Page 89 of Falling

“I’ll let you make that call,” he says. “It’s our lives. And I think everyone will be fine, for what it’s worth.”

“I’m not sure my parents will be, but I’m actually okay with that.”

He squeezes my hand and when we pull into his driveway, he says, “Welcome home, Mrs. Landmark.”

I lean over and kiss him. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”

After we’ve visited the animals and I’ve had a sweet reunion with my Dolly, we sit in front of the fireplace, trying yet again to have hot chocolate. I look at it longingly and when he notices, he lifts the mug to his lips to see if it’s too hot.

“I think it’s just right…but please don’t spill it on yourself to test that theory,” he says.

My phone rings and I glance at it, pausing when I see Kess’s number.

“I should take this,” I say.

He nods and sets the hot chocolate on the table next to me.

“Hello?”

“Ruby,” Kess’s voice breaks.

“Kess? What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“I’m at the farm and…it’s not good, Ruby. One of the…I think it’s Thor, but you know how I get him confused with Stan…” She breaks out in sobs and I stare at Callum in alarm.

“What about Thor? Kess, talk to me.”

“He’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone?”

“He’s dead.”

I put my fist over my mouth and feel my heart crack.

“I was here earlier and saw Junior. He was being a jerk,” she says through her tears. “I didn’t feel good about leaving…I’m so sorry, Ruby.”

“It’s not your fault, Kess. It’s mine. I should’ve been there by now.”

“No, it’s Junior,” she says, raising her voice. “I don’t trust him, Ruby. I was here yesterday and everything looked fine. But tonight when I got here, they acted like they were starving,and when I confronted Junior, he said he warned you that you needed to get back here.”

Tears stream down my face and Callum grips my hand. “I thought I should wait until my RV was ready, so I’d have a place to stay. I should’ve just gotten there. Why is he doing this?”

“He claims he had nothing to do with Thor, but I’ve called the sheriff anyway. I’ll let you know if he’s able to get to the bottom of it.”

“Please call me with any updates. No matter how late. I’ll rent a car in the morning or see if there’s a flight…”

“I’m sorry,” she says again. “I’ve gotta go. The sheriff just pulled up.”

As soon as we hang up, I look at Callum helplessly. “Did you hear that?”

He nods, his jaw clenched. “What can I do to help?”

“Just keep holding on to me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I have to go home tomorrow…and I need to call Junior.”

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