Family Sins

by Sharon Sala

  “We don’t know anything new, and today has been hectic but it’s getting better. Everyone is in the kitchen canning green beans. It’s noisy and chaotic and kind of wonderful at the same time.”

  Talia smiled, imagining the life she’d always dreamed of with his family.

  “That sounds like fun,” she said.

  “Mama said to tell you that you’re welcome to come here. She’s worried about you being on your own.”

  “I’m not afraid to be alone,” Talia said. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay,” Bowie said. “But promise you’ll call me if you need me.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Bowie wished he was curled up in bed beside her.

  “Love you,” he said.

  “Love you, too,” Talia said, then lay back down on top of the bed with her phone tucked under her chin and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  The green bean canning proceeded just as Bowie had predicted. Working together amid laughter and an occasional bout of tears was strengthening the incredible bond that already existed between them. Shared work, tears and laughter were always good for what ailed a broken heart.

  Once the canning was over, they put together a quick supper. The baby had long since gotten enough of everything, and had been fussing and crying off and on for the past hour. Leslie and Aidan loaded up their stuff and took him home to put him to bed while the others finished cleaning up the kitchen.

  The dark mood from Leigh’s visit to her childhood home had long since lifted, and she was at peace, surrounded by family.

  * * *

  Justin Wayne was not nearly as Zen as his sister Leigh. Thanks to the plate that had hit him in the face, he had a wicked cut on the bridge of his nose, and both eyes were getting blacker by the hour. He’d left the house right on the heels of Leigh’s departure and driven the back roads of the county with one purpose in mind. Payback. He wanted to take that oldest son of Leigh’s down and make him hurt like Leigh was hurting, and after several hours of plotting, he knew just how to do it.

  Go after his woman.

  He drove into Eden and took the back streets to get to the house where he’d seen them kissing, then found a place to park unobserved.

  There was no moon, and the stars were mostly hidden by slow-moving clouds. The street light near the woman’s house was out, which made it that much better.

  It was just after two in the morning, and he was about to get out of the car when he saw a police cruiser coming down the street, driving slowly. He sat motionless in the car and waited until it left the neighborhood. The moment the taillights disappeared, Justin bolted from his car and slipped through the alley, and then across the street. He didn’t know this woman’s name or anything about her, but it didn’t matter. He no qualms about what he was going to do. She was a means to an end and had the misfortune to love the wrong man.

  His heart was pounding as he moved across her backyard to the window where a night-light was glowing. There was a two-inch clearance beneath the Venetian blinds and the windowsill, enough to see the woman curled up asleep on top of the bedspread. She didn’t look like much. Too skinny for his tastes, but he wasn’t here for that.

  He moved away from the window to the back porch. He got all the way up the steps and was about to pick the lock on the back door when he began hearing sirens, and then the sound of an incoming helicopter. All of a sudden the landing lights came on at the helipad behind the house, and when he turned to look, he realized he was easily visible from both the sky and the ground should anyone happen to be looking this way.

  He leaped off the porch, then ran around the house and across the street to his car. Seconds later a police car came flying down the street in front of the woman’s house with lights flashing, and for a moment he thought they were after him. When he realized they were going to meet the Life-Flight helicopter, he let out a shaky breath. His heart was pounding as he drove away, but it had calmed by the time he got home. He crawled into bed and closed his eyes, already thinking of a different and better way to take her out.

  * * *

  The day of Marshall Champion’s service dawned on a clear and beautiful morning. It was, for Talia, a reminder from God that her father’s suffering was over. Dressing for the service, she rejected tradition and pushed aside a little black dress. Black was for grief and sorrow. She dressed in yellow, rejoicing that her father’s spirit was finally free from the disease that had ended his life.

  She glanced at the clock. It was almost nine thirty. Bowie would be there soon, and she still needed to finish her makeup. She’d left her hair loose, letting the soft curls fall on her shoulders. All she needed was a little mascara and some lipstick, and she would be ready.

  She had just put the cap back on her lipstick when she heard footsteps on the front porch and then a knock. She hurried to let Bowie in.

  The moment she opened the door and saw him, the anxiety of the day disappeared. The black pants he was wearing made his long legs look longer. The white shirt against his dark tan was stunning.

  “Come in, come in. The car from the funeral home should be here shortly. I just need to get a light jacket and I’ll be ready.”

  Bowie couldn’t quit staring.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “I wore yellow to match this glorious day. Dad always loved this dress, so I’m wearing it for him.”

  “It’s perfect, and so are you,” Bowie said.

  Talia was still smiling as she hurried to get the white jacket she always wore with the dress. By the time she was back, the car had arrived to pick them up. She grabbed her purse on the way out the door.

  Bowie took her hand as he walked her to the shiny black Lincoln. Even though they were going to a funeral, a part of Talia felt like she was walking away from the past and into a future with Bowie.

