Until the Ride Stops

by Amie Denman

  “Two things happened this morning,” he said. “My stepfather handed over Bayside Construction to me. He’d been considering it for a while, and it’s something I’ve always wanted.”

  His words were calm and flat. In another situation, he would have expected to hear congratulations from people he knew, worked for, cared about. But there was only silence. They were waiting for the other thing.

  “Along with the company came its secrets,” Matt said. He put his elbows on his knees. He wore the rough work pants he always wore. Looked down at his work boots. Felt his calloused hands as he put his face in them.

  He was a working man. All he wanted was to build things. To build a company and a life he could be proud of. But there was no burying this secret, no matter how much heavy equipment he had at his disposal. He thought of the men working at the construction site only several hundred yards away. They had no idea their lives were about to change, too, when construction came to a stop and they were out of a job.

  “Go on,” the chief said.

  “My uncle, John Corbin, owned JC Construction. They built the Loose Cannon that opened back in 1985. I know you already know that. What you may not know is they did a lousy job. Used inferior materials, cut corners.”

  He looked up and met Caroline’s gaze.

  “They used lower-grade bolts on part of the structure that caused it to fail. The accident that killed that girl—” He paused and took a deep breath to steady his voice. “It was JC Construction’s fault.”

  He noticed that both Evie and the chief glanced at Caroline when he admitted this.

  “We figured that out,” the chief said. “Tell us what happened that night.”

  Matt leaned back in his chair. His fingers gripped his knees and dug in painfully. “Uncle John knew he’d be blamed, knew he was at fault. He was...desperate. He took a small crew of trusted employees, only two or three I think. Paid off the cop on duty.”

  Chief Walker nodded, his expression grim. “I always wondered about that—why no one found George Dupont’s body until hours later when it was cold.”

  “They went in and shored up the damaged part,” Matt continued. “Replaced the number five bolts with eights. They were able to get away with putting on new parts because the whole ride was still pretty new.”

  Caroline came closer and leaned on the edge of the chief’s desk. She was almost close enough to touch, but he didn’t dare. He would lose the fragile grip on his own emotions, and she would probably kill him with her bare hands anyway.

  “They got caught, didn’t they?” she asked.

  Matt nodded. “The head of maintenance suspected. He would’ve known something about construction and rides, and he probably figured out there was a failure. It was dark, but he was in there with a flashlight checking it out for himself.”

  “I was a rookie cop here that season,” the chief interjected. “I remember stringing yellow tape all around that area before we went off shift. Not that crime tape ever stopped anyone.”

  “There was an argument. A struggle. I’m not making excuses for my uncle, I’m not. But he had everything on the line.” Matt looked Caroline right in the eye and said the hardest thing. “My uncle shoved that maintenance man into the electrical panel and killed him so he wouldn’t blow the whistle.”

  Silence hung over the office for a moment. Matt wished he could fix everything. He could build a complicated structure from only a drawing, but he could see no way out of this.

  “That’s the theory Caroline came up with,” the chief said. “But what I’d like to know is how you know this whole story. Was Bruce Corbin there that night?”

  “No,” Matt roared. He came out of his chair and the chief and Evie took a step back. Caroline didn’t budge. He held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture. “No,” he repeated more calmly. “My stepfather didn’t know about the faulty construction or the murder until this past winter. My uncle told him right before he died. I guess he didn’t want to die with that stain on his conscience, but it’s pretty damn hard for my stepfather to live knowing it.”

  “And now we all know it,” Caroline said quietly.

  “Do you believe your stepfather?” the chief asked. “Believe him when he says he wasn’t involved and didn’t know?”

  Matt remembered the grave change that had come over Bruce Corbin last winter. He remembered Bruce’s grief at his brother’s death, and his far greater grief as he revealed the ugly story just an hour ago.

  “I do,” Matt said. He looked back at Caroline. “I have to believe him. He doesn’t have much time left, and he’s gone downhill fast since the time of John’s death. I know my stepfather. He’s not the kind of man who would live a lie all these years.”

  Matt thought of his father in prison. Had he not been a child, would he have suspected or known of his father’s crimes? Was he a good judge of character, or was he easily fooled when he wanted to believe in someone?

  “I’m going to ask you to step outside, but don’t leave,” the chief said. “We’re going to talk about this.”

  “Let him stay,” Caroline said. “There’s nothing we can say that he doesn’t already know.”

  * * *

  CAROLINE WAITED FOR the police chief or Evie to speak first. Although she was the one who’d opened the investigation and caused the truth to come out after decades of deceit, she wasn’t in charge now. Evie owned Starlight Point. Chief Walker had jurisdiction over police matters.

  If it were up to her, what would she do? She tried to remove her feelings from the situation. Tried to isolate her love for Matt from the fact that his family business—a business he now controlled—had been involved in the worst possible crime. The worst betrayal.

  But that betrayal wasn’t Matt’s. And, in fact, there was no one left alive to charge with the crime. A dead man couldn’t be prosecuted. A defunct, sold and renamed company couldn’t be blamed or even sued.

