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“Around one?”
“Yeah.” Bethany shook her head softly. “What was he up to?”
“He’s a grown man. I guess he can take care of himself?” Rebecca hesitated, unsure if she believed herself. “How did it feel to see him yesterday?”
“It felt like getting run over by a truck,” Bethany admitted. “When he hugged me, it reminded me of that last day before he left. Remember? When he told us he was moving to Rhode Island with Bree.”
Rebecca shivered at the memory. Esme had remained upstairs, unwilling to watch her husband hug his kids for the last time.
“He asked me questions about my kids. About my husband. And it just made me think about all the years we’ve missed as a family. We should have all been together.” Bethany sipped her coffee. “And then I went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine, and when I got back to the living room, he was gone. Off to God knows where.”
“He has no idea how to process his feelings about being back,” Rebecca stated. “Not that I do, either.”
“Here’s to being a Sutton. Whatever that means.” Bethany raised her coffee mug.
A little while later, Rebecca remembered her mother’s address book. It sat on the phone table in the living room, where it had been for decades. She hurried to fetch it, then found Franklin’s mother’s phone number. According to the police officers, she was the only person who’d had contact with Esme.
“Hello?” an older woman’s voice answered.
“Mrs. Sanderson? It’s Rebecca Sutton.” Rebecca smiled into the phone, hoping she sounded friendly.
“Oh! Rebecca!” Franklin’s mother seemed ecstatic. Probably, she was grateful to be in the very center of the Sutton gossip. “I heard a rumor you were back. And you’re calling from your mother’s house!”
“That’s right.” Rebecca eyed Bethany, suddenly nervous. “I heard you spoke with my mother.”
“I did. A marvelous woman, your mother. We’ll be friends till the end.”
Rebecca recognized a wall when she saw one. Mrs. Sanderson would protect Esme at all costs. But why? She rubbed her temple and added, “I’ve been trying to call her all morning.”
“I imagine she’s quite busy.”
Rebecca smiled wider, frustrated. “She is a remarkable woman. So busy. Always five steps ahead of everyone else.”
“I feel the same!”
Rebecca’s eyes bugged out. “Did she mention when she was heading back to the island?”
Mrs. Sanderson stuttered. “I can’t imagine she’ll be long now.”
“Right. Because she wouldn’t leave the Sutton Book Club for so long.”
Mrs. Sanderson made a strange noise in her throat.
“Right?” Rebecca asked.
“Sure, honey. I’m sure you know your mother best.” Her voice shimmered with sarcasm.
Annoyed, Rebecca said her goodbyes and hung up. Bethany gave her an inquisitive smile. “That didn’t sound promising.”
“It’s like the whole island is working against us,” Rebecca said. “Like we’re an infection they’re trying to fight off.”
Rebecca explained that Mrs. Sanderson thought Esme would probably be back soon. Bethany looked thoughtful.
“How long do you have before you need to go home?” Rebecca asked.
“I have time,” Bethany explained. She gestured around them and down the hallway toward the guest room. Under her breath, she added, “I want to make sure they’re both stable before I go.”
Rebecca’s stomach tightened with sorrow. It suddenly occurred to her that the “reunion” would probably feel lackluster once Esme returned. How could the Sutton family possibly translate so many years of sorrows, fears, and reflections in a single afternoon? And what would happen afterward? Victor no longer had Bree. Rebecca no longer had Fred. They would hang their heads and return to other parts of the country, defeated.
