Page 115 of Reckoning

“You also didn’t come to see me graduate. You also do not know where I work or where I live. Why are you calling?”

She heard him take a deep breath and knew immediately that whatever it was, it was about to intrude into their world.

“Sorry Briar, I was just taken aback,” he said.

“Okay, you’ve been taken aback, but why are you calling? There has to be a reason, because we don’t have regular father-daughter chats, and you still haven’t said why you need to know where Tate is.”

Tate swung his feet off her lap and sat up. When he did, she put the phone on speaker.

“I don’t know if you are aware, but Star Ridge has suffered terribly due to the floods. The river south of town has been out of its banks for days, and it’s still rising. Houses just outside of town have been washed away. People are missing. Children were swept away in the floods. Searching for bodies is impossible. Cattle are floating down the river, and so many lives have been ruined. The roads are washed out on the east and west sides of town. We’re basically an island at the bottom of a mountain. There was a town meeting today. It was going nowhere until people began mentioning Tate. They know he’s in high demand. They hear about the lost people he finds and the cold cases he solves. They want him to come to Star Ridge and help us find our missing.”

“I can’t speak for him, and I won’t beg him to do anything. And if the roads are impassable, then you are asking the impossible.”

“So, the answer is no?” Roger asked.

Tate was trapped by his conscience.

Briar looked at him.

Tate ran his fingers through his hair, then pulled her close and took the phone. “Roger, I’m here. I heard what you said. I won’t…can’t…leave innocent to suffer. But there’s a catch.”

Roger frowned. “How much does it cost to hire you?”

“I’m not for hire. I don’t work for anyone but the lost, so if you want me there, shut your mouth. Your passive-aggressive snipe at me won’t fly, dude.”

Roger blinked.

Tate continued. “The catch is, if I come, I will demand a reckoning. I will come back into a place that chewed me and my family up and spit us out. But before I open my mouth on their behalf, every damn member of that town will gather, put their hands on a Bible, and admit to my face that they were wrong, including you and that woman you live with. If she is unwilling to face me, then it’s an automatic no. They all have to agree, or deal with their shit on their own. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I will tell them, and I will call Briar with their response. When can we expect you?”

“That depends on your answer, doesn’t it?” Tate said.

“Oh…right…yes, yes, it does. Will Briar come with you?”

“She has a job and responsibilities too, but I won’t set foot on that land without her.”

Then he handed the phone back to Briar. She ended the call without saying goodbye and set the phone aside.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

His eyes blazed as he reached out to her. “No. You owe no one an apology, least of all me. Do you think your boss will give you a day off? I can go and come back on the same day.”

“How, Tate? There aren’t any roads.”

“Then we’ll grow wings, darlin’. Anything is possible if you try.”

“When would you go?” she asked.

“If Roger lets me know by tonight, I can schedule everything tomorrow and leave early the morning after,” Tate said.

Briar sighed. “I’ll talk to David tomorrow. I know he’ll say yes, but I need to make sure I leave everything finished and accessible so he will not be inconvenienced.”

* * *

Roger knew when they hung up on him without a word that he’d asked too much. And Tate’s demand was going to be hard for some of them to swallow. It became a kind of impossible madness as he began trying to get the word out, then waiting for their response. Some were outraged by his demand but were willing to give in to get what they wanted from him, and finally Roger had his answer.

He sent Briar a text that they were all in agreement, then Briar responded, telling Roger to expect Tate when they saw him coming.