Page 22 of True Valor
Nic expected tears, hysteria, but definitelynot the clinical way she spoke.He reached out with his other hand,lifting her chin so he could see her face.In the dark she lookedeven younger, more innocent.The horror of returning memory wasn’tthere, though.
“I don’t,” she seemed to struggle, trying tofind words, “feelthem.”Julie leaned forward, laying herhead on his shoulder.“I know them, I remember them, but I don’tfeel anything for them.”
Nic rubbed the back of her neck as they sat.“Do you want to get out of here?”
“No.”She pulled back, her smile wobbling,and stood up.“But I would like to get out of the bathroom.”
They stepped out into the hallway and Juliepaused, looking down the hall.
“The bedrooms are down there.”
Nic put his hands on her shoulders, ready tostop her if she headed that direction.The news article said thebodies had been found in their beds.She turned back toward theliving room.
“Not ready to go down there yet.”
She wandered through the rest of the house,staying away from windows.Off the kitchen was a den.Anentertainment center, two rocker recliners, a desk taking up onewall.Julie proceeded toward the desk, running her hands along theback of the couch.She swiveled around the desk chair and sat down,still deep into her own thoughts.
Finally she shook her head and looked up atNic.“Dad didn’t kill them or himself.He was really sad when Jessdied.But...”
“Jess was the hunting buddy they mentioned inthe article?”
“More than that.They were likebrothers.”
They were like brothers.Grief clenched inNic’s belly.Still raw.
“We called him Uncle Jess.”
Julie launched out of the chair and paced.The curtains were drawn in this room.No danger of being seen fromthe outside, but with what little light came from the kitchen, Niccould barely see her.“They were in Nam together.Third ArmoredCavalry...Blackhorse Squadron.”Julie pointed over to the cornerof the room.“There’s a picture of the two of them over there.”
Julie moved past Nic, back to the kitchen,and headed through the living room.She stopped, looking down thehallway.
“Nic?”
He came up behind her, putting his armsaround her from behind.“Yeah, baby?”
Her chin rested on his wrist.He could feelher heartbeat against his arm.“Can you go in those rooms?Tell mewhat you see?”
“If you want me to.”
There wasn’t much to see.Julie stayed in thehallway and Nic relayed what he was looking at.The master bedroomwas the first he came to.The blood stains looked black in thedark, on the pillows and splattered on the wall above theheadboard.There was a suitcase on the floor of Jennifer’s bedroom.The bed was mussed and bloody.
Nic walked back into the hallway.
“What now?”
“My bedroom.I can go in there.”
Julie’s bedroom was still decorated inlittle-girl frills.A corner shelf held a menagerie of stuffedanimals and the bureau was home to a family of ceramic ducks.Juliesoftened when she walked in, running a hand lovingly across thefootboard.The bed had a lacy canopy.It was unmade, like theothers.
An open travel bag lay on the floor by thebed.Julie sat on the corner chair and pilfered her backpack.
“I don’t suppose I could take my own moneyand ID, could I?”
“No, I don’t guess so.”
“My car keys are here too.I wonder why I wasdriving their car.”
Julie stuffed her wallet back into thebackpack and stood up.“I want to look on Dad’s computer.Didn’tthe paper say a suicide note was found on the printer?”Shecarefully replaced the backpack where she’d found it and walkedpast Nic.
