Dovetail: A Novel(92)

He blinked. “You’re still here.”

“Of course I’m still here. Where would I go?”

“I don’t know.” He looked around the room, letting it all come into focus. “You’re a good friend, Kathleen.”

“Well, I certainly hope I’m more than that,” she said, allowing herself a small grin.

Before he could address that statement, she went on to explain that the police officer wanted to question Joe, but based on Kathleen’s statement and Joe’s injuries, it seemed certain that Ricky’s death would be categorized as accidental self-defense, and no charges would be filed against her. “It was a good thing I filed a police report for abuse when we were married. At the time, it didn’t seem to do much, but having it on record established a pattern of violence that’s now in my favor. Not that any of this is in my favor,” she added ruefully.

“I’m sorry,” Joe said.

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for what you’ve gone through. I look at you and want to cry.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Temporarily.”

A long pause. “What time is it? What day is it?”

“It’s about eight thirty on Sunday morning. The Barn Dance was last night.”

He let that one sink in. He’d been out a long time after the surgery. “Did anyone call my parents?”

“I called your grandmother, and she called your family. They’re on their way.”

“Did my dad actually talk to Pearl?”

She nodded. “That’s what she told me. She said it was like a miracle to hear his voice. They had a pretty good talk, according to your grandmother.”

Joe suddenly missed his family and wanted to see them. Best yet would be if he could see them all together—all the important people in his life in one place. Kathleen, his dad and mom, Linda, Pearl, and even Marcia and Howard, everybody in one room, and all of them getting along. He wanted Linda to see their grandmother’s house and the old family photos. He wanted to take the whole lot of them to the Pine Cone and say something to make Doris smile. The fact that his dad and Pearl had spoken to each other was a good sign, a start.

But before he did any of that, he wanted to talk to Pearl and tell her he knew the truth of what happened to Alice. He sensed that underneath that tough exterior, she yearned for forgiveness, and he believed he might be able to help in that department. She had been waiting a long time to find some peace of mind.

He said to Kathleen, “I know what happened to John and Alice after they left the Barn Dance.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’ve had a dream of what happened that night.”

“Recently?”

“Since I’ve been here. I guess it was the anesthesia.”

She sucked in a breath and exhaled in disappointment. “Oh no. Another dream?”

“This time felt different,” he said, struggling to explain. “It felt like the end, like this has run its course, and it’s over now. I don’t think I’ll have any more dreams.” He’d so badly wanted to stop having the dreams, but now that they were over, there was a sadness to it. A finality. Like saying goodbye to old friends.

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe,” he said thoughtfully, “that you and I have been re-creating their time together. Our own version of it anyway. That night at the Barn Dance, we sort of relived their last night, but for us, it turned out differently because of you. You changed the ending.”

She tilted her head to one side. “I changed the ending. What do you mean?”

“Let me tell you.” And then, to her wide-eyed amazement, he told her the whole story.





CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT





1983


Joe heard Linda’s voice in the hallway just outside his hospital room, so he was ready when she burst through the door. His mom and dad followed, both of them with concerned expressions on their faces. “Hey, Joe!” Linda said. “Guess what? We have a new grandmother.”

“I know! Isn’t that something?” He grinned at her, amazed to see that her earlobes were adorned with tiny studs. Linda had long wanted pierced ears, but their mom had sworn she would have to wait until she was fifteen. Linda had an adorable way of wheedling to get what she wanted. Apparently, she’d worn their mother down.

“How are you, Joe?” His mom looked down on him in concern and then noticed Kathleen, who stood from her bedside chair and introduced herself.

“Are you Joe’s girlfriend?” Linda asked.

“Yes, she is,” Joe answered before Kathleen could say a word. “Be nice to her. I don’t want her scared away.”

They made small talk, discussing Joe’s injuries and the drive up to Pullman. Chicago traffic had been particularly bad, his father said. Eventually, when the nurse came in to take his blood pressure, Kathleen excused herself and slipped out of the room.

“Your girlfriend’s pretty,” Linda said, watching her go.

“I think so too.”

His dad said, “So it was a jealous ex-husband who did this to you?” His forehead creased with concern.