To Laugh

by Laura Scott

  Bella exchanged a hopeful look with Jonas. This was easier than pouring through old newspaper articles through various time frames. She cleared her throat. “Mrs. Cromwell, if you don’t mind us asking, what happened to her? To Lucy Tate?”

  Betty Cromwell pursed her lips for a long moment as if searching her memory. “I believe it was the summer before Lucy’s junior year of high school. She would have been about sixteen. Justin McNally had gotten a new speedboat and loved taking everyone out to water-ski.”

  “Justin? My dad?” Jonas interrupted.

  Betty nodded. “Your father was a nice boy, almost to a fault. He never said no to anyone, and trust me, there were times he should have. Some of the young men didn’t hesitate to take advantage of your father’s generosity.”

  “Go on,” Bella urged. “Tell us about Lucy.”

  “Everyone knew Lucy had a crush on Justin, and I think he was sweet on her, too. But there were several boys in the group that were jealous of Justin’s boat and the fact that he lived in the McNally Mansion. One night, oh, it had to be fifty-two years ago now or thereabouts, they took the boat out for a ride. A ride that ended badly when Lucy fell overboard.”

  Bella swallowed a gasp. “Did they find her?”

  “Eventually, but it was too late. The official report listed it as an accidental death by drowning.” Betty shook her head sadly. “Poor Leon went crazy. He blamed Justin for killing his baby sister, even though Justin was driving the boat that night, so it didn’t make sense that he’d personally caused Lucy to fall into the water.”

  There was a long silence as the information sank in. The letter signed J made more sense now. The letter had been written by Jonas’s father to his dead girlfriend.

  “There’s always been a hint of mystery surrounding Lucy’s death,” Betty continued.

  “What do you mean?” Bella asked.

  Betty Cromwell shrugged. “There were four boys on the boat that night, and Lucy was the only girl. There were rumors of a fight, but the boys refused to talk about it. All four of them claimed Lucy’s death was an accident, and no amount of questioning made them deviate from their story.”

  “So why the mystery?” Jonas asked. “Sounds cut-and-dried to me.”

  Betty leaned forward, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. “There was an injury found on Lucy’s temple. One that the medical examiner thought may have happened pre-mortem.”

  Bella knew that meant the bruise had to have happened prior to Lucy’s drowning. She looked at Jonas.

  They now knew who Lucy was and how she died, but there was obviously more to the story. Had Lucy gotten between a few of the boys who were fighting? Had one of them hit her, causing her to fall overboard?

  There was no way to know what happened for sure. Which left them with more questions than answers.

  13

  Pre-mortem. Lucy had been struck on her temple prior to falling overboard. Jonas couldn’t get the thought of Lucy Tate’s death being more than just a tragic accident out of his mind. Was that part of the reason his dad had written the letter? Out of some sort of misplaced guilt?

  Jonas would never know for sure. His father’s secret had died with him.

  Although, it was possible to get Leon Tate’s side of the story. Jonas hadn’t personally experienced the outward disdain from Leon Tate, but that wouldn’t stop him from attempting to confront the man, face-to-face. It would be nice to know exactly what his father was being accused of.

  Jonas knew from the old photographs of his parents that he looked very much like his father. He and Jemma favored their father’s coloring with blond hair and dark eyes, but Jazz and his other brothers, Jesse, Jacob, and Jeremy, had their mother’s dark hair and light blue eyes.

  Was the similarity between Justin and Jonas enough to knock Leon off balance? Maybe.

  As Bella drove toward Battle Creek, Jonas called Jazz to fill her in on what Betty Cromwell had told them.

  “No wonder Leon Tate hates us!” Jazz exclaimed. “I knew there had to be something more than just our last name bothering him. His daughter, Mary, obviously believes our father caused her aunt’s death, too.”

  “It’s weird finding out that our mom wasn’t our dad’s first love, isn’t it?” Jonas mused. “Their marriage was always rock solid.”

