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“I know.” But I’d probably live on the street before I did that.
“I should be home in time to relieve the caregiver…” Her voice became tight and then trailed off.
I squeezed her shoulder. I knew what she’d been about to say: she should be home in time to relieve Daddy’s caregiver. It had been her routine for two years. It was hard to forget something so deeply ingrained.
Myra’s gaze turned to the picture window along the back wall of her office, following the neighbor’s dog, a big golden retriever that was chasing a squirrel in the yard. At least one dog was still running around on the island. “I tell myself that he’s happier now. He hated losing his mind piece by piece. He was one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met.” She smiled as tears slid down her cheeks. “On my first day as a part-time park ranger, I was so nervous to meet him. He was the head ranger and renowned for his knowledge of the colony. I thought he’d be intimidating. But he was so nice, and there was something about him…” She laughed softly. “You probably don’t want to hear this.”
“I do.” I forced down the lump in my throat. “I like to remember what he was like before his memories began to fade.”
“Your mother had been gone a couple of years, but I could still see the pain in his eyes. It was like he’d lost part of himself.” She paused for several seconds. “I never once thought I could replace your mother…I was just grateful to be part of his life.” She looked up at me with a shaky smile. “And yours. I don’t want to lose you too, Ellie.”
I hugged her again, my tears breaking through the dam. “I love you, Myra. I promise you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Myra’s friend Becky appeared in the doorway. “I’m sorry to bother you, Myra, but there’s a police officer here who wants to talk to you.”
Her eyes widened in concern as she pulled away from me. “Do you think this is about you?”
I squeezed her arms. “It’s probably Tom. I promise he doesn’t think I killed anyone. This is his way of looking out for me. We went to school together, remember? Claire’s sister dated him when Claire and I were freshman. I think it makes him feel kind of responsible for me since Daddy’s gone.”
She nodded, wiping her tears. “What should I tell him?”
“Tell him the truth, except for the part about the curse, of course. You didn’t believe the curse until a couple of weeks ago anyway. Just tell him what happened and how you saw things before you learned the truth.”
“What about Collin?”
My back stiffened. “Tell Tom the truth about that too.”
“But it might look bad for him.”
I shrugged, pretending not to care. “Then he brought it on himself.”
I walked into the small kitchen, passing Becky, and poured a cup of coffee and then took it out into the great room. As I’d suspected, Tom was sitting there waiting. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he was perched on the arm of a leather sofa, staring at an old family portrait on the wall. It was of Daddy, Myra, and me and was taken when I was in the eighth grade.
“Long time no see, Tom.”
He turned toward me. “You look tired, Ellie.”
Lifting my shoulders in a half shrug, I gave him a wry smile. “Busy night.” I held the cup out to him. “When did you become a plainclothes policeman?”
Laughing, he stood and took the coffee. “I’m here unofficially. Your keys were in the ignition of your car, so I drove it to the parking lot of your apartment. When you didn’t answer the door, I decided to bring the keys here. I figured I might as well ask Myra a few questions while I was at it.”
“You might have mentioned that to Becky. You just about gave Myra a coronary.”
Cringing, he took a sip of the coffee. “Sorry about that.” Tom walked toward the photo. “I used to envy you, you know.”
“Me? Why?”
“Your dad was awesome. Mine was never around, but the summer when I dated Melanie, your dad always made a point of talking to me. Like he was really interested in me as a person.”
I reached out and stroked Daddy’s smiling face with the tip of my index finger. “I’m sure he was. That’s who he was…at least until he got sick.”
“I bet you didn’t know I got in trouble that summer. I was caught vandalizing the school.”
I whipped my head around in surprise. “You?”
He hung his head, a sheepish grin on his face. “Yeah. I went through a rebellious patch. Got in with those Morris boys; they were nothing but trouble. I was about to get kicked off the football team, but your dad was on the school board, and he spoke up on my behalf. I got that football scholarship to UNC because of him. Without him I never would have gotten my criminal justice degree.”
I turned back to look at Daddy’s smiling face again. “I didn’t know.”
