Lightning Lingers

by Barbara Freethy

  Her gaze moved to the boxed planters that had always held a colorful array of flowers but were now nothing more than boxes of dirt. The house needed a new coat of paint and the porch light was holding on by one thin wire. Looking up at that light, she remembered its brightness. Her dad had made sure the porch was well lit, especially when his daughter was coming home with her boyfriend.

  Jake had complained that he felt like he was kissing her under a spotlight. Not that that had slowed him down. She sucked in a breath, not surprised that Jake would find his way into her memories. He was one of the reasons she didn't come home as often as she probably should.

  She inserted her key into the lock and opened the front door, knowing there would be more memories inside, but not as many of Jake.

  When she walked into the living room, the clutter shocked her. TJ had told her that their mother lost track of every project she began, leaving chaos behind her every step.

  Katherine had thought he'd exaggerated, but clearly he hadn't. What had once been a neat and tidy living room was now a disorganized mess of books, magazines, knitting projects, and half-drunk coffee mugs and water bottles. The coffee table was overflowing with sales catalogs, and the couch and chairs held numerous articles of clothing from jackets to sweaters to shirts and jeans.

  "Mom?" she called.

  There was no answer despite the fact that every light in the living room was on, but she did hear the sound of the television coming from the combination kitchen/family room, so she headed down the hall.

  Her mother, Debbie Barrett, was snoozing on the couch in her nightgown and robe. She was half-sitting, half-lying against the cushions while the television blared an infomercial on some new miracle skin care cream.

  As Katherine moved closer, she could see how thin her mother had gotten. She must have shed at least fifteen pounds in the past year. Her once thick and beautiful blonde hair had grayed, and her skin had a sallow tone to it. As she dozed in front of the television, small snores escaped from her slightly droopy open mouth.

  This woman barely resembled her once vibrant mother. Debbie was only sixty-five years old, but she appeared closer to eighty now.

  Had TJ told her things were this bad, or had her mother gone suddenly downhill? She certainly hadn't looked this bad when Katherine had last been home, but that was three months ago. She really should have come back sooner.

  Glancing around the room, her gaze caught on the window. A middle-aged woman wearing gray slacks and a white blouse stood on the back deck. She was on the telephone and seemed completely oblivious of Katherine's presence. That must be the caregiver.

  Turning back to her mother, Katherine sat down on the couch next to her. "Mom," she said quietly.

  Debbie Barrett jerked at the word, her eyes flying open. She looked dazed and scared as she blinked rapidly and then sat up straight. "What?"

  "It's me, Katherine," she said soothingly.

  "Katherine?" her mom echoed, her gaze still bemused, but the fear slowly leaving her eyes. "Katherine," she repeated, more fully cognizant now as her eyes found their focus. "What are you doing here?"

  "I came to visit you," she said, relieved that her mother recognized her. "How are you feeling?"

  "I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't know where all my energy has gone."

  "It's early in the morning. I shouldn't have woken you."

  "What time is it?"

  "About seven."

  Debbie pulled her robe more tightly around her body. "When did you get here?"

  "A few minutes ago."

  "I don't understand. Did you tell me you were coming? Did I forget?" Her mother's brows knit together in puzzlement.

  "No, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision." She debated what else she wanted to say. She didn't want to worry her mom, but it was possible her mother knew something about TJ's situation. According to her brother, there were times when Debbie was lucid, when she and TJ had coherent conversations. Whether she could remember any of those discussions was another matter. "I got a call from TJ last night," she continued. "He seemed upset. Do you know where he is?"

  Debbie's gaze narrowed, and she frowned. "I think he told me. I can't remember."

  "That's okay. Don't stress out," she said, seeing the frustration in her mother's eyes.

  "The hats—they wear the hats." Her mom grabbed her arm. "And they take a nap in the middle of the day. What is that called?"

  "A siesta?" she guessed.

  "Yes," she said, clarity coming into her eyes. "Mexico. He went to Mexico for work."

