Family Sins(66)

“No. No more war. Just you and Mama on the mountain. How’s that for a good life?”

“Yes,” Jesse said. “Gotta take care of Mama.”

Bowie was struggling to wrap his head around the complexity of this whole damn mess as he looked up at the cloudless blue of the sky. He saw an eagle soaring high over the mountains and heard a faint screech before it flew out of sight, and he wished he could fly. They would already be off this mountain if he could.

When he began to hear voices, he knew the rescue unit was close.

“Are you okay, Jesse?” Bowie asked.

“I’m okay,” Jesse said, still following orders.

Still holding on.

Then all of a sudden rescuers were swarming the area. They put a cervical collar on Talia to keep her neck immobile, checked her vitals and then moved her to a backboard. As soon as she was in their hands, Bowie rolled over onto his knees to help them steady her. They put her and the backboard into a caged lift basket and signaled the rescuers above that she was good to go.

Jesse was strangely silent, which worried Bowie, but it was too late to change what had happened. All he could do was pray the incident didn’t throw his brother into an episode of PTSD. He needed to get Jesse home safely, and he also needed to be at the hospital with Talia. Once again, he was torn between his heart and his responsibilities.

Once Talia was on the way up they strapped Jesse and Bowie into rappelling gear to steady them should they slip and began pulling them up, too. Bowie couldn’t climb up fast enough, but he wouldn’t go ahead of his little brother.

When they finally reached the top, it was with a huge sigh of relief. The ambulance was already on the way to the hospital with Talia onboard, and Leigh was waiting for them with open arms. She had Jesse in a fierce embrace when Bowie reached the top. The minute she saw him, she hugged him, too, pulling her oldest and her youngest as close as she could get them.

Her voice was shaking when she said, “You two scared me, but I’m very proud of you.”

“Is Aidan still here?” Bowie asked.

“No. Leslie called while they were loading Talia into the ambulance. She was on her way to the ER with Johnny. She said his lip wouldn’t stop bleeding and probably needed stitches after all. Aidan left to meet them there.”

“Poor little guy,” Bowie said.

“Johnny will cry,” Jesse said, and frowned.

“Yes, but his mommy and daddy will make him better,” Leigh said.

Jesse put his arms around Leigh.

“Like you make us better. I am a man, Mama. I won’t scare you again.”

Leigh just shook her head and hugged both of them again as Riordan approached.

Bowie gave his mom a quick pat and shifted his attention to Riordan. “Was Talia okay when they got her topside?”

“Yes. They had her stabilized before transport,” Riordan said.

“You need to know that she said her brakes went out,” Bowie said.

Leigh moaned, thinking how close she’d come to losing both Bowie and Talia.

“That does it,” she said.

Riordan glanced at Leigh. The calm tone of her voice was deceiving, because the look in her eyes was frightening. It was the first time he saw the resemblance between her and her twin, Justin.

“I told you,” Leigh muttered, then handed Bowie her keys. “Jesse and I will walk home. It’s not far, and you need to be with Talia. You’re all the family she has now. Be careful today, and know that this won’t happen to any of my family again.”

Riordan flinched. “Now, Mrs. Youngblood...Leigh...don’t do anything you’ll regret. Jesse needs you with him, not behind bars.”

She ignored him and spoke to Bowie again.

“Call me as soon as you know something. We’ll say prayers. She will be well. I believe that for you.”

“Will I be able to take the truck and get it fixed?” Bowie asked.

Riordan shook his head.

“No, I’m going to have both vehicles towed so my crime scene team can look for signs of tampering. I know what’s been said, but you know where I stand. I have to go by the letter of the law, and facts are what will stand up in court.”

“What about Chief Clayton?” Leigh asked.

“I’m going to call him right now and have him interview the other residents on Ms. Champion’s block. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a witness.”

Bowie looked down at his clothes.

“Mama, you and Jesse get in the car. I can’t go to the ER with all this blood on me, and I’m not driving off and leaving the both of you to walk home. I’ll get to the hospital soon enough. Jesse and I did all we could for her. It’s up to God and the doctors now.”

Riordan walked away to call Henry Clayton as Bowie took his family home.

*

Chief Clayton was coming out of the courthouse when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned.

“Hello, Constable, what can I do for you?” Clayton asked.

Riordan didn’t waste time getting to the point.

“We’ve had an incident up on the mountain near Stanton Youngblood’s home. The brakes on Bowie’s truck went out. He managed to stop it before it wrecked. Talia Champion was about a half hour behind him when her brakes went out, too. She went over the cliff. She’s alive, but that’s all I know.”