Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

A few months after Raya’s confession, Taylor sat on the bench, on their dock. The lake stretched out before her, shimmering under the unseasonably warm sun. A breeze tousled her hair, and, for the first time in what felt like forever, she truly felt well. She’d even left the cane at home. It was a small victory but a monumental one for her recovery.

Beside her, Sam held a sleeping Lennon in the papoose harnessed around his chest. She would probably stay that way for hours, snuggled against her daddy’s warmth, content and snoozing to the beat of his heart. Diesel lay at Taylor’s feet, his head on his paws, occasionally twitching at the smell of food wafting through the air.

The dock bustled with life. The table groaned under the weight of fried chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs, and a homemade cake for Cecil’s birthday.

Nearby, Brandy lounged beside Cate, keeping her nose pointed in Diesel’s direction, both dogs blissfully soaking up the sunshine and happy to have their people sharing outside time with them.

The kids fished from the end of the dock, their laughter carrying over the water as they shouted about the elusive striper fish they were determined to catch. Levi was usually the champion fisherman, and he looked serious as a heart attack.

Johnny tried with them and he looked hot but happy, his chubby cheeks red and his plump little arms like sausages protruding from the life jacket he wore.

Taylor noticed Cate and Ellis huddled together at one side of the table. Jo stood with her arm around Levi, and Anna was trying—and failing—to corral her Chihuahua, Mutt, as Johnny waved his fishing pole over the tiny dog, the hook swinging dangerously close to his muzzle. Mutt was doing well, considering he’d lost his best friend, Jeff, the Great Dane, the year before. It had taken some weeks of grieving where he’d stayed nonstop in the dog bed he’d shared with Jeff, as if waiting for him to return, but finally he was himself again.

“Johnny, no!” Anna shrieked, her voice lilting with panic as Mutt darted between the tables. The little dog skittered under the bench, but Johnny was determined. He dropped the fishing pole and crouched low, his chubby hands outstretched, and made a grab for Mutt’s tail.

The Chihuahua yelped, spun around, and barked furiously.

Johnny froze, his big eyes blinking in surprise before he let out a giggle that sent the adults into peals of laughter from Bronwyn, Teague, and Levi.

“Poor Mutt,” Alice said.

“Johnny, stop terrorizing that poor dog!” Taylor called, unable to keep the smile off her face. Johnny wouldn’t really hurt him. He loved all the dogs.

“Mutt’s going to need therapy after this,” Anna muttered, scooping up the trembling dog and glaring playfully at her nephew. It was amusing to see Anna so crazy over a dog when, for so many years, she had no interest in animals .

“Maybe he’ll think twice before stealing Johnny’s bait again,” Sam quipped, earning a round of chuckles.

As the laughter faded, the conversation took a more somber turn. Corbin, seated at the edge of the picnic table with Sutton, glanced at Taylor. “So, about this Colburn case,” he began, his voice tentative. “I’ve been reading up on it. What kind of person does something like that?”

Taylor’s smile faded. She shifted, folding her arms across her chest. Since Raya Colburn’s confession and all the media surrounding it, others had come forward with stories. People from the apartment complex she’d once lived in declaring that Raya would fall into a fit of screaming and hysteria if anyone accidentally took her parking space, or if a neighbor’s cat crossed her patio. Her coworkers claimed that Raya acted like a spoiled child if she didn’t get the exact schedule she wanted, or if her till came up short, and she’d blame everyone but herself.

A distant cousin recalled a visit the year before when he was watching a football game with Jane and Willis, and Raya had come in and demanded money to put tires on her car. That his aunt and uncle had said no but Raya had finally worn them down, until Jane wrote a check.

Missy Ann had known that her little sister was taking advantage of her parents financially, but had no idea the extent of it until everything came out.

“She was a bully and a coward,” Taylor said simply.

“What about the boyfriend?” Sutton asked, leaning forward. “Randy something?”

“Ronnie. Ronnie McGill,” Sam added.

Taylor sighed. “I have no pity for him. In his interview, he had the gall to say, ‘I’m sorry that they’re gone. They were my family, too, you know?’”

“If he’d have been any kind of man, the first time Raya brought up the idea of killing her family, he would’ve gone to her parents and told them that she needed help.”

“He’s just as evil as she is,” Anna said.

Ellis, who had been silent until now, frowned. “I heard Raya actually asked for the death penalty at one point. Her lawyers had to talk her out of it when she finally told them the truth, that Ronnie was the actual executioner, when her own gun had failed. But it was all done under her bidding, no matter who pulled the trigger.”

The group fell quiet for a moment, the weight of the tragedy settling over them.

“It’s eerie,” Cate said softly, her hand resting on Ellis’s arm. “That someone could be that angry, that misguided to that extent, and no one noticed. So much jealousy brewing over how she thought her siblings were preferred over her. Then, in one day, a whole family is gone.”