  That corresponded to what TJ had told her, not that she understood what her brother would be doing down there. "What kind of work would TJ do in Mexico?" she asked.

  "I don't know—maybe a conference? TJ is a genius, but I don't understand what he actually does every day."

  Her brother was an engineer for Mission Defense Technology, otherwise known as MDT, a huge corporate defense contractor in Corpus Christi, but Katherine didn't really know what he did on a day-to-day basis, either.

  "Your hair is getting so long," Debbie murmured, tucking a stray strand of Katherine's hair behind her ear. "It reminds me of when you were a teenager."

  And her mother's gentle touch, the love in her eyes, reminded Katherine of those days, too. She savored the moment, wondering how many more like this they would have.

  But as much as she wanted to just spend time with her mother, TJ's desperate voice rang through her head.

  "When did you last speak to TJ, Mom?"

  "Last night or maybe the day before. He's always so busy. You and TJ are changing the world. I never did anything more important than change the sheets and keep the house clean. How did I get such brilliant children?"

  "You did more than that, Mom. Don't sell yourself short."

  "Something is wrong," her mother said abruptly. "You don't come home unless something is wrong. What is it? Is it TJ? Is that why you're asking about him?"

  Considering her promise to her brother, she didn't know how to answer that question. She settled for a half-truth. "TJ told me that he's going to be out of town for a while. I came home to make sure you have enough help here. Do you like the women who are staying with you?"

  "Who do you mean?" her mom asked in confusion.

  Katherine tipped her head toward the window. "That woman in the yard is one of your caregivers, right?"

  Debbie blinked a few times. "She looks familiar. Oh, yes, that's Margot. She's always trying to feed me." As her mother finished speaking, the woman they'd been talking about entered the room, giving Katherine a surprised look when she saw her.

  "Who are you?" Margot asked abruptly.

  "I'm Katherine Barrett, Debbie's daughter."

  "Oh, of course, you're the doctor," the woman said, relief filling her eyes. "Sorry, you gave me a start. It's so early in the morning, and I didn't know you were coming."

  "I didn't know myself until a few hours ago." She paused. "What's your name?"

  "Margot Waxman. I was just about to make your mother breakfast. Would you like some?"

  "That would be great," she said, her stomach rumbling at the mention of food. "But don't go to any trouble."

  "It's part of the job. Are scrambled eggs all right?"

  "That would be perfect. Will you be here all day, Margot?"

  "No, I cover the nights. Lillian gets here at nine. We both work for the Living Angels Agency."

  Katherine got up from the couch and followed Margot into the kitchen while her mother drifted off to sleep again. "Is she always so out of it?" she asked as Margot started taking ingredients out of the refrigerator.

  "She's mostly asleep when I'm with her, or dozing off and on. You should ask Lillian. She's here during the day when Debbie is more alert." Margot set a carton of eggs on the counter. "I'm only here for another two weeks. Your brother said you might want to keep us on."

  "I'll have to let you know after I speak to my brother."

  "I hope you
'll do that soon. Our schedules book up quickly, and I do like taking care of your mother," Margot said, as she put a frying pan on the stove.

  "Are you a nurse, Margot?"

  "No, I'm just here to help her get dressed, eat, and not burn the house down."

  "Well, we appreciate your help very much."

  Margot gave her a smile. "Your mother is well taken care of. Now, how do you like your eggs? Runny or well done?"

  "Well done. I'm going to wash up."

  "Take your time. I'll cut up some fruit before I put the eggs on."

  On her way to the stairs, Katherine was surprised to hear the doorbell ring. "I'll get it," she said to Margot and then made her way to the door.

  A slender, pretty, dark-eyed brunette stood on the porch. She looked surprised when Katherine opened the door.

  "Oh," she said. "I'm looking for Debbie Barrett."

  "That's my mother. I'm Katherine. She's sleeping right now. It's very early."

  "I know. I'm sorry. I'm on my way to work. I saw the lights on, and I know Debbie doesn't sleep that well at night anymore. I thought I might catch her awake," the woman said. "I'm Jasmine Portillo." She glanced over her shoulder. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

  "Of course. Come in."

