“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Grace. I told you the truth about her. She was never here.” He rubbed his brow.
“But . . . but . . . I saw.” My words fell off. I saw it. Didn’t I? I scanned the page again. Her name was gone.
“I lied about Albert and liking brussels sprouts and even lied about enjoying reading.” He walked to the bookshelf and slid several books out, holding them up. “I’ve never read a damn one of these. I just bought them to make me look smart.” Calvin tossed the books onto a chair. “But I didn’t lie about Bri Becker.” He let out a pained breath and ran his hands down his face.
My mouth parted but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say.
Calvin walked toward the front door, stopped, and turn back to me. “I’m going to get your vehicle working and fix the lock on your door. And then I’m going to make sure you have a great last night on my ranch.” He sealed his promise with a heavy nod.
My stomach was in knots. I took a few small breaths, trying to keep my composure. I saw her name, didn’t I? It was dark in the basement, and I was on edge, had been since I arrived. Maybe I had imagined it. Maybe he wasn’t the one lying.
“Okay,” I said.
I didn’t know what else to say.
He let out a sigh and smiled. I forced the corners of my lips up. They quivered, but he didn’t notice. He smiled a little wider and then headed outside. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the guest book the way I had seen it the day before. It was clear as day. I had seen it. There were few things I trusted, but my eyes were one of them.
Calvin may have been telling the truth about Albert—or Uncle Albert, for that matter. But he wasn’t telling the truth about Bri. I saw her name. Checkout . . . never. She was still here. I could feel it.
44.
Calvin
I pulled off my sweat-soaked wifebeater and tossed it in the grass. It splatted against the ground. Wiping my brow, I bent over the hood of the car. The mechanic fixed most of the things wrong with Grace’s vehicle, but left me to finish the job. He’d given me pretty clear instructions on how to finish, but I wasn’t sure I was doing it right. However, I was determined, and determination could sometimes offset skills or talent. I had less than twenty-four hours with her and it terrified me. I wanted her to stay. No, I needed her to stay. Maybe not forever but just for a while—so she could see what we had. What Grace and I had most people wouldn’t experience in a lifetime. It was electric . . . no, it was magic. We had what everyone dreamed of.
“Hey, Calvin,” Betty called from behind me.
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t hear her drive up or get out of her vehicle. I turned around to find her standing there with a pile of new drapes slung over her shoulder.
“Let me grab some of those,” I said, taking them from her.
Betty raised her brows and surveyed my face. “How ya holding up?” She was always so concerned with how I was doing, almost too concerned at times.
I shrugged and blew out my cheeks. “I’ve been better.”
“Where’s your guest?” She looked toward the barn, then the pond, then the ranch.
“I think she’s showering. She’s still shaken up,” I said, looking over at the house, imagining Grace in there.
“I bet.” Betty gave a slight nod. “Must have been scary.”
I led her inside and dropped the drapes on the couch. Betty surveyed the damage. The curtains were nearly disintegrated. The walls around the window and the ceiling were scorched black from the smoke.
“Joe sure did a number on these,” Betty said, twisting her lips. “I don’t understand what made him act like this.” She pursed her lips and looked over at me, waiting for an explanation.
“I think it had to do with our parents.” I raised an eyebrow, and my lips formed a straight line. “Did you know what really happened?”
I knew Joe was mad about more than that, but the rest wasn’t Betty’s concern.
Before she could answer, I already knew she knew. Her eyes glistened. Her lip trembled, and she let out a sigh. She lied to me.
“How could you not tell me?”
Betty lowered her chin. “I was trying to protect you.”
“They were my parents. I had a right to know. And Joe knew all along. He had to deal with that on his own. That’s why he’s so messed up.”
“I’ve tried to help him, but you know how he is. Once I saw how much it affected him, I knew I couldn’t tell you too. Someone needed a clear head to take care of this ranch.”
“This ranch? That’s what you’re worried about?” I walked to the wall and forced my fist through the weakest part of it, where the flames had licked and eaten it.
“Calv, don’t do that.” She put her hand on my shoulder and tried to pull me away. “I’m so sorry. I really am.” Her voice shook.
I shrugged her hand off and pulled my fist from the wall. My knuckles were bloody but I didn’t feel any pain. I didn’t feel much of anything since I returned to this godforsaken ranch.
“Okay. Okay.” She sniffled. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
Betty stood there for a moment.
“I’ll give you some space and go check on my bees.”
When I didn’t say anything back, she left the house. I watched through the window as she walked across the porch, down the stairs, and out toward the woods. What gave her the right to decide what I needed to know and what I didn’t? How could she hide what really happened to my parents from me? They say the truth will set you free but they never tell you it’ll enrage you first. I pulled what was left of the burned curtains down and started removing the drapery hardware. Part of the drywall would need to be replaced and the whole damn thing would need to be repainted. More work for me to do, when I already had enough on my plate.
A piercing scream echoed outside. It was so loud it felt like the person was standing right beside me. I knew immediately that it was Betty. I bolted out the front door and ran toward the screams. I found her standing near her apiary. She shrieked into her hands over and over again. Turkey vultures scattered from the trees above, flying in all directions. The beehive receptacles were knocked over.
Albert laid on his back, his mouth gaping open. Vomit dripped down the side of his face which was swollen like a balloon blown up past its capacity. His eyes, although open, were barely visible due to the inflammation. His skin was red, blotchy, and covered in hives. Chunks of flesh were missing; most likely the turkey vultures had got to him first. His clothes were damp, and the bees were still buzzing around him, crawling over his flesh, in and out of his mouth, over his glazed eyeballs.
I pulled Betty into me. Her screams turned to uncontrollable sobs. Her body shook violently, and I thought she’d fall apart in my arms.
“What was he doing here?” she cried.
45.
Grace
The roar of police sirens woke me. My eyes shot open, and the cold bathwater slopped onto the floor. The bathroom was the only room I had privacy, so I had opted to spend as much time as I could in there. How long had I dozed off? I climbed out, dried myself off, and redressed.
What the hell happened now?