Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin

Author:Charles Martin [Martin, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Amazon: B001ECQGMO
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2005-02-28T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

THE CAB OF THE TRUCK WAS QUIET AND DARK. I HEARD Jase breathing peacefully in the backseat, and it sounded like that kind of sleep most grown-ups only dream about. I scratched my right arm and twisted myself into a more comfortable position. Katie turned around and pulled the blanket up around Jase's ears and his three stuffed animals-something Miss Ella had done to me ten thousand times. Big Bubba and Lil' Bubba were a large and small version of the same horse, and Thumper was a dolphin. All three were tucked under his left arm as he lay crossways on the backseat.

She pointed behind the truck, toward Rolling Hills. "Old friend?"

"Yeah," I pointed, `Judge Faulkner. Got me out of a bind one time." I knew this was lying, but it was half-true. I just wasn't ready to tell the whole truth. "He's a quadriplegic, no family, nobody to talk to. I check on him from time to time. His mind is good, but his body's not."

"He like cigars?"

I smelled my shirt and asked, "That bad, huh?"

"Pretty bad."

"Sorry, he has a thing for Cubans and I'm the only one that'll hold it for him. I try to make it through here when I'm in town." I let it go and said nothing about Rex.

She took off her shoes and propped her feet up on the dashboard, staring out the passenger window. A BandAid wrapped around the back of her ankle. "Cut yourself shaving?"

"Yeah." She pulled it back and checked the cut. "I'm lucky I didn't sever an artery. I went through two razors cutting through a rain forest." The ability to poke fun at herself-that sounded like Katie.

Minutes passed with me keeping my eyes on the road and my mind elsewhere. She started twirling her hair and leaned her head back against the headrest. I didn't ask, but if I had to guess, I'd say she was thinking about Trevor and just how long it would take him to find the Volvo. As we drove into Jacksonville, the sun came up through the windshield.

Due to a wreck, traffic was backed up to 1-295. Katie had to make a stop at the rest area, so I pulled over and let her run in. Jase was still sleeping soundly in the backseat, curled up inside the plaid fleece blanket with his stable of stuffed animals. I sat in silence, waiting on Katie, tapping the steering wheel, glancing back at Jase, and wondering how long it'd been since I slept that soundly.

Katie walked around the secrecy wall and headed for the truck via the soda machine. With a Diet Coke in her hand, she sat sideways in the seat, slid one leg underneath the other, and said, "You were going to tell me about your dad."

"My dad?"

Katie nodded.

"Oh yes, my dad."

She pointed to her eye and said, "I know a little bit about people who lie to themselves when their loved ones are violent."

I took a deep breath, checked to make sure Jase was still sleeping, and wondered how much of this story to tell.

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