  “First love doesn’t mean anything,” Jazz scoffed. “Jemma thought she loved her ex-husband, Randal Cunningham, but he proved to be a big jerk. Same thing with me and my former fiancé, Tom. He turned out to be a narcissistic crazy-man.”

  “I guess.” Jonas couldn’t explain why he was bothered by the letter and the story behind it. “I know you and Dalton are solid, but Jemma’s happy with Garth, too, right?”

  “Very,” Jazz assured him. “No need to worry. And thankfully, Randal seems to have given up on his quest to sue for joint custody of Trey. Maybe because he knows Garth wouldn’t put up with any of his shenanigans.”

  Jonas hadn’t realized his sister’s ex had threatened to sue for joint custody. “Good to know Garth has her back the way Dalton has yours.”

  “He’ll do anything to protect her,” Jazz agreed. “And I hit the jackpot with Dalton. Listen, thanks for the update, but I have to go. I’m meeting with the florist in a half hour. The wedding is only five days away!”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later.” Jonas disconnected from the call and shoved his phone into his pocket.

  “Why does it bother you that your dad may have loved someone before your mom?” Bella asked. “Your girlfriend left you, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah, but that was because I lost my leg.” The words sounded ridiculous even to his own ears. “Or maybe a combination of the fact that she didn’t really love me and I lost my leg. Who knows? It doesn’t matter. You and Jazz are right. Our parents loved each other, and what happened before they found each other is in the past.”

  “For me, too,” Bella agreed softly. “I lost Greg Wallace.”

  It took him a minute to realize she was referring to her fiancé who died while being deployed. “How long were you engaged?”

  “We grew up together and were high school sweethearts.” A sad smile played at the corner of her mouth. “We were friends long before we began dating, and being with him was comfortable and, at the time, felt right.”

  Hearing her talk about another man felt like gravel in the bottom of his shoe. Not at all comfortable. Then he realized what she’d said. “At the time?” he echoed, hoping his interest in hearing more wasn’t too obvious.

  She nodded. “After I heard he was killed in action, I felt a strange kind of relief intermixed with grief over losing him. I didn’t tell anyone because it seemed so disloyal. But over time, I began to understand that I’d always miss Greg as a friend. He was very important to me. But deep down, I was relieved because I hadn’t loved him enough to marry him.”

  Jonas reached over to take her hand in his. “I’m sorry for your loss, Bella. Greg sounds like a great guy. And even if you didn’t want to marry him, that doesn’t mean you didn’t care about him.”

  “That’s true,” she admitted softly. She clung to his hand for a long moment, then released it. “I did care about Greg. He was my best friend.”

  It was on the tip of Jonas’s tongue to offer to take Greg’s place as her best friend, but he managed to hold back. Especially since he didn’t really want to be her friend.

  He wanted more.

  Jonas stared down at his lower limb prosthesis for a long moment. If anyone could handle his deformity, it was Bella. But she deserved someone better than him.

  Steeling his resolve to stay away from Bella, no more kissing allowed, he closed his eyes and tried to rest. He’d have to be prepared for the hour-long therapy session that loomed ahead.

  Sleep was impossible, but he must have dozed because two and a half hours later, Bella softly asked, “Jonas? Are you hungry? We’re almost in Battle Creek and have time to grab something to eat.”

  “Huh?” He
lifted his head and winced at the crick in his neck. “Sure. Let’s stop for lunch. My treat.”

  Bella took the upcoming exit ramp that advertised a family restaurant less than a mile ahead. It wasn’t quite noon, but based on the number of cars in the parking lot, the restaurant was doing brisk business.

  Jonas was glad he was still wearing the prosthesis. Going out in public was easier when his deformed leg wasn’t so obvious.

  Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long for a table. Their server introduced herself as Sheri as she set two waters down.

  “I’ll have the chicken salad,” Bella said.

  “Make mine a hamburger.”

  “Anything to drink other than water?” Sheri asked.

  “Not for me.” Jonas glanced at Bella who shook her head.

  “I’m fine, too.” When Sheri left, Bella took a sip of her water. “Are you thinking of sticking around in Battle Creek tonight? Or heading back to McNally Bay?”

