Page 15 of The Summer that Changed Everything
The emotions tied to those long, sun-drenched summerdays threatened to overwhelm her as she remembered their first kiss. Although she’d kissed a couple of other boys by that time, she’d never had an official boyfriend. Ford was her first, and she’d been totally swept away. Having his mouth on hers... She’d never experienced anything quite so intoxicating.
Oddly enough, that held true all these years later. Maybe it was because she couldn’t let herself be carried away quite to the same extent—not after the scars he’d left—but the warmth and excitement that’d come over her when he kissed her that day had been unique.
Still, she’d been careful not to get physical with him too soon. It’d been difficult to trust his interest in her. She hadn’t been part of his crowd, couldn’t help wonderingwhy me?
But as those idyllic weeks passed, during which they spent almost every moment together, she’d fallen more and more deeply in love and her resistance soon melted away. Before long, she’d wanted to be with him so badly she no longer cared what happened to her after.
And that was when he’d dropped her—as soon as she’d overcome her reservations.
Wincing, she opened her eyes and forced her attention back to the task at hand. She needed to forget the personal aspect of this exercise and focus on Ford’s connection to Aurora. Since Aurora had been calling him—even coming over late at night, according to gossip started by Chet and Ford’s other friends after Aurora was murdered, which was partly why so many people thought she might’ve had something to do with it—he could’ve been one of the last people Aurora tried to reach before she died. That certainly hadn’t come out during the trial but, probably thanks to his powerful parents, Ford hadn’t even been put on the stand.
The girls Aurora had hung out with could know something, too. Aurora had had plenty of enemies. She hadn’t even beenable to get along with her own brother. Darren, only one year older, hadn’t been nearly as popular as she was. That summer he’d seemed sullen and unhappy—and strangely unemotional during the trial.
Of course, there could’ve been people involved that Lucy hadn’t even thought of. But eliminating those she already wondered about would be a start.
She needed to put Reggie Burton on her list, too, she realized. If Aurora had been the stereotypical “mean girl,” Reggie had been the stereotypical “bad boy.” A poor local, like her, he’d gotten into trouble all the time, which was why he’d been in jail when Mick was arrested.
Scooting her chair back, she reached for her purse and pulled out the two letters she’d received from her father. She’d written him once she got back to Vegas to ask if there was anything he could tell her that might help.
It’d taken a couple of weeks to get a reply—long enough that she’d begun to think hewouldn’twrite back—but, ultimately, she’d received a single sheet of paper with three short paragraphs that included his suggestion for how to proceed:
... I’d see what Reggie Burton is up to these days. Everything that jailhouse snitch said was a lie. Even if I was the one who’d killed Aurora, I’d never be stupid enough to tell him or anyone else about it. He made it all up.
She’d written back again after that and asked him to tell her everything he knew about the night Aurora was murdered.
His second letter had arrived much more quickly. But his response was no help. He claimed he couldn’t remember anything about that night. Since he hadn’t killed Aurora, there was nothing remarkable to remember.
Lucy let her gaze linger on his signature:Dad.NotLove, Dad. JustDad. Somehow the fact that he wasn’t love bombing her made it easier. She’d sworn she’d never have anything more to do with him, especially after he told her he’d refuse her visitsand ignore her letters even if she tried. Yet here she was, striking up a correspondence for the sake of what she was hoping to accomplish. Now that she was back in Virginia, he wasn’t so far away, but visiting him wouldn’t be quick or easy. Red Onion State Prison was on the other side of the state.
If he didn’t write back quickly enough, it might be worth the seven-hour drive, however. What she was trying to do in North Hampton Beach wouldn’t be easy. She was afraid she’d wind up spending three miserable months here with nothing to show for her time in the end. If it came to that, she fully intended to go home and leave the past in the past once and for all. At least she would’ve done what she could, would’vetriedto make sure justice had been served. That would have to be good enough.
Until that day came, she’d simply do her best. But if she was to have even a small chance of success, she’d very likely need her father’s help.
Putting his letters back in her purse, she went onto social media to search for Reginald Burton. She hoped he was still in the area and that she’d be able to find him. If her father said to start with him, that was exactly what she intended to do.
Anna looked around to see who might be watching. She wasn’t supposed to be at Reggie’s house. Her husband would be angry with her for stopping over. He said Reggie could hurt her one day, that he didn’t deserve the love and devotion she showed him. But being family meant you didn’t have to earn love and devotion.
At least, that was what it meant to her. And as badly as her brother behaved sometimes, she couldn’t believe he’d ever truly harm her...
Besides, her mother had asked her to look in on him. Natalie said he hadn’t shown up when he was supposed to meet her in Baltimore for lunch and he hadn’t been answering his phone.Standing someone up without an explanation was so typical of him that Anna might’ve told her to relax, he’d resurface eventually, and left it there. But she figured she might as well relieve her mother’s concern since she was hoping to have another opportunity to talk to him, anyway.
She needed to convince Reggie to take Lucy’s presence a little more seriously. Had he told anyone else what he’d told her? Bragged to his so-called friends about how he’d helped to convict a killer? Or tried to look like a hero to some girl he was hitting on?
She wouldn’t put it past him. He was mouthy, especially when he was drunk, and cocky enough to think he could get away with anything. So far, he’d been lucky enough to wriggle out of almost every scrape he’d gotten into. But that didn’t mean his luck would hold...
She banged on the door of the dilapidated duplex he called home. He complained about having to pay rent when the place needed so much work. But if the landlord fixed things, he’d probably raise the rent, too, and Reggie would no longer be able to afford to live here. He was out of a job more often than not.
She didn’t get a response, but there was no point in knocking again. LeRoy Brown, her brother’s pit bull, was barking like mad and jumping against the door. If Reggie was home, he had to know he had company. But that didn’t always mean he’d answer, so she yelled out, “Reggie? It’s me, Anna! You in there?”
He didn’t holler back to her. The only thing she heard was more barking from LeRoy. Reggie worked as a Sheetrock hanger for a couple of local contractors. Maybe his truck was in the drive because he’d caught a ride from someone who was on the same jobsite...
She was just starting to walk back to her car when an SUV pulled in behind her Ford Escape. At first glance, she thought the driver was Reggie’s new love interest. It wouldn’t be surprisingthat he’d already moved on. After all, his wife claimed he’d been unfaithful too many times to count.
But as the woman got out, Anna’s stomach fell to her knees.Shit!Reggie was a fool to be so cavalier. It was Lucy McBride.
Lucy had never thought much of Reggie Burton. There’d always been something about him that frightened her. Although she didn’t know what he was like these days, he’d been a two-bit crook even as a kid. If he wasn’t ditching school and stealing cigarettes from the convenience store, he was joyriding in his mother’s car long before he had a driver’s license. But Reggie hadn’t killed anyone.
Or maybe he had. For all she knew,hewas the one who’d strangled Aurora. If that was the case, she was taking a chance coming to his house on her own, so she was somewhat relieved to see his sister on the stoop when she arrived. Anna had been as quiet and obedient as her brother was the opposite. If Lucy had to trust one of them, it’d definitely be Anna.
