and looked him square in the face.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Lance said.
“I can’t imagine how awful it was for you, finding the Norths.”
Lance looked away, afraid the relief he was feeling would be evident. Luckily Joe mistook his behavior for sorrow.
“I’m heartsick about the whole thing,” Joe muttered. “God. Poor Frank and Maggie. And Cari…so damn young.” He shook his head. “What a horrible way to die.”
Lance nodded, then sighed and quickly changed the subject, aware Joe would think he didn’t want to talk about it due to grief.
“Your room is waiting for you. Wash up, and then come on into the kitchen. I reheated some jambalaya,” Lance said.
“You cooked?” Joe asked.
Lance smiled wryly. “Takeout from in town.”
“Hope it’s some of Mama Lou’s from the Crab Shack.”
“It is,” Lance said.
“Give me five,” Joe said, grabbed his suitcase and headed for his old room.
A few minutes later, they were both at the kitchen table and, like old times, sharing food and memories, as people so often do when there’s a death in the family.
“How long can you stay?” Lance asked, as he spooned some rice into his bowl.
“At least until after the funeral, which is this Thursday, by the way. I thought I’d help you start cleaning up around here, too.”
“That would be great. Jim Bob Greeley was out today and repaired the broken panes in the kitchen windows. I think there are a few missing shingles on the roof and a corner of the barn roof rolled back, but that’s just a matter of nailing the sheet iron back down.”
“I’ll do the shingles and nail down the sheet iron,” Joe offered. “I know you don’t like heights.”
“You’ve got that right,” Lance said, and took a big bite of his food. It didn’t seem strange to him that he was sharing a cozy meal with his brother as if nothing untoward had happened. In his mind, all he’d done was what he’d had to do to save the family home.
Right in the middle of the meal, the phone began to ring. Without thinking, he got up and answered it.
“Hello?”
“So…Mr. Morgan, you’re finally home.”
The moment Lance heard Martinelli’s voice, he knew he’d made a mistake. How was he going to talk to the man without letting Joe know what he’d gotten them into? All he could do was play it by ear.
“Yes. Just,” Lance said. “I’ve been in town all day, helping with search and rescue.”
“Oh? Has someone gone missing?” Martinelli asked.
Lance frowned. “Don’t you watch the news? Hell yes, someone went missing, and some are dead, too. We were hit straight-on by a tornado day before yesterday. Four people are dead…one of them a woman I used to be engaged to…as well as her parents. We also have a little boy we can’t find, along with four prisoners from the jailhouse.”
There was a moment of silence, then he actually heard a hint of sympathy in Martinelli’s voice. It was what he’d hoped for.
“Sorry to hear it,” Martinelli said. “I didn’t know.”
“Yes, well…you can understand how upset we all are. I’m sorry if I sounded a little short, but it’s been hell.”
“Yeah…sure…say, why don’t I give you a call in a day or two?”
“Fine,” Lance said. “That would be most considerate of you.”
“No problem,” Martinelli said. “Oh…say… have you talked to Austin Ball, yet?”
Lance’s heart skipped a beat. “Who?”
“Austin Ball…he’s one of my lawyers.”
“No, I haven’t heard from him. When was he going to call?”
“He flew out to see you on Sunday.”
“He came out here? Really? Well, that was the day the tornado hit, and it was pretty crazy around here. Maybe he changed his mind.”
“Okay. He’ll probably call in soon. Sorry for your loss. We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah, later,” Lance said, and hung up.
Reprieve.
He turned to Joe, who was frowning.
“Who was that?” Joe asked.
“Oh…just a business call. No big deal.”
Joe
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Lance said.
“I can’t imagine how awful it was for you, finding the Norths.”
Lance looked away, afraid the relief he was feeling would be evident. Luckily Joe mistook his behavior for sorrow.
“I’m heartsick about the whole thing,” Joe muttered. “God. Poor Frank and Maggie. And Cari…so damn young.” He shook his head. “What a horrible way to die.”
Lance nodded, then sighed and quickly changed the subject, aware Joe would think he didn’t want to talk about it due to grief.
“Your room is waiting for you. Wash up, and then come on into the kitchen. I reheated some jambalaya,” Lance said.
“You cooked?” Joe asked.
Lance smiled wryly. “Takeout from in town.”
“Hope it’s some of Mama Lou’s from the Crab Shack.”
“It is,” Lance said.
“Give me five,” Joe said, grabbed his suitcase and headed for his old room.
A few minutes later, they were both at the kitchen table and, like old times, sharing food and memories, as people so often do when there’s a death in the family.
“How long can you stay?” Lance asked, as he spooned some rice into his bowl.
“At least until after the funeral, which is this Thursday, by the way. I thought I’d help you start cleaning up around here, too.”
“That would be great. Jim Bob Greeley was out today and repaired the broken panes in the kitchen windows. I think there are a few missing shingles on the roof and a corner of the barn roof rolled back, but that’s just a matter of nailing the sheet iron back down.”
“I’ll do the shingles and nail down the sheet iron,” Joe offered. “I know you don’t like heights.”
“You’ve got that right,” Lance said, and took a big bite of his food. It didn’t seem strange to him that he was sharing a cozy meal with his brother as if nothing untoward had happened. In his mind, all he’d done was what he’d had to do to save the family home.
Right in the middle of the meal, the phone began to ring. Without thinking, he got up and answered it.
“Hello?”
“So…Mr. Morgan, you’re finally home.”
The moment Lance heard Martinelli’s voice, he knew he’d made a mistake. How was he going to talk to the man without letting Joe know what he’d gotten them into? All he could do was play it by ear.
“Yes. Just,” Lance said. “I’ve been in town all day, helping with search and rescue.”
“Oh? Has someone gone missing?” Martinelli asked.
Lance frowned. “Don’t you watch the news? Hell yes, someone went missing, and some are dead, too. We were hit straight-on by a tornado day before yesterday. Four people are dead…one of them a woman I used to be engaged to…as well as her parents. We also have a little boy we can’t find, along with four prisoners from the jailhouse.”
There was a moment of silence, then he actually heard a hint of sympathy in Martinelli’s voice. It was what he’d hoped for.
“Sorry to hear it,” Martinelli said. “I didn’t know.”
“Yes, well…you can understand how upset we all are. I’m sorry if I sounded a little short, but it’s been hell.”
“Yeah…sure…say, why don’t I give you a call in a day or two?”
“Fine,” Lance said. “That would be most considerate of you.”
“No problem,” Martinelli said. “Oh…say… have you talked to Austin Ball, yet?”
Lance’s heart skipped a beat. “Who?”
“Austin Ball…he’s one of my lawyers.”
“No, I haven’t heard from him. When was he going to call?”
“He flew out to see you on Sunday.”
“He came out here? Really? Well, that was the day the tornado hit, and it was pretty crazy around here. Maybe he changed his mind.”
“Okay. He’ll probably call in soon. Sorry for your loss. We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah, later,” Lance said, and hung up.
Reprieve.
He turned to Joe, who was frowning.
“Who was that?” Joe asked.
“Oh…just a business call. No big deal.”
Joe
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