Fifth Night Read online

  I considered taking it back, but then Jack began to speak. “You have to understand. My mother is very important to me. She raised me on her own, giving up so much of her own life to make sure I had as many advantages as she could provide. She worked two jobs when I was young and three so I could go to college. That should have been enough. I was on track to graduate college and go into journalism, and then she’d finally have time to pursue her own dreams. But then I wrote that first best seller and again she put her life on hold to help me build my career. And she did a wonderful job. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was her hard work that allowed me to end up where I have. My mother has always been there for me. More so than anyone else in my life.”

  Okay, that stung more than I would have liked.

  “I guess I have a hard time saying no to her.” Jack took another deep breath before he continued. “Having said that, I also realize she has a way of thinking she knows what’s best for me whether I have a differing viewpoint or not. For most of my life, I’ve gone along with her to avoid a conflict. I think the first really big fight we had was when I told her I was buying the paper and moving to the island. She accused me of throwing away the career she’d given up everything to help me build, but I was adamant and insisted I needed some time to step out of the limelight and unwind. She finally gave in and agreed to take a step back so I could take the time I needed.”

  “It is your life,” I pointed out.

  “I know. I think she knows it to, and that scares her. When my dad left, I became the center of her world and now that I’m gone…”

  “Okay, I get it. But what does that mean? Are you going back to New York?” I asked.

  “No. I am absolutely not going back to New York, but I’m trying to find a way to make my mother understand that I’ve thought this through and am making my decision based on what I and I alone believe is best for me. When I told her I wanted to turn down the book deal and the money that comes with it, she accused me of letting some woman get into my head and manipulate me into making a decision that wasn’t in my best interest. I assured her that no one was manipulating me, but I could see she didn’t believe me. If I introduce you as my girlfriend now, she’ll be more convinced than ever that you’re Satan and have led me astray. But if I agree to meet with the publisher and at least discuss the deal, and then decide after everything is on the table that the series isn’t the direction I want to go in my career, she can’t accuse me of not making my own decision based on the facts I’ve been given.”

  “And if she still doesn’t accept your decision?” I had to ask.

  “Then she doesn’t. I promise you, I’m not moving back to New York, and I promise you, our relationship and the future we’re beginning to build are the most important thing to me, but I want to at least try to set a pace that will leave room for my mom and you to have a relationship in the future. I know she’ll come around when she sees my mind really is made up, and I know she’ll love you if she’s able to meet you at a time when she doesn’t consider you a threat.”

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about all this, but I knew I didn’t want to do anything to sever my relationship with Jack. “Okay,” I eventually said. “I can give you the space you need. Call me after she leaves.”

  “I will. And again, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

  I said something noncommittal and hung up.

  I understood what Jack was saying, but I wasn’t sure his mother and any woman he ever became serious about would be able to have a relationship. If you asked me, she seemed to be the sort of person who would never be willing to share.

  By the time I returned to the kitchen, Rick had called Brit back and the others had a new topic to discuss. Apparently, the bakery shop owner had used the same cleaning service as the barn and art studio owner, which meant there was a good probability the company or one of its employees was in some way involved in the arsons.

  ******

  Although I’d made the decision to head up to bed early that night, sleep was eluding me. It wasn’t all that late, so I pulled on some warm clothes and went downstairs with Kizzy on my heels. I was still feeling angsty and agitated. Perhaps a brisk walk followed by some warm milk would be what I needed to calm my mind enough to allow sleep to take over. As I often do, I was going to head to the beach, but at the last minute I took a detour and took the walkway that connected the cabins. I was sure Vikki must be back, but she hadn’t stopped by the house, so I headed in her direction on the chance she was still awake. When I saw her light was on, I walked up to the front door and knocked.

  “Jill?” Vikki greeted. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine. I couldn’t sleep, so Kizzy and I went for a walk. I saw your light on, but if this isn’t a good time…”

  Vikki opened the door wider. “No. It’s fine. Come on in. Can I get you anything? Wine?”

  “I’m fine, thanks. When I realized you were up, I figured I’d stop by to see how your lunch in Charleston went.”

  Vikki looked confused for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “It was fine. How were things here?”

  I paused before answering. “Are you okay? It seems like maybe you haven’t been feeling well lately.”

  “I’m fine.”

  I frowned as I noticed a tear in the corner of her eye. I took her hand in mine. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”

  Vikki dipped her head. She didn’t speak, but the tear slipped down her cheek.

  “Come on, Vik. Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”

  Vikki looked up and wiped the tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “I wasn’t having lunch with a friend today. I was in Charleston seeing a doctor for a second opinion.”

  “A doctor? Are you sick?”

  “I’m not sick. I have uterine cysts. I’ve had them for years, but they’re getting worse. My doctor feels we should remove them, and given the fact that my mother died of uterine cancer, he’s recommending a complete hysterectomy.”

  My face softened. “Oh, hon. I’m so sorry.”

