Bijou by Zeller Jill

Author:Zeller, Jill [Zeller, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

A Ghost in Flames

It was nearly dark by the time Sawyer dropped Zoe and me off at Ivy’s. Declining my offer of dinner, he drove away as soon as I shut my passenger door. Zoe and watched him go down the street.

“He seems kind of mad, Mom.”

Nodding, I went inside without a word. Maybe what Sawyer thought of me wouldn’t matter. He seemed to have dismissed me from his life. I realized I had handed him a terrible day, starting with the visit to Jeff Nash’s house, my rendezvous with his ex, and finally agreeing to drive to his sworn enemy, Jack Easton. I hoped he would get over it, but with Sawyer it was hard to tell who he could forgive, and who he couldn’t.

Ivy had dinner ready. She didn’t like to cook, but she was good at it when she did. Interestingly, Libra had joined Bruce for dinner. If she had seen her dad drop me off, she didn’t comment. As soon as Zoe and I were inside, Libra’s phone buzzed. I hoped it was a text from Sawyer.

My elbow still throbbed, and I felt a worrisome, tender swelling and bruising there. I hoped it wasn’t broken. Ivy rooted out some Percocets for me and I took two. By the time dinner was on the patio table I was feeling OK, holding ice to my elbow and listening to Libra talk about some crazy political situation of which I had never heard. She was actually a very bright girl, I thought, when her hormones weren’t turning her mind to mush and her thoughts to sex.

My phone buzzed with a text from Sawyer. My heart did a pleasant flip. Maybe he had forgiven me, wanted to meet. But all he told me was that he had emailed me Jeff Nash’s file. While Ivy sparred in a half-needling way with Libra, who could hold her own against even my sister, I opened my mail.

I feel terrible this young girl Mae has been blamed. I wouldn’t have let this happen for a million dollars, but I love Dixie. She needs me. If I didn’t back her up, because she had no breaks at all, with that father of hers, and her brothers abusing her, then she would have no one. I am so sorry, Mae. I know you didn’t kill Justin. My heart bleeds when I write his name. Justin. Justin. Justin.

A rush of pity filled me. I could understand why Jeff Nash kept silent all these years. Reading on I found he had kept a journal, and on the advice of his therapist, took a look at it. I have to forgive myself, more than anything. I can’t keep up hating myself. It takes too much energy.

I read on, knowing these words would exonerate Mae. I wished there was a better way, keep Jeff’s name out of it, because it made him out to be a gutless conspirator in his wife’s maliciousness. But if it would save the life of some poor depressed teenager looking for an excuse, it was worth it.

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