Page 53 of Eldritch

Pauline nodded. “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” She drew in a huge breath and blew it out. “After losing the case and seeing the guy sentenced to life in prison, she drove home. Dad told her to check into a hotel in Colorado Springs and wait out the storm. But I guess when she called her office and told them she’d lost the case, they said they needed to see her at seven a.m. at the office. She figured they were going to fire her. She headed back to Denver.”

“Wow.”

“Wow doesn’t even cover it. She was on Monument Hill when she lost control of the car. Driving too fast for the conditions, the cops said.” Pauline’s face registered a mix of anger and something almost like sadness. “It was her car that started the chain reaction.”

Sybil frowned. “Oh, my God.”

“Yeah. Two semis also slid, sandwiching her car between them. Thirty other cars started crashing and piling up behind them. Three people in those cars died instantly, and a few others were injured. Lina almost froze to death before anyone could reach her.”

Pauline’s eyes held their usual aloofness, as if she told a story about a stranger.

“That’s awful.”

Pauline snorted. “It got worse. She almost died and was in the hospital for a month. Lina’s paralysis from the waist down changed everything. Plus, the families of the deceased learned that my mother was being charged with reckless driving. Cops wouldn’t charge her with vehicular homicide.” Pauline seemed to find a second wind, pouring out the story. “So those families sued our family.”

“Oh, shit.”

Pauline paced back and forth as if she inspected a line of soldiers. “It was a nightmare.”

“I’m sorry you went through that.”

Pauline stopped pacing. The anger in Pauline’s gaze dissolved as the sheen of tears started. Sybil held her breath a little, surprised as hell at where this conversation had led.

“While Lina was in the hospital, her law firm acted like they gave a shit about her. They even acted like they cared about Dad and me. But when they learned we were being sued, they fired Lina.”

Sybil couldn’t think of another word to say other than to repeat, “Wow.”

Pauline wiped at her eyes and sniffed. Sybil’s empathy kicked in as she took in how all of this had to make Pauline who she was now.

Sybil said, “They fired her because she was a liability and didn’t offer to represent her once she was sued.”

Pauline’s spine straightened. She pointed at Sybil. “Damn right.”

“Let me guess. The resulting suit put you guys in hot water financially.”

“You’re right.” Defiance returned to Pauline’s eyes. “They suck ass. One lawyer there...another junior lawyer...she called Lina and told her everything the asshole higher up said about Lina.”

“That only made your mother’s mood get worse, right?”

“Yep. She hadn’t even fully recovered yet. She was in rehab, and Dad almost lost his business trying to keep us afloat. He was lucky one of the other lawyers in his firm represented our family for free. The case lasted for a year before they dismissed it.”

“Lina’s mood didn’t improve.”

“Bingo again. You don’t even wanna know the abuse she heaped on my dad. And me. Both of them wanted me to go into law and wouldn’t let up with the nagging.”

“You didn’t want to.”

“Hell no. Even before Lina’s accident, I’ve never aspired to be a lawyer.”

“What did you want to do? My guess is it isn’t cleaning mansions.”

“No. I guess you could call me a screwup.”

Sybil wanted to call her that. She really, really did. Something shifted inside her. An acknowledgement that Pauline had grown up in an unhealthy family. Just as her own upbringing hadn’t been supportive. In this sense, they were sisters.

“You get along well with your dad,” Sybil said.

Pauline’s expression lightened again. As if something heavy had left her shoulders. “Yeah.”

---