  Vikki looked me in the eye. “You know, if this had come up a year ago, I would have had the surgery and never given it a second thought. I lived a very active life and my relationships with men were always short-lived. Getting married and becoming a mother someday were nowhere on my radar.”

  “And then you met Rick.”

  Vikki stood up and began to pace. “And then I met Rick.”

  “Have you talked about marriage and kids?”

  Vikki shook her head. “No. It’s much too early for that, but it’s something that feels like an actual possibility for the first time in my life. Rick has mentioned that he wants to get married and have a family someday, and he’s told me on more than one occasion how important our relationship is to him. I guess I would be lying if I didn’t admit I’ve envisioned us growing old together.”

  “Have you told him? About the surgery?”

  “No. And I’m not going to. Doing so would present something we aren’t ready to deal with. I’ve pretty much decided to get all the facts and then make a decision on my own based on my options.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. It isn’t fair to him to make him part of the equation. It would add a level of commitment and responsibility to a relationship that’s still new.”

  I sat back, trying to understand what Vikki was saying. It did seem she’d thought things through. “What exactly do you mean by commitment and responsibility?”

  “Suppose I decided not to have the hysterectomy for no other reason than to maybe someday provide Rick with the children I know he wants. What if after not having the hysterectomy, I develop cancer at some point in the future? I can’t see how he wouldn’t feel responsible in some way. I don’t want to put that on him. If we were married or even engaged, it might make sense to make the decision together, but we aren’t.”

  “You aren’t going to be able to avoid telling him,” I said. “Whichever route
you take, he’s going to know there’s something going on.”

  “I know. But when I tell him, I want to have already made up my mind.” Vikki stopped pacing and sat back down. “I just wish I knew what to do.”

  “What are the pros and cons?” I asked.

  “The big pro of having the hysterectomy is that I eliminate the possibility of getting uterine cancer, which I’m at high risk for, given my background and medical history. The con is that I’ll never have children. Part of me wonders if I want to have them anyway. I’m not over the hill but, at thirty-eight, I’m not exactly a spring chicken when it comes to my reproductive age. I have a life and a career I love. A life and a career, by the way, that really don’t mesh with motherhood.”

  “And if you don’t have the hysterectomy?”

  “I leave the door open to having children, but I risk getting cancer. Six months ago, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to give up what I have to settle down and raise a family, and to be honest, I’m pretty sure I’m not there yet. But there’s a tiny crack in the door that at least has opened my mind to the possibility. I guess if I’m totally honest, my biggest hesitation is how this will affect Rick and our relationship. If I have the surgery, do I just break up with him, knowing he wants a family? And if I don’t break up with him and we do fall helplessly in love and marry, will he always regret that he wasn’t able to have a child of his own, and will I feel guilty for not giving him one?”

  “You’re facing the same dilemma I did last month, when I was trying to decide whether to accept Margo’s job offer. I was trying to make a decision based on a relationship that may not even exist in the future.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I understand your desire to leave the relationship out of the picture, but is that even possible?”

  Vikki groaned and put her hands over her head. “I don’t know.”

  I supposed Jack might be dealing with the same dilemma in a way. He’d said he told his mother his decision regarding the book deal had nothing to do with me, but did it? If I hadn’t been in the picture, might he have been more apt to jump on what sounded like a great opportunity? And if our relationship was part of the equation, did I even want it to be? Our relationship was fairly new, and while I valued it greatly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be responsible for Jack walking away from something that might be good for his career. What if our feelings changed? What if mine did?

  Chapter 9

  Friday, January 26

  I woke on Friday with a new sense of determination. It would be easy to get bogged down in my fear that Jack’s mother would somehow talk him into leaving Gull Island or my worry about Vikki and the tough decision she faced, but neither decision was mine to make, and I’ve found it’s best to focus on things over which you had some level of control. I pulled on some sweats and took Kizzy out for a quick run.

  The weather had changed. Not only was it sunny, without a trace of a cloud in the sky, but it felt like Mother Nature planned to grant us an unseasonably warm day as well. I had my articles to file for the newspaper this morning and I was meeting Brooke for lunch, but maybe Kizzy and I would take a long hike in the afternoon.

  Of course, there was still the issue of Bobby’s death to resolve. Although we had uncovered a number of random facts that seemed to be relevant, I still had no idea how they fit together, or even if a complete picture would give us the most important answer we were looking for. I couldn’t imagine how hard this must be for Abby. The grief involved in losing your husband so expectedly at such a young age must be almost unimaginable in isolation, but add in five children and a mountain of debt, and I was surprised she was holding it together as well as she seemed to be.

  I had just made the turn at the end of the eastern side of the peninsula that led to the turtle beach when I saw Alex dressed in a running suit, talking on the phone. I was surprised to see him up so early. He tended to party late and sleep in past noon, but it appeared he’d had the same idea I had about a morning run. Once Kizzy saw him, she took off in his direction, so I changed direction as well and followed her. By the time I arrived at the place where he was standing, he’d finished his call.

  “I see we had the same idea,” I said as he bent over to pet Kizzy.

