She's My Mom

by Rebecca Winters

  “Thanks, Mom. What would I do without you?” Susan dashed into the house with Brett. By the time they reached the den, an adrenaline surge had made her feel as if she were jumping out of her skin.

  “Grady?” she cried the second she picked up the receiver. “Brett’s here with me. Are you all right?”

  “Jim’s in custody. I couldn’t be better.”

  “Thank God.” She smiled at their son to let him know he could stop worrying. His anxious expression changed to instant relief.

  “How did it happen?”

  “After Ellen hugged you, Jim found her and they started to leave. I joined them and said I’d walk them out to the car. He told me not to bother, but I insisted. That’s when Jim started to look nervous.

  “As I led them around the side of the house and unlocked the gate so we could pass through, four of the men were standing there talking to Captain Willis.

  “Jim flashed me a look that needed no translation. It was the supreme moment for me.”

  Susan could imagine.

  “I put my arm around Ellen to introduce her to my colleagues. When I’d finished, Matt stepped forward to arrest Jim and read him his rights. He knew it was coming and didn’t put up a fight.”

  “Poor Ellen,” she whispered.

  “It was pretty bad. She went into shock. As they led him to an unmarked car, I told her I’d drive her down to headquarters in her car. Captain Willis accompanied us. En route he explained everything. Suddenly she started crying and couldn’t stop. It was obvious she had no idea about Jim or the two men who were paid to do his dirty work.”

  Ellen’s pain was just beginning. “Who’s going to be there to help her?”

  “Fortunately, she has a strong support group within her own family. Her sister will meet her at the station and drive her home. As I understand it, her parents will come to the house so they can tell Mike and Randy together.

  “I told her our family loves her and the boys, that nothing’s going to change our relationship with them. But she can’t comprehend much of anything right now. Her horror over what her husband did runs too deep.”

  “My heart aches for her,” Susan murmured.

  “So does mine. It’s going to be a long time before she can face people again, let alone you.”

  Not if Susan could help it.

  “When will you be home?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “I forgot—you don’t have a car.”

  “Matt’ll drop me off.”

  “I’d be happy to come and get you.”

  “This could be an all-nighter.”

  Somehow, she was sure he wouldn’t have said no to the old Susan. Still, she didn’t argue.

  “Our son wants to talk to you. Here he is.” She handed Brett the phone and left the den. Both Mrs. Harmon and the caterer needed to be thanked and paid.

  Once they’d gone home she’d tell her family the latest news before everyone went to bed. Todd had to be back in Oceanside by noon the next day, so they’d have to get up early in the morning to make the drive.

  Bev was anxious to get back to the girls, who’d stayed behind with her parents. This had been a sort of experiment to see how Lizzy would handle the two-day separation after being in therapy. There’d been a few phone calls back and forth, but so far she was dealing with it.

  Lizzy still suffered from extreme anxiety, even though her kidnapped friend had been found safe. Observing her behavior made Susan more aware of what Brett had gone through. When she moved to an apartment, she’d have to go out of her way to ease his fears that she might disappear from his life again. From now on, reassuring her son would be her number-one priority.

  KIDS WERE WALKING to school as Matt pulled the car into the driveway. Grady had the door open before it came to a full stop.

  “Thanks for the lift. I owe you.”

  “Forget it. See you in six weeks. Enjoy yourselves in Hawaii.”

  “We intend to. Take it easy, Matt.”

  He waved the other man off, then hurried to the front door to let himself in. With the whole ugly past behind them, all he wanted was to climb under the covers and hold on to his wife while they made plans for their trip—and their new life.

  Feeling ten years younger, he entered the house and peeked in the den. Brett had given up his room to sleep on the hide-a-bed. It looked as if he’d already left for school.

  Grady ran up the stairs. The empty guest room meant Susan’s family had gotten an early start for California.

  Excited about having Susan to himself, he tiptoed into their bedroom, not wanting to disturb her in case she was still asleep. When he saw that the bed was already made, he felt a wave of disappointment.

  Maybe she was out in the yard still cleaning up from the party. He raced down the stairs to the back door, but it was locked. Alarmed, he headed for the kitchen. It was empty, but to his relief he caught sight of a note attached to the fridge by a magnet. He reached for it.

  Dear Grady,

  If you return and I’m not back yet, don’t be concerned. Brett and I decided to drive over to the Stevenses’ and pay a surprise visit.

  The sooner their family knows that we’ll always love them, that we consider Jim a sick man and don’t blame the rest of them for anything, the sooner Brett and Mike can resume their friendship.

  I may not be back until afternoon. After I drop Brett off at school, I intend to drive to the apartment to see Tina and Paquita. I’m taking them out for breakfast before they leave for work.

  Then I plan to stop at the shelter and chat with Colleen. On the way home, I have a few errands to run.

  There’s plenty of food in the fridge. As soon as you’ve eaten, why don’t you go to bed and sleep around the clock. No one deserves that kind of rest more than you. Brett and I promise to be quiet as mice.