  "TJ told me you live in Houston," Jasmine said, as she stepped into the house.

  "I do. I came home for a visit. How do you know my brother?"

  "I work with him at MDT." She drew in a breath and let it out. "Actually, we have a personal relationship, too. I don't know if he told you…"

  "We haven't spoken recently."

  "Well, it's kind of new. He was supposed to get back on Thursday from a trip to Mexico, and I haven't heard from him. One of his coworkers told me that they thought he missed the plane. He's not answering his cell phone. I'm worried about him. I thought your mom might have heard from him."

  "She told me he was in Mexico," Katherine said carefully. "Should I be concerned?"

  "I'm sure he just stayed a day longer or took a sightseeing trip. He was pretty excited about going to Cancun. He said he'd never been to Mexico but had always wanted to go."

  "I think it was on his wish list," she admitted.

  "TJ is usually really good about calling me back, and we were supposed to get together last night, so I thought it was strange that I didn't hear from him. I probably shouldn't have come over here. Now I've worried you, too."

  "It's fine. I'm glad someone is looking out for him." She wished she could tell Jasmine that TJ was all right, but she'd promised her brother not to speak to anyone about his situation, especially not someone who worked at his company. Jasmine seemed genuinely worried, and maybe she was right to be worried, because Katherine hadn't heard from her brother in almost twelve hours. Who knew where he was now or what condition he was in.

  "There have been some weird things going on at the company," Jasmine added. "I guess we're all still a little on edge when something out of the ordinary happens."

  She thought back to what TJ said about the people in his department who had died the past year. "He mentioned to me there had been some problems."

  "The problems are supposedly over, but you never know." She paused and put on a brighter smile. "Anyway, I hope the bell didn't wake up Mrs. Barrett."

  "I doubt it bothered her at all."

  "How's your mother?" Jasmine asked.

  "She's doing well this morning."

  "That's good to hear. TJ told me her condition has been getting worse. I went through Alzheimer's with my grandmother so I know a bit about how bad it is."

  "It is difficult," she said.

  "I won't keep you. If you hear from TJ, could you tell him to call me?"

  "I will. It was nice to meet you."

  "You, too. TJ talks a lot about you, Katherine. He's really proud of you, just in case you didn't know that. I know how brothers can be."

  "I'm proud of him, too," she said, relieved that Jasmine had only heard good things about her from her brother.

  After Jasmine left, Katherine went upstairs to use the bathroom, then went into her mother's bedroom to see what condition it was in. Sadly, it was as messy as the rest of the house. There were dozens of clothes on the bed, as if her mom had tried on several different outfits the night before.

  There was a pill bottle on the nightstand that disturbed her. Her mother definitely should not have access to medication, since she might get confused about what she'd taken and when she'd taken it.

  The prescription was for a medication she wasn't familiar with, but what bothered her more was that the prescribing doctor was not her mother's physician. That was odd. Maybe Dr. Benner had gone out of town and his associate had filled the prescription. She'd have to ask TJ when he got back, or maybe one of the caregivers would know.

  Slipping the bottle into the pocket of her jacket, she moved down the hall to TJ's room. He'd always been a nerd, and despite the fact that he was now twenty-seven years old, his bedroom still looked like a teenager lived here. He had Star Wars posters on the wall, and his desk was filled with textbooks.

  How had he gone from this geeky innocence to dangerous trouble in Mexico, of all places?

  She walked across the room and spun the standing globe by his bed. As the world went around, she thought about her brother's words. He was going to a place where people lived in a lost civilization. Her nerves tingled and her body tensed as her fingers trailed across southern Mexico.

  Her high school boyfriend Jake Monroe had wanted to take her to the Yucatan one day. He'd wanted to introduce her to his great-grandmother, who lived in a small village untouched by technology.

  Jake had told her and TJ stories about the Mayan legends of his ancestors, the underground caves, hidden sacred pools, and massive ruins left by one of the most advanced civilizations of all time.