  The case was dead in the water.

  She waited for Evie or the chief to speak, but they didn’t. They were looking at her.

  “We have answers,” she said. “That’s what I wanted when I started this. I wanted answers about that girl’s death. I wanted to be able to go to her parents and tell them what happened.”

  “Will that make them feel better?” Evie asked.

  Caroline tried to imagine a scene in which she told them shoddy construction had taken their daughter, but there was no one left to blame. Would their eyes light up with joy knowing why their daughter died? She pictured their empty faces instead. What good would it really do?

  She shook her head. “No,” she said. “Knowing who to blame won’t bring back their daughter. She’s at peace in her grave. Her parents have had a long time to accept that.”

  She crossed to the window and looked outside. She didn’t want anyone to see her face right now because she knew it would reveal a lifetime of sorrow and grief for the sister she never knew. Nothing would bring her back, either.

  Caroline’s body was so tight she was afraid she would break. Tears raced down her cheeks and she tried not to shake or sob so no one would know she was crying. It was such a relief, letting the grief out. Was this what she’d waited for all these years? A chance to realize that blaming someone and seeking justice wouldn’t make any difference?

  But it had made a difference for her. Caroline watched a bird fly past the window and flap its wings, staying steady in a summer breeze.

  This journey had brought her peace. She suddenly realized that’s what she’d wanted all along. Catherine was also at peace in her grave. Caroline’s parents had accepted it. Scott had accepted it. It was her turn.

  She realized she was sobbing openly now. She heard steps behind her and felt strong arms enclosing her. Matt’s lips brushed her temple.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.r />
  “Don’t be,” she said. She turned into his embrace, slid her arms around him and rested her cheek on his hard chest. She wished she could stay like that forever, but it was over. She’d nearly destroyed Matt by pursuing her case. She would emerge with a lightened heart, but he wouldn’t. He’d finally gotten what he wanted, the company. But it was tainted now. He’d inherited another mess.

  “What happens next?” Evie asked.

  Caroline pulled her cheek from Matt’s chest and stepped back. If she didn’t let go now, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to. She squared her shoulders.

  “Criminally,” she said, addressing her words to her police chief, “I think we have no case. There’s no more physical evidence now than there was thirty years ago.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “All you have is my hunch about what happened.”

  “That’s not true,” Matt said. “I’m not covering this up. You have to go forward with the case.”

  “What case?” Caroline asked. “We can’t charge a dead man with a murder. We can’t charge his brother for concealing evidence when he didn’t even know about it for thirty years. There is no case.”

  “But what about the man who was murdered? Doesn’t he deserve justice?”

  Caroline thought about that man. His terrible last moments. She’d read his file, knew he was a dedicated employee, a hardworking man who loved Starlight Point. He’d died trying to defend the place he worked. The man had no family other than his mother who had passed away years ago. There was no family to bring justice to, and the truth would destroy another family.

  She thought of Lucas and Matt’s mother. What would happen to them if Bayside Construction were dragged through the mud?

  “He does deserve justice,” Caroline said. “He deserves for someone to know how he died.”

  “We know,” Evie said, her voice shaking with emotion. “We know his story. The three of us.”

  Caroline nodded. “It’s enough. It’s all we have.”

  Matt turned to Evie. “I’m sure you don’t want my family building your new ride now. I’ll resign the contract and do everything I can to help the transition to a new builder.”

  “You can’t do that,” Evie said. “We’ve already made payments. You signed a contract.”

  “I’ll find a way to repay you,” he said.

  Before Evie could argue, Matt spun around and abruptly left.

  Evie, the chief and Caroline stared at each other for a moment and then the chief walked over and closed his office door.

  “What we heard today stays in this office. There’s no reason to file any charges, and no reason to hurt anyone by making it public. As far as I’m concerned, the Loose Cannon is put to rest for good.”

  Evie lifted sympathetic eyes to Caroline. “Are you okay with this? I don’t want you to feel as if we’re covering up what you found.”

  Caroline took a long breath and let it out.

  “We’re not,” she said. “The past is already buried. Believe it or not, I found something else this summer—something I wasn’t even looking for.”

  Evie smiled. “Well then, I wish you’d go after Matt and tell him, from me, that he’s not fired. I want that new ride done on time just as we hired him to do. You can add whatever you want and tell him in whatever way you think will be most convincing.”

  The police chief laughed and tried to cover it with a cough.

  If I go after him, what will I say? What will he say? Caroline wished she could run Matt down and hold him in her arms until everything else disappeared. What would he do? Did he love her as much as she loved him? Would love be enough to erase the scars from both their pasts?

  No matter the risk, she was going to try. “You’re the boss,” she said as she dashed out of the office.

  She ran across the midway from the corporate office to the construction zone. She passed honking and flashing Kiddie Land rides, her feet flashing on the white concrete reflecting the morning sun. Each step felt lighter than the last.

