Free Past Forward- A Serial Novel: Episode 16 by Chautona Havig Page B

to pounce .”
    “ I thought you might like to rest. You ’ ll tell me when you ’ re ready. I don ’ t want to be a pest or worse, that dripping wife of Proverbs .”
    He found her hand with his good one, squeezing it gently and then reaching carefully to pull her closer to him. “ Aw, Willow, but that ’ s what I love about you. Yes, you drive me crazy sometimes , but I love that you ’ re just you. What you see is what you get. There ’ s no guessing if you ’ re seething inside or miserable, because you let it all out , and I like that .”
    “ Even when I get stubborn and refuse to do things everyone else ’ s way just because it ’ s everyone else ’ s way? I seem to remember school being an issue, wedding choices being problems, and —”
    “ Even then. It ’ s what makes you, you. You could be less obstinate about things perhaps, I won ’ t complain about that, but I ’ d miss your input if you quit giving it — or demanding it .” He winked at her over the top of her head.
    “ So, ” Willow began now unable to contain her curiosity any longer. “ Just what happened? ”
    “ Well, first of all, I know who told that reporter about Steve Solari .”
    “ Robert Beiler? Who? ”
    Chad nodded , toying with Willow ’ s braid as he talked and moaning that he wished the horrible throbbing in his hand would go away. “ Lynne Solari herself. Robert mentioned something about an ME with the cor o ner ’ s office who kept an eye out for certain names , and your mom ’ s was one. So, they did some digging, found th at ME , and from what we can put together, Lynne knew about the rape before Steve. She either didn ’ t tell Steve Jr. what she knew , or they made the plan together for him to go to his father and ‘ hide ’ it from Lynne .” He hesitated, searching her eyes for something before he added, “ There is an evidence trail that inches in the direction of Lynne being the one to order the hit on Steve Jr .”
    “ She killed her own son? ”
    “ Not right away of course, but when he just got worse and worse, it is interesting that he dies in a knife fight when Steve Jr. had never owned any kind of weapon. He liked his fists .”
    Willow swallowed hard, pain filling her until she pursed her lips, trying not to let them tremble. “He certainly used them on Mother.”
    “ I thought I read about bruising so I assumed… ”
    “ I saw the pictures she took of herself. They ’ re horrible .”
    Chad stared at her, shock masking the pain that had covered his face . “ I didn ’ t know about the pictures .”
    “ I saw them once as a child. They ’ re in the attic in a box of papers in a sealed envelope. I was looking for some kind of picture of grandparents or aunts and uncles — I wanted to know more , and Mother had no more to share , so I spent an afternoon when she was in town going through all of the boxes I could find .”
    “ What did you find? ”
    Sadness wove through her voice , choking her . “ Those pictures. Once I found them, I put them away and quit looking. If that was the kind of thing I was going to find, I didn ’ t want to know. I understood why she ’ d chosen our life , and I think that was the day I fully embraced it for myself .” She took a deep breath exhaling slowly. “ I ’ d always loved living here, but seeing that made me reject the outside world much as Mother already had .”
    “ But you didn ’ t . You asked us to come back and on that very first day. How —”
    Her hand crept up by her neck where he toyed with her braid and curled it around his fingers. “ I don ’ t really know. I just saw you three going out the door and felt so terribly alone. You were all so nice to me. It seemed like maybe the police were safe .” A sob caught in her throat. “ In just those brief few seconds, I imagined day after day without hearing another person ’ s voice, without ever getting a hug or laughing with someone, and I panicked .”
    “ A w , lass. Make