Page 33 of The Summer that Changed Everything
Anna was praying neither of her children, who were now racing toward the car, turned into behavioral problems like her brother. So far, they’d been happy and well-behaved. But they had a stable, good father—two parents who loved them. Reggie’s father, Dixon, hadn’t been part of his life since he was two. And he’d been so abusive when hewasaround that Natalie had to move across the state to escape him.
Fortunately, he let her go. Then Natalie had met and married Anna’s father. Dale was a biker who turned out to be a much better man. But trying to help parent Reggie caused too many fights between him and Natalie. Natalie would always take Reggie’s side, even if he was in the wrong. So Anna’s father moved out when Anna was three. Although he’d remained part of her life to an extent, he’d also indicated he wanted nothing to do with Reggie, and that’d made it very difficult for Anna. She was riddled with guilt when he came to see her and they left Reggie behind, so riddled that she began to act less enthusiastic about spending time with him, especially because that reluctance made her mother and brother treat her better. And soon the visits ceased.
“You’ve heard that Lucy McBride’s back in town, haven’t you?” Anna asked.
“No, how would I have heard?” her mother asked.
From Reggie, for one. But Anna didn’t say that. “You did hair in this town for years, have a lot of old clients and other people you’re still in touch with.”
“I’ve been busy, haven’t talked to anyone or checked Facebook in ages. But that’s certainly news. I bet it’s causing quite a stir.”
“It is.” She broke off from the conversation to greet her kids as they slung their backpacks into the car before climbing in.
“Tell Aria and Campbell hello from me,” her mother said.
“I don’t need to tell them. You’re on Bluetooth, Mom. They can hear you.”
The kids told their grandmother about their day while they got buckled into their seats. Once the two kids fell into a conversation with each other about a hamster at school, Natalie went back to what they’d been discussing before. “What brings Lucy back to North Hampton Beach?”
Anna put the car in Drive and got in line to exit the crowded lot. “She doesn’t believe it was her father who—” she glancedinto the backseat to make sure her children weren’t paying attention “—caused Aurora’s death.”
“But he admitted as much to Reggie!”
“That’s whatReggiesays. She thinks he was lying to get a deal with the commonwealth attorney.”
There was a pause, but then Natalie said, “That’s ancient history. Doesn’t matter what she thinks.”
“I wouldn’t be too quick to assume that. She’s different these days, Mom. I think she got kicked around so much she’s ready to fight back, determined to proveshe’llbe the one in charge this time.”
“Why does she even care if her father didn’t do it? He’s not going to get out of prison either way.”
“I don’t think she’s trying to get him out.”
“Then what’s she trying to do?”
“Think about it for a minute. If Reggie wasn’t telling the truth...”
“He could be in serious trouble.”
Natalie saw the world as it related to them. But there was more to this.
Again, Anna glanced into the backseat. Her children were arguing over a pencil, but it kept them occupied. “It would also mean that someone else did it, someone who’s still walking around free.”
Silence.
Anna was finally clear to turn into the street and navigate the congestion surrounding the school. “You don’t think we have anything to worry about, do you?” She was fishing, trying to find out if Reggie had admitted to their mother what he’d admitted to her. Or if her mother suspected the truth. If so, she wanted to discuss it, see if Natalie agreed with Reggie that they should keep their mouths shut. In Anna’s view, the real culprit deserved to be punished. She hated to think that, in their efforts to protect Reggie from the consequences of a much lesser crime, they’d also be protecting amurderer.
Her mother finally spoke. “That’s disconcerting.”
“You don’t think there’s any chance that... that she’s right, do you? That Reggie could have been mistaken?”
There was another long silence. Obviously, the idea of Reggie lying about Mick McBride’s confession hadn’t been something Natalie had seriously contemplated before. “Mom?”
“We’re creating problems where none exist,” her mother insisted, suddenly sounding certain.
“Maybe. But we wouldn’t want someone to get away with... with something like that, would we? I mean... if one of us thought there might be a small chance Reggie wasn’t telling the truth, we should come forward, shouldn’t we?”
She held her breath as she waited for her mother’s response. She wasn’t even sure which side of the argument she preferred Natalie to take. Did she want her mother to say, “Let sleeping dogs lie?” Would that be enough to ease her conscience—the fact that even her mother felt Anna should keep her mouth shut?
