation
and buy a cell phone. Rusty was pulling at the grass when he
turned back to collect the gelding's reins. The huge gelding gave
Marcus an annoyed huff as
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