Epilogue
Angela was standing in front of Stanley DeWitt with her luggage and Megan by her side when Sadie and Dawson pulled into the parking lot. Dawson’s sister recognized his truck the second it came into view and started to wave wildly.
“Look how excited she is.” Sadie chuckled as she slowed to avoid another car that was coming down the row from the opposite direction. She was driving, since Dawson was barely out of the hospital. He should’ve been resting in bed, but he said he wouldn’t disappoint Angela by not showing up to get her.
“She won’t be happy when she realizes we don’t have Jayden with us,” he said as he used his left hand, since he couldn’t use his right, to wave back at her.
They’d had to leave Jayden with Petra. Four people couldn’t fit in Dawson’s truck or Sadie’s El Camino. Dawson was already talking about buying a sedan capable of fitting the entire “family,” though, so Sadie knew that wouldn’t continue to be a problem.
She came to a stop at the curb and put the gearshift in Park. “I’ll go grab him as soon as we get back, so she’ll get to see him soon.”
“Dawson!” Angela cried and would’ve thrown herself at him as soon as he got out if Sadie hadn’t intervened.
“Whoa! Be gentle, okay? Dawson’s hurt right now,” she explained.
His sister frowned at the evidence—she couldn’t see the big bandage under his shirt, but she could see that his arm was in a sling. “You told me you were okay, Dawson. You were in the hospital, but you said it wasn’t a big owie.” Her tone came off accusatory, as if his getting hurt had been intentional.
“It’s nothing, honey. I’ll heal, with time. I just have to be careful not to pull out my stitches, or I’ll start to bleed again.”
“I don’t like blood,” she said.
“Neither do I,” he responded.
She eyed him speculatively, as if she was deciding how much to believe. “What are stitches?”
He pulled the neck of his T-shirt over to show her the bandage. “I’ve got some threads holding my skin together under here.”
“Can you take off your shirt so I can see it all?”
“Not right now. It’s covered by bandages, anyway.” He gave her the best one-armed hug he could, but she seemed upset in spite of the excitement she’d exhibited only moments before.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You’re not going to die like Mom and Dad, are you? You’re not going away again...”
“No, I’m not going away again. Ever. I’m just fine.”
“Are they coming back?”
He shot Sadie a sad look before answering his sister. “No. But I’ll show you where you can visit them whenever you miss them.”
“I miss them now,” she said.
He nodded. “So do I.”
Sadie and Megan had to insist that Dawson not try to load the luggage himself. They took care of that while he went in to handle the paperwork.
“It’s all done,” he said when he came out. “We’re free to go.”
“I bet there were moments when you thought this day would never happen,” Megan said to him.
“There were a lot of them,” he admitted.
They thanked her before loading up and starting off for Silver Springs.
“Can I have an ice cream cone?” Angela asked almost as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot.
She knew her brother was a soft touch, and she was taking immediate advantage of that, but Sadie would’ve indulged her, too, so she couldn’t point any fingers at Dawson. They stopped at a shop and enjoyed the Los Angeles sunshine a little before starting the drive home. After that, Angela tolerated the drive for about an hour before she started asking, “How much longer?” and “When are we going to be there?”
Sadie smiled to herself as Dawson told Angela they had another hour, forty-five minutes, half hour, etc. He possessed a gentle strength. Sadie had never been more proud of him. He always treated Angela with such kindness and patience.
“When will I get to see Jayden?” Angela asked.
This was another frequent question. “I’ll pick him up as soon as I drop you and Dawson off at the farm,” Sadie told her, but going to get Jayden proved unnecessary. When they pulled into the farm, it looked as though half the town was there to meet them. Petra and Jayden stood right out front, holding a Welcome Back sign. There were other signs as well, even a big one that read, We’re sorry, Dawson, mixed in with all the balloons and other greetings.
Once she got out, Sadie learned the church the Reeds had attended had organized the party. Not only did they have tables filled with food, they’d brought workers who were there to help Dawson finish weeding and planting before the weather could turn too warm to be good for his crops. A few were even fixing various things Dawson hadn’t been able to get around to on the house. Besides the church members, Aiyana and her sons were there. So were Maude and Vern and Lolita, as well as several of the waitresses from the restaurant. Chief Thomas had come, too, with Pete and George, Sly’s friends. They looked the most sheepish.
Dawson was clearly astounded by the crowd, especially when everyone began to greet him and Angela. A line quickly formed as folks came up to offer him an apology. I was wrong about you... I’m so sorry... We should’ve listened to Aiyana. She’s always right... I’m here to help...
Dawson would’ve been justified in rejecting their apologies. They’d been so judgmental. But he didn’t. He shook hands with anyone who approached him, even allowed some to give him half a hug on his uninjured side.
Sadie stood nearby, enjoying the spectacle while talking to Maude, who’d winked at her and said, “You followed your heart, and it was your heart and no one else’s that was right.”
When Maude drifted off to talk to other friends and Angela called out, trying to get Dawson to come over and help her with something, Sadie let them both go. Chief Thomas was approaching her. “Thanks for coming today,” she told him.
“No problem. Glad to be here.” He jerked his head to where Dawson was tying a balloon for his sister. “He deserves a party—and a lot more after what he’s been through. But you’ve had a rough time, too.”
“I’m just glad it’s over.” She’d noticed that Sly’s mother wasn’t in the crowd. She doubted his mother would ever have a kind word for her again, despite what he’d done.
“So am I. I’m also happy to give you a bit of good news.”
She expected him to tell her about some evidence they’d acquired that would help put Sly or Ronny Booker away. “You’ve heard from the fire investigator?”
“Yes. He’s confirmed our findings that an accelerant was used—probably gasoline. But that’s it so far. This is something else.”
“What?”
“We’ve found your pictures.”
“My pictures?” she echoed.
“Of your parents—and Jayden when he was a baby.”
She felt her jaw drop. “Where?”
“Under Sly’s bed. They were there when we went through his place yesterday—in the plastic container you told us they’d be in, which is a little melted on one side, from what I hear, but otherwise unharmed. One of my officers will bring them over tonight. I didn’t want to miss the moment you arrived here to see the surprise, or I would’ve picked them up for you myself.”
“Tomorrow’s fine, thank you. But...how did Sly get them?”
“He was there the night of the fire. Once it was out, I’m guessing he went in and poked around—or in the days immediately after. I still believed in him then, wasn’t watching him as closely as I should have.”
“I don’t understand why he’d ever take them in the first place. I mean, I can see him wanting Jayden’s baby pictures, but I’d already offered him the opportunity to make copies, and he never acted on it. I would’ve done it myself if I’d had the money.”
Thomas scratched his neck. “Maybe this was another attempt to hurt you.”
“I’m sure of it,” she muttered. No doubt Sly loved knowing he had what she wanted and could decide if or when he’d ever give it to her.
She chatted with the police chief for a few more minutes about what the fire inspector might find or the forensics specialist Dawson had hired to search for further evidence on his parents’ murder, and marveled that whatever they found would help but wouldn’t change the ultimate outcome for Sly or Ronny Booker.
Dawson returned to her side only a moment after Thomas walked over to get a cupcake. “What is it?”
Because she didn’t want to turn the focus away from him and what he was experiencing, she figured she’d tell him about the pictures later. “This.” She smiled up at him. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“It is wonderful.” He leaned in for a kiss. “But having you and Jayden in my life, and Angela back home, is by far the best part.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed NO ONE BUT YOU, don’t miss the next story in Brenda Novak’s SILVER SPRINGS series:
Coming soon from MIRA Books!
Keep reading for an excerpt from by Brenda Novak.