  You were a mighty force to contend with last night. It must have terrified the living daylights out of Jim Stevens to know he was well and truly caught by none other than the renowned Detective Grady Corbitt.

  I have it from the highest authority at the LVPD that your colleagues regard you as the best of the best. Brett and I are so proud of you we could burst.

  Susan

  Grady read it twice before crushing it in his hand.

  Already he could feel Susan distancing herself from him. He’d hurt her too badly the weekend they were in California. Some premonition told him she hadn’t changed her mind about a divorce.

  Any hunger pangs he’d had earlier vanished as the bile rose in his throat. He barely made it to the guest bathroom in time to be sick.

  When the house phone rang, he thought it might be Susan. He finished rinsing his mouth and hurried to the den to pick it up. In his rush to talk to her, he forgot to check the caller ID before he said hello.

  “Grady? I didn’t know you were home from the station yet.”

  Jennifer Ross.

  It would be a cold day in hell before he forgave that woman for what she’d done to Susan.

  “I just walked in. Your husband should be arriving at your place any minute now.”

  “I’d like to talk to Susan if I could.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Sorry. She won’t be available for at least six weeks. Even when she is, don’t expect a phone call. Her experience has taught her to be wary of people who purport to be her friend.

  “You cold-bloodedly lied to her about us being in financial difficulty. I don’t have any idea why you did that or what you expected to gain. I don’t know how you sleep at night. Matt deserves better from his wife, and I hope he wakes up one day soon and realizes it.”

  After a silence, he heard the click.

  Good. That ended the final chapter of the Corbitt family’s painful history.

  He put the receiver back, determined that a happy new history would begin. One that included the three of them.

  No sooner had he started up the stairs for a shower than the phone rang again. He hurried into their bedroom, frowning when
the caller ID indicated it was someone from St. Vincent’s Church. Curious, he picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Good morning. This is Father Salazar’s secretary returning Susan Corbitt’s call. Is she there?”

  He drew in a ragged breath. “Not at the moment. May I take a message for her?”

  “Yes. Tell her he can meet with her tomorrow morning at eleven. If that’s not convenient, ask her to call me back and we’ll reschedule for another time.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Thank you. Goodbye.”

  As if he’d been scorched, Grady dropped the receiver back on the hook. Letting out a curse, he jerked his tie loose and removed the clothes he’d been wearing for the past eighteen hours.

  Susan had her own pastor if she needed spiritual guidance. She was up to something. Whatever it was, he intended to go with her and find out.

  After his shower, he dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. While he waited for his taxi to arrive, he drank a soda to settle his stomach. Then he gave the driver the address of her girlfriends’ apartment. He’d wait in his car for Susan.

  Once she was free, he had plans for them. She could visit the women’s shelter another day.

  “I THOUGHT YOU SAID your husband would be home asleep this morning.”

  Tina must have seen Grady at the wheel of the car at the same time Susan did. Both women flashed her a knowing smile. Paquita said, “Obviously he can’t stand to let you out of his sight, you lucky thing.”

  Susan was surprised he’d come looking for her. There must be something he needed to talk to her about—in all likelihood, more police business. She didn’t think she could cope with it yet, not after the short visit with Ellen’s sister.

  She’d met Susan at the door. According to her, the boys had been so devastated, they’d gone to their grandparents’ house. The doctor had given Ellen a strong sedative. She was upstairs sleeping and probably wouldn’t be awake until afternoon.

  Susan had left the Stevens home feeling sick at heart. The fact that Grady was here, waiting for her, could only mean more bad news. But he didn’t give off any signals she could read as he put down the newspaper to greet them. With one easy smile, he charmed her friends just as he’d done last night.

  “Good morning, ladies. I have no intention of barging in on your visit. Since I’m on vacation, I thought I’d chauffeur my wife around town. Do you mind?”

  Of course they didn’t.

  In fact, her friends appeared delighted to see him again and practically begged him to have breakfast with them at their favorite pancake house.

  He declined with the excuse that he planned to catch up on some much-needed sleep while they were inside. Grady told them to take all the time they wanted. He wasn’t in any hurry.

  Knowing her husband was outside the restaurant distracted Susan so much that she couldn’t confide her worries to her friends, let alone bring up the topic of divorce. They would tell her she was out of her mind to even consider it.

  Relieved when the time came to drop them off at the apartment so they could go to work, she promised to invite them over for dinner the following week.

  “Make that about seven weeks,” Grady interjected before they left the car. “I’m taking my family to Hawaii for a long-overdue vacation. We’ll call you as soon as we return.”

  When he’d driven out of the parking lot, he turned to her. “Before I left the house, Father Salazar’s secretary phoned.”

  Susan bowed her head. She’d hoped he wouldn’t find out about that.

  “You’re scheduled for an eleven o’clock appointment tomorrow morning. Is it so vital you talk to this priest that you can’t wait until we get back from Hawaii?”

  When she didn’t respond, he went on. “I’d like to leave tomorrow. Not only does Brett require your continual presence to help him recover from all the trauma, he needs time away from home to figure out how he’s going to deal with Mike when he gets back.

