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She leaned two hands behind her and against the white porcelain sink. Not denying his words and not making any grand admissions.
He liked her speechless and attentive. It was a rare sight and vastly overdue.
He continued, “In case you were unaware, since you disappeared the next day, the coach sent me home. I lost my invitation to tryout, my chance to earn a scholarship, and the ability to play for a Division 1 football team. Everything I worked so hard for in high school blew up in my face, thanks to you.”
“You seem to be doing okay,” she replied, looking away.
He straightened. “I am doing well,” he said, “Thanks to Chief Hollis, who paid my college tuition for four years. I just would’ve liked, for once in my fucking life, to have had choices. But, once again, all my choices and opportunities were taken from me.”
“Why didn’t you… report me?”
“To the police?” he chuckled, and then shook his head as if recalling that time. “Because despite what you did, I was still, to a degree, responsible. I didn’t have to take the cup and I didn’t have to drink from it.”
“You didn’t know what was in it.”
“I knew it was beer. Shouldn’t have been drinking alcohol the night before a tryout.”
“You were celebrating.”
“Well, with your help, that celebration cost me my future.”
Birdie dipped her head and cocked a knee. “With my help,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest with a dark chuckle. “Do you… remember… that night?”
He stilled.
“Are you asking me if I remember having sex with you?”
She waited, without offering a response.
“The night we conceived Mia? The daughter you never bothered to tell me about?”
Straightening, as if on high alert, she said, “When… did she get here?”
“She knocked on my door at about six thirty last night.”
“Last night?” Her eyes widened. “How did she get here so quickly? On a bus?”
“She didn’t take the bus.”
“She didn’t?”
“Amtrak.”
“How could that be? We’ve been tracking her… she pulled her phone from her purse and saw a text from Angus.
She clicked on it, and read,
Angus:Will ye call me? Ma heid’s fair burstin’. The map shoos our wee one has passed Wayward and she’s fair on her way to Jacksonville.
Glancing up, eyes wide, she declared, “I’m going to kill her.”
“I take it she’s been particularly, wily?” He smiled at the irony. However, she didn’t appear to pick up on it.
“I’m serious, I’m going to kill her. And then I’m going to ground her ass. She’s not going to see the light of day for a year.” Then, as if another realization robbed her of her anger, she turned to Lucas.
“You’ve met her, then? Talked to her?”
He nodded.
