Barbara Dunlop - Overheated

He took her hand, almost desperate to hold her, but terrified he wouldn’t be able to let her go. “You call me if you hear?”

“I will.”

“And let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”

The depths of her eyes told him what she needed, but it was the one thing he couldn’t give her. Now wasn’t the time to flaunt logic. Decisions made under emotional duress were inherently dangerous. A powerful hormonal cocktail was at work in his body, dilating his blood vessels, heightening everything he was thinking or feeling, making even insignificant issues seem of paramount importance.

If ever there was a time to let cooler heads prevail, this was it. And he’d had a cooler head on Sunday. He had to trust that he’d made a good decision then.

He let go of her hands. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded, and he turned to head down the stairs.

Nash was typing on his computer, a headset on one ear, his voice low into the microphone.

He spotted Larry, then turned to search the room, obviously checking for Crystal.

“Roger that,” he said into the microphone. “Call me when you know.”

Then he leaned back in his wheeled desk chair. “Got a few friends lending a hand with the police in Charlotte.”

“I like your friends,” said Larry, taking a seat nearby.

“They’d like you, too. They’re following up on a couple of leads, checking out the local bars and hospitals. It looks like Zane left enough blood at the scene to test for blood alcohol. The jerk was plastered.”

“Yet he tosses his own kids in the backseat for a joyride. The man ought to be shot.”

“You serious?”

No, Larry wasn’t serious. “We can hardly hunt him down and shoot him.”

Nash slid his mouse pointer across the screen and clicked on an icon. “Apprehension mishaps happen all the time, my friend.”

“I’d settle for a long stint in a detestable prison.”

“Odds are with you, then.”

LATE AFTERNOON, Crystal stood at the rail of Nash’s deck watching Larry tow the kids on an inflatable raft behind Nash’s speedboat. Amber had come through the surgery well, but she would be in intensive care for the foreseeable future. She’d also have months of therapy ahead of her for a shattered ankle and a broken pelvis.

She hadn’t regained consciousness yet, which was probably a blessing. It was going to be a long, painful haul, and the best they could hope for was one day at a time.

They’d glossed over the details to the kids, and Larry had spent the past two days valiantly distracting them with games, water sports and renovation projects on the Victorian house. They’d even taken a shopping trip into Asheboro to pick up a few clothes.

Nash appeared next to her, handing her a glass of iced tea. She hadn’t even heard him approach.

“Thanks,” she told him, taking the cool, slippery glass.

He gave her a nod in response.

“And thanks for the security guards at the airport. I didn’t realize how rattled I was that night.”

“Not unusual,” he said.

It wasn’t the first time Nash had piqued her curiosity. “How would you know that?”

“You’re human.”

She supposed that was true enough.

“You did everything right,” he assured her.

“Thanks.”

The outboard motor whined as Larry made a turn, David squealed as he came flying off the inflatable raft, skimming the surface before bobbing under for a split second then being righted by his bright orange lifejacket.

He waved his arms, giving a thumbs-up.

Hanging on tightly to the inflatable herself, Jennifer shouted, “We’re coming around for you!”

“He sure knows how to show them a good time,” said Crystal, wishing for the thousandth time she was ten years older or Larry was ten years younger.

“You going to be okay?” asked Nash in a gruff voice.

She looked up at him for clarification.

“Spending time with him. Like this. While he stomps all over your heart?”

“He’s not stomping-”

“Maybe not intentionally. But I see the way you look at him.”

Crystal felt an embarrassed flush rise in her face. Pity from a man like Nash was really hard to take.

“It’s the kids that count,” she said.

“Agreed. But you have to live with the aftermath.”

She swirled the iced tea and ice cubes. “I have a plan.”

There was amusement in his voice. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m going to start a charitable trust for abandoned animals and employ myself. I already have a lawyer working on the details. It’ll be worthwhile, satisfying work. Next, I’ll get a new apartment.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’m going to be fine.”

“Okay.”

“No man is that important.”

Nash gave her a look that said she was deluding herself. Maybe she was. But it was all she had at the moment.

David shrieked again, as Larry pulled up to the dock. He tied off while the kids pulled the inflatable out of the water and up onto the beach.