Cecil, the birthday boy himself, shook his head. “And at Christmas, no less. When the rest of the world is pausing for kindness, compassion, and renewing bonds with loved ones. It’s a cruelty I’ll never understand.”

Cate nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That’s why the world needs Christmas. The twinkling lights, the food, the gifts—the love we trade to distract us from all the stress and troubles of the year. But now, Missy Ann and Justin—and Seth and Erin’s kids—will never feel that holiday cheer again. Every year, it’ll just be a reminder of what they lost.”

Sam’s jaw tightened, and he shook his head. “It shows just how callous Raya is. To plan the murder for that specific day makes me realize even more that devils walk among us, hiding in plain sight until they can’t contain their evil thoughts anymore.”

The mood was plummeting fast and Taylor held up a hand. “Okay, let’s move this conversation somewhere else. Jo, is Lucy coming down? ”

Jo glanced toward the cabins, though the trees obscured her view. “I think so. Before she got into the shower, she said she was. Said she wanted Ginger to have some playtime with the other dogs.”

Anna scoffed. “You would think that she’d be more worried about spending time with Johnny. She’s so selfish. Just like she says she still can’t live alone. She needs to give Levi his space back and stop being such a baby.”

Taylor was about to divert the topic once again, but Corbin broke the tension with a grin. “By the way, I had a small gig at a bar in Nashville last week. Just warming up, but it’s helping me get over my stage fright. Only works if Sutton’s there, though.”

Sutton swatted his arm. “Stop being such a charmer! You’ve got tons of women falling for your lines.”

He chuckled. “Maybe, but you’re the only one for me.”

She blushed, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

Sam, never one to miss an opportunity to tease, leaned forward. “You better put a ring on it, Corbin. Sutton’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

Ellis laughed. “Speaking of rings, my daughter just informed me that the resort she’s holding her wedding at in Cabo is an all-inclusive, adults-only resort. They’d planned all sorts of things for the wedding party; a white party on a yacht, golfing and a whiskey tour for the guys, spa day for the girls, camel-riding …”

Taylor grimaced. “I don’t know if any of us can manage that. No one wants to leave the kids for a whole week, especially Lennon.”

Cate leaned over to whisper, “We’ll figure something out for Lennon because I’m going to need you there, Taylor. You know his kids hate me, and I’m sure their family still thinks I’m some kind of low-class gold digger. ”

Taylor squeezed her mom’s arm. “Mom, I bet that’s not true.”

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine peeling out on gravel up toward the farm shattered the moment. Everyone looked up, confused.

“Who was that?” Jo asked, standing to get a better view.

Taylor frowned. “I’ll go check.” Cate stood with her, and the two made their way back up the path.

“Lucy’s car isn’t at Jo’s cabin,” Cate said, shielding her eyes against the sun.

“Where would she be going?” Taylor mused.

They walked up to Jo’s cabin and went inside. When they didn’t see Lucy or her dog, Ginger, they walked back to Levi’s bedroom. The bed was unmade, and clothes were scattered all over the floor.

Taylor went into his bathroom. “Mom? All her toiletries are gone.”

“Maybe she moved back into her own cabin,” Cate said. “Let’s go look.”

When they reached Lucy’s cabin, they found the door ajar. Inside her bedroom, drawers were open, clothes scattered across the floor. A lot was gone—her clothes, her shoes, even her dog.

Taylor rushed to Lucy’s bathroom and saw medicine bottles lined up behind the faucet. She picked one up and shook it. It was nearly full. She felt like the earth moved, making her feel sick at her stomach.

“She didn’t take her meds,” she whispered as Cate came in.

Lucy had made big improvements since they’d found the right medication and dosage to keep her leveled out, but this appeared she hadn’t been taking them after all and had set the bottles out as a declaration.

“That’s not good,” Cate said.

They went back through the house and, in the living room, right on the coffee table, a note was left behind. How they’d missed it the first time around was beyond Taylor.

“Don’t try to find me. The mice are back.”

She sank onto the couch, tears stinging her eyes. Lucy was still paranoid. Probably completely out of her head. Anger rose. “She took Ginger with her but couldn’t be bothered to take Johnny?”

Cate placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I know this is hard, Taylor, but, if you ask me, it’s the biggest compliment that Lucy could give you. She trusts you with her son more than she trusts herself right now. She knows you’ll keep him safe. That we all will”

Taylor bit her lip, her anger giving way to fear. “What if something happens to her? She needs medical intervention. She needs her medication.”

“Yes, but Lucy is tough,” her mother assured her. “She’s lived on the streets before, without a penny to her name. At least now she has resources. She’ll be fine, and she’ll come back. She wouldn’t have left Johnny otherwise.”

Taylor nodded, but the ache in her chest didn’t ease. Once again, Lucy was gone again, and that meant that, until she resurfaced, a part of Taylor’s heart was ripped out of her chest, ragged and hurting.