  “I talked to Ellen’s parents before I left headquarters. They’re keeping the boys with them for a while. When Ellen’s over the worst of the shock, they’ll be taking her and the children on vacation, too.

  “Everyone needs to heal, Susan. So do you and I. If we make our travel plans now, we can drive over to the school later and discuss a summer school program for Brett with his counselor. How does that sound?”

  His reasoning made perfect sense. By June, everyone would be in much better mental shape to hear that she was moving to a nearby apartment.

  Grady would fight the divorce at first, but in time he’d see it was the only solution. As for Brett, he’d realize that both parents would always be there for him.

  “It sounds fine.”

  Despite the distance separating them, she felt him relax. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

  “OVER THE PAST SEVERAL weeks, those of you who have been visiting Kilauea have been fortunate enough to see some incredible surface lava flows as they cascade down the pali. They’ve formed a new ocean entry, which is creating a fast-growing coastal bench.

  “Most of you are unaware that Kilauea releases about one thousand to two thousand tons of noxious sulfur dioxide into the air each day. Island residents are used to the effects of this gas, a major contributor to volcanic air pollution. It’s the cause of the haze you will see on the leeward side of the island.

  “This week, with the southerly winds, Kilauea has produced pollution that has at times made the air nearly unbreathable.”

  The ranger’s voice droned on and on. Susan had been feeling nauseated ever since they’d flown to the big island from Maui three days ago. Grady had made reservations at Volcano House on the Kilauea crater.

  What should have been a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world’s most active volcano had, instead, been making her sick to her stomach. It was the fumes.

  She hadn’t said anything to Grady yet, but she longed to go back to Maui. The first three weeks of their trip had been perfect. Now they were island-hopping, but she couldn’t face another flight feeling the way she did.

  Perspiration broke out on her body, and her mouth filled with that salty taste. “Grady?” she whispered. “I’m going to be sick.” He held her while she bent over to throw up.

  “Mom!” she heard Brett cry in alarm.

  “She’ll be all right,” Grady said, calming their son. “Come on. Let’s get your mom back to the hotel.”

  Later, Susan scarcely remembered the journey. All she knew was that her husband carried her the whole distance while she lay limp in his arms. He didn’t seem the least out of breath when he finally set her down on the bed in their room.

  He didn’t ask if she’d had another flashback. He’d learned his lesson too well the other times, but she knew it was what he assumed.

  As Brett got her some water, she heard Grady ring for the hotel doctor.

  “I don’t need one,” she murmured. “It’s the air here. I’ve been bothered by it for the last few days.”

  He stared at her, grim-faced. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought I’d get used to it. When I’m feeling a little better, can we go back to Maui?”

  “Of course, but I’m going to have you checked out first. Maybe the doctor can order some oxygen until you’ve recovered enough to leave the hotel.”

  But when the doctor arrived and took her vital signs, he told her the pollution wouldn’t cause the rise in her blood pressure or her accelerated pulse rate. Something else was going on.

  When Grady explained about her amnesia, the doctor felt she should be driven by ambulance to the hospital in Hilo, where a neurosurgeon could examine her and take X rays if he deemed them necessary.

  Susan fought the suggestion to no avail. Before long, she was being wheeled into an emergency room cubicle. Her husband and son stood at the end of the examining table as the nurse started taking her vital signs.

  Soon afterward, the attending physician came in. He asked Grady and Br
ett to leave while he did an examination. Then he called for some lab work and X rays.

  That part seemed to go on forever. The only good thing about it was that since throwing up, her stomach didn’t feel as queasy.

  No matter what the hotel doctor had said, the air had affected her. She felt much better away from the volcano. When she told Grady as much, he didn’t act reassured. His taut features were a dead giveaway.

  “You should’ve been checked out by a neurosurgeon before we ever came on this trip. It’s my fault. I was too eager to get away.”

  The anguish in his eyes reminded her of another night more than a month ago when he realized she couldn’t remember the explosion that had robbed him and Brett of their wife and mother. When she couldn’t remember him.

  She still couldn’t. Something told her she never would.

  Once again she was powerless to take away his anguish. It was still there. A wound bleeding more profusely than ever.

  They’d had a wonderful holiday together, but now she needed to go back to Las Vegas and begin a new life. So did he. The sooner, the better.

  With Brett gone for the moment to find a soda, she felt this would be a good time to broach the subject of their going home.

  “Grady,” she whispered. “As soon as I’m released, I think it would be best if we flew back to Nevada.”

  That awful bleakness she sometimes saw in his gaze was visible now. “Is that what you really want?”

  “Yes. I’ve loved the trip, bu—”

  “Mrs. Corbitt?” The doctor suddenly appeared, interrupting their conversation. “The radiologist finds nothing wrong with your X rays, so we won’t need to call in a neurosurgeon.”

  Susan had thought her husband would be relieved by that much good news, but he appeared as solemn and tight-lipped as ever.

  “While we’re waiting for the results from the lab, I’ll order one more test that we didn’t run.”