  She shivered as she settled into the seat, and he saw it and took her hand.

  “Look at me,” he said softly.

  She turned.

  “You’re not alone. Lean on me when you feel the need. I’m here for you.”

  Her eyes welled, but she didn’t cry.

  “It’s just harder than I expected it to be,” she said.

  Bowie squeezed her hand.

  “Together, Talia. Remember that.”

  * * *

  Justin Wayne was leaving the bank and on the way to his car when he paused at the crosswalk. He adjusted the sunglasses he was wearing to hide his black eyes and, as he did, recognized the big black Lincoln passing in front of him as the one from the funeral home. The back window was down, and as they passed he saw the passengers and smiled.

  Bowie Youngblood and Talia Champion.

  After what had happened between him and his sister’s sons, he’d made it his business to learn the name of the woman who lived in the white frame house. At the same time, he’d also learned her father had recently died, which explained the car. They were on the way to the funeral, which meant she was out of the house and not due back for quite a while. It was the chance for which he’d been waiting.

  He crossed the street at a lope, got in his car and headed to the residential area where she lived; then, when he got there, he made one pass through the neighborhood to check out the other houses on the block. He saw a pickup parked behind her car and recognized it as the one he’d seen Youngblood driving. Except for those two vehicles, there was only one other car parked on the street, and it was at the end of the block. None of the houses had garages, so if there wasn’t a car in plain sight, he took a chance and assumed the people who lived in those houses were either at church or had jobs that took them away during the day or they were at their neighbor’s funeral.

  He made a second pass to check for traffic, but when there was not
hing in sight, he wheeled into her driveway and pulled up behind Youngblood’s truck.

  His pocket knife was open as he jumped out on the run. He went to her car first. When he realized it was unlocked, he quickly popped the hood, located the brake line and made a small cut in the hose, then dropped the hood, wincing at the noise. He glanced around once more to make sure no one was watching, then moved to the truck. The driver’s-side door was locked, so he dropped down, slid beneath the engine and then had to search to find the brake line before he cut it, too.

  In only minutes he’d set up a scenario for disaster. The pissed-off feeling he’d had toward Bowie Youngblood was now a burgeoning sense of satisfaction. The cut on his nose was healing, and his black eyes would fade. Now the unknowns in this scenario were if they would be together or apart when their brakes failed.

  * * *

  Talia hadn’t expected many people to be at her father’s service and was surprised at the number already waiting at the gravesite when the driver pulled up behind the hearse.

  “I didn’t expect this,” she whispered.

  “The obituary was in yesterday’s paper,” Bowie said.

  “I know, but I guess Dad and I were alone for so long that I thought people had forgotten him.”

  “More likely they knew he had forgotten them and didn’t want to cause you trouble.”

  “I never thought of it like that,” she said.

  As soon as the casket was carried beneath the canopy, the driver opened the door for them to get out.

  Bowie slid out first, then took Talia’s hand to steady her as she stepped out.

  “This way, please,” the driver said, and led them to a pair of chairs.

  People reached toward her as she passed, some whispering “God bless you,” and others expressing a word or two of sympathy. Their compassion undid her. She was in tears by the time Bowie got her seated.

  When the minister began to speak, she reached for Bowie’s hand and held on tight, wishing she was anywhere else. She heard the eulogy and the first few words of the minister’s message, then everything around her began to fade.

  * * *

  The sun was shining.

  The crowd around the open gravesite was silent as the minister began to speak.

  Her father’s eyes were red from crying, but he was holding her so close against him that they were almost sitting on the same chair.

  She knew her mother was dead but had yet to fully grasp that also meant she was never coming back. All she knew was that her stomach hurt and she wanted to go home.

  She was looking down at the ground instead of at the casket in front of them, desperate to find something new on which to focus, when something rather wonderful happened. A robin flew beneath the canopy under which they were sitting and landed on the top of the casket.

  The crowd gasped.

  It was a sign, they said.

  Faith Champion was letting her family know she was with the Lord, they said.

  Talia looked up at her father. Tears were running down his cheeks.

  She watched the bird as it hopped across the flower-draped casket and flew away. She wanted to chase after it, just in case it really had been Mama, but Daddy was holding on to her so tight she couldn’t move, and then it was too late.

  The bird was gone.

  * * *

  “Amen,” the minister said, and Talia jumped, only this time it wasn’t her father holding her close, it was Bowie, and the service was already over.

  Before she could compose herself, people began filing past where they were seated. Most of them came just to say hello, to tell her they were sorry, to excuse themselves for never calling, to ask if there was anything they could do.

  It was their last chance to do the right thing, so they’d come to the burying partly “to see how hard she took it” and partly to pay their respects to the man Marshall Champion had been. To say they were surprised to see Bowie Youngblood at her side was putting it mildly. Few of them knew they’d ever been a couple, but all of them knew Youngblood had just lost his father, too, and in a tragic way.

