Page 22 of Trial Run

“Do you know if the other driver was hurt?” Reggie asked.

“He took off,” Ben said. “Backed up, spun out, and blew down the street like he was being chased by aliens. White, Ford F150, running boards and a charcoal gray bed cover. Texas plates, but I only saw the last three numbers, four six seven.”

“That’s pretty amazing, Ben.”

“I have a head for numbers. I’m a mathlete. If you want, you can come to practice sometime and watch Mia and I compete.”

Reggie couldn’t help but grin at the kid’s enthusiasm in the wake of what could’ve been a disaster, but her mood sombered when she looked over at Brooke and saw tears streaming down her face.

“I’m okay, Mom,” Ben said. “Don’t cry. Just be glad I wasn’t driving, or Seth would be a goner.”

His statement elicited a new, louder round of tears, and Reggie raised her eyebrows at Ben. “Was there someone else in the car with you?”

“Seth is our car. He’s ancient and probably wouldn’t survive a wreck.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve met Seth.” Reggie nodded, remembering the unusual moniker for Brooke’s car. “He’s a bit under the weather right now. I brought your mom here and I’ll take you both home.”

Ben jumped down from the bed. “Cool. What do you drive?”

The doctor entered the room before Reggie could answer and she stood off to the side while he gave Ben a final examinationand provided cursory instructions to follow up on the ones the nurse had already delivered. He answered Brooke’s litany of questions and told them they were free to go.

Reggie pulled the Jeep around and picked Brooke and Ben up at the curb. Brooke’s tears had dried, but she wasn’t saying much. Reggie wanted to comfort her, but she suspected whatever Brooke was feeling ran deeper than the knowledge her son had been involved in a wreck. She resolved to find out more, but in the meantime, she’d do what she could to relieve some of her stress starting with dinner plans. “I vote we have pizza for dinner. Does that sound good to you two?”

Ben bounced on the back seat at the mention of his favorite meal and Brooke mouthed “thank you.” Reggie put the car in park and used the app on her phone to order a couple of pizzas from iFratelli’s and headed there to pick them up on the way back to Brooke’s. Once they were there, she took the keys Brooke handed her, and led her and Ben into the house. She sent Ben to his room to wash up and change, planted Brooke in the recliner in the living room, and went to the kitchen to put away all signs of the dinner they’d been about to prepare when they had gotten the call from the hospital. When she was done, she spotted the envelope Brooke’s landlord had delivered earlier. She tucked it into one of the cabinets and made a mental note to bring it up after Ben had gone to bed.

She and Ben devoured the pizza while Brooke merely nibbled at the edges. After dinner Ben read aloud the doctor’s orders and sent himself to bed, making Reggie promise she’d administer the hourly checks to make sure his eyes weren’t dilated. She shot a look at Brooke but didn’t get a signal either way about her feelings on the matter, so she agreed. It meant she’d have to spend the night, but that recliner looked pretty comfortable, and besides, Ben and Brooke would need rides in the morning since Seth the Subaru was out of commission.

Reggie shooed Brooke back to the living room, and then put the dishes in the dishwasher and stowed the leftover pizza in the oven. She retrieved the envelope from the cabinet and joined Brooke who was staring at the blank screen on the TV.

“I’m sorry I’ve checked out on you,” Brooke said. “This day has been really extra.”

“It has, but don’t worry about me. I’m just glad Ben is okay.”

“For now.”

Reggie wasn’t sure how to react to the ominous statement, but she had a hunch. “Brooke, I get the feeling you think Ben and Mia’s car wreck wasn’t an accident.”

“It wasn’t.”

“And you know that because?”

Brooke turned to face her, her eyes red and swollen. “I just know.”

Reggie held up the envelope. “Does it have something to do with this?”

Brooke’s features froze. “Yes.”

“You haven’t even opened it.”

“I don’t need to.” Brooke jabbed a finger at it. “You do it. Please.”

Reggie hesitated, taking a minute to study Brooke’s face until she came to a decision. This wasn’t a trap. Brooke needed her to take this step on her behalf and it was the least she could do. She gently edged the envelope open and eased out the card inside. Colorful block letters that looked like they’d been cut from a magazine spelled out the message:

You were warned. Don’t disobey again.

She picked up the envelope again and stared inside. There was nothing else there. She studied the card, front and back. The message was straightforward, but it didn’t mean anything without context. Warned about what?

“Do you want to see it?” she asked Brooke.

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