Everything You Are(77)

“Something’s happened, Jo. It’s Allie.”

The silence on the other end is deep and shocked, and Phee rushes ahead. “She’s alive, she’ll be fine, but—”

“You shouldn’t do that to a woman. Near gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry. Didn’t want you to hang up.”

“My God. What happened?”

Phee tries to soften news that can’t be softened. “She took a bunch of pills. She was with a boy.”

“Braden must be wrecked. Where is he? Can I talk to him?”

“He’s at the hospital with her.”

“And you’re calling because?”

“Because I want to help. Allie is a casualty of what’s going on with Braden. If we help him, we help her.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want to bring them both out to the place where your husband died.”

Silence. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“He needs to remember what happened.”

“And you think that’s going to help him? Excuse me, but none of us wants to remember that night.”

“If you don’t remember it, you can’t grieve it. Trust a former alcoholic on that one. Did he always drink?”

“No,” Jo says. Phee can almost hear the wheels spinning in the other woman’s brain. “Now that you mention it, he never did. He hated the way our father got when he was drinking.”

“Abusive?”

“I don’t know that I’d say that. Belligerent. Not physically, just—he would say things. He was hard on Braden at the best of times, worse when he was drunk. You know, add alcohol for instant asshole.”

“Why was Braden out there in the first place? Do you know?”

“He and Lilian had some kind of fight. He said she was making him choose, either her and the kids or the cello. He’d come away to the hunting cabin to think about what he was going to do. Had the cello with him, of course. I can’t imagine that sat well with her. He was obsessed with music, I’ll grant that. Not an easy man to be married to, but she should have known that before she said yes. It’s not like he ever tried to hide it.”

Phee closes her eyes. An impossible choice for a musician like Braden. It wasn’t like music was a thing he did, more of a thing he was.

“And your husband?” She gentles her voice to soften the bluntness of her question. “What was he doing out there?”

“Nobody knows,” Jo says. “I mean, he spent lots of time at the cabin, but it wasn’t hunting season. The ice was too rotten for ice fishing. He packed a cooler, mostly with beer, and said, ‘I’m taking that poor bastard some liquid encouragement.’ Only it’s not like he and Braden were ever close, you know? And like I said, Braden didn’t drink.”

“And your husband?”

“Functional alcoholic. That’s what they call it, right? Never missed a day of work. Good with our son. But he drank a lot in the evenings. Wasn’t the nicest drunk, either. Not so mean as my dad, but he could be a dick. Didn’t think my brother needed that, so I told Mitch to stay home, that Braden had gone out there to be alone. He was acting weird, anyway. Twitchy. Unsettled. Wouldn’t listen, manlike. ‘Later, Jo.’ That’s what he said when he got in his truck to drive off. The last words I had from him.”

“I’m so sorry to drag this up for you,” Phee says.

“You’re not sorry. Dragging it up is exactly what you’re trying to do.”

“All right. I admit it. But I am sorry for causing hurt. Not my intention.”

“I’ve told you all I know. Mitch went out there. Next thing I know, I get a phone call. My husband is dead, my brother’s in the hospital, everybody’s very sorry for my loss, yada yada yada. Are we done? I need to go make breakfast for Dad.”

“So, can I? Bring Braden and Allie to the cabin?”

“And what if he doesn’t remember? Or what if he does and it makes him worse?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but with all due respect, I don’t think it can get much worse. Allie wants to die, and he’s not far behind.”

“When you put it that way, not so crazy as all that. Good luck getting him here. He hasn’t been in town since the accident. Didn’t even come for Mom’s funeral.”

Phee takes this as a yes. “How do I get to the cabin?”

“If you can get him out here, you bring him straight by my place first. Do you have a time frame?”

“As soon as they release Allie, so it depends on her recovery. How big is the cabin?”

“Why?”

“Well, if I could, I’d like to bring a few of his friends.”

“There’s a loft, two bedrooms, a pullout sofa. We’ve slept eight, but it’s pretty cozy.”

“Perfect,” Phee says. “Do I need to bring sleeping bags?”

“I’ll take care of the bedding if you take care of the food.”

“Done. Please don’t tell him I called. We’re going to need the element of surprise.”

“You’re going to need the element of ambush,” Jo says. “Good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”