  Was she selling out by giving up an old investigation? No one had asked her to dig around in the bones from the past. More important, no one would be served by knowing the facts of the case after thirty years. No one’s burden would be lightened. Not even hers. She’d found a different way to shed the heavy weight she’d been carrying.

  She caught up with Matt just as he was about to go through the locked gate on the midway side of the construction zone. The gate was largely concealed by an old cottonwood tree, and Matt was shoving his key into the padlock. Sunlight glinted off his blond hair.

  “You can’t go in there,” Caroline said as she raced up behind him.

  Matt turned. His shoulders slumped with defeat and his face was grim.

  “I suppose you have to escort me off the property,” he said. He held her eyes for a moment and then dropped his glance to the pavement.

  “Hold out your hands,” Caroline said.

  Matt hesitated and then held them both out as if he expected her to cuff him.

  Caroline wanted to laugh at his resigned expression, but she couldn’t. She was the one who had brought him to this. She stepped closer, took both his hands and raised up on her toes to kiss him. His eyes opened wide with astonishment as he kissed her back.

  “You can’t go in there because you don’t have your hard hat,” she said. “It’s not safe.”

  She released his hands and ran her fingers through his short hair. He closed his eyes as she massaged his scalp. “I don’t deserve this,” he said. “I don’t deserve someone as wonderful as you being so nice to me.”

  He slid his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “But I’ll take it,” he whispered in her ear. “If only for another moment.”

  She pulled back and frowned. “What have you done wrong?” she asked. “Nothing. It’s not your fault there seem to be criminal tendencies in your family one generation back. Those are not your flaws and you can’t fix them, no matter how good you are at building things.”

  “I wish I could. Wish I could bring back the people who were harmed, erase it all.”

  “You can’t change the past,” Caroline said. “I’ve seen your true colors this summer, Matt. I know you’re going to be okay. You’re going to be great at running this business.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t take over a business that’s built on a lie.”

  Caroline poked him in the chest with one finger. “Haven’t you been paying attention today? The truth came to light at the very moment you took over. That’s what you’re building on.”

  Matt’s mouth dropped open. He turned and glanced up at the steel beams that already towered over the fence. A small smile creased his face.

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

  “That’s what you need me for,” Caroline said.

  Matt returned his attention to her. “I do need you.”

  “Good.”

  “Caroline, I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I’ve been falling in love with you little by little all summer.”

  Caroline touched his cheek. “Last week when you told me that even if I didn’t want to be with you, you’d still watch for me around every corner... I can’t stop thinking about that. Because it’s exactly how I feel about you. As I’ve stood outside this fence, I’ve thought about what you were doing on the other side. Everything that’s happened this summer, I always thought about how you were feeling about it. Do you know what this means?”

  “I think it means what I hope it does.”

  “It means I love you, too.”

  Matt smiled and kissed Caroline. The old-fashioned steam train gave a long, low whistle, but Caroline hardly noticed it. All her senses were wrapped up in the man she hadn’t been able to take her mind off of since
she’d met him.

  The gate next to them rattled and opened from the inside and one of Matt’s men leaned out.

  “Dunbar, where you been all morning?”

  When the construction worker realized what was going on, he quickly looked away and put his hands in his pockets.

  “I’ve been busy,” Matt said.

  “Well, could you get un-busy? I’m trying to stall off those electrical contractors, but they’re starting to get grouchy. I was just going to run down the midway and get some doughnuts. Thought it might distract ’em until we could figure out where the heck you were.”

  Matt laughed. “Tell you what, we’ll go get the doughnuts. Tell those contractors to cool their heels for a few more minutes. We’ve got all summer.”

  The worker shook his head, grinning in disbelief. He ducked back through the gate and closed it behind him.

  Matt took Caroline’s hand. “Want to take a walk down the midway with me? We have a lot of talking to do.”

  “One more kiss first,” Caroline said.

  The old-fashioned cars honked on the track nearby and riders screamed merrily on the scrambler ride across the midway while Caroline and Matt kissed in the sunshine at Starlight Point.

  EPILOGUE

  THE DAY BEFORE Starlight Point opened its gates to thousands of excited guests and roller coaster fans was a special beginning of another kind. Caroline’s heart fluttered, and she saw her own anticipation and joy reflected on her groom’s face. The spring breeze blew her short ivory veil across her eyes, blurring her vision. She was glad she’d allowed her mother to talk her into a few sparkly sequins on the veil, which caught the sunlight and added to the thrill of the occasion.

  Matt reached up and pushed the veil back gently, just enough so he could lean in for a ceremonial kiss when the minister gave his official blessing.

  “I never thought I’d be standing here,” he whispered.

  “You didn’t believe you’d get this roller coaster built on time?” Caroline asked.

  “I never believed I’d be standing here with the woman I love,” Matt said. He touched her cheek. “I still don’t know how I got this lucky, but I promise to spend the rest of my life making you glad you said yes to me.”