  Talia was shaking by the time the last of the mourners had passed beneath the canopy. Bowie took it upon himself to end things.

  He stood up to see where their driver had gone and saw him standing beside the Lincoln, so he helped her up and quickly moved her through the lingering guests and into the car.

  “Miss Champion needs to leave now,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” the driver said, and took them back into Eden, then to her house.

  Just as they were about to go inside, Bowie’s phone rang. He frowned when he saw who it was, knowing that, because of the funeral, she wouldn’t have called unless something was wrong.

  “It’s Mama,” he said, then answered, “Hello?”

  “Bowie, I’m sorry to bother you. Is the service over?”

  “Yes. What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, Jesse got it into his head to go hunting and I told him no, but now I can’t find him, and his hunting rifle is gone. Samuel is out of town. Michael is working, and Aidan is on his way here. Could you—”

  “I’m on my way,” he said. “Be there as soon as I can. Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

  “I’m so sorry. I don’t want Talia left on her own today, but this is how our life goes with Jesse. Bring her with you, why don’t you?”

  “I’ll see,” he said, and disconnected.

  “What’s wrong?” Talia asked.

  “Jesse went hunting without permission, and Mama can’t find him. I’ve got to get home and help search. I meant to stay here with you, but—”

  Talia brushed a kiss across his mouth.

  “I’m fine. Go home and help your mother.”

  Bowie didn’t like to just walk off and leave her on her own like this. It wasn’t right.

  “Go change clothes and come with me,” he said. “I don’t want to leave you here alone, and Mama is going to skin me if I come back without you.”

  “Really?” Talia said.

  “Yes, really.”

  Talia hesitated.

  “Okay, but you need to get home now, and I want to take a few minutes and pull myself together. I’ll drive myself. I promise I’ll be right behind you, okay?”

  “Yes, okay. Be careful, and I’ll see you soon,” he said, then gave her a quick goodbye kiss and jumped in the truck.

  She waved as he drove away and went into the house to change.

  Fourteen

  Bowie accelerated once he passed the city limits. There was no telling how long his mother had searched before giving up and calling for help, and he was worried. He was trying to remember all the hunting places his dad would have taken Jesse when his cell rang again. This time it was Aidan.

  “Bowie, are you on your way home?”

  “Yes. Are you already there?”

  “No, I’m probably behind you now. I got held up at home. Johnny fell and cut his lip. He’s okay, but I couldn’t leave until I made sure he didn’t need stitches.”

  “Oh, man. Sorry about the little guy.”

  “Yes, me, too. Being a father is the best and the scariest thing that can ever happen to you. Anyway, I’ll see you at Mama’s.”

  “Right,” Bowie said, and disconnected.

  It was nearing noon. The shadows were short, and the sky was clear. Jesse knew the woods too well to be really lost, and as much as Jesse liked to eat, he would surely take himself home soon. But Bowie knew what was worrying their mom most. She was afraid Jesse had hurt himself. Bowie’s urge to go faster was strong, but the road had too many curves, so he stuck to a safe speed.

  He was about three miles from home and beginning to steer into a curve when he tapped the brakes to slow down. But instead of slowin
g the car, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor without anything happening. He had a moment of panic, then downshifted to a lower gear and steered the truck off the road and down into the ditch, which slowed it down even more before he purposefully steered it into the trees. He was jolted hard on impact, but he’d gotten the vehicle off the road, which was what mattered most.

  “Just when I need not to be late,” he muttered, as he got out and popped the hood.

  He leaned in to check the brake fluid and was shocked to find that there wasn’t enough there to measure. Now he was stuck waiting for Aidan. He tried to call his mother, but he didn’t have a good signal, so he dropped the hood and walked a short distance up the road until the signal was strong enough for him to make the call.

  Leigh answered on the second ring.

  “Hello? Bowie? Are you on the way?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but I had to pull off the road. I was driving into a curve when the brakes went out. I had to drive the truck down a ditch and into some trees to get it stopped. I just checked, and there was no brake fluid.”

  “Oh, no,” she muttered. “I’m sorry. Stanton never mentioned anything to me about the brakes being bad. Want me to come get you?”

  “No, I just talked to Aidan. He’s coming up behind me. I’ll ride with him. I’m sure sorry. Don’t worry. We’ll find Jesse.”

  “He’s not far from the house, because I heard a couple of gunshots after I called you. I keep hoping he’ll walk out of the woods any minute now.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon.” Then Bowie heard a vehicle coming up behind him and turned around. “Hey, Mama, Aidan just got here. We’re less than three miles from home.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. I’ll see you soon.”

  Aidan braked as Bowie came running toward him.

  “What happened?” Aidan asked, as Bowie slid into the seat beside him.

  “No brakes. The brake fluid leaked out. It was lucky this curve had trees. Most of the curves don’t have anything but that wire cable to keep someone from driving straight off the side of the mountain.”