  He almost choked on his own water as the image of spending the night with Bella at her apartment flashed in his mind. As much as he wanted nothing more than to spend some time alone with her, he knew it wasn’t smart.

  He didn’t have any willpower when it came to Bella Collins.

  “My sister is expecting us back,” he said, avoiding Bella’s direct gaze. “But don’t worry, I’ll pay for your gas.”

  “I don’t care about the gas,” Bella countered. “I wanted to come along. Besides, I need to talk to my boss anyway.”

  That caught his attention. “What do you plan to discuss?”

  Bella hesitated, then shrugged. “My resignation. Maybe that whole incident with the black SUV was nothing more than a freak accident, but it’s not worth risking my life, or yours, for a stupid job.” There was a brief silence before she added, “And I can’t go back, regardless of the outcome of the investigation.”

  Jonas sat back in his seat, trying to think of something to say. “I hate that you’re giving up your job over some arrogant surgeon.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t see another option.” Bella lifted her chin. “Besides, there’s a nursing shortage. I’ll find another job.”

  Jonas knew she would, but that didn’t change the fact that she was being blamed for something she didn’t do. Hackbarth needed to take responsibility for his role in the patient’s death.

  Their food arrived, and they spent the next few minutes eating. Jonas kept an eye on his watch. He didn’t want to be late for his therapy appointment.

  When they finished eating, he swooped on the tab before Bella could react.

  “Hey,” she protested. “It was my idea to stop in the first place.”

  “My treat,” he repeated. “Remember?”

  She let out a huff but didn’t pursue the argument. As they made their way to the door, three men came into the restaurant. Hampered by his crutches, Jonas wasn’t able to move out of their way. A bald man with tattoos covering every inch of his skin rudely shoved him.

  “Watch out,” Bella said sharply. “You almost knocked him over.”

  “Who me?” The bald tattooed man leered at her. “Babe, you can do better than this lame duck.”

  Jonas flushed, it was agonizing to watch Bella stand up for him. Trained as a special ops soldier, he once would have been able to take on all three of these guys without breaking a sweat. But not now. He wished he hadn’t left his Glock in the car, but he had. He swallowed his pride and tried to keep his temper in check. “Come on, Bella. Let’s get out of here.”

  Instead of letting them pass, the bald tattooed guy stepped closer, blocking his way. Jonas instinctively straightened, staring him right in the eye. Bullies were the same everywhere, but this was the first time he’d encountered such obvious hatred since returning stateside.

  “What’s wrong with you, gimp?” Tattoo sneered. “You stupid enough to get your leg blown off?”

  Jonas simply stared into Tattoo’s hate-filled eyes, mentally preparing for the worst. “You really want to start something? You must like spending time in the clink.”

  Tattoo lashed out with his fist. Jonas let go of the crutches and used his forearm to block the blow. Pain rippled up his arm, but Tattoo’s fist never met his face.

  “Stop it!” Bella shouted. “I’m calling the police!”

  Tattoo shoved past Jonas. Despite his efforts to stand on his two feet, Jonas lost his balance. Bella stepped forward in a quick attempt to catch him, but it was too late.

  He crashed to the floor, his face red with embarrassment. Tattoo and his buddies laughed as they left the restaurant.

  “Jonas! Here, let me help you.”

  He shook off Bella’s hand. “Give me the crutches.”

  She handed them over, and he managed to get to his feet. The hostess came over, her expression clearly upset. “I’m so sorry. I called the police; they should be here soon.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Jonas ignored the pain in his injured leg and moved toward the door.

  “Jonas, wait.” Bella hurried to catch up with him. He didn’t look at her as he made his way toward the rental car. “You should press charges for assault.”

  “He didn’t hit me.” Jonas felt sick with the knowledge that if this had happened in another place, like outside of a restaurant, he wouldn’t have been able to protect Bella from those goons. Even if he’d had his weapon handy, it wasn’t easy to wield a gun at the same time as using crutches. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”

  “That guy was such a jerk.” Bella slid behind the wheel and started the car.

