Page 8 of Question Everything

Sibby looked up at Kyle who said, “That’s part of the whole story, Sib. I’ll explain it all to you as soon as we get to my condo. For now, can you strap the baby into the seat? I’m not sure what…”

“Of course. Give me that precious bundle.” She took the baby from him with the confidence of a seasoned parent and had the child comfortably positioned and ready to ride in a matter of minutes.

Pattie locked the wheels of the chair and Kyle helped the woman stand. Slowly, they walked her to the front passenger seat of the minivan and helped her up into the vehicle. Then Kyle leaned over her and reached in, careful not to put any of his own weight on her. He pulled the seat belt across her chest and clipped it.

“Is this belt okay? Does it hurt?” he asked.

“It’s fine,” she replied. “I’m just so tired.”

“That’s to be expected,” Pattie chimed in. “You’ll feel better in a few days. Stay off your feet if you can, and take good care now.” With that she turned on a heel, unlocked the now emptywheelchair and pushed it back inside the building, disappearing from view.

Kyle turned back to the woman in the passenger seat. “Sibby will bring you to my place. I’ll follow in my car and meet you there.”

“Thank you,” she said, closing her eyes.

Kyle looked over at his sister who had climbed back into the minivan and was getting ready to drive away.

“See you there,” he said. “Go slow.”

“Yes, detective,” Sibby said in a tone meant to kid him before putting the minivan into drive and pulling out and onto the road that would bring her to his home.

Suddenly, Kyle remembered the state of his condo, the mess he’d left behind. His sister was never going to let him hear the end of it.

CHAPTER 5

Kyle balanced the two bags he’d carried home from Market Basket as he reached into his pocket to retrieve the key to his front door. He had stopped near the hospital for some essentials – he knew that he would need more groceries than the basic eggs, bread, milk, and coffee he’d just purchased. He imagined that a baby would need diapers, bottles, and wipes at the very least. He could go back out later, or tomorrow, after the stranger gave him an idea what her necessities were. He hadn’t lived with a woman in a long time but did remember that Meghan’s list was always longer than his own.

Kyle put his key in the lock and walked inside his home. He was immediately met with the scent of antiseptic cleanser. He stepped into the kitchen to find Sibby wearing yellow plastic gloves that reached her elbows, scrubbing the inside of his sink.

“You should be embarrassed of your sorry self,” she said, never lifting her eyes from her task. “You were raised better than this, brother.”

“I know, Sibby, I’m sorry you walked into this mess without me. It’s been rough, you know, with the investigation and all.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Kyle. I’m sure the facts will bear themselves out. But that’s no excuse for this mess, anyway.”

Kyle closed his eyes, knowing his sister spoke the truth. “Sibby, you’re right about the way I let my place go.” He shrugged his shoulders and added, “but the truth remains. I fired my gun when there was no need. I’m willing to take my punishment. I just didn’t think it would last this freaking long.” He turned away, not wanting to look in her eyes and not wanting her to see the disappointment in his own.

Sibby lowered her voice. “Well, maybe now that you have company, you can put some effort into cleaning up around here. I wouldn’t be helping you except for that poor woman out there. She told me what happened. She needs a quiet, clean place to rest until she can be on her way, and you and I both know that my house is always in a state of controlled chaos.” She paused. “Who am I kidding? It’s full out chaos most of the time. No matter. It’s certainly in better shape than this.” She spread her wet arms out wide, taking in the scope of the work she’d done in the kitchen. Then she asked, “Are you going to have her stay in your bedroom? You can sleep on the couch, or the pull-out sofa in your office.”

Kyle’s two-bedroom condo wasn’t really designed for housing a long-term guest. He’d turned the smaller of the two bedrooms into a home office, with a sofa and a desk, bookshelves, and a small filing cabinet. There was a bathroom with a shower in the hallway outside the door. His bedroom had a king-sized bed with a modern, sleek mahogany wood headboard, a matching dresser and an ensuite bath with both a tub and a walk-in shower. There was a half bath outside of the living room, between the front hall and the kitchen. After Meghan left, he never really put all that much effort into decorating the place, but it was comfortable enough for him. When he was at work he could spend hours, even overnightshifts, away from here. In the weeks that he’d been home, all he’d done was trash the place. At least now he had good reason to clean it up some. He turned to his sister.

“I’ll take it from here, Sibby. You go on home to the kids. Give them all a kiss from me.”

“Well, you owe me some quality babysitting time for my work here today. Why don’t you come for Sunday dinner. You know that mom and dad would love to see you as well.”

He had to concentrate hard so that he wouldn’t grimace at her suggestion. The idea of a loud Sunday dinner with his family would probably push him over the edge. He knew he’d face a round of questions about when he was going back to work, questions he still had no answers for. “We’ll see, Sibby. Hopefully, I’ll have this situation wrapped up by then.”

“This woman is not just a ‘situation’, brother. She may be a lost cause.”

“It’s not as bad as you make it sound, Sibby.”

“Kyle. Have you gone mad? That woman has no idea who she is, or what happened to cause her accident. It doesn’t get much worse.”

“Sure, it does. I’ve seen it be worse many times over. Besides, I’m a pretty good detective. I’m certain I can figure it out and have her back on her way in a few days.”

Sibby squared her shoulders and pulled herself up to her full height, which was a bit over five and a half feet. She smiled, her face brightening. “I’m glad you feel so confident. It’s been a while since I’ve heard you sound that way.”

“Thanks for pointing that out,” he said with a large dose of sarcasm in the tone of his voice.

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