“Guess I’d better think about dinner,” said Nash, pushing his chair back.

“Never would have guessed you were the domesticated type.”

“There are a lot of things you wouldn’t guess,” he said with a mock, two-fingered salute.

“Auntie Crystal,” David called, jogging across the lawn ahead of Larry and Jennifer. “That was cool!”

“Really?” said Crystal. “I couldn’t tell you were having fun.”

David made it to the top of the stairs. “We were having fun,” he confirmed, hopping up and down in place.

“Glad to hear it. Coming up on dinner, so you better get out of that wet bathing suit.”

He nodded, scampering for the glass door, remembering to wipe his feet on the mat before heading inside.

Jennifer arrived, her skinny arms wrapped around her bathing suit-clad body. “We’re going to need a big dinner,” she announced.

“I could eat a horse,” said Larry.

“Eeewww,” squealed Jennifer, prancing into the house.

Nash appeared in the doorway, his telephone headset in his ear.

He looked at Larry just as Crystal’s cell phone rang.

She turned to the table to answer it and thought she saw Nash give Larry a nod.

“Hello?” she greeted.

“Crystal Hayes?”

“Yes?”

“This is Sergeant Wilson of the Charlotte Metropolitan Police. I’ve been asked to inform you that a Mr. Zane Crandell was taken into custody today. He’s here at the Central Station.”

A wash of relief fell through Crystal’s body, and she dropped herself into a deck chair.

Larry approached, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said to the man.

“Do you have any questions?”

“No.” There was nothing more she wanted to know. Zane was off the streets and that was all that mattered.

“Very well,” said the sergeant. “Goodbye, then.”

“Goodbye.” She gripped the little phone tight. “They got him.”

“That’s great,” said Larry, with a squeeze. “Do you want to tell the kids?”

Crystal pictured their dripping hair and laughing eyes. “Let’s do it later.”

Larry nodded, and Crystal’s phone rang again.

She put it back up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Crystal?” It was her mother.

“You heard? I am so relieved.”

“Crystal.”

Relief began turning to anger. “Whatever they give him. Whatever he gets-”

“Crystal.” Her mother’s tone was uncharacteristically sharp.

“What?”

“It’s Amber.”

Everything inside Crystal went dead still. “What?” she rasped from deep in her chest.

“They had to do emergency surgery.”

Time stopped while her mother took a breath.

“She didn’t survive it.” Stella’s voice broke.

“No,” Crystal moaned. “No.”

How could it happen? How could it have gone so terribly wrong? The relationship should have run its course. Zane should have grown tired and left town.

“It was the bleeding,” said her mother, regrouping. “They couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

David’s laughter echoed down the stairs, and Nash immediately retreated inside, closing the door behind him.

Larry’s arm went around Crystal’s shoulders as the first sob burst from deep in her soul.

THE FUNERAL WAS SUNDAY. While his family attended the NASCAR race in Michigan, Larry was in Charlotte, standing in a wind-swept cemetery with a cluster of Amber’s friends and family watching Jennifer protectively clutch her little brother who was sitting on a dark, folding chair between his sister and Crystal, tears streaking his cheeks. The little girl was dry-eyed, and had been that way since she heard the terrible news.

Crystal’s face was stark white above the collar of her black dress. He knew she’d been busy with the arrangements for the past three days, but it looked like reality had now hit her with a sledgehammer.

The preacher spoke of life, death and redemption, but Larry didn’t think Crystal was hearing a word. She stared straight at the polished coffin and its simple bouquet of white roses. Her parents sat next to Jennifer, while the rest of those assembled stood in the early morning sunshine.

Larry knew there was nothing he could do or say that would ease her sorrow. The preacher finished, then the family bravely rose as the coffin was lowered into the ground. They each dropped a rose into the grave, then the other mourners filed by.

Larry said his own goodbye to the woman he’d never had the chance to get to know, then he followed Crystal, catching up to her at the line of black cars waiting at the curb.

While the kids got in, he gently touched her elbow.

She turned.

“If there’s anything I can do…”

She nodded and gave him a brave smile, patting his arm. “I’m going to keep it low-key this week.”

“Good idea.”