  Jonas leaned forward, took his gun from the glove box, and placed it in his belt holster. He didn’t say a word as she drove to the VA hospital. When they arrived, he got out of the car, took his crutches, and grabbed his backpack before finally looking at her. “Don’t wait for me. I’m not going back to McNally Bay with you. I’ll find a motel.”

  “I don’t understand.” Bella’s expression was perplexed. “Are you upset with me?”

  “No. I just need to be alone.” Jonas quickly turned and walked away without looking back.

  Knowing it was a pathetic way to say goodbye.

  Bella swallowed a wave of frustration as she watched Jonas head toward the physical therapy gym. She wanted to run after him and force him to talk to her, but she let him go.

  For now.

  As she made her way inside the hospital, she thought about their encounter with the tattoo guy and his friends. Her heart ached for how Jonas must have felt, facing them with nothing more than his crutches and a prosthetic leg. And she was secretly glad he’d left the gun in the car.

  She was impressed by how he’d blocked Tattoo’s fist but knew that ending up on the floor, hearing their coarse laughter as they left had been humiliating.

  Jonas didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about. He’d acted appropriately, while those jerks had confronted him, looking for a fight.

  The incident replayed over and over in her mind as she headed up to the third-floor surgical suites. Her boss, Jeff Greco, had an office adjacent to the locker room areas.

  She knocked on his door and waited. After a few minutes, she decided he must be at a meeting. Seemed the managers were always being asked to attend meetings rather than spending time with the people who reported to them.

  Realizing she should have written a resignation letter, she went into the locker room and found the staff lounge. Two surgical techs were chatting in there but quickly disappeared when she took a seat behind the computer.

  Obviously she was still persona non grata around here. Which only reinforced she was making the right decision to resign.

  Chrissy came into the break room, stopping abruptly when she saw Bella. “Oh, uh. Hi.”

  “Hi.” Bella tried to ignore her friend’s stilted attitude.

  “Listen, I’m sorry about what happened,” Chrissy finally said.

  “Yeah, me, too.” Bella knew she should cut Chrissy a break but kept her attention focused
on the computer.

  Chrissy left, and Bella knew their friendship was over. Typing up her resignation letter didn’t take long. She kept it short and to the point. Bella printed the letter, then sent a copy to Jeff Greco and her personal email. After picking up the printed letter, she signed it and carried it back out to Jeff’s office. She knocked again, but when he didn’t answer, she slipped the letter under the door.

  There. It was done. She stood for a moment, keenly feeling the loss of her job, her career, knowing she’d lost something precious. She’d wanted to help care for military vets as a tribute to her brother, Ryan, and to Greg.

  Logically she knew she could still do that in another veteran’s hospital, but walking away from Battle Creek left a gaping hole in her chest.

  Enough with the melodrama, she told herself sternly. This was a job. People changed jobs all the time. No reason to get depressed over losing this one.

  She turned and practically ran in to Jeff Greco.

  “Oh. Hi.” She hoped she didn’t sound as flustered as she felt. “I, um, was looking for you.”

  Jeff was in his early fifties and had also been in the military. Navy, she thought, but couldn’t say for certain. “You found me. Do you want to talk?”

  His standoffish attitude wasn’t new. He’d treated her like a leper from the moment the incident happened.

  “Not really.” She knew there was no point in rehashing things. “I slipped a resignation letter under your door.”

  His expression didn’t change. “I see. Effective immediately?”

  She arched a brow. “No, I gave my two weeks notice as required. But since I’ve been off the schedule anyway, I don’t know if it matters. Up to you.”

  “I think it’s best if we give you the rest of your vacation time to cover the two weeks.” Jeff looked relieved. “I’ll let human resources know.”

  Yeah, you do that, she thought sarcastically. She wanted to say something more but knew it was better to let it go.

  Bella turned and headed toward the elevators. When she reached them, she changed her mind and took the stairs instead. Glancing back down the hallway, she noticed that Jeff had gone into his office, shutting the door behind him.