  “It’s the first totally sunny morning we’ve had in quite some time. I figured I should take advantage of it while I had the chance.”

  “Kizzy and I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

  Alex picked up a stick and threw it for the puppy, who immediately took off after it. “No problem. I’m glad I ran into you. I haven’t been around much, but I did follow up with the men I know who work in Bobby’s firehouse.”

  I used a hand to shade the sun from my eyes. “And…?”

  “According to the guys, Bobby was a hardworking and well-liked addition to the firehouse. A couple of the guys confirm that his stress level seemed to increase dramatically when he found out Abby was pregnant, but those same men said he seemed to be handling it. I asked about the layoffs and have confirmed that prior to the arson spree, there was talk about reducing the three-man crews to two-man crews during the overnight hours as a means of reducing the budget.”

  “So the cuts were never made?”

  “No. After the arsons, the captain was able to argue that a hot and destructive fire can occur at any time of the day or night and without warning. He argued that it would be careless to try to provide fire protection with less than three men.”

  “So if Bobby set the fires to save his job, it looks like it worked.”

  “I guess it did.”

  Alex started to walk down the beach and I fell into step behind him. “Do you know how many men were looking at layoffs?” I asked, wanting to confirm what I had learned.

  “At least two. Bobby and one other man who was hired just before he was.”

  “Do you know the name of the other man?”

  “Sam Petrie. According to the other guys, Bobby and Sam got along okay, but both were ambitious and there seemed to be something of a rivalry between them. I considered the fact that if Bobby had been setting the fires, Sam may have found out and threatened to tell, but that only makes sense if Sam was the firefighter who ended up dead.”

  I stopped walking. I turned and looked at Alex. “What if Sam was the arsonist and Bobby found out and threatened to tell?”

  Alex paused. “I guess that works. He was looking at a layoff, the same as Bobby.”

  “I asked Rick to compare Bobby’s work schedule with the fires; maybe I should have him compare the fires with Sam’s schedule.”

  “It couldn’t hurt. And while you’re at it, find out if they were off shift at different times. It seems because they were both new, they would be on different teams. Maybe they worked together and alternated setting the fires on their off nights. It would be a smart way to provide both with an alibi for at least some of the fires.”

  I smiled. “Thanks, Alex. I think you might be on to something.”

  Kizzy and I returned to the house and I fed her, then headed upstairs to shower and change. The breakfast crew hadn’t shown up yet, so perhaps I’d make some muffins to serve once they did. I combed out my wet hair, pulled on some jeans and a sweater, and headed back to the first story of the house. I could hear voices in the distance and the wonderful smell of something baking, so perhaps Clara had risen after I’d gone up to my suite in the attic and started the muffins in my absence.

  “It smells like you read my mind again,” I said to Clara after entering the kitchen. “Blueberry?”

  “Of course, dear. It’s what you were craving.”

  “It’s exactly what I was craving.” I poured myself a cup of coffee and opened the refrigerator. “I’ll make a nice fruit salad to go with it.”

  “Did you enjoy your run?”

  I wasn’t going to ask how Clara knew that was what I’d done. “Yes. It’s a beautiful morning, which has made me in the mood for spring.”

  “The hot weather will be here so
on enough. I’m enjoying the cooler weather we’ve been having. Did Alex say whether he’d join us for breakfast?”

  “He didn’t say, but it seemed he had somewhere to go. I can hear Garrett moving around in his room, and I’m sure George will be by. I think Vikki had a late night, so I hate to call and wake her. If she doesn’t come over, I’ll take her some muffins later.”

  “Any sign of Nicole?” Clara began setting plates and utensils on the table.

  “I didn’t go by her place while I was out, but I think I’ll pop by later in the morning. I can’t help thinking something’s wrong, but if Nicole hadn’t left her light on, we may not even have realized she’d been away.”

  “I don’t have a sense she’s in danger, so perhaps you’re correct. I picked up some fresh honey while I was in town the other day. Perhaps I’ll have some with my tea.”

  “I’ll grab it,” I said as I opened the pantry door.

  “Something smells good,” Garrett said as he came into the room with Blackbeard on his shoulder.

  “Kill the cat, kill the cat,” Blackbeard said after taking one look at Agatha, who had arched her back and hissed when Garrett brought him into the room.

  “Play nice,” Garrett said to Blackbeard as he set him on his perch.

  “Does Blackbeard seem okay to you?” I asked Garrett after I handed him a cup of coffee.

  “He seems fine to me. Why do you ask?”

  “It’s just that while you were in the senior home he was such a chatterbox, but I’ve barely heard him talk at all in the past couple of weeks.”

  “Blackbeard only talks if he has something to say. I’m sure if there were a problem, he would let us know. Do we have any fresh cream left?”

  I nodded. “I’ll get it.”

  “What are your plans for the day?” Garrett asked.

  “I have some work to do for the paper and then I’m meeting Brooke Johnson for lunch. She wants me to help out with the Spring Fling.”

  “I always look forward to that.”