Page 11 of Fractured

And it was my mother’s attorney. Technically, she wasn’t even her attorney anymore since her case was closed. I definitely hadn’t been paying into a retainer.

“Hi, Autumn, how are you?” I propped the phone between my ear and shoulder as I crossed the road to the picture-perfect green park. Large shade trees were scattered amongst the field with a winding concrete running path. The college wouldn’t be back in session yet, so there weren’t that many people here. I picked a spot under a large shade tree and carefully sat down without spilling my food.

“Lilith, hi. I’m glad I caught you. Listen, I won’t take up too much of your time, but I wanted to let you know the son of Mrs. Daniels reached out to me late last week—”

“Her son? He’s something like twelve, isn’t he?” I pulled the sandwich and chips out of the plastic bag and spread it out over the ground as a makeshift plate.

I did everything I could not to think aboutthosepeople. And I knew they damn sure didn’t want to think about us. So why was a child contacting Autumn?

“No, not the youngest of the three. Her oldest. He was away at college when…everything happened. He was the one who contacted me. I deliberated all weekend on whether I would pass along his message or not, and well, I figured I’d tell you and let you do with it what you will.”

My heart stopped.

My mother was a horrible human being, and nothing this man wanted from me could be a good thing. Especially after what she did to his family.

“Are you there?”

Shit. “Yes, I’m here.” I cleared my throat. “What is his message?”

“He asked to speak with you. He wouldn’t tell me the nature of his request, but he promised he had no ill will toward you. I have a feeling it has more to do with closure than anything else. Would you like his information to contact him back?”

I didn’t want to talk with him. There was absolutely zero desire to dredge up old memories just to give this man a little peace of mind. He could also be lying to Autumn. If I did speak with him, he could have every intention of giving my mother a little taste of her own medicine. I hadn’t even realized Mrs. Daniels had another son. That whole period in my life was hazy because it was so traumatic. For them more so than me. At least I’d already turned eighteen, so I hadn’t had to go into the foster care system. That time.

“Lilith? I know this is a strange request, and please don’t feel obligated to take his call.”

“I know. I was thinking it over. This is very sudden, and I admit, I’m caught off guard. I had thought this whole thing was behind me.” Just when I thought I’d finally found a space to clear my head, this man would now wiggle his way into the back of my mind, forcing me to think and worry over his motives.

“And it should be behind you. You were not the one who did wrong here. Even your mother, for all her faults, can’t really be to blame, bless her heart.” Autumn took on a motherly tone, as if reminding me I was a good and normal person.

“Can I think about it? I’ll call you back in a couple days and let you know my answer. It’s not a no right now, but I’m not sure if it will be a yes, either.”

“Absolutely, take all the time you need.” We said our goodbyes and hung up.

As much as I hated Lauren and wanted her out of my life, the need to keep her there was too high. And now, I knew what I had to do. I needed to see her before I could give Autumn an answer. If she were sane enough, I’d ask her exactly what happened that day. I had been too young and afraid before, avoiding all news outlets and people from that neighborhood. Just to make sure it didn’t touch me, I took my savings and moved closer to the beach. But seeing her, hearing her words, would tell me if I had enough guts and sanity to give him what he was asking for.

Assuming he only wanted closure.

Against my will, I remembered the night it all fell apart for Lauren. I was only there for the very end, barely enough to be a witness to the crime. And I was so thankful for that. My fragile mind would have broken long ago if that night had turned out any different.

I’d never felt so helpless, like I was going to float away because there was literally nothing I could do to make her see reason, short of calling her old psychiatrist to have her committed. And I should have, days earlier.

That long forgotten regret started to reel its ugly head, but I pushed it back. Now wasn’t the time for these kinds of thoughts. I’d save all my ugliness for Lauren. Right now, I needed my sandwich. I needed my caffeine, and I needed to have a few moments away from the world.

Inhaling the fresh air helped tremendously.

“Is this spot taken?”

I opened my eyes and glanced up at a handsome man, with jet black hair, just a little graying around his temples. Kind but mysterious blueish-brown eyes looked down at me as he pointed to the patch of dirt and roots at the base of the tree.

“Um, no. Not at all.”

“Thank you.” He took his backpack off his shoulder and sat back against the rough trunk. Unzipping his bag, he pulled out a clear container holding some kind of salad, a second container with what looked like sliced vegetables, and lastly, he pulled out an old worn paperback.

“You’re welcome,” I said belatedly.

“I realize this is a public park, but I’ve been coming here every day for lunch as long as I’ve lived here. And this is my favorite spot. So, thank you for sharing.” His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but I couldn’t really tell because as soon as I thought I saw it, it was gone.

“No problem, I wasn’t going to stay long anyway.” I took a sip of my soda.

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