  TJ had loved listening to Jake's tales. Was it possible he'd decided to hide somewhere in the Yucatan? It made sense if he had to stay in Mexico that he'd go somewhere he'd at least heard about. But what she didn't understand was why he wasn't making his way back to Texas.

  Unfortunately, she had no way of reaching him, so until he contacted her, she was going to have to guess where he might be going. And then she would have to find him.

  She blew out a sigh. He'd told her to stay away, to not get on a commercial flight, to not tell anyone she'd spoken to him. Was his paranoia warranted?

  Until she knew what he was involved in, she couldn't say it wasn't.

  So she had to be careful. She had to get to Mexico without anyone knowing. That meant private transportation—a small plane—and she knew just the pilot who could probably help her…Jake Monroe.

  Anxiety swept through her at the thought of reaching out to Jake. It had been years since they'd spoken, and she was fairly certain he hated her. She was also fairly certain that she deserved his hate. But her brother's life could be on the line, and Jake was in a position to help her. She had no choice. She had to ask. She was just really afraid to hear his answer.

  Two

  Jake walked into his mother's house Saturday morning and paused in the kitchen doorway, feeling unexpected emotion at the scene. His mother Joanna was at the stove frying up bacon. His two younger sisters Danielle and Alicia sat at the kitchen table. All three women were in pajamas and robes.

  The scene reminded him of his childhood when he'd bickered with his sisters over breakfast bacon and pancakes. That seemed like a million years ago now.

  They'd certainly grown up since those innocent days. He was the oldest at thirty with Danielle at twenty-eight and Alicia at twenty-six. He and Danielle took after their mother, inheriting her green eyes and fairer skin, while Alicia had their father's dark hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin.

  Looking around the room, he could see the remnants of Danielle's going away party the night before in the overflowing bag of trash and the wine glasses waiting to be washed. It had been a good sendoff for Danielle. He was going to miss her, but she was m
oving on to bigger and better things. Alicia had left years ago. Now it would just be him and his mom in Texas. Not that he saw his mother much, either. She had her life, and he had his.

  Even though his family had drifted apart, he felt an overwhelming rush of emotion toward the three women in the room. They each brought a strong personality to the table. His mom could be extremely critical and judgmental. She loved to be right and could barely stand it if she was wrong. Danielle was the typical middle child; competitive and ambitious, always trying to make a name for herself and to be seen. And then there was Alicia—the passionate, emotional, imaginative dreamer who chased lightning with her camera and always saw the shades of gray in every black-and-white situation.

  He'd thought of himself as the one sane person in the family, but his mother probably wouldn't appreciate hearing that. She'd always prided herself on being the strong, logical parent, while his father had been more like Alicia, a man who always had his head in the clouds even when he wasn't flying an airplane.

  Thinking about his dad put an ache in his heart. His father had died ten years ago when his plane had gone down in an electrical storm over the Gulf of Mexico. His death had shattered their family.

  He had been twenty at the time, Danielle an eighteen-year-old college freshman and Alicia had been sixteen and finishing up her junior year in high school. Alicia had had it the worst. She was the youngest and the only one still living at home at the time. She'd been the one in the house with his mom, the one to feel the loss, the emptiness every single day.

  He hadn't appreciated how difficult it had been for her at the time; he'd been too consumed with his own emotions. The tragedy should have brought them closer together, but it had done the opposite. Their grief had turned to anger, and they'd turned that anger on each other—and to some people outside the family as well.

  His gut tightened as he thought about Katherine. She'd definitely been collateral damage, but she'd done her own damage to him.

  He shook those thoughts out of his head. The past wasn't important anymore, and while he couldn't predict what would happen tomorrow, he was happy about what was happening today. His family was back together for a brief moment in time, before Danielle moved to Washington DC to work for the US senator from Texas, and Alicia returned to her job as a photographic journalist and storm chaser in Miami, and to her fiancé Michael Cordero. But this morning, it felt good to have everyone in one place—the way they used to be.