Page 35 of Whiskey and Whispers
“Or she definitely needed to do this,” Cooper replied. “Because it was something she didn’t want Dad to see or know about.”
“Far be it for me to defend our father, but we don’t know what he knows or doesn’t know,” Tate reminded them. “It’s a long shot, but he could be completely innocent.”
“You don’t really believe that,” Zack scoffed. “Our old man hasn’t been innocent since he got out of diapers. He’s been a scheming shit since kindergarten.”
In Joel Winslow’s senior yearbook, his class had voted him Most Likely to Take Over the World.
“Just trying to be fair,” Tate laughed. “I don’t want us to be so blinded that we’re not open to other theories.”
“Dad may be innocent of Mom’s disappearance, but he knows more than he’s letting on,” Cooper said. “I’d bet cash money on it.”
“There’s only one way to know if any of this is helpful. We have to go through it all with a fine-tooth comb,” Tate said. “Do we have the okay to remove the contents?”
“We do,” Cooper confirmed. “The owner of this place is a pretty nice guy, and he’s been reasonable about all of this. It helps that he knows that eventually the money would have run out, and he’d have to reach out anyway to get paid or vacate.”
“And Dad doesn’t know?” Tate pressed. “Because if he gets wind of this?—”
“We’re good,” Zack assured him. “If he does happen to find out, by then we will have gone through all of this stuff. If he wants what’s left, I won’t fight him.”
Tate ran a finger through the line of dust on an old rocking chair. He recognized it only when he moved a few boxes sitting on it.
It was like getting kicked in the heart.
“Mom used to rock all of us in the chair,” he choked out. He had distinct memories of sitting on his mother’s lap when he was sick. She’d rock and sing to him until he fell asleep. “How did this get here?”
Images of his childhood filled his head, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Most days, he was fine. Life went on, after all. The world didn’t stop because he was hurting, and he didn’t expect it to.
But moments like this swiftly brought back all the grief and uncertainty as if it all happened only yesterday. He could still hear his mother’s voice the last time he’d talked to her. She’d told him she loved him. He was happy that he’d said it back. He only wished he’d said more, but then he hadn’t known he’d never speak to her again.
You were the best mom. I love you so much. Thank you for everything. I miss you.
“I know,” Cooper said quietly, placing his hand on Tate’s shoulder. “I know.”
“How did any of this get here?” Zack asked, opening up a dusty box. “That’s the real question. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes sense if Mom wanted to keep these things, but Dad didn’t,” Cooper argued. “You know how he is. He would have had one of his employees get rid of it behind Mom’s back. I’m sure she knew that, too.”
“Let’s load all of this into the truck,” Zack said. “We can store it all in my spare room. I’ve already cleared it with Lucy. Shethinks it’s a good idea to keep it all away from Dad. Even Dad wouldn’t have someone break into my house to get the items.”
“Assuming that any of this has any meaning to him,” Tate replied. “He may not care.”
“He has his new family, after all,” Cooper said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. Of all the Winslow kids, Cooper had the most difficult relationship with Joel. “All of this is just his past, which he only cares about when it’s convenient for him. At least that’s what I’m going to say to him if he kicks up a fuss.”
“He just doesn’t like not being in control,” Zack said. “That’s all it would be about. Control. Even after Mom’s gone.”
“Then he should get therapy for that,” Cooper scoffed. “I’m not inclined to coddle him about anything. He never did for us.”
As efficiently as possible, they loaded all the unit’s contents into the pickup truck they’d borrowed from one of Cooper’s friends and drove it to Zack’s house. Lucy was still at the bookstore when they unloaded it all, placing it in the empty room.
“Where do we start?” Cooper asked when they were done. “The boxes, I guess? See what Mom thought was important enough to save?”
The first few boxes were filled with clothes, casual and fancy. Cooper held up a sparkly lavender halter dress for closer inspection.
“These would probably be worth a fortune now,” he said. “Vintage designer clothes in excellent condition go for a pretty penny. Not that I’m suggesting we sell. I’m just making an observation. Even the shorts and jeans. They don’t make clothes like this anymore. One of my friends has a wife who collects vintage Levis. She’d go crazy over these. Why do you think Mom packed all of this away?”
“From the style, I’m guessing these were her clothes from before most of us were born,” Zack replied. “Maybe she couldn’twear them anymore, or maybe she thought they might come back in style later on, so she kept them.”
“They did come back in style,” Tate said. “A few times. And they will again, I’m betting. Mom had good taste, too. Frankie